Arthur (Inception)
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Arthur |
| Occupation: | Point Man, dream worker |
| Relationships: | No canon, arguably Ariadne as he kisses her to distract projections. Arthur/Eames, Ariadne/Arthur, Arthur/Cobb and Ariadne/Arthur/Eames are the most common in fandom. |
| Fandom: | Inception |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Arthur is a secondary character from the film Inception, portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (JGL).[1] Like "Eames," it's unknown whether "Arthur" is a first or last name.
Character overview
Arthur is one of the characters present from the opening of Inception, establishing him as a long-time ally of team-leader Dom Cobb. Arthur's role on the team is known as point man, from the military term. He is left to fend off hostile projections on his own in the second level of the Fischer dream, where the rest of the team - and their success - partly depends on him being able to create the right circumstances - a "kick" - to bring everyone out of the dream again. His actions demonstrate that Arthur is highly competent and, despite being called a "stick-in-the-mud" with "no imagination" by Eames, is actually quite inventive.
Fandom reception
Arthur was a big hit with fandom, despite not being a major character (though he can fairly be called the secondary character with the largest role), and, in an odd twist, became half of the major fandom pairing for the film's fandom, along with Eames. The Arthur/Eames pairing beat all odds in becoming popular, no doubt in part due to the charisma and gung-ho attitude of Eames played up against the far more sensible and cool-headed Arthur, but also to the acting talent of Gordon-Levitt and, undoubtedly, his appealing looks.[2] The canon also heavily implies there is backstory between Eames, Mal and Cobb, and the competitive nature it takes between Arthur and Eames, with mutual teasing and banter, has endeared the characters to fandom.[3]
Arthur has a number of last names in fandom. There is even a theory that Arthur's last name is actually Darling, giving a humourous alternate interpretation of Eames's line, "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling," from the film.
Character Meta and Discussion
- Arthur's Job: A Series of Thoughts[4] by zanzando: an exploration of what it means to be "a point man" and how Arthur does all his research.
- Dressing Arthur by butterflythread: What he wears, what he doesn’t, and what it means for people writing him.
- Military Backgrounds discussion on eames_arthur with quotes and supporting evidence in comments
- right hand in a trenchcoat by deepsix. Personal analysis of "Arthur and Eames and their interaction in canon"
- i would be your bonaparte by deepsix. "The more I think about this movie, the more I do not buy fanon characterizations of Arthur and Eames like... at all"
- The Eames/Arthur Survival Guide[5][6] by godofwine - an illustrated guide to all the Eames/Arthur scenes
- How to Dress Your Man/Character: An Informal Tutorial Heavy on the PicSpam by hackthis. An information/picspam about men's suits, inspired by Inception fandom's love of men in suits.
- Picspam: Costumes in Inception[7] by bennet_7. A very thorough look at all the costumes worn by the main characters and what their attire tells us about them.
- Dream A Little Bigger, Darling - the Inception Fic Writer's Guide to Firearms, Pt 1[8][9][10] by chn-breathmint (other parts linked in post).
Fanon and Popular Tropes and Themes
- Arthur has a military background (this is often true of Eames in fanfiction, as well.) The "point man" terminology probably helped to foster this common backstory, since its origins are military.
- The implied backstory with the other characters is explored and imagined.
- Arthur has/gets some of JGL's characteristics, such as having a Jewish background. For example gyzym's fic life long local foreigner in the domestic verse Wherever You Will Be (That's Where I'll Call Home) series features Arthur's sister having a Jewish wedding.
- Arthur is/used to be other JGL roles, such Brendan from Brick, Neil from Mysterious Skin, Tom from (500) Days of Summer, or Tommy from 3rd Rock from the Sun.
- Arthur is a fashion-forward dresser and wears suits on non-formal occasions. This sometimes leads to suitporn.
- Catboy!Arthur[11]
- Cockslut!Arthur in slash fics
- See Arthur/Eames#Popular Tropes and Themes for a list specific to that pairing
Fandom resources
Fanlore
LiveJournal
Tumblr
Other Resources
References
- ^ "IMDb". Archived from the original on 2017-08-14.
- ^ See Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- ^ See Arthur/Eames
- ^ "zanzando Arthur's Job - A Series of Thoughts". 2010-10-06. Archived from the original on 2013-11-13.
- ^ "godofwine: The Eames/Arthur Survival Guide [1/2]". 2010-08-03. Archived from the original on 2012-11-28.
- ^ "The Eames/Arthur Survival Guide [2/2]: godofwine — LiveJournal". 2010-08-03. Archived from the original on 2022-04-09.
- ^ "Picspam: Costumes in Inception - A grave for good intent — LiveJournal". 2011-02-10. Archived from the original on 2022-04-09.
- ^ "Dream A Little Bigger, Darling - the Inception Fic Writer's Guide to …". 2010-09-27. Archived from the original on 2022-04-09.
- ^ "Dream A Little Bigger, Darling - the Inception Fic Writer's Guide to …". 2010-09-28. Archived from the original on 2022-04-09.
- ^ "Dream A Little Bigger, Darling - The Inception Fic Writer's Guide to …". 2010-09-29. Archived from the original on 2022-04-09.
- ^ cf. jibrailis' collection in a livejournal entry. A stirring saga of collective artistry (or ARTHUR IS A CATBOY and we likes it), 13 October 2010 (Accessed 12 November 2010)