Murray

From MIwiki

Murray, the mighty demonic skull, perched atop a gate at the Plunder Island swamp

Murray is a disembodied, talking skull. He was separated from his body when Guybrush Threepwood shot his row boat out of the water during the battle for Plunder Island at the beginning of The Curse of Monkey Island. In their first conversation together Murray's disposition and megalomania become apparent since despite having no arms or body he intends to rule the world. The player has the option of leaving Murray alone or sinking him with a ramrod.

Later, some weird voodoo kids who were visiting the Voodoo Lady found his skull, and put him on a spike at the Plunder Island swamp, this is where Guybrush encounters him for the second time. He may afterwards be seen being juggled by Slappy Cromwell. He later crops up in the Goodsoup Family Crypt where he fails to scare Threepwood, instead falling to the floor and nearly cracking his skull ("I'm all skull"). However, he is able to scare Mort the Gravedigger in a plot to get Guybrush out of the crypt. Murray appears for the last time as a prize on the shelf at the Carnival of the Damned and at the very end of the game assuring that he will return.

He makes good on his promise by reappearing in the next game as a bouncer at Planet Threepwood.

Murray has become a fan-favorite which would explain his cameo in the fourth game. He was featured in the initial test-versions of the game and became so popular that he was given more appearances throughout the game. Murray's unrelenting megalomania while at the same time being completely unable to do anything other than talk and hop around is thought to make him a popular character.

1 Trivia
2 Memorable quotes
3 Memorable dialogue
4 Appeared in
5 Voiced by

Trivia

If you choose to have Guybrush knock Murray off the plank he was sitting on at the beginning of The Curse of Monkey Island, Guybrush will be able to see him if you look through the porthole in LeChuck's Treasure Hold.
During their first two encounters in the third game Guybrush may offer Murray his arm back. Murray gives away his malicious attempts the first time, futily attempting to cover up his plans by saying: "...I mean, I would use it to pet kittens." The second time Guybrush points out that Murray wouldn't be able to use his arm without his collarbone.
Guybrush can offer gum to Murray after purchasing it. Despite not having any lungs Murray is able to blow the gum into a balloon.
Murray reveals he took the job as bouncer at Planet Threepwood as he needed a means by which to finance his evil schemes.
Murray displays a level of feeling for some of his disembodied body parts. During their first encounter Guybrush can ask Murray why do villains laugh so much to which Murray replies that he isn't laughing at anything in particular but instead "somewhere there is a fish nibbling at my foot and it really tickles".

Memorable quotes

"Bwahahahahahahaha!"
"Evil needs no arms!"
"Is it a really evil looking doorstop?"

Memorable dialogue

Guybrush: "How can you see without eyeballs?"
Murray: "How can you walk around without a brain?"

...

Murray: "...and the forces of darkness will applaud me as I STRIDE through the gates of hell carrying your head on a pike!"
Guybrush: "Stride?"
Murray: "Alright then, ROLL! ROLL through the gates of hell..."