The following contains spoilers for Mickey 17, now playing in theatersMickey 17teases a large world of satirical sci-fi potential with one supporting character played by an Academy Award nominee.Mickey 17is the follow-up to Bong Joon-ho’sParadise. The film takes a similar darkly comic look at the flaws with modern society, this time filtered through a sci-fi perspective. Even if humanity has found a way to make their way to other worlds and radically change them for settlement, the faults of capitalism, politics, and science still remain as major complications for people.
Mickey 17’s castboasts several major stars, with the likes of Robert Pattinson and Mark Ruffalo bringing years of blockbuster experience to the tonally tricky (but thematically effective) film. However, there’s one supporting character who proves to be among the most interesting aspects of the film. If the world ofMickey 17were to be expanded beyond the film’s ending, then shifting focus to this character and their corner of the universe could open up an entire new universe of storytelling options.
Timo IsMickey 17’s Biggest Wild Card
Image via Warner Bros.
One ofMickey 17’s most surprising characters is Timo, the scumbag “best friend” of Mickey who teases the larger scope of the film’s universe. Played by Steven Yeun,Timo is the reason that Mickey ends up in severe enough debt to the crimelord Blank thathe becomes an Expendable. When both of them discover Blank’s men are coming to collect with lethal methods, they turn to the stars as a possible escape. As a pilot, Timo mistakenly reporting Mickey 17’s death is what leads to the creation of Mickey 18.
Timo plays a minor but important role in the film, serving as a target of Mickey 18’s rage and eventually getting revealed as a drug dealer on the colonizing space ship. Although Timo almost kills one of the Mickeys to appease the demands of the crime boss, Timo actually ends the film in a fairly stable place. He escapes scrutiny for his crimes on the ship, survives a brawl with one Blanks' enforcers, and successfully argues this was self-defense. Timo is a true wildcard who repeatedly reveals new depths to his selfish nature and scrappy survivability.
Timo Teases A Massive World Of Sci-Fi Potential
Timo Proves What It Takes To Survive And Thrive InMickey 17’s Future
One of the things that makes Timo such a fascinating character in the world ofMickey 17is the wayhe hints at the larger state of humanity and society. While put-upon figures like Mickey or ruthless politicians like Kenneth Marshall illustrate the haves and have-nots of this future, Timo represents the people who scramble to make a place for themselves. He’s clever enough to adapt to being a pilot and defend himself in court, but sleezy enough to sell a fuel source as a drug and desperate enough to try murdering his best friend to save himself.
I Can’t Get Over Robert Pattinson’s Accent In Mickey 17
Robert Pattinson’s accent in Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17 is one of the most unforgettable parts of his dual performance as Mickey 17 and Mickey 18.
I Want To See More Of Mickey And Timo’s Sci-Fi World
Mickey 17Could Build Out A Larger Universe Of Sci-Fi Satire
Mickey 17sets up a universe of great satircal sci-fi potentialthat should be explored further with Timo. There’s a dark kookiness baked into the universe, as seen in alien creatures like the friendly creepers or the lethal oxygen of alien worlds that would be fun to explore. The film establishes a deeply sardonic perspective on humanity, with people having the potential (if not always the drive) to make the universe a better place. Gangs that transcend planets and technology capable of transforming worlds could easily be expaned into other storylines set within the same universe.
Mickey 17is based on the novelMickey7by Esward Ashton. The book has a sequel,Antimatter Blues, which could also theoretically serve as inspiration for a sequel toMickey 17.
Timo would be the perfect character to delve with further into this idea.Mickey 17barely scratches the surface of the character, showcasing his grim self-preservation and surface-level charms without diving further into what makes him tick. IfMickey 17were to be expanded, Timo might make for an ideal morally ambiguous character to further explore the universe. Especially given his place at the end of the story and likely target on his back from figures like Blank, it would be exciting to see the universe ofMickey 17expanded with tricky characters like Timo at the center.
