Queen Vexus disguised as "Vee"
Vexus (formerly Queen Vexus) is the main antagonist in My Life as a Teenage Robot. She was the reigning monarch of Cluster Prime and leader of the Cluster, and is still one of XJ-9's most recurring foes. She was voiced by the late Eartha Kitt in all of her appearances except in Around the World in Eighty Pieces and as Violet and Vicky in Queen Bee where she is voiced by Cree Summer.
Background
Vexus and Dr. Wakeman have been opponents for what must have been quite some time, and Vexus was likely the inspiration for Jenny's creation. XJ-9 typically can outwit and outperform Vexus, but regardless, Vexus has the resources of an entire planet to call upon. Occasionally she does gain the upper hand, typically through trickery and sabotage.
She possesses the ability to transform, but typically for means of disguise, compared to the multitude of battle forms that Jenny typically uses. Her known forms are as the photographer, a robotic nurse, another robot girl named "QT-2", a girl named "Violet", and as "Vicky".
Queen Vexus disguised (poorly) as "Violet"
Queen Vexus disguised as "Vicky"
In Escape from Cluster Prime, it's revealed that Queen Vexus has a daughter named Vega. During the course of the movie, Queen Vexus is dethroned by Jenny and Nora Wakeman (with Sheldon's help) and Vega takes the leadership of Cluster Prime for her own. It's assumed that Krakus, Smytus, and Vexus herself got destroyed in the destruction of a dump asteroid. However, she was shown to be alive in "Queen Bee" and donned a new look.
Being 2,000 years old, Vexus' skill with slang and relating to teenagers is a bit rusty. In an attempt to infiltrate Tremorton High, she dressed like a Flapper and spouted all the hottest 1920s lingo like "bee's knees" and "23 skiddoo".
A cunning and cruel robot queen, Vexus (voiced by Eartha Kitt) is bent on the enslavement of the human race. She is the main antagonist of the series. A sneaky android, photographer in "Hostile Makeover", the robot nurse Vee in "Tradeshow Showdown", the flirtatious teenage robot QT-2 (pronounced "Cutie 2") in "Designing Women", and even the transfer student Vicky in "Queen Bee". Vexus was enemies with Dr. Wakeman. First appearing in "Hostile Makeover", Vexus infected Jenny with a nanobot, "slowly changing her from within, into a... monster "A HIDEOUS MONSTER!" Her plan is foiled when Wakeman manages to short-circuit her creation and remove the nanobot. She later showed up in "Tradeshow Showdown" where she assimilated all the robots in the convention, only for Jenny to deactivate her whole new army. Eventually, in "Designing Women", Vexus grew tired of Jenny always defeating her drones with the seemingly endless gadgets she can pull out at will. In disguise as "QT-2" (as mentioned before), Vexus coaxed Sheldon out of Jenny's master blueprints (which he originally stole to find the way to her heart). Vexus nearly had Jenny beat, now able to calculate her every move, but some quick thinking outside the box left Jenny the victor in the end.
Finally, in the TV movie "Escape from Cluster Prime", Vexus attempts to bring Jenny into the Cluster on the tricentennial of Tremorton. When the fight is over, Vexus escaped via teleporter on her hovercraft. After the townsfolk shun Jenny for the damage to the town and the ruined festivities, Jenny is left to clean up the mess, and she accidentally stumbles through the Cluster portal, landing in her enemies' home planet. Completely unaware of this turn of events, Vexus finally loses patience and pulls a full-scale invasion of Earth. During Jenny's time on Cluster Prime, she realizes that Vexus has been lying to her people. There, the robot XJ-9 has been painted as the barbaric android who stole the planet's supply of golden computer chips (the part that allows their weapons systems to function), when it was really Vexus who was guilty of the crime (however, comically because of the barbaric overtones in her poster, no one on Cluster Prime even realized Jenny was XJ-9). In the end, Vexus was overthrown, and it is assumed her benevolent daughter, Princess Vega, took the throne.
However, Vexus appears again in "Trash Talk" and "Queen Bee", repeatedly attempting to exact her revenge of Jenny for her loss of power. However, Vexus was clearly starting to lose control of her mind; as she had created a spaceship for escape that could only contain a hamster. Later, Vexus returns to Tremorton and pretends to be "Violet" at Tremorton High, but Jenny was able to recognize her without having to remove her disguise. The Crust Cousins run into Vexus, and take her with them so that she could learn slang. On the next day, Brit and Tiff introduce Vexus as "Vicky", and she was able to beat Jenny in "fitting in and being popular". However, Vexus (disguised as "Vicky") was becoming even more popular than the Crust Cousins themselves. She had nearly defeated Jenny by using disruptors placed around the school by Brit and Tiff. The Crusts had no other choice but to remove the devices they had planted earlier, so they wouldn't "remain as social outcasts". Vexus is left buried in a pile of ice cubes, but she was no longer popular when Jenny told the students that their "queen was two thousand years old". Despite being unpopular, Vexus is still alive, which means that she is not officially defeated in the series.
Physical Appearance
Vexus' physical appearance is that of a green and yellow striped insectoid alien robot who bears a resemblance to an Egyptian pharaoh. She has long striped legs with high heels, a black bottom and a yellow top. She has large black arms and hands and green sleeves attached to them. Some parts of her body, like her belly and upper arms are not covered by armor but show her robotic body. She has a small insectoid head. She has long green and yellow striped hair that resembles the headdress of an Egyptian pharaoh and some sort of crown with a luminous orb on it. She also has red lips, and sharp fangs.
Following the events of "Escape From Cluster Prime", Vexus' appearance changed to a more deteriorated and damaged form and as for "Trash Talk", her pattern color changed to a darker tone. In "Queen Bee", Vexus somehow gained a new appearance. She no longer wears her bottom and top, her large sleeves were reduced and got more curved and her hair got less wide and a bit larger, curved and pointer than her previous one. She also wears some sort of green corset that covers her belly.
Vexus' disguises seem to vary but she always is seen portraying almost the same pattern color as her original appearance such as the green and yellow colors, her most distinguishable traits.
Personality
Vexus is sneaky, conniving, and overall evil in nature. In general, Venus is very angry and xenophobic against human beings, wishing to destroy the Earth and enslave them.
Relationships
Jenny Wakeman
Jenny is Vexus' greatest enemy, and possibly equal in power. Vexus will go to great lengths to bring Jenny over to the side of the Cluster, and enslave humanity, but to no avail, since Jenny is a firm Earth defender through and through.
Brad Carbunkle
In "Queen Bee!" she was disguised as "Vicky". Like most of the boys in school Brad was attracted to the disguise. She regards him as a pathetic flesh-wearer, as she hates the entire human race.
Tuck Carbunkle
During her first appearance in Hostile Makeover Vexus turned Jenny into a monster with her nanobot, and when Tuck and Mrs. Wakeman were trying to save her, Vexus briefly captured Tuck. Jenny saw that he was in danger (when reverted to normal), and threatened to destroy Vexus' nanobot if she harmed Tuck, so Vexus was forced to release the boy in exchange for it.
Sheldon Lee
In "Designing Women" Vexus disguised herself as QT-2 so she could fool Sheldon into making him love her, and distract him so she could steal Jenny's blueprints (the way to Jenny's heart).
Nora Wakeman
It is mentioned a few times throughout the show that Nora and Vexus had met/fought before. When Jenny was in Vexus' total control by her nanobot in Hostile Makeover, Ms. Wakeman and Tuck came to save her and revert her back to normal. In the movie Escape from Cluster Prime, Ms. Wakeman fought Vexus to save Jenny, mentioning, "It must bring back the painful memories of how I brought you down!"
Vega
In Escape from Cluster Prime, Vexus is shown to have some natural motherly care for her daughter, Vega, but had lied to her and kept her evil ways hidden. When Vega discovers how truly evil and tyrannical her mother is, she rebels against her, telling her mother that what she has done is wrong. Vexus becomes enraged with her daughter for betraying her, and seems to disown her. Thus, Vega is left to become the new benevolent queen of Cluster Prime while Vexus flees the planet and abandons her.
Powers and abilities
Vexus is a very powerful opponent that is not to be underestimated. She is intelligent, ruthless, and will use any means to get what she wants.
Superhuman Strength: Not much is known about Vexus' strength, it is shown during her fights she possesses strength that allows her physically harm Jenny, hinting that she might as strong if not stronger than her. Also, in Escape from Cluster Prime when Vexus was furious at the trouble Jenny caused (turning all of Vexus' people against her, including her daughter Vega, by revealing Vexus' true evil plot to steal their golden computer chips) she furiously beat Jenny, nearly destroying her, before Dr. Wakeman and Sheldon came to Jenny's aid.
Shapeshifting: Vexus also possesses the ability to shape and morph her body in multiple disguises as shown when she posed as a human photographer, QT-2, and Vicky.
Flight: Much like Jenny, Vexus is capable of flight. Although she uses her insect-like wings instead of rocket boosters.
Teleportation/Portal Creation: Vexus is able to create inter-dimensional portals that allow her to travel on and off Cluster Prime or away from her foes in the blink of an eye.
Energy Beams: She can emit powerful beams of green energy from her eyes and her hands.
Appearances
- Hostile Makeover
- Tradeshow Showdown
- Around the World in Eighty Pieces
- Designing Women
- Toying with Jenny
- Escape From Cluster Prime
- No Harmony for Melody (cameo)
- Trash Talk
- Queen Bee
Trivia
- While Eartha Kitt voiced Queen Vexus for the whole show, Cree Summer took over for her in one episode (Around the World in Eighty Pieces), and her disguises Violet and Vicky in Queen Bee, as well as QT-2 in Designing Women.
- There was another cartoon character who had to go through a similar change; Eartha Kitt was also the voice of Yzma in the Disney film The Emporer's New Groove, but due to Kitt's death, she was replaced by Candi Milo (who, ironically, also worked on My Life as a Teenage Robot).
- Vexus' diva-like way of speaking and personality is inspired by her voice actress, Eartha Kitt.
- It should be noticed that Vexus' overall appearance is reminiscent of both a bee and an Egyptian pharaoh, symbolizing her rank as queen and ruler of the hive-like Cluster.
- Vexus' name is likely derived from the words "vex", which means to cause torment, worry, and distress, and "nexus", a means of connection between members of a group, due to the fact that she is the ruler of Cluster Prime who brings robots from all over the galaxy together and unites them. Her name might additionally be a loose pun on "vixen", a word used to describe a spiteful or quarrelsome woman.
- In the film Escape from Cluster Prime, it was revealed that Vexus had a daughter named Vega, but given her evil intentions, Vega has shown to dislike her own mother and join Jenny and her friends. Vega also serves like a doppelgänger to Jenny.
- Vexus' design may be insipired by Cleopatra VII Philopator of Egypt, the last active Ptolemaic pharaoh of Egypt. Her bee-like appearance may be reminiscent on the fact she is the queen and ruler of the hive-like Cluster.
- Although in Escape from Cluster Prime Vexus was overthrown and defeated, she reappeared in later episodes like Designing Women and Toying With Jenny being assisted by certain still loyal members of the Cluster.
- Although she never made a physical appearance, Vexus makes a cameo appearance in No Harmony with Melody.
- The scene where Vexus is giving the order to the corrupted robots in Tradeshow Showdown is reminiscent of Adolf Hitler commanding the Nazis; and just like him, Vexus is also an evil dictator who rules through propaganda, viewing herself to her people as the one true good being and Jenny as the true monster.
- The episode Queen Bee was the only episode in which Vexus was less threatening and different than in the other episodes. A possible theory regarding this was that, hadn't the show cancelled, Vexus would progressively regret her errors of the past and redeem herself in the future.
