Alter Egos

Spaceman Spiff

Spaceman Spiff is the most commonly used of Calvin’s imaginary alter egos. He is used as a metaphor in Calvin’s life, with other characters as aliens. He is an awesome example of Calvin’s great imagination. From hiding from his parents to daydreaming in school, Spaceman Spiff is the intrepid explorer of the galaxy.

Dinosaurs

Sometimes animals are alter egos for Calvin, especially dinosaurs. Like Spaceman Spiff, dinosaurs are used as metaphors in Calvin’s life. Other characters are other prehistoric creatures. Dinosaurs are usually in Sunday pages.

Stupendous Man

This is usually Calvin’s only alter ego when he wears a costume.  However, Calvin is easily recognized. Stupendous Man “fights” for freedom, usually preventing school, parenting, and babysitting. For example, on one occasion he thought Earth’s gravity was ruining his life, and he couldn’t throw a snowball at Susie, so he lifted himself by climbing a tree and dropped a giant snowball on Susie from there.

Tracer Bullet

Tracer Bullet is a detective, meant for proctecting Calvin from punishment. The strips are mostly black, what Watterson said was unusual for a cartoon. Watterson also said in The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book that these type of comics are time consuming and he doesn’t use them very often. In fact, you probably won’t get Bullet in most Calvin collections. Something Under The Bed Is Drooling, Scientific Progress Goes ‘Boink’, and Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons do, and thus the former two’s parent treasuries (The Essential Calvin and Hobbes and The Indispenable Calvin and Hobbes)  also do. The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book has the same story as Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons.

Adults

Calvin and Susie were portrayed as adults twice in the strip’s history, both times in Sunday strips. Watterson said in The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book that it was to put the reader in suspense, as it would start with adults (that do not look like those in the strip).

Here is a description of one of the strips (from http://www.reemst.com/calvin_and_hobbes/stripsearch?q=honey+i+brought+home+a+surprise+let’s+hope+it’s+a+divorce&search=normal&start=0&details=1330):

“A woman comes home and tells her husband that she stopped at the hospital on the way home. She brought home their new baby. The husband doesn’t want a baby. The woman cuddles the baby, which is actually a rabbit. The husband wonders why their baby is a rabbit. The woman says it’s not a rabbit, it’s a baby boy. The husband says it looks like a rabbit to him. The woman wants to pretend it’s a baby. The husband says he won’t. Calvin walks away, saying playing “house” makes him sick. Susie doesn’t understand why he’ll pretend with his tiger, but not with Mr. Bun.”

Other Alter Egos (that only appeared once)

Captain Napalm, Safari Al, Calvin the Zombie, The Giant Slimy Octopus, Calvin The Human Insect, The Crocodile, The Fearsome Shark, Calvin The Mighty Giant, Calvin The Bug, Calvin The Frog, The Giant Amoeba, Calvin The Tiger (Transmorgrifier uses), The Living X-Ray, The Chameleon, The Bat, The Giant Whale, The Deadly Tornado, Calvin The Mighty God, Calvin The Criminal, Calvin The Human Light Particle, Calvin The Elephant, Calvin The Ant, Planet Calvin, X-387 Robot Probe, The Lone Knight, Calvin The C-Bomb, The Giraffe,  The Song Sparrow,  Adult, Calvin The Hummingbird, Calvin The Reptile, Calvin The Lightning Bolt, Mt. Calvin and many more

A note about Captain Napalm, Protector of the American Way: Captain Napalm was a one-time alter ego for Calvin, but later on in the strip, he was mentioned several times as a comic book hero.