Eddie Valiant is the main

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

of the novel ''

Who Censored Roger Rabbit? ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' is a mystery novel written by Gary K. Wolf in 1981. It was later adapted by Disney and Amblin Entertainment into the critically acclaimed 1988 film ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''. Plot Eddie Valiant is a hardboiled p ...

'', and the film adaptation, ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated comedy film, comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall (filmmaker), Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely ad ...

''.

''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?''

In the original novel ''

'', Eddie Valiant is a fictional

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

-based

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

hired by comic book star Roger Rabbit to investigate the workings of Roger's corrupt employers, the DeGreasy Brothers. When Roger is found dead, and his final words having been censored out, Valiant is soon sent on the case of tracking Roger's murderers. This original incarnation of Eddie is a heavy smoker and has a

beard A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, usually pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. Throughout the course of history, societal at ...

as well as being more muscular and chiseled featured than he appears in the film.

''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''

The 1988 film gives insight into the character, as portrayed by

Bob Hoskins Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor. His work included lead roles in films and television series such as '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Long Good Friday'' (1980), ''Mona Lisa'' (1986), ''Who ...

. Pictures and newspaper clippings in his office reveal that he and his brother Theodore ("Teddy" for short) were sons of a

circus clown Clowns have always been an integral part of the circus, offering a source of amusement for patrons and providing relief from the array of animal acts and performances by acrobats and novelty artistes. Traditional types Traditionally, there are ...

; they joined the police force in 1925 and started their own private investigation service in 1938. The brothers quickly established a reputation for rescuing

Toons Toon may refer to: Places * Tōon, Ehime, a Japanese city in Ehime Prefecture * Toon, the former name of Ferdows, a city in South Khorasan Province, Iran * Toon, Somaliland, a town in the Garoodi region People * Toon (name), a list of peop ...

in trouble, such as solving the kidnapping of

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known fo ...

nephews In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of the subject's sibling or sibling-in-law. The converse relationship, the relationship from the niece or nephew's perspective, is that of an ...

and clearing

Goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled f ...

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tang ...

charges. In 1942, while they were investigating a robbery in Toontown, an unknown bank robber (later revealed to be Judge Doom) dropped a piano on them from 15 stories up. Eddie survived but broke his arm, however Teddy was killed instantly. The tragedy left Eddie with a distaste for Toons in general; his business collapsed, losing the respect of most of the police force and he became an

alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

, suffering from

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

and depression. Eddie began living in the office he and Teddy had shared and left Teddy's desk as a memorial to him, refusing to dust it or let anyone sit in his chair. 5 years later, R.K. Maroon, head of the Maroon Cartoons studio, hires Valiant to photograph

Jessica Rabbit Jessica Rabbit is a fictional character in the novel '' Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' and its film adaptation, ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''. She is depicted as Roger's human toon wife in various Roger Rabbit media. Jessica is renowned as one of the ...

, Roger's wife; she is literally "playing pattycake" with Marvin Acme, owner of Toontown and founder of the

Acme Corporation The ACME Corporation is a name for the fictional corporation appearing in various Warner Bros. cartoon shorts, where it was used as a running gag due to their wide array of products that are dangerous, unreliable or preposterous. Origin The ...

. When Acme is murdered and Roger becomes the prime suspect, Valiant teams up with Roger to expose the culprit. Maroon is subsequently killed, and Valiant discovers that Doom is responsible for not only these two deaths, but Teddy's as well. He destroys Doom at Acme's warehouse, finds Acme's lost will that bequeaths Toontown to the Toons, and lives happily-ever-after, having avenged his brother's death and rid himself of both his bigotry and alcoholism.

Appearances in other media

In the

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

of the film published in 1989 by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...

, Valiant is the narrator of the story, telling the film through his eyes and in the style of a detective story. According to '' Roger Rabbit: The Resurrection of Doom'', Valiant eats jellybeans to cope with his new-found

teetotalism Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or is ...

. In the novel '' Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit?'', Valiant has once again vowed to no longer take any Toon cases, but is forced to do so when Baby Herman is found dead.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valiant, Eddie Fictional detectives Who Framed Roger Rabbit Literary characters introduced in 1981 Fictional alcohol abusers Fictional characters with major depressive disorder Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder Disney characters originating in film Characters in American novels of the 20th century