- “A wolf and a fox are not so different. Maybe they will believe you, maybe they won’t, but it doesn’t matter. Don’t do it for them. Do it for you. This is a chance to write your own story. To find a better life for you and your friends. Come on, what have you got to lose?”
- ―Diane to Wolf on changing for the better.
Diane Foxington (also known as The Crimson Paw) is a major character in the 2022 DreamWorks film, The Bad Guys and its 2025 sequel. She is loosely based on the book series' secret agent, Ellen/Agent Fox.
Background[]
The true scale of her operations and history as the Crimson Paw is a mystery and up for speculation, she is however described as one of the greatest bandits to ever walk the face of the earth as well as terrorize the city of Los Angeles. Her history is relatively unknown relating to the movie. However, inside of the books, she is known to be an ex-member of the International League of Heroes. The Bad Guys (book) also reveals that she is fluent in fourteen languages and that her parents were killed by hunters when she was very young.
Diane stealing the Zumpango Diamond accompanied by her equipment
We are made aware, thanks to Mr. Wolf's narration about a brief part of her past and career, that she was the legendary bandit behind the theft of the Zumpango Diamond, a valuable piece of jewellery that she would later wear as a ring. She is also described as a casual showboater, thanks to her pulling off the heist twice, once being only for fun. Mr. Wolf describes her as an "Acrobatic Swiss Army Knife" alongside "The Queen of Cons" which gives way to her potentially having a history which related to extortion or fraud to some degree.
Diane also managed to avoid ever being apprehended by the authorities, indicating that she had become familiar with their surveillance technology. This also means that she didn't leave a trace behind when attempting to steal the Golden Dolphin or when terrorizing the city. It is also indicated that she is a fan of making a dramatic entrance or exit judging by the scene in which she mysteriously enters as a black shadow, only to exit that same prison by detonating depth charges as well as regular explosives. Another example of her making a dramatic entrance is when she reaches the MoonX rocket via flight in order to combat The Bad Girls . Her preferences to be mildly dramatic and to make a statement to the law indicates that she may share a similar past that aligns with the formerly-present mindset of Mr. Wolf and how he ran his operation alongside his crew.
(Blurry) Diane descending from the rooftops of Los Angeles using a presumably homemade wingsuit
Foxington also happens to be the engineer of some of her own technology, which hints towards her having a history relating to the creation or testing of specialised weaponry or tools used for heists which would humble the populace. She appears to be a jack of all trades when it comes to crime, although the methods in which she gained this knowledge and expertise are up for speculation. The status of her underground lair where she holds all of her secret weapons, presumed loot as well as planning centre also hint towards Diane being a hardened criminal and having a lengthy past with executing her scores mostly to perfection.
Her family history alongside relationships with potential allies before The Bad Guys is all but a mystery, but Foxington announced when comforting Mr. Wolf that she could sympathise with him considering she had left behind everything while leaving the criminal life behind. She tells Mr. wolf that if his friends were true friends, they would come back for him. This implies that she may have had friends or even family in the past that may have not come back for her even when she became governor after seeing what she had done as her profession for so long. She also quips that she was still her but on the right side, indicating that she didn't wish to get into the criminal life in the first place and was merely filling part of her soul with wealth and the dreams of leaving behind a legacy before ultimately learning that it's meaningless as well as figuring out that she had become the stereotype she had always wished to avoid.
Unfortunately, beyond speculation. Nothing concrete is known about Foxington's backstory other than the vague backstory she is given inside of the original books which do not relate much to the movie itself. It is hoped that in due time, we will learn more about her legacy as well as her history of being potentially one of the most chaotic criminals ever to exist for it's not easy to gain the reputation of being the best bandit the world has to offer.
Official Description[]
- Governor Diane Foxington, a red fox of grand vision and unflinching confidence, has no qualms insulting the Bad Guys on live TV. Yet even she had to be impressed when the Bad Guys decided to go “good”, especially at Mr. Wolf’s genuine attempts to change his ways.[1]
Personality[]
Diane Foxington's personality can be described as cunning, sharp, intelligent as well as sympathetic. During her time as the Crimson Paw, Diane would often use her traits of intelligence and slyness to aid her in retreating from the authorities. She demonstrates an immense degree of confidence when discussing The Bad Guys for the first time, calling them second-rate has-beens. This indicates a degree of arrogance alongside pride, and that she may have a side of her that sees more than meets the eye.
Foxington is generally stubborn yet easy to sway. As seen by Professor Marmalade's proposition to turn The Bad Guys into The Good Guys, she has an incredible ability to listen to those around her as well as perceive the situation at hand. After being persuaded into allowing The Bad Guys to return to their lives as the newly rehabilitated and rebranded Good Guys. Diane also takes pride in her image as the Governor of California, and can't stand it when she is publicly proven wrong. This is showcased when she is angered by the immense embarrassment Professor Marmalade's failed 'Heist for Good' brought to her credibility.
Despite her cockiness, Diane can also be seen as being extremely sympathetic. This is seen when she acknowledges Wolf's struggles with leaving the criminal life. She can also see through the facade that was Mr. Wolf's charm, and whilst they were being rebranded and taught how to be good, she offered him a pep-talk. She says that despite her anger with the failed 'Heist for Good', she was rooting for him, indicating that she could relate to his situation and displayed an immense amount of optimism for him.
She is also observant, as she is the only one to notice Professor Marmalade's drastic change of attitude when addressing the public after his public feud with Wolf. This makes her question if The Bad Guys were truly the culprits once The Love Crater Meteorite went missing, and goes out to break them out of jail. She is also quick to realize The Bad Guys have been setup by the Phantom Bandit at the lucha libre wrestling tournament.
Diane reflecting on her decision to steal the Golden Dolphin as the Crimson Paw and later placing it back in its place.
Her ability to sympathize with and comfort Mr. Wolf indicates that she is a kind-hearted individual hiding behind a tricky side. When she was under the alias of the Crimson Paw, she found herself reflecting on herself and realizing that she was just the tricky fox that everyone told her that she was supposed to be as well as what she would become. This reflection would later lead to her leaving her criminal life behind her, choosing instead to help those around her, ultimately choosing to become the governor of California.
She also has a flirtatious side, as she is seen to be infatuated with Wolf at first sight. Diane is often seen shooting him flirty looks, subtly touching him, and goes on to dance with him during the Gala of Goodness. Their relationship develops further during the second movie, with Foxington commenting about Mr. Wolf's injuries after training that "I think it's cute, it gives you character", which prompts him to sarcastically ask if the governor is flirting with him, they decide however that due to Wolf's criminal past and Foxington's current position as the governor that they should remain "Medium friends", which Mr. Snake later makes fun of Wolf for, saying that he is touchy because he has been "Friendzoned by the governor". After saving Mr. Wolf by knocking Kitty unconscious aboard the MOON-X Space Station, she and Wolf share a hug together and while Wolf is explaining how he tried to prevent evidence of her criminal past from being publicized, she interrupts and kisses him, which he quickly reciprocates.
Foxington also possesses an ability to plan out her actions with relative swiftness and efficiency as seen by her confrontation with the prison guards holding The Bad Guys captive on the high security island which deprived them of their freedom. Other notable traits include her being relatively hard to impress thanks to her knowledge in a variety of fields alongside being laid back whenever she is not placed under an immense of stress.
Physical Appearance[]
Diane Foxington dressed as the Crimson Paw (Unmasked)
Diane is a slender, anthropomorphic red fox with pear shaped hips/thighs and the basic fox traits - such as pointed-ears, a pointed muzzle with black inner lip-liner and a dusty-pink nose (instead of black), paws with dark auburn claws, and a bushy tail.
Her thick fur is ginger-colored with fluffy-tufts located along the sides of her face, and pale-apricot patches which are lightly placed around her eyes, muzzle to her chest, insides of her ears, the front of her paws and the tip of her tail. She also has sharp black eyebrows with the left sporting two small round silver piercings, and oval-shaped eyes with noticeable emerald green irises and small, fluttery-like lashes protruding from them.
In terms of attire, Diane wore a set of four outfits throughout the first movie; Due to being the governor, her main aesthetic appears to be that of elegant business which consists of a set of thin silver large oval-framed glasses, a flint gray blazer pantsuit being worn over a white dress-shirt with a skinny dark navy silk necktie, and a pair of dark navy high-heels. She accessorizes with both a 5-diamond drop necklace and a diamond bracelet that she wore around her right wrist. This is also the main outfit she is seen wearing in the second movie, although she removes the jacket and heels in order to fight The Bad Girls and she wears a pair of dark grey flats.
During the Golden Dolphin award ceremony, Diane wears a golden necklace with a matching bracelet, which she wore around her right wrist similar to her usual bracelet. Her attire is that of a strapless, sweetheart-styled, cerise runched dress which is presumably made out of satin/silk, alongside a pair of strapped high-heels which are the same color. She also wears a ring which she kept the Zumpango Diamond in.
During the Gala for Goodness, Diane wears the same diamond necklace and bracelet, but her outfit is instead a strapless, open-front, royal-blue split maxi dress with attached straight leg pants, and a set of ankle strap glittery white high-heels. She also appears to carry an auburn handbag. But her tail is unseen.
Meanwhile, as The Crimson Paw, Diane wears a costume that resembles the attire of a ninja; she wears a tight-fitting black hooded stealth-suit with yellow stripes on the sides and small yellow "X" shape stitched in the middle of the hood, and a black neck-balaclava. She also wore a black utility belt with a thin buckle strapped around her waist, and black arm-wrap bracers with matching over-the-knee boots, with her boots containing a yellow stripe above the soles. Her suit was also meant to hide all of her fox features, as her tail is completely hidden.
In The Bad Guys 2, while sparring with Wolf, she wears a grey boxing helmet with a paw print motif, a grey spandex sports bra and high-waisted fur-tight gym shorts with a yellow stripe running down the left and ride sides, white tennis shoes, and yellow and grey finger-less boxing gloves.
After becoming an agent of ISGLOP, she wears a black pantsuit, high heels, and sunglasses.
Appearances[]
The Bad Guys[]
During the film, Diane is first seen in the news report on the Bad Guys. She claims that she feels sorry for them, as she boldly insults them by stating that they are second rate has-beens, and their robberies are only out of anger, denial and self-loathing and that no cash or valuables could ever fill those holes. She then mentions the Good Samaritan award where she will hand out the Golden Dolphin to the "Goodest Citizen"; which Wolf and the Bad Guys plan to steal to get her back.
Later on, Diane is seen with Misty Luggins entering the Gala where she's at the retinal scanner for tight security. When the Bad Guys enter the Gala in disguises, she is seen again having a conversation with the ambassador and his wife. Mr. Wolf (as Mr. Poodleton) attracts her attention by referring the giant monumental statue as trash. Diane responds by saying: "They say that art reveals more about the viewer than the artist"; However, as he introduces his false identity to her, she was unaware of Wolf stealing her ring while she claims that the Bad Guys will soon be toast. She later claims that the sculpture is about perspective and that trash can be recycled into something beautiful which reveals the shadow of a swan. Finally, she takes a selfie with Wolf for his plan.
Diane is later seen entering the front of the Gala to announce how the Meteorite led a big impact on the city of California and that Professor Marmalade wins the good Samaritan awards. However by the time the curtains open, the Dolphin is immediately stolen by Wolf, Snake, Piranha and Tarantula. When the Bad Guys were about to be arrested after being exposed, she is talking to the reporters and witnesses until Wolf interrupts to convince her and Marmalade to give the Bad Guys the second chance they rightfully deserved. She allows it only when the Bad Guys are under Marmalade's control; Diane then tells Mr. Wolf to make the most of his change.
After the Bad Guys' first day of Marmalade's reformation experiment and later after the fiasco of the lab heist, attempting a heist for good gone sour when Snake tried to eat the guinea pigs and made them look bad trying to get the out of him. Diane is angered by this she plans to stop the reform plan and have the Bad Guys sent them to jail. Just as Wolf tries to smooth-talk her, she's not impressed and chews him out, calling him "gutless" for being unwilling to show the world that he is more than just a scary stereotype. In response, Wolf finally loses patience with her and tells her off by expressing his pent-up frustrations and claims people and authorities like her will never understand or believe them even if by a miracle, they did change. Until Diane stealthily steals back her ring from Wolf (who had snatched it at the ceremony), much to his shock, to show him that "a wolf and a fox are not so different", showing that she truly does understand and encourages Wolf to redeem himself and the rest of the gang not to prove a point or find popularity, but for their own sake since this is the chance for them to have a better life.
Her speech affects Mr. Wolf profoundly, and he performs his first good deed (saving the kitty from a tree and showing him kindness) later that night. Marmalade recorded the event and posted it online, redeeming the Bad Guys in the populace's eyes. At the gala, Diane invites him to a dance, where they start developing a real chemistry. And during a lull in the dance, she asks Mr. Wolf how it feels to be loved by the world instead of feared. He responds that it feels really good, and slips her diamond ring into her hands.
When Wolf is on the verge of launching the final step of the scheme, he can't bring himself to do it, and goes good for real because the idea of betraying the newfound trust and love he's receiving, of betraying Diane's trust and has fallen in love with her, is now unbearable. Suddenly, Marmalade incriminates the Bad Guys for the theft of the Love Meteorite. While being pursued by the police, Wolf hastily sacrifices a few seconds to give Diane a map to the gang's hideout and loot. Marmalade revealed himself as a villain too who stole the meteorite to the Bad Guys in private, Wolf attacks Marmalade for his lies and turning Snake against him but cleverly opened the door in front of everyone to make them look worse as no one is aware that Marmalade is the real crook.
After the frame-up is completed and the Bad Guys lose everything, she's disappointed and saddened... but wasn’t easily fooled as she looked at Marmalade, who makes a calm strange behavior after being "attacked", making her suspect that he set them up and she remembers the map Wolf gave her. When she reaches the hideout, sees all the loot, she realizes that he is sincere, leading her to realize Marmalade's true nature that he really did set them up.
Pulling back the mantle of the Crimson Paw, Diane breaks into the S.U.C.M. Prison and, through athleticism, strength and sheer trickery (including knocking out two fleeing guards by kicking a shoe at them), she takes down dozens of guards single-handedly so as to free the innocent Bad Guys and, after taking on even more guards, escapes with them via boat. When the Bad Guys sadly split up from Wolf due to feeling betrayed by his redemption (since Marmalade tries to turn them against him, making them think he doesn’t want to be around them anymore), Diane comforts Wolf and consoles him, telling him of her own redemption and assuring him that, if his friends are really that, they'll forgive and join him.
She reveals that she has an hidden base under her house and takes Wolf there to gear up with all her gadgets. With Wolf's help, Diane deciphers Marmalade's plan of using mind-controlled guinea pigs to hijack the vans carrying the charity money and bringing it all to him. Likewise, she utilizes hacking to determine the vans' coordinates and directions. Having stolen Wolf's car to give it to him, the two head off to Marmalade's mansion to stop the evil businessman by stealing the Meteorite from him and almost succeed were it not for Wolf falling for a trap Diane even warned him about.
Professor Marmalade catches the two vigilantes in his lair and puts them in the death trap, with his henchman, Cuddles on watch. Eventually, they are rescued by the reformed Webs, Shark, and Piranha (while Snake, redeemed as well, is pretending to have joined Marmalade), and the crew steals the Meteorite (actually a lamp) and escapes the compound.
When having stolen the "Meteorite" doesn't seem to have stopped the mind-control, the gang opts to using gadgets of Diane's and hacking from Webs to redirect the hijacked vans back to their original destinations. Diane then tells the reformed Bad Guys to meet her at the police station to clear their names. However, the gang sacrifices their chance to bring Mr. Snake back to their side.
Once all is said and done, she tries to defend the Bad Guys from the police. When Luggins insists there's no way Diane could know they're innocent unless she was conspiring with known criminals, Diane realizes that the only way to prove their innocence is to confess that she was the Crimson Paw, which would mean completely destroying her new life. Fortunately, Mr. Wolf refuses to let her do that and surrenders, followed by the rest of the gang. Thanks to Mr. Snake's master gambit, he exposes Professor Marmalade as the real meteorite thief, making everyone realize that the Bad Guys didn’t steal the meteorite.
Marmalade is defeated and eventually arrested when he is implicated as the Crimson Paw after the Zumpango Diamond, that Diane still kept out of sentimentality and Marmalade taking the diamond to keep it as part of his collection of stolen objects after he captured Wolf and Diane, falls out of his pocket after the lamp falls on him. As Marmalade is sentenced to S.U.C.M., he desperately tries to tell everyone that is Diane is the real Crimson Paw, but no one listens now they know Marmalade is nothing but a fraud and manipulative liar, while Diane holds the Golden Dolphin and smugly waves goodbye.
At the end of the film, as the Bad Guys are released just a year later for good behavior, Diane comes to retrieve them via car and her, the Bad Guys and the cat ride off into the horizon, ready to do some hero work.
The Bad Guys 2[]
Following their release from prison, Wolf, Shark, Piranha, and Webs struggle to fit into society, unsuccessfully trying to find jobs while Snake is usually away from home. Wolf spends his time Diane, doing training to help him get stronger but always win, Diane and Wolf have been getting closer but can’t start due to her being the governor and Wolf being a ex-criminal, not wanting to make it look weird to the public. Diane inspires Wolf to give people a reason to accept him and his friends, which leads him helping Commissioner Misty Luggins track down the Phantom Bandit, a new criminal, who turns out to being Snake, who is with his new girlfriend, Susan. Just then, the Bad Guys are ultimately framed for the Phantom Bandit's work. Wolf calls Diane to maintain their innocence and she agrees to help them.
The Bad Guys are later kidnapped by a group of female criminals—Kitty, Pigtail, and Doom, the latter of whom used the name "Susan" as an alias and was using Snake to lure the Bad Guys. Kitty recruits them to help steal the experimental MoonX rocket. She shows video footage that reveals Diane as the Crimson Paw, her old identity, as blackmail. Meanwhile, Diane visits her old enemy, Professor Marmalade, in prison. He tells her Kitty plans to use the MoonX space station's magnet, which can steal the world's gold when combined with a special metal called MacGuffinite. With that new information, Diane tracks down the BadGirls' location and heads to the MoonX base to stop them. Upon arriving at MoonX, Diane confronts the BadGirls before they can board the rocket and defeats them in a physical fight, but then the girls tell Diane, calling her Crimson Paw, that she is no longer the Governor and to check her phone, Diane checks her phone and discovers that the whole world discovered that she's The Crimson Paw because of an internet video Kitty posted, Foxington gets devastated as she sees the hateful comments against her and her career and reputation destroyed. Diane is tranquilized by Kitty while distracted, but manages to sneak on board while half-conscious. With the revelation of Foxington's life of crime, the police begin looking for corrupt politics and Professor Marmalade is declared innocent of her crimes, so he's immediately released.
Wolf manages to outsmart Kitty by pickpocketing the watch, which allows him to maneuver the rocket into the space station, destroying the magnet and returning the gold to Earth. Enraged, Kitty attempts to kill Wolf, but a very livid Diane recovers, beats Kitty to a pulp and defeats her. Wolf and Diane reunite and share their first kiss. The Bad Guys regroup as the space station plummets towards Earth, while Pigtail and Doom escape with Kitty in an escape pod. After crash-landing, Kitty is sent to prison, Doom and Pigtail are sentenced to community service, and Luggins fakes the deaths of the Bad Guys and Diane so they can be employed as secret agents. Wolf and Diane finally become a couple and it’s unknown who became the new governor after Diane's exposure and fake death.
Relationships[]
Trivia[]
Ellen (Agent Fox) in the Book Series, whom Diane Foxington is loosely based on
- In spite of sharing many traits with her counterpart inside of the book, Diane Foxington from the film and Agent Fox (Ellen) inside of the books contrast massively when compared:
- Diane was a former thief who decided to change her life for the better whilst Ellen was not.
- Diane is a politician whereas Ellen has no political affiliation.
- Diane worked solo as the Crimson Paw while Ellen worked alongside other partners as part of the "International League of Heroes"
- Diane has no pronounced hair other than her hair whilst Ellen has a massive ponytail stemming from her head to her hips.
- Diane was repulsed by the fact she was performing acts of evil whereas Ellen is merely a thug who switched sides to benefit herself alongside her crew.
- Diane stopped identifying as the Crimson Paw upon her discovery all the while Ellen continues to work with the members of "Shadow Squad G"
- Diane has no defined quest set for her other than to continue her role as governor of California all the while Ellen is referenced as "The One" inside of the books, indicating that she had a quest of her own to complete separate from her comrades within the books.
- However in book 17, she presumably gets killed by Splaarghön, and Rhonda tells Wolf it was herself that was the one, not Ellen, tricking everyone to keep Rhonda safe from the underlords and Splaarghön. But in book 18, Ellen is alive and brainwashed into an underlord. Rhonda is also not seen at all in the film.
- Diane's selection of "The Crimson Paw" as her criminal alias likely stems from the phrase "never caught red-handed" for several reasons:
- Up until the climax of the film, Diane was never caught by anyone, embodying the essence of the phrase.
- The "paw" part of her criminal name is based on the "handed" part of the phrase, giving a nod to her animalistic nature.
- The "crimson" part reflects the "red" component of the phrase, as crimson is a dark shade of red.
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
Miscellaneous[]
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ "The Bad Guys Cast and Characters". Collider. Retrieved on April 20, 2022.
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