CODE GEASS TO LIVE ACTION: Article 7 C2, the Boss Chick

CC (said as C2) is a fan-favorite character of the Code Geass world. The character was voted female character of the year in 2007 and remains popular even to this day. She is a complex character, mysterious, persistent, and often cool, and can provide comic relief at unexpected moments.

Like Kallen, C2 is a hard character to compare. She has an abnormal motivation, one that if not handled expertly, could darken the tone of the entire story. Furthermore, most of the female roles in Code Geass have structural flaws; they exist as satellites of other characters. She also has a role that makes it difficult to explore her character apart from side stories within the main narrative, which while fine for television, is difficult for cinema.

Character Perspective-Exploring C2’s Motivations

C2 is an immortal, immune to sickness, disease, and death. This gives her a peculiar worldview and is one of the driving forces behind her primary motivation-her desire to die. Having lived for centuries, having witnessed and experienced harm, having attained the world and then given it up, C2 has given up on this world and wants to die. Yet, as we discussed in the previous article, Givers of Geass can only die at the hand of a Geass User, resulting in the User losing their Geass and becoming an immortal Giver in their place. As you would expect, most Users are unwilling to part with their power, making the search for such a person a long and difficult task.

This is a strange motivation and one that is difficult for an audience to empathize with. It is too niche and too obscure. Few of us want to die to begin with and C2’s method of seeking it is strange by any standard. This makes for a character that is difficult to empathize with and difficult to compare to others. In Western-styled cinema, those who seek death usually seek it as a means of atoning for their sins. Such tragic figures seek death as a means of apologizing to the world. C2 is the opposite; she wants to die because she feels hopeless and grieved by the world. This is probably why she is drawn to Lelouch, a young man who sees the world for what it is and desires to fix it.

Narrative Perspective- Her Role in the Story

C2’s role in the Code Geass narrative is to highlight Lelouch. By asking questions and pointing out details, C2 allows Lelouch to explain his plans and intentions. In this way, C2 functions as a physical manifestation of Lelouch’s conscience. This allows the writer to establish the expectations of the audience when it comes to plans and allows the viewer to empathize with Lelouch. Without C2, empathizing with him would be almost impossible due to the choices that Lelouch makes throughout the story. Over the series, Lelouch gives orders that cause the death of hundreds and thousands of people, and while he does his best to limit collateral damage, it would be impossible for the average viewer to appreciate him without seeing the emotional toll that his decisions take on him. Furthermore, C2 allows us to see Lelouch’s reasons for his actions, allowing us to understand him as a person.

Yet this role also makes C2 a boring character if not executed well. We like to see characters take active roles in stories. We do not like to watch passive characters who only observe the events around them. Normally, I would suggest dropping the character entirely, but C2 is so popular with fans that doing so would sabotage any chance of box office suC2ess. We will have to spruce her up. Usually, characters with passive roles are spruced up with attractiveness or with comedic value, but for C2 resting too heavily on either will not do. She is attractive, but beauty isn’t her primary attribute. She can fight but isn’t a fighter. The Code Geass writers have her say and do mysterious things, but this is difficult to do in the film. We will probably need to give her a skill that helps her have a more active role in the Code Geass world, apart from being an explainer.

How to Fix C2

C2 is hard to empathize with and hard to incorporate into a Western-styled cinematic story. Her likeability is heavily reliant on Lelouch, and her motive is obscure. As such, the character of C2 will rely heavily on the natural charisma of the actress herself. We will need an actress that can “create her own fire,” but doesn’t overpower Lelouch. We will need an actress that has a quiet but firm appeal. We need an actress that can do a lot with a little. We may also need to give her an interesting skill, such as singing that allows the audience to connect with her in a unique way. We’ll need a very specific kind of actress, a rare variety.

Partial Comparisons

To adapt C2, we must find or create a character who is very much the equal of the man without weakening him. In her case, C2 cannot compete with Lelouch in terms of intellect, but her experience is so vast that they address each other as equals. She knows that she can’t compete with him and doesn’t try. She supports and challenges him from a distance. C2 often takes a role in his plans behind the scenes. She is mysterious, unexpectedly funny, calm, somber, and at times a little bit broody. Here are my partial comparisons:

These comparisons highlight characters that are able to go “toe to toe” with the boys, even while not playing the lead. They also share attributes of C2. You will notice that Ian McKellen is listed with these actresses because his character’s mysterious and all-knowing aura is also a key component of the character of C2. Overall, the best of these partial comps are Peggy Dodd, Pepper Potts, and Gandolf the Grey.

Pure Comparison

As I mentioned before, we are looking more for an actress than for a character. For the role of C2, I can think of no one better than Tessa Thompson, or someone very similar. Her work in Creed is stellar, but what sold me on her was Annihilation (2018). Even as a supporting actress, her role was specific and impactful enough to be remembered. She has a way of adding emotion to a scene in a way that cannot be easily described. She has presence, but a very specific variety of presence. She is someone that can make viewers feel and can do so without much screen time.