| “ | It's the bass solo, turd burglar. Don't you know anything about music? I came up here to get a new drumstick. And now, Greg, since Mom and Dad are gone, I'm going to kill you. Literally... kill you. | „ |
| ~ Rodrick to Greg after catching him in his room. |
| “ | There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Greggy. | „ |
| ~ Rodrick to Greg. |
Rodrick Heffley is the main antagonist of Jeffy Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise and its' live-action/animated film adaptions, and is a minor character in Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal.
He is a high school student and the older brother of Greg and Manny Heffley, who he constantly harasses over and over throughout the series. He is also the founder and drummer of the band, Löded Diper.
He was portrayed by Devon Bostick in the first three films, and Charlie Wright in the fourth film, and later voiced by Hunter Dillon in the animated films. He was also portrayed by Conner Ingram as a child.
Why aren't they heroic or villainous?
- He is not a hero due to not committing any heroic acts, as they mainly only amount to him being nice to Greg.
- While he did some crimes, such as reckless driving and property damage, he isn't a villain as he is meant to be a stereotypical older brother whose actions mainly amount to bullying or petty humiliation.
Appearance
Rodrick is the rudest and oldest of the Heffley brothers. He is usually seen with a frown, although he has smiled on occasion. In the books, he has a perfectly round head and his hair is spiky. In the films, he is shown shaggy brown hair, he wears eyeliner on special occasions or when performing.
Biography
Book History
Rodrick is Greg and Manny's older brother, the main antagonist/deuteragonist of the second book and movie ("Rodrick Rules") and a bully throughout the series. He's a junior in high school. There isn't much of a relationship between him and Manny, but he and Greg seem to have huge sibling rivalry going on however they sometimes seem to get along.
From Greg's point of view, Rodrick is always picking on Greg. However, as Rodrick can frequently be mischievous and a jerk to Greg while also manipulating their parents and other grownups, sometimes, but rarely, are his actions justified. Rodrick has a band called Loaded Diaper (spelt as Löded Diper), which is a metal band whose lead singer is a man named Bill Walter, who is a 35-year-old high school drop out, is unemployed, and still lives with his parents. In Rodrick Rules, Rodrick enters his band into a talent show, but a kindergartener named Harry Gilbertson gets the reward of "Best Musical Act" even though his act was simply skating around a radio playing.
His humor consists of seeing people get hurt. He seems to be very fond of horror movies, absolutely loves music (especially heavy metal), and also has a best friend named Ward. Rodrick did terribly back in elementary and middle school. The only reason why Rodrick is doing slightly better at high school is that he cheats by having his dad do all the work for him. Rodrick is extremely lazy when it comes to school, and that explains where Greg gets his laziness. Rodrick would much rather sleep then pay attention to real life and everybody knows he loves to sleep.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
After the day Greg explains the Cheese Touch, Greg said Rodrick pulled a prank on him in the summer, by making Greg fooled and thinking he needed to go to school, but Greg was making a racket and his dad came in at 4 AM, yelling at Greg. Rodrick slept quick to look like no evidence, and it worked. On page 15, he appears as Greg saying set your hopes low to people so people think you did it. 15 pages later, Greg is saying that Rodrick has a band named Loded Diper and he likes to play heavy metal music, which Susan does not mind. He also appears later being punished for letting Manny bring a magazine for adults to show and tell. In the play, Rodrick videotapes so he can make fun of Greg Heffley as a tree as him singing. Rodrick was mad when Greg did not sing, so as Patty Farrell.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
Greg came up with this thing in which is called "Three Strikes and You're Out" for Rodrick so he can be a better person. However, Rodrick punched him three times before he can decide his punishment for bullying Greg three times. Later on, the parents give Rodrick money so he can buy books for his SAT classes, however, Rodrick didn't listen and instead bought a tattoo of the band's name, Loaded Diaper. In a flashback, since Greg and Rodrick were telling Susan wrongdoings, she decided to come up with a plan called the "Tattle Turtle". It turns out that Rodrick ended up getting away with his actions scot-free because the Tattle Turtle is a toy instead of being a real-life turtle, like stealing Greg's money from his piggy bank. After the horrible church day of Greg calling Manny a "Ploopy", resulting in the word getting bad when Greg called out his mother on her hypocrisy that she never had a problem with Manny saying it, upon being confronted, Rodrick decided to split the word "Ploopy" into three days, so he can call Greg that without being caught.
Film History
First Film
In the first movie, he is the secondary antagonist. He is told by his parents to give Greg advice on Middle School and when he does so, he tells Greg he will not last long by either being dead or homeschooled by the end of his time in middle school.
Later, Greg and Rowley go into Rodrick's room and find a magazine. They assume he won't know they're there because he has band practice. Rodrick shows up and threatens to literally kill Greg and chases him into his room. Greg stays in until he has to go to the bathroom. When Rodrick appears to leave, Greg makes it to the bathroom but Rodrick jumps out and surprises him. Greg ends up urinating on him and gets in trouble for it.
On Halloween night, Rodrick is seen telling Greg and Rowley the local urban legend of "The Devil Worshiper Woods", in an effort to intimidate them. During the Wizard of Oz play, Rodrick is seen trying to tape Greg singing, making Greg nervous. When Patty Farrell yells at Greg for not singing, an apple throwing fight breaks out, which Rodrick proceeds to tape.
Greg later gets even with Rodrick by planting a chocolate bar in the lewd magazine in Rodrick's bag so their younger brother Manny would find it. Mrs. Heffley sees Manny reading said magazine which has a picture of a girl with a bikini on the cover. She gets angry at Rodrick for it and grounds him for a month along with banning him from driving his van.
Rodrick Rules
In the theatrical motion picture version of Rodrick Rules, he serves as the titular main antagonist, though he also serves as the deuteragonist as he learns to bond with Greg. He taught Greg Heffley on how to resist telling their parents the truth about the party Rodrick threw while they were away on vacation similar to the book. Unlike the book, Rodrick was forced to let Greg out of the basement after locking him because their mom called and wanted to talk to Greg. After that, Greg was allowed to stay in the party. In the morning, Rodrick and Greg rush to fix and clean everything, but the only existing problem is someone spray-painted on the bathroom door saying, "RODRICK RULES", which they replace with the basement door, but the difference is the basement door doesn't have a lock. In the movie, it shows that he spells door as d-o-r-e.
While still hiding the fact of the party's existence from his parents, Bill Walter arrives to discuss joining Rodrick's band. His dad, Frank, managed to find proof of the party by finding several pictures of Rodrick there (unlike in the book when there was only one picture), and he angrily grounds both Rodrick and Greg, with the harshest punishment being Rodrick not allowed to perform in the school band.
They are forced to stay with their grandfather in a retirement community resort, and after Greg writes in his diary of encountering Holly after she gives positive feelings for him on how to deal with an annoying sibling, Rodrick reads it out loud when Greg was sleeping in the morning. Greg wakes up but is only wearing his underwear. Rodrick decides to show the diary to Holly for fun, but Greg managed to grab it back from him. Greg, however ends up being cornered into hiding in the women's bathroom and escaped back into the room. However, Rodrick was recording all of this on tape with the security cameras since their grandfather watches the surveillance channel of the retirement community he lives in.
Greg then finds his best friend Rowley unable to perform his magical act because his assistant named Scottie got stage fright. It is later revealed that Bill Walter kicked Rodrick out of his own band after joining in. Greg makes a deal with his mom that if he does the magic act with Rowley, then Rodrick will be allowed to play in the band.
The magic act is praised by the crowd, including Holly, but people are unimpressed by Rodrick's band act until Susan starts dancing at the edge of the stage, which prompts the crowd to join in. Frank tapes the entire footage of Susan dancing, agreeing with Greg to keep it a secret. Rodrick removes Bill from the band in retaliation and reconciles with Greg by giving him back the tape with Greg running around the retirement center in his underwear.
Later on, Greg and Rowley upload the footage of Loded Diper performing with Susan dancing onto YouTube, which goes viral. Rodrick learns about this, and plans to take revenge.
Dog Days
In this movie, he is a major protagonist and is still on good terms with Greg. He falls for Holly's older sister Heather and goes great lengths to impress her. He is also trying to advertise his band, via selling adds of it to kids at Greg's school and wearing tattoos. When he first meets Heather, it appears that she is worse then he is. Heather speeds off and runs over his foot.
When Rodrick finds out Greg has been going to a country club behind their parents' back, Rodrick threatens to tell Mr. and Mrs. Heffley unless Greg gets him in the country club. Rodrick manages to get into the country club via hiding in the back alley and going through an entrance to the pool. Rodrick hangs out near the pool to hang out with Heather, who is working as a lifeguard.
Rodrick tries to pretend to drown in the pool, hoping to get CPR from Heather, but she ignores him. Rodrick is "saved" by a man hanging out, who does does CPR on him, much to his disgust.
When Heather tries to get a band to play at her sweet sixteen following the hired DJ's backout, Greg decides to help Rodrick out and tells Heather about Löded Diper, passing them off as a world-famous band. Heather then agrees and Greg breaks the news to Rodrick, who is elated. At Heather's sweet sixteen party, Rodrick plans to impress her with a cover of the Justin Bieber's "Baby", knowing that he is one of Heather's favorite artists, and asks rhythm guitarist and lead singer Ben Segal to switch roles, stating that he "wants to make a love connection". Ben states that he can't play drums and that Rodrick can only sing backing vocals, but the latter states it is his only chance and Ben then agrees to do so. Rodrick then instructs Greg and Rowley about the band's plan to switch to a rock version and tells them to follow his cue.
The band performs the song in the original tempo which gets the attention of the attendees and Heather, who looks confused, as they were not in formal attire. Rodrick then tells the band to "crank it up" and give Greg the cue with the words "hit that button". The band's logo banners fall during the sudden switch to the punk rock version, hitting one attendee. This places the audience in shock and Heather to react in dismay and anger. Rodrick sings the second verse wildly in close quarters to Heather, and when he attempts to hold her hand, she resists in disgust. However, as Rodrick repeats the chorus after the second verse, he accidentally knocks down an ice bust of Heather, which shocks the audience further and the band stops the song.
As Rodrick looks at the result in embarrassment and attempts to apologize, a beyond enraged-Heather's finally loses her temper and grabs a microphone stand in order to assault him. However, Rodrick ducks to avoid the melee, and she instead hits the chocolate fountain, splashing chocolate on herself in addition to the other guests. Rodrick tries to help Heather but they slip on a puddle of the spilled chocolate. In the process, the party is ruined, and everyone leaves. Nonetheless, Rodrick still tries to ask her out, but whether she accepts his offer or not is unknown, yet unlikely.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
In the fourth movie, Rodrick goes along with the rest of his family on their road trip. At their hotel, Rodrick discovers Greg's plans to go to Player Expo. Greg convinces Rodrick to keep it secret, telling him that there's a rock band video game tournament. Later, Greg and Rodrick sneak out of the hotel to go to Player Expo. Greg tells Rodrick to take a video of him meeting Mac Digby, but their plans are foiled when their mother steps in to escort them.
Quotes
| “ | You and your group of nerds fall into a pit and it's full of dynamite and you blow up. The end. | „ |
| ~ Rodrick playing Magick and Monsters. |
| “ | Mom asked me to give you some advice about middle school. It's real simple: Don't talk to anyone, don't look at anyone, don't go anywhere, don't sit down, don't raise your hand, don't go to the bathroom, don't get noticed, don't choose the wrong locker, don't... Ahh, who am I kidding? You'll be dead or homeschooled by the end of the year anyways. Have a nice day, tatertot. | „ |
| ~ Rodrick giving Greg advice about Middle School. |
| “ | Let go, baby hippo! | „ |
| ~ Rodrick yelling at Rowley after the latter grabs his leg. |
| “ | Oh, you're gonna have to come out sometime, loser! I'll wait here as long as it takes. And then, you're dead! | „ |
| ~ Rodrick threatening Greg. |
| “ | No timeouts, ONLY DEATH! | „ |
| ~ Rodrick refusing to let Greg use the bathroom. |
| “ | What is wrong with you? Why would you sign up for something you don't have to do? Never sign up for anything at school. You fly below the radar. That way, never raise anyone's expectations. | „ |
| ~ Rodrick insulting Greg after he signs up for a school club. |
| “ | Susan: What is this? (gestures to magazine) Rodrick: That's not mine. Susan: It was in your backpack. Rodrick: No, it was in my room. Oh... Susan: Does owning this magazine make you a better person? Rodrick: No. Susan: Did it make you more popular at school? Rodrick: Yes! No. Susan: How do you feel about having owned this type of magazine? Rodrick: (thinks about it) Ashamed! Susan: Hmm. Do you have anything you want to say to women, for having owned this offensive magazine? Rodrick: I'm sorry, women. Rodrick's bandmates: (clap before stopping) Susan: You're grounded for two weeks. Rodrick: Okay, settle down, Susan, I think one week is plenty. Susan: Make it four weeks, and I'm gonna need the keys to your van. Rodrick: My van? |
„ |
| ~ Rodrick's defeat at the end of the first movie where he is reprimanded by his mother. |
| “ | It's about time, little bro, that you learn the secrets to an easy life. Rule Number One: Never be good at something you don't want to do. Rule Number Two: Always lower Mom and Dad's expectations. Rule Number Three: Never do something when someone else can do it for you. | „ |
| ~ Rodrick explaining his rules for slacking off to Greg. |
| “ | You are so dead... | „ |
| ~ Rodrick after being banned from playing in the talent show. |
| “ | I got us a microwave pizza. [Dad: Rodrick...that's a mini safe.] And they disguised it as a microwave. | „ |
| ~ Rodrick trying to make pizza for his family. |
| “ | I'd say we keep it. Then we can get fresh bacon every morning. | „ |
| ~ Rodrick's thoughts on the Heffley family's new pet pig. |
Gallery
Trivia
- He is based on Scott Kinney, a musician and Jeff Kinney's older brother.
- Although Rodrick's room is in the basement according to the books, it was relocated to the attic in the films as the house used to film the Heffley residence does not have a basement.
- For the performance of the Justin Bieber hit, Baby, in Dog Days, Rodrick makes a minor change to a line in the song's second verse "And I just can't believe my first love won't be around", wherein he omits the words "and", as well as replacing "my first love" with "Heather Hills", singing it as "I just can't believe Heather Hills won't be around".
- Devon Bostick was not cast in the fourth film as he and the original cast had already outgrown their roles following the wrap-up of Dog Days.
- Charlie Wright's Rodrick was met with several criticisms, which also started with the hashtag #NotmyRodrick. Wright also received hate messages and death threats.
- In response to the hate and threats against Wright, original Rodrick actor Devon Bostick expressed dismay on the fans' attitudes and called out to them to not resort to such acts, but instead to allow themselves to just give the new actor a chance, before giving Wright his blessing.
- He used to be on Heroes Wiki and Villains Wiki, but was eventually removed from both for not having any heroic or villainous traits.
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Heffley Family Fanon See Also | ||
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Animated Features Pixar Animation Studios Other Short Films Live-Action Features See Also | ||