Murray

From Monkey Island wiki

Murray, the mighty demonic skull, perched atop a gate at the Plunder Island swamp

Murray is a disembodied talking skull. He was separated from his body when Guybrush Threepwood shot his rowboat out of the water during the battle for Plunder Island at the beginning of The Curse of Monkey Island. In their first conversation together Murray's disposition and megalomania become apparent since despite having no arms or body he intends to rule the world.

Murray has become a fan-favorite, resulting in cameo appearances in the fourth and fifth games. He was featured in the initial test-versions of CMI and became so popular that he was given more appearances throughout the game. Murray's unrelenting megalomania while at the same time being completely unable to do anything other than talk and hop around is thought to make him a popular character.

1 Role in Games
2 Trivia
3 Memorable quotes
4 Memorable dialogue
5 Appearances
6 Voiced by
7 External links

Role in Games

Upon their first meeting the player has the option of leaving Murray alone or sinking him with a ramrod. Later, some weird voodoo kids who were visiting the Voodoo Lady found the skull and put him on a spike at the Plunder Island swamp, this is where Guybrush encounters him for the second time. He may afterward be seen being juggled by Slappy Cromwell. He later crops up in the Goodsoup Family Crypt where he fails to scare Guybrush, instead falling to the floor and nearly cracking his skull ("I'm all skull"). However, he is able to scare Mort the Gravedigger in a plot to get Guybrush out of the crypt. Murray appears for the last time as a prize on the shelf at the Carnival of the Damned and at the very end of the game assuring that he will return.

He makes good on his promise by reappearing in the next game as a bouncer at Planet Threepwood, having replaced Floppo the Bouncer Monkey. He doesn't play a vital role to any puzzles in the game, but will relate what happened to the Carnival of the Damned between the third and fourth games.

He reappears again in the the third chapter of Tales of Monkey Island, "Lair of the Leviathan", locked up inside a treasure chest within a giant manatee. Murray claims that he was leading legions of undead marines against a Spanish armada when a tempest tossed his ship over. Guybrush freed him and was able to place him on the skeletal body of Santino, whom Moose is strong friends with. When Guybrush tries to get voted into the Democratically United Brotherhood of the Manatee Interior, Murray votes against him "making (his) betrayal all the more shocking". Guybrush later shows him a book called Modern Torture Made Easy disguised as a New Brotherhood Member's manual, which convinces Murray that Guybrush would suffer if he votes him in and did so later.

Later Morgan LeFlay captures and ties Coronado DeCava's crew to the mast (including Murray). In order to find out the location of the Tongue of the Manatee, Murray was decapitated by Guybrush and his skull fell into the ocean. He is later seen commentating on the credits, only to be trapped inside another treasure chest.

Trivia

If you choose to have Guybrush knock Murray off the plank he was sitting on at the beginning of The Curse of Monkey Island, Guybrush will be able to see him if you look through the porthole in LeChuck's Treasure Hold.
During their first two encounters in the third game Guybrush may offer Murray his arm back. Murray gives away his malicious attempts the first time, futilely attempting to cover up his plans by saying: "...I mean, I would use it to pet kittens." The second time Guybrush points out that Murray wouldn't be able to use his arm without his collarbone.
Guybrush can offer gum to Murray after purchasing it. Despite not having any lungs Murray is able to blow the gum into a balloon.
Murray reveals that he took the job as bouncer at Planet Threepwood to finance his evil schemes.
Murray displays a level of feeling for some of his disembodied body parts. During their first encounter Guybrush can ask Murray why villains laugh so much, to which Murray replies that he isn't laughing at anything in particular but instead "somewhere there is a fish nibbling at my foot and it really tickles".
In both Escape from Monkey Island and Tales of Monkey Island, Guybrush has an option of asking "Murray?" upon examining different skulls, none of which are actually Murray. He would do so in Ozzie Mandrill's secret stash on Lucre Island as well as at the Temple of LeChuck on Monkey Island in Escape. In Tales, Guybrush can say it while examining the skulls on the Voodoo Lady's throne, a skeleton on Isle of Ewe as well as some decorative skulls inside the manatee (before the real Murray is released from the chest).
While being carried around by Guybrush (i.e. in his inventory), Murray would often complain about other inventory items. For example, in Curse he would comment if Guybrush puts glue on his hand at the time he is part of the inventory. In Tales, Murray would often shout various phrases in-game (along with a clue on how to use him, if the player enables hints), and would comment if Guybrush carries a grub upon picking him up.
In Escape from Monkey Island, once you make the abomination of nature you can give it to Murray and he will tell you to get away from him with that. The talk follows different paths if you choose any part of the abomination.

Memorable quotes

"Bwahahahahahahaha!"
"Evil needs no arms!"
"Is it a really evil looking doorstop?"

Memorable dialogue

Guybrush: "How can you see without eyeballs?"
Murray: "How can you walk around without a brain?"

...

Murray: "...and the forces of darkness will applaud me as I STRIDE through the gates of hell carrying your head on a pike!"
Guybrush: "Stride?"
Murray: "Alright then, ROLL! ROLL through the gates of hell..."