They Cloned Tyrone - TV Tropes (2024)

A list of characters appearing in the film They Cloned Tyrone.

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Main Characters

Fontaine

Played by: John Boyega

A drug dealer working the Glen. After being shot by a rival group, he is seemingly resurrected and learns that he is the subject of cloning by a mysterious conspiracy.

The Aggressive Drug Dealer: He’s not very friendly and will get aggressive with those who owe him money. This is part of the conspiracy’s design to keep the Glen low income so nobody comes snooping.
Anti-Hero: He’s a drug dealer with anti-social tendencies who happens to be the film’s main character.
Clone Angst: A major part of the story is Fontaine's growing existential crisis over his status as a clone programmed with the memories and personality of the "real" Fontaine. The matter only gets more complicated with The Reveal that there is no "real" Fontaine, as he was cloned from the head of the conspiracy and most of his memories are outright fabricated.
The Comically Serious: One of the few consistently serious characters in the movie, and the least talkative. In contrast to everyone else, who talk their heads off while he ignores every word and stays looking grim.
Cynicism Catalyst: He had a little brother who was shot and killed by a racist cop, which did not help his worldview. Based on what Old Fontaine says, it’s the one part of his memories the audience can confirm is true.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: A drug dealer who still lives with his mom, checks on her every so often and offers her food. Near the climax of the movie he reaches to her for consolation… and is devastated to find that she was never there in the first place.
Hot-Blooded: Not as loud as everyone else, but he’s a whole lot more eager to throw caution aside and head into possible danger.
Leeroy Jenkins: Fontaine is a very intelligent person and is usually the Only Sane Man, but his Fatal Flaw is his impulsiveness: once he finds a problem his immediate reaction is to barge in and get rid of it as hard as possible, damn the consequences. This is what gets the first Fontaine we see killed: upon finding out someone else is selling drugs on his turn, he immediately drives over and hospitalizes the guy, earning the ire of the dealer's boss. Later, when he finds out about the existence of the lab, he's driven to rush in and storm the place to get the answers he wants even though the others note they have no idea what they're walking into.
Morally Superior Copy: Played with in that while there is technically no original Fontaine, he does meet the head scientist he is a clone of, who is all too compliant with the horrific experiments going on the Glen. Despite being given a Freudian Excuse that is the one real memory he has, Fontaine is absolutely disgusted by the man's desire to make every human white.
Not So Stoic: He breaks into tears when he finds out that his mother doesn’t even exist.
Perpetual Frowner: Slick says he’s never seen Fontaine laugh since he’s known him.
The Quiet One: Not much for small talk, this one. Whenever he speaks it’s either to get to the point of what he needs or to snark. Otherwise he’ll ignore the prattling of any other characters.

Played by: Teyonah Parris

A prostitute working for Slick Charles. She is an intelligent woman who dreams of getting out of the Glen.

All-Loving Hero: She has a genuinely good heart and cares for her community. In fact, her first reaction after the tour of the underground facility was to save all the black people being held prisoner and to warn all of the Glen about the experimentations.
Almighty Janitor: Played for at first comedy and then drama with Yo-Yo. Yo-Yo's introduced as one of Slick's flighty hookers who just happened to see what happened to Fontaine, but as the story goes on she shows a competent Nancy Drew-esque knack for investigating. It eventually becomes clear that she's an incredibly talented intellectual with strong moral fiber who had dreams of becoming a reporter but was tragically unable to escape her environment. She spends a good chunk of the movie as a mix between Token Good Teammate and Hypercompetent Sidekick, before she starts forging out as The Hero in her own right in the second half as Fontaine and Slick face an existential meltdown at the revelation that they are clones.
Amateur Sleuth: As the investigation begins, she uses knowledge gleaned from Nancy Drew books to progress through the mystery.
Damsel out of Distress: She's kidnapped in the third act and is subjected to a stronger dosage of brainwashing hair gel. However, she came prepared as she was wearing an afro wig meaning that she wouldn't be influenced by the gel. She then proceeds to beat up her tormentors and escapes her cell to join in the rebellion.
Go-Getter Girl: In her youth, she was an academic honor student who earned tons of awards, enjoyed reading and dreamed of being a reporter.
Honey Trap: As a hooker, she knows how to use her bewitching charm to get the info she needs, which she does on a fast food manager so she can get information out of him without him knowing.
Hooker with a Heart of Gold: She is easily the nicest of the three main characters and the one who tries to comfort Fontaine during his Heroic BSoD.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here!: Her first scene has her leaving her pimp Slick for something better in life.
Tech Bro: Hopes to invest in blockchain technology.
Tragic Dream: She wanted to be a reporter for the New York Times, but her inability to escape the Glen and her need for money forced her to give up on her dream.
Women Are Wiser: Compared to the needlessly violent Fontaine and the self-centered Slick, Yo-Yo tends to keep a level-headed while organizing her associates with the ongoing conspiracy.

Slick Charles

Played by: Jamie Foxx

A pimp working the Glen and Yo-Yo’s employer. He is the sole witness to Fontaine’s death.

Bling-Bling-BANG!: Carries a gold-plated revolver with a pearl grip.
Cowardly Lion: Slick is wily, very averse to any risky situation and would at first rather just leave everything be if they can. That doesn't mean he's unwilling to take care of himself and the others if things go down, however, and he starts increasingly putting himself at risk as he realizes that the others are being badly affected by what is going down.
Pimp Duds: Naturally. He wears dark purple tracksuits with bellbottoms and medallions with the occasional fur-lined coat.
Tomato in the Mirror: During the group’s second excursion into the underground base, he discovers he’s also a clone.

Main Villains

Nixon

Played by: Kiefer Sutherland

A commanding officer who oversees operations related to the ongoing experiments.

Chewing the Scenery: Almost every line that comes out of Nixon's mouth is loud, boisterous and dripping with cruelty.
Evil Is Hammy: You can tell that Kiefer Sutherland was having a lot of fun with this role.
The Heavy: Nixon serves as the main threat that Yo-Yo, Fontaine and Slick Charles have to deal with, as his boss is an elderly version of Fontaine who has no fighting capabilities.
sad*st: He takes disturbing pleasure in using trigger words to force Fontaine and Slick to obey his every command.
Straw Misogynist: Shows shades of this to Yo-Yo. She refers to hookers like her as plentiful and unnecessary when it comes to cloning. He also considers making a clone out of her just to get a new secretary.

The Mastermind SPOILERS

The Original Fontaine

Played by: John Boyega

The First Fontaine. Traumatized by the brutal death of his younger brother, he would become the leading scientist of the underground facility in a misguided quest to ensure that racialized hate crimes never happen again.

Big Bad: The main villain of the movie who's responsible for the cloning and the Glen's corrupted state.
Deal with the Devil: He refers to his partnership with the experimenters as one as he's willing to advanced their nefarious goals in exchange for preventing future causalities like with his brother.