Emperor Zurg

Evil Emperor Zurg, or better known as Emperor Zurg (or simply Zurg), is a recurring antagonist in the Toy Story franchise, being the main antagonist within the in-universe Buzz Lightyear toyline. He is Buzz Lightyear's archenemy and Utility Belt Buzz's "father".

In the main films, Zurg is the secondary antagonist of Toy Story 2 and returns as a cameo character in Toy Story 3. He appears again as the main antagonist in the spin-off prequel film, Lightyear. He is also the main antagonist of the series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and its 2000 film Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins.

In Toy Story 2 and Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure, he was voiced by Andrew Stanton, who also played Hopper in the A Bug's Life video game and the short film It's Tough to be a Bug. In the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command media, he was voiced by Wayne Knight, who also played The Penguin in Harley Quinn, Al McWhiggin in Toy Story 2, Krudsky in ''Scooby-Doo! and The Goblin King, Dennis Nedry in Jurassic Park, and Newman in Seinfeld''. In the Disney Park attraction Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, he was voiced by Frank Welker, who was best known for voicing several incarnations of Megatron in the Transformers franchise and Doctor Claw in the 1983-1986 Inspector Gadget cartoon. In Lightyear, Zurg is voiced by James Brolin, father of Josh Brolin (who played Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe).

Role and Depiction in the Toy Story franchise
Emperor Zurg is a robot villain action figure and Buzz Lightyear's archenemy. A parody of Darth Vader from the Star Wars franchise, he has red eyes with neon gritting teeth, silver horns on his head, and a purple tunic with a black cape on it. He usually carries an "ion blaster" that actually fires plastic balls. Zurg is mentioned in the first film, but does not appear. He debuts in Toy Story 2 where he battles with Utility Belt Buzz Lightyear. Zurg claims he is the father of Buzz, in an almost word-for-word parody of a famous scene in The Empire Strikes Back. In Toy Story 3, another Zurg appears briefly during a sequence in the end credits, where he is donated to Sunnyside Daycare center and greeted by the resident toys.

Zurg also appears in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and its direct-to-video film Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins. Zurg is a playable character in the PlayStation 3 version of Toy Story 3: The Video Game, in Toy Box Mode. In the game, he has a convertible (the ZurgsMobile) that matches his personality. Zurg's mini counterpart is featured in the short film Small Fry. In the 2022 spin-off film Lightyear, Emperor Zurg is revealed to be an aged version of Buzz Lightyear himself, having travelled into the far future due to the effects of time dilation after having experienced faster-than-light speeds. In the film, the now-aged Buzz Lightyear, assuming the identity of Zurg by controlling a mecha suit, travels back in time to confront his younger self.

A Zurg toy appears in the 2015 live-action Disney film Tomorrowland, in the Blast from the Past toy store.

Voices

 * Andrew Stanton (1999-present)
 * Wayne Knight (Buzz Lightyear of Star Command)
 * Jess Harnell (mini counterpart in Small Fry)
 * (Lightyear, (2022))

Idea Wiki appearances

 * Zurg appears as an antagonist in Planet Toys, voiced again by Wayne Knight.