| Nikki Fictel | |
|---|---|
| The Venture Bros. character | |
 Nikki waking Hank Venture | |
| First appearance |
Everybody Comes to Hank's |
| Voiced by |
Kate McKinnon |
| Information | |
| Occupation |
Toys and Collectables Dealer Waitress |
| Relatives |
Margaret Fictel (mother) Dermott Fictel (biological son) Harold Fictel (father) Penelope Fictel (paternal grandmother) Joseph Fictel (paternal grandfather) |
| Prior Alliances |
Rusty Venture Fan Club (president) |
Nikki Fictel is a supporting character on The Venture Bros. She was officially introduced in Season 4 as the older sister of Dermott Fictel; however, she harbors a deep secret beneath her exterior.
Character History
She is first introduced as the sister of Dermott Fictel in Everybody Comes to Hank's. Hank has had a crush on her "since forever" and tries to win her affection while solving the mystery of who Dermott's father is. Nikki ends up sleeping with Hank, because she is a huge fan of the Rusty Venture cartoon, and Hank reminds her of the titular character.
Later in the episode it is revealed that when she was fifteen, she was the president of the "Rusty Venture Fan Club", and slept with Dr. Venture after lying about her age, who inadvertently impregnated her with Dermott. Her mother threatened to charge Dr. Venture with statutory rape unless he paid child support and never saw Nikki again, despite his desire to help raise the child and support Nikki. He begrudgingly accepted the offer and left while Margaret comforted, stating they will work it out. She also agreed to raise Nikki's baby as her own. Dermott has no idea that his "sister" is actually his biological mother nor the fact that his "mother" Margaret is actually his biological grandmother.
Dermott's relationship with Nikki has yet to be explored. Although Nikki wanted to keep her son, it's unknown how she treated him during childhood. For the most part, Dermott does treat her like a sister and shows some respect to his grandmother/mother.
She currently resides in the trailer park, not far from the Venture Compound, where she deals antiques and collectibles. Nikki appears to be very much an obsessed fan of the Venture show and anyone close to the bloodline.
Nikki reappeared briefly in the beginning of season five. While Hank was sleeping in Dermott's room, she wakes him up and attempted to seduce him again. However, with his memory erased he had forgotten their encounter and it appeared he'd lost his crush on her. She was seen in waitress uniform, meaning she might be working part or full time with her mother. Her encounter with Hank would be cut short by her mother, as she walked in on them. Mrs. Fictel quickly put a stop to it, quickly recognizing Hank as Dr. Venture's son and presumably kicking him out of the house.
Personality
Nikki has shown some traits that follow along the line of obsessive. She begins to speak almost cunningly knowing that Dermott and Hank would get along, calling it "destiny". She has shown a lack of morality by trying to seduce Hank, despite knowing her son Dermott was asleep in the same room. It's implied that the reason she feels attracted to Hank is due to that she believes he has the qualities of the person she once idolized.
Of note is that she is no longer obsessed or thinks highly of Dr Venture himself, appearing to have soured on him over the years after he left her (at her mother's threatening insistence) and seeing the man he became, but still remains obsessed with the concept of "Rusty Venture" from the tv show.
Episode Appearances
- Everybody Comes to Hank's
- From the Ladle to the Grave: The Story of Shallow Gravy
- What Color is Your Cleansuit?
Trivia
- The business card that Billy Quizboy gives Hank in Everybody Comes to Hank's has Nikki's last name misspelled as "Ficktel."
- Ironically, Nikki repeats history, though its reversed roles, when she sleeps with Hank. Given the timing, Nikki is most likely 31 or 32 and Hank is physically an 18 year old clone (though chronologically 19 or 20). This age gap may be evidence of ephebophilia (which is not considered a disorder) although more likely it's her obsession with the Rusty Boy Adventurer brand.
- The only people who know the truth of her affair with Rusty and Dermott's true parentage are her mother, Brock Samson, Shore Leave, Dr. Orpheus, Sergeant Hatred, Dean Venture and possibly Billy Quizboy. Hank and The Alchemist were aware, but they had their memories erased.
- Dr. Venture became aware of his relation to Dermott, as seen from his reaction to Dermott's last name and age at the end of the Jacket special.
- In Momma's Boys, Dr. Venture confirms his knowledge in a "deathbed confession" contest with Sergeant Hatred.
- Nikki's infatuation with Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture follows along the trend where most women who find him attractive have some kind of mental instability or emotional issues. These women include Myra Brandish and Sally Impossible, although Dr. Quymn appears sane. In Nikki's case, it's possibly a result of Borderline Personality Disorder. A symptom of her disorder would be delusional thinking that it is fate that Dermott and Hank became friends where she controlled the outcome by keeping Dermott. More of her symptoms include possessing all of the Rusty Venture Boy Adventure toys and merchandise even when Rusty does not hold onto his past items from his childhood days.
Gallery
