Calvin & Hobbes creator Bill Watterson once admitted one of his biggest regrets in his classic comic strip, as he introduced a character he knew almost immediately didn't work. Upon reflecting on the series, the cartoonist wrote he initially thought that a new character, Uncle Max, would open up new storytelling potential. However, Watterson realized that the character was extremely redundant as he proved to be an awkward fit and was quickly written out of the series.
In January 1988, Calvin & Hobbes introduced an all-new character, Uncle Max. Max was Calvin's laid-back uncle who connected with the youngster, even pretending that his stuffed tiger Hobbes was alive. However, only 11 days after debuting, Calvin & Hobbes creator Bill Watterson decided to write Uncle Max out of the series. In The Calvin & Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book, the cartoonist wrote that he regretted introducing the character, calling him redundant while noting that it didn't work in the grand scheme of the story - especially when factoring in Calvin's parents and the fact they were designed not to have outside adult relationships.
Calvin & Hobbes Only Had A Small Cast of Characters
While Calvin & Hobbes has introduced a handful of iconic characters, the cast of Bill Watterson's comic strip is relatively small. Besides the six-year-old Calvin and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, the only notable reoccurring faces are Calvin's parents, who are unnamed in the series, Calvin's friend Susie Derkins, Calvin's elderly teacher Miss Wormwood, Calvin's dumb bully Moe, and Calvin's babysitter, Rosalyn. Uncle Max was added to expand the world of the comic strip, but ultimately, he was an odd fit and showed that sometimes less is more when it comes to characters.
While Bill Watterson might have regretted introducing Uncle Max, he had the right idea of bringing in the character, as he hypothetically allowed new storytelling possibilities for Calvin and Hobbes. However, it took the cartoonist only a handful of comic strips to realize that he didn't bring anything new to the table and was hampered by the world he was a part of, as Uncle Max couldn't even refer to Calvin's parents by name, as they were never given names in the series.
Ultimately, Bill Watterson regretted creating Uncle Max in Calvin & Hobbes. After his first story ran, Watterson wrote the character out of the comic strip, as he only lasted 11 days before disappearing entirely. Part of Watterson's genius was his ability to identify what makes Calvin & Hobbes' stories work - as it's considered one of the greatest comic strips of all time for good reason. In this case, Uncle Max didn't, and he was quickly cut from the series for good.