- “I was the star in the greatest city on earth! A king! Loved by my people!”
- ―Alex's reaction while being shipped to Madagascar
Alex (born Alakay) is a lion and the main protagonist of the Madagascar franchise. He is the deuteragonist of the original film, and the main protagonist of the two sequels Alex is best friends with Gloria, Melman and Marty and the son of Zuba and Florrie. Separated from his parents when he was a cub after being abducted by poachers, Alex ended up in the city of New York and became a big guy there while living in the Central Park Zoo. He can be a bit selfish and stand-offish, but Alex cares a lot about his friends and family. His personality continues to progress as the series goes on, becoming a better and supportive friend to Marty, including Melman and Gloria. During their escape in Europe's Most Wanted, Alex has fallen in love with Gia, one of the circus animals at Circus Zaragoza. at the end of the film, they become boyfriend and girlfriend when he, Marty, Melman, and Gloria stay with the Circus.
He is voiced by Ben Stiller in the films.
Background
Alex was born Alakay, born to Zuba and Florrie, the Alpha Lion and Lioness of their pride in Kenya, Africa. However, as a cub, Alakay was taken from his home by poachers. As his father tried to rescue him, his crate fell into a nearby water. Zuba chased the hunters for days before deciding to give up, fearing the poachers already killed him, but in reality, Alex floated to New York City, where he was found and later placed at the Central Park Zoo. There he was renamed "Alex" and became friends with zoo mates Marty, Melman and Gloria.
Personality
As a child, Alex (then known as Alakay) was playful, innocent, and loved both his parents. He would often dance and mess around while his father tried gaining his attention. When he landed in New York, Alex was at first shy and frightened before suddenly, he began performing in front of a crowd of humans.
While he can be good-natured and comical, sometimes Alex was downright selfish. Especially in Madagascar, the first film, he did give Marty gifts but they were mostly merchandise that depicted Alex on the front. However, his character mellows over the course of the films. He also had a slight infatuation with stakes before being introduced to fish when Rico made a dish. After being out of civilization and at home in the zoo, Alex became crazed, willing to eat anything, including his own best friends. Due to this, Alex refused to come near Marty when he came to bring his best friend back in order to protect his best friends.
During the events of Escape to Africa, Alex realizes he was not a very good friend to Marty, even before they left New York. Instead, he decided to instead pay more attention to his other friends' feelings rather than how everything affects him. He never brushed off an opportunity to show. This caused Marty to repeatedly call Alex a "show off," which also was what caused Alex to see he should treat his friends better. After finally being reunited with his family, Alex was overjoyed to be with his parents again, even entering a warm embrace with them. However, after Alex embarrasses himself and shames his father, Alex wanted Zuba to accept him for who he is
During their escape in Europe's Most Wanted, Alex has fallen in love with Gia, one of the circus animals at Circus Zaragoza. They genuinely fall in love with each other at the end of the film. He can sometimes get nervous as well, often from his attempts to flirt with Gia. He morphed over the course of three films, maintaining an adventurous, brave, and well-intentioned lion.
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