Nestor (comics)
| Nestor | |
|---|---|
|
Nestor (right) with Bianca Castafiore, by Hergé | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Casterman (Belgium) |
| First appearance |
The Secret of the Unicorn (1943) The Adventures of Tintin |
| Created by | Hergé |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Nestor |
| Partnerships | List of main characters |
| Supporting character of | Tintin |
Nestor is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. He is the long-suffering butler of Marlinspike Hall.
Nestor is the epitome of a butler (or, in French, majordome) of French society. Noble, loyal, always the domestic servant, Nestor serves his master Captain Haddock and any house guests such as Tintin, Professor Calculus, or Bianca Castafiore.
Character history
Nestor made his first appearance in The Secret of the Unicorn. In this story, he dutifully serves as butler for the Bird brothers, Marlinspike Hall's original owners and the villains of the adventure. Tintin has been kidnapped by Max and G. Bird and locked in their cellar. When Tintin breaks out and attempts to contact his friends by the house telephone, Nestor enters the room and asks who he was. A scuffle ensues, during which Nestor loyally stands by his employers. By the end of the story when the Bird brothers' criminal activities are exposed, Nestor is cleared of any wrongdoing. All evidence at the Bird brothers' trial shows that Nestor was ignorant of their true agenda, while Tintin and Haddock reason that he cannot be judged for his previous masters' actions.
Nestor remains as the butler of Marlinspike Hall when Captain Haddock reclaims the property, Haddock regarding Nestor as part of the place. He continues to be a staple character in all of the subsequent Tintin stories set at the hall, loyally serving his friends Haddock and Tintin.
In The Castafiore Emerald, he is depicted as being stereo-typically suspicious of gypsies, while in Tintin and the Picaros he is shown drinking his master's whisky and listening at doors to Tintin and Haddock. In contrast, after Prince Abdullah's visit causes him to visibly lose weight in The Red Sea Sharks, Nestor's understatement was that the prince's visit had been a little trying on him.
Nestor almost never leaves the grounds of the estate. This is not to say he does not participate in Tintin's adventures. Should the adventure come to the hall, as it does in The Castafiore Emerald, Nestor becomes as embroiled in the mystery as any of his friends.
Nestor appears in the film adaptation of The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn as the butler of Sakharine. He is shown as good-hearted and even secretly aids Tintin by giving him a hint as to what the model ship contained. It is also hinted that he is displeased with his employer as he states that Sakharine does not pay him at all. At the end of the film he becomes Haddock's butler.
