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Cotton Lyndal Hill is a fictional character in the
Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
animated series ''
King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...
'' voiced by
Toby Huss Tobias Huss (born December 9, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Artie in the Nickelodeon series '' The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' (1993–1996). He is also known for his voice-over work on the long-running animated series ''K ...
. He was the father of
Hank Hill Hank Rutherford Hill (born April 15)Season Five, Episode Ten: Yankee Hankie (at time 04:42 of 22:30) Birth Certificate has his name listed as Hank Rutherford Hill is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox ...
, Good Hank Hill (or "G.H."), Junichiro (his illegitimate half-Japanese son), and, according to him, at least 270 possible others. He was a
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
veteran who had his shins "blowed off by a Japanman's machine gun" in combat and later had his feet attached to his knees as a result. This made him a foot shorter than his relatives and caused a characteristic waddle. According to Hank, Cotton was 6'4" with his shins and was 5'0" without them. Despite his disability, he eventually reached the rank of
Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
in the Texas State Defense Forces and was addressed as such by his friends. Cotton Hill dies in the 12th season of ''King of the Hill'' at age 80 after suffering severe burns from slipping on a flat top grill.


Character biography


Early life and military service

If Cotton's story is to be believed, he was born around 1927, making him about 70 in the first season of the show. In a third-season episode Hank says Cotton is 70, and in the Season 4 episode "Cotton Comes Marching Home", he states himself to be 71. Little is known about Cotton's childhood other than that he started out with a gun at an early age according to Hank in the episode "How to Fire A Rifle Without Really Trying", that he attended Fort Berk when he was very young and spent much of his childhood there as he revealed in "An Officer and A Gentle Boy", that he apparently joined the army when he was only 14 years old as revealed in "Shins of the Father", and that Cotton's mother apparently died giving birth to him, as he exaggerates in "Death Picks Cotton". Almost nothing is known about Cotton's father, except that he may have been German, as Peggy tells Bobby in the episode "Tears of an Inflatable Clown" and the only time Cotton ever himself refers to his father during the entire series is when he shouts at Hank: "You ain't my daddy, I'm your daddy!". Cotton also has an unnamed brother (Dusty's father). Cotton was zealously proud of his military service record and his status as a war hero, although he tended to exaggerate his exploits. He often claims to anyone who will listen that he killed "fitty 0men" during the war. He consistently reminded everyone within earshot about how he lost his shins during World War II:
"I was 14, just a little older than Bobby. But I knew
Uncle Sam Uncle Sam (with the same initials as ''United States'') is a common national personification of the United States, depicting the federal government of the United States, federal government or the country as a whole. Since the early 19th centu ...
needed me, so I lied and signed up. We had beat the Nazzys in Italy, and they shipped me to the
Pacific theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
. A Tojo torpedo sent our troop ship to the bottom. I could only save three of my buddies: Fatty, Stinky, and Brooklyn. They were kind of like you fellas
Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pl ...
, Dale, and Boomhauer">Dale Gribble">Dale, and Boomhauer">Boomhauer.html" ;"title="Dale Gribble">Dale, and Boomhauer">Dale Gribble">Dale, and Boomhauer only one of them was from Brooklyn. Out of the sun came a Tojo A6M Zero, Zero and put fitty bullets in my back. The blood attracted sharks. I had to give 'em Fatty. Then things took a turn for the worse. I made it to an island, but it was full of Tojos! They were spitting on the U.S. flag! So I rushed 'em, but it was a trap. They opened fire and blew my shins off. Last thing I remember, I beat 'em all to death with a big piece of Fatty. I woke up in a field hospital, and they were sewing my feet to my knees."
He refers to the Japanese as "Tojos," deriving from war-time Japanese Prime Minister and General
Hideki Tojo was a Japanese general and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1941 to 1944 during the Second World War. His leadership was marked by widespread state violence and mass killings perpetrated in the name of Japanese nationalis ...
. He would also refer to the Nazis as "Nazzys". Based upon Cotton's uniform in the episode "Returning Japanese", he was awarded the following military decorations:
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
,
Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
, and
American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had per ...
. Cotton left Japan wearing the rank of Private in his own flashback while reminiscing to Hank how he had met Michiko. He was referred to as a colonel repeatedly during the series, reflecting his rank in the Texas State Guard after the war. In the episode "When Cotton Comes Marching Home", his
Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...
is displayed in a case at the VFW. In the 12th episode of season 11, he is wearing the third class of the
Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...
, the highest award given by the French government, who gave it to a select handful of American troops for their service in World War II. Cotton states in a sixth-season episode that he served with the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
's
77th Infantry Division 77th Division or 75th Infantry Division may refer to: *77th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), Germany * 77th Infantry Division of Khurasan, Iran * 77th Division (Imperial Japanese Army) * 77th Division (People's Republic of China) *77th Division (Sp ...
. He has a number of war trophies that can be seen in various episodes, including a
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n
Pickelhaube The (; , ; from , and , , a general word for "headgear"), also , is a spiked leather or metal helmet that was worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by Prussian and German soldiers of all ranks, as well as firefighters and police. Although it ...
which he sometimes used to cut Hank's hair in an even bowl cut during Hank's youth, and a Nazi canoe which he claimed was "Hitler's canoe", though given his propensity to exaggerate his war stories, the actual origin of the canoe is uncertain. The pride he has in his military service often colors his opinions of others; he has often expressed disdain for Hank's lack of service, and enjoys making fun of his son for being excluded due to his narrow urethra. Cotton also has a tendency to exaggerate his service in the war. For example, in the episode "Cotton's Plot" he stated he killed Nazis ("Nazzys") in Munich on April 30 and Japanese ("Tojos") on May 2 in Okinawa. He also has expressed dislike for veterans of the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, as he blames them to some degree for losing it - though he eventually accords them a measure of respect for trying their best. Aside from some confirmation from his war buddies, it is unknown if Cotton actually ever served in Europe, considering the 77th served in the Pacific Theater and the majority of his war flashbacks are shown to take place in the Pacific fighting the Japanese. However, documentation obtained by Peggy in ''Cotton's Plot'' did back his claim of fighting in the Sardinia campaign, which was mainly an air force campaign rather a battle on the ground. Solomon Islands: Cotton was ordered to retake an airfield on the Solomon Islands. His unit was pinned down by a Japanese machine gun nest high up in a hill, so he sneaked into a fifty-five gallon barrel of sake. He held his breath until the Japanese got good and drunk, and then he jumped out and spit it all out into his Zippo (lighter). He "hibachi'd" the whole squad. ("Cotton's Plot") Guadalcanal: In the episode "Yankee Hanky", Cotton references that he and Stinky were on Guadalcanal, and it rained for 17 days. Anzio: On January 30, 1944, Cotton's unit attacked Anzio. They had "caught the Krauts with their pants down and their schnitzel exposed." They had taken the beach by noon, and the town by nightfall. Normandy: Cotton said that he climbed the cliffs of Normandy with a fifty-pound ice cream maker on his back. ("Cotton's Plot") Saipan: Cotton said that he led a platoon of men through the jungles of Sai Pan. ("When Cotton Comes Marching Home") Guam: In 1944, in Guam, Cotton crawled through a minefield to retrieve
General MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army. He served with distinction in World War I; as chief of ...
's corn cob pipe. ("Cotton's Plot") Philippines: Cotton said that he served in the Philippines. ("Unfortunate Son") Iwo Jima: Cotton spent two weeks under a pile of bodies on Iwo Jima. ("Revenge of the Lutefisk") He and Topsy show a bayonet technique Topsy used to gut a kamikaze. ("Unfortunate Son") Munich: Cotton claimed to have fought in Munich on April 30, 1945, and probably longer, but later realized he didn't. ("Cotton's Plot") Okinawa: On May 2, 1945, on Okinawa, Cotton invented a bayonet technique that is still used by the army today. ("Cotton's Plot") P.O.W. Camp: Cotton was captured at an unknown time by the Japanese, and put in a bamboo rat cage. He had to eat rats, but let the last one live so he could eat its droppings. He called it "Jungle Rice", and said it "tasted fine". By September, he was skinny enough to slip through the bars, and strangled the guard with a string made of braided rat tails, and ran to safety. ("Cotton's Plot") He had also learned to stop his heartbeat, so the Japanese would stop torturing him for a moment, probably at the P.O.W. camp ("Death Picks Cotton"), and claimed that he only cried when the Japanese tore off his fingernails. ("Returning Japanese") Miscellaneous: Cotton severed the windpipe of a German corporal with a two-foot strand of dental floss he kept in his boot. ("The Final Shinsult") He survived on a life raft by trapping rain water in his upturned eyelid. ("Cotton's Plot")


Death

In the season 12 episode "
Death Picks Cotton "Death Picks Cotton" is the fifth episode of the twelfth season of the animated television series ''King of the Hill'', and the 218th episode overall. It was written by Murray Miller and Judah Miller and directed by Tony Kluck. The episode feat ...
," Cotton suffers severe injuries while at a Japanese restaurant in Arlen. Climbing onto a grill table, he chokes on a piece of shrimp (to which he is extremely allergic), then slips and falls on the hot surface. He is taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a
hip fracture A hip fracture is a break that occurs in the upper part of the femur (thigh bone), at the femoral neck or (rarely) the femoral head. Symptoms may include pain around the hip, particularly with movement, and shortening of the leg. Usually ...
, severe burns on his arms, torn ligaments in his ankle/knee joints, and an infection of his
esophagus The esophagus (American English), oesophagus (British English), or œsophagus (Œ, archaic spelling) (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, see spelling difference) all ; : ((o)e)(œ)sophagi or ((o)e)(œ)sophaguses), c ...
due to swallowing the shrimp. X-rays reveal that he has four rusty bullets lodged in his back and one in his heart from old war wounds. In spite of his injuries and a heart attack suffered while in the hospital, Cotton survives long enough to torment both Hank and Peggy, even slowing his heartbeat down to feign death (a trick he learned while confined to a Japanese POW camp). The last person to see him alive is Peggy, who tells him that despite Cotton's constant torture of his son, Hank has always loved him and that she hopes he will live forever in the friendless, spiteful existence he has made for himself as the unhappy, unpleasant person he is. Cotton replies "Oh, do ya, now?," laughs, and then dies completely, seemingly to spite Peggy. Peggy does not tell Hank of this exchange; instead, she lies that Cotton's last words-which in reality included him calling Hank his "worthless nothing-but-a-loser son"- were kind ones meant for Hank. In the final scene of the episode,
Dale Gribble Dale Alvin Gribble is a fictional character in the Fox animated series ''King of the Hill'', initially voiced by Johnny Hardwick. Following Hardwick's death, ''King of the Hill'' alumni Toby Huss took over as the voice of Dale following the fir ...
fulfills a request from Cotton to blow up a storage shed Hank has built. Hank initially plans to honor a separate wish, to have Cotton's head detached from his body and sent to the
Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...
(he had also requested to have worms inserted into his mouth when doing so to "scare that sonuvabitch"), but Peggy stops him by (falsely) claiming that Cotton withdrew the request just before his death. Neither Didi nor G.H. appear in "Death Picks Cotton," nor is his funeral shown. He was to have been buried at the
Texas State Cemetery The Texas State Cemetery (TSC) is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, downtown Austin, Texas, Austin, the Capital (political), capital of the U.S. state of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revo ...
, a grave which he earned in recognition of his military service, as explained by the episode "Cotton's Plot", although he ended up being cremated instead. In the season 13 episode "Serves Me Right for Giving General George S. Patton the Bathroom Key," Hank receives from Didi a box containing Cotton's personal possessions and a list of embarrassing last requests. Cotton also left Hank a rude message on his tape recorder telling Hank that he wanted all the embarrassing requests completed by him. Peggy did not want Hank to fulfill Cotton's wishes, but Hank said that fulfilling Cotton's last requests was the best gift he had ever received from his father. Hank completed every single one of the humiliating requests, which Hank felt was Cotton's way of humiliating Hank one last time. The last request Cotton left was to have his cremated remains flushed down a bar toilet that General George S. Patton once used; such practice was also a tradition in Cotton's platoon, and all of Cotton's deceased war buddies were also flushed down the toilet. Hank and his friends respectively honored the request and flushed Cotton's remains down the toilet, resulting in the toilet getting clogged and the bar owner mailing Hank a $300 plumbing bill to pay for the damage. As a result of this, Peggy claims at the end of the episode that even though Cotton is dead, he will always find a way to disrupt their lives. Fox published the following
obituary An obituary (wikt:obit#Etymology 2, obit for short) is an Article (publishing), article about a recently death, deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as Article (publishing), news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on p ...
for Cotton:
Cotton Hill, age 84, World War II veteran, died Sunday in a Texas VA hospital. Hill suffered from several injuries ranging from four rusty bullets lodged in his back (one in his heart) from his military service, a broken hip and torn ligaments in his ankle-knees, to an infection in his esophagus and severe burns caused by a freak shrimp accident that occurred earlier this week at Tokyaki's Japanese restaurant. Hill leaves behind sons Hank Hill and G.H. (short for "Good Hank"); daughter-in-law Peggy Hill; grandson Bobby Hill; ex-wife Tilly; second wife Didi; first love and former Japanese lover Michiko; an illegitimate Japanese son, Junichiro; and nephew
Dusty Hill Joe Michael "Dusty" Hill (May 19, 1949 – July 28, 2021) was an American musician who was the bassist of the rock band ZZ Top for more than 50 years. He also sang backing and lead vocals and played keyboards. Hill was born in Dallas, Texas. As ...
(of band
ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...
).


Character analysis


Personality

Cotton is a consistently
misogynistic Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practis ...
, chauvinistic,
violent Violence is characterized as the use of physical force by humans to cause harm to other living beings, or property, such as pain, injury, disablement, death, damage and destruction. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence a ...
,
abusive Abuse is the act of improper usage or treatment of a person or thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, ...
, and intolerant character. He talks down to women, berates his son, is prone to violent outbursts, and on more than one occasion has exhibited homicidal tendencies. His abrasive manner is consistently embarrassing for Hank and usually infuriating for Hank's wife, Peggy. Throughout his history on the series, Cotton never once addressed Peggy by name, but he instead called her "Hank's wife", which was used as a
running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...
, including on the very rare occasion he's trying to be nice to her (the only other names Cotton had ever addressed Peggy by was "Hillary" in the episode "Shins of the Father", as well as Manimal and Sasquatch; Peggy also didn't seem to care being called "Hank's Wife" beyond visible annoyance, and never once told Cotton not to call her that). He even attempts to pass on some of his sexist traits to Bobby at one point, teaching him that women should be made to cook and clean for their husbands all day long. On rare occasions, Cotton shows a vulnerable side that he normally keeps hidden: he realizes that he was a terrible father and person, hates himself for growing old and becoming disabled, and readily admits that he would die to protect his grandson,
Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People *Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (surname), a list of surnames * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwrit ...
("Revenge of the Lutefisk"). He also appears to not be bigoted towards black people or Jews, as he is shown interacting with both groups and acting more well-mannered than he usually is (when he finds out his ex-wife's new boyfriend Gary is Jewish, he wishes him a Happy
Hanukkah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd ce ...
and says that one of his war buddies was also Jewish; presumably this is the "Brooklyn" man Cotton mentioned as having sacrificed himself during a shark attack so Cotton and others could escape alive, albeit horribly injured). When some annoying liberal roommates of Luanne's reflexively insult him by calling him a Nazi, Cotton and his buddy Topsy get visibly angry and attack the roommates, scaring them into leaving the area and giving Luanne back her home. Cotton also demonstrates a rough, demanding, and often abusive, but at times inspirational leadership. He admits to Hank that he always wanted to win in battle but accepted defeat when his men did their best. Through tough love and intense physical therapy, Cotton also helped Peggy walk again after a debilitating skydiving accident crippled her. Hank was initially wary of this, because he feared that Cotton was simply taking advantage of Peggy's brief disability to humiliate her. It was never revealed throughout the series how Cotton became such a nasty and rude character, or if he ever was a different person. Cotton has also shown in multiple episodes that he suffers from mild to severe post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ("Returning Japanese" & "Death Picks Cotton"), which can explain the majority of his "violent outbursts". Whatever the reason is, Cotton never sought forgiveness for how he treated Hank, Peggy, Tilly, and many others throughout the series. In the episode "Hank gets Dusted" Hank says straight up to his cousin Dusty that Cotton is in fact a jack-ass.


Relationships

Before leaving Japan, Cotton had an affair with a Japanese nurse, Michiko, which resulted in the birth of his eldest son (and Hank's older half-brother), Junichiro (voiced by
David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor, director, and producer, whose career included over 200 major and minor roles in film, television and on stage. He was widely known ...
); he left suddenly despite trying to stay, and knew nothing of his child until years later (a flashback clip shows him being clubbed and dragged onto the troopship leaving Japan). Michiko is one of the few women he treats respectfully at any time and the only woman he treats respectfully all the time. After the war, Cotton supervised the installation of
asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...
in eleven bowling alleys and every public school in Heimlich County. Cotton eventually traveled back to Japan to reconcile with his long-lost lover, and soon learned of his illegitimate son. Junichiro initially rejected Cotton's attempt to make peace, and formally renounced his Hill family heritage. This enraged Cotton, who re-declared war on Japan and planned to spit in the face of
Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
Akihito Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...
out of spite. ("Returning Japanese") When Cotton saw that Hank and Junichiro had mended fences and even become friends, and Junichiro said that he was not ashamed to be a Hill anymore, Cotton ditched his plan and accepted the Emperor's kind words. He also made peace with Junichiro's mother, who tore a picture taken of them as young adults after World War II in half—and gave the half with her picture to Cotton, while keeping his picture for herself. Cotton claimed he divorced from Hank's mother, Tilly, because he "outgrew" her after she lost her large rear end, though it had been stated earlier in the show - such as in the season 1 episode "Shins of a Father" - that Tilly divorced him after years of verbal abuse. His second wife was a
hospital volunteer Hospital volunteers, also known as candy stripers in the United States, work without regular pay in a variety of health care settings, usually under the direct supervision of nurses. The term candy striper is derived from the red-and-white str ...
, Deirdre "Didi" Hill. At age 71, Cotton fathered a third son from his second wife Didi, whom he named Good-Hank "G.H." Hill to differentiate from, and possibly spite, Hank (who was temporarily called "B.H. - Bad Hank"). Cotton's relationship with Hank was strained; while Hank seemed to have a deep reverence (and fear) of his father, he stood up to Cotton on several occasions. Cotton also became depressed (and enraged) by the fact that he and Hank did not have a good relationship, once going homicidally insane when Hank said that he hates him. In spite of all this, however, Cotton never hesitated to refer to Hank as "My Boy," and on several occasions tried to help him (such as when Kahn and Minh were befouling his house). Throughout the series, Cotton has also shown several times that he may actually care for Hank, such as calling him a good son in "Returning Japanese", saving him from being shot in the episode "Yankee Hankee", and leaving and trusting Hank with his last requests and personal possessions in "Serving Me Right for giving
George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (11 November 1885 – 21 December 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Alli ...
the Bathroom Key". It is likely Cotton treats Hank horribly simply because he hates various aspects of Hank's life, such as his job as a propane salesman, his place of birth (New York), his personality, how he chooses to raise Bobby, his marriage to Peggy, how he's different from his cousin Dusty, how Hank thwarted his plan to assassinate
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
(Tilly had gone into labor just as Cotton was about to kill the communist leader), and - most importantly - how Hank did not follow in his father's footsteps and become a war hero. Cotton had an antagonistic relationship with Peggy, whom he addressed as "Hank's wife" among other epithets. On rare occasions though, Cotton evinced a grudging respect for Peggy, as in "To Spank With Love" and "Cotton's Plot." Cotton appears to have a good relationship with Bobby. He once conceded that Hank was a better father than himself, stating, "You made Bobby. All I made was you." Cotton shows that he is proud of Bobby and supports him. Once contemplating suicide, Cotton confides in Bobby and gives him a letter of recommendation for the army, irking Hank. Cotton often tries to pass on his misogynistic views to Bobby, even going so far as to try to buy him a hooker once, although Hank and Peggy are always able to reverse the damage. Cotton demonstrates his affection for Bobby in numerous instances. In "How to Fire a Rifle Without Really Trying", he comes to watch Bobby and Hank shoot in a father-son shooting competition, stating, "I'm always here to support my Bobby." In "Revenge of the Lutefisk", Cotton even goes so far as to take the blame for Bobby after Bobby confesses he was the one who burned down the church (Claiming "I'm an old man, everyone already hates me!" whereas Bobby is just a child and has his whole life ahead of him.) and Didi reveals to Bobby that Cotton told her that if their unborn child turned out as good as Bobby, he wouldn't abandon it. Reflecting on Cotton's relationship with his grandson in "Death Picks Cotton," Hank states, "Even though he hates most things, he does love Bobby." It could be inferred that his love for Bobby is mixed also with a deep pride and respect for him, viewing him as actually tougher than Hank. Although Cotton respects Bobby more than anyone in the family, on his deathbed in "Death Picks Cotton", Cotton claims he does not love anyone, though this could be him just trying to sound tough.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Cotton Animated characters introduced in 1997 Fictional amputees Fictional characters from Texas Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder Fictional child abusers Fictional colonels Fictional Medal of Honor recipients Fictional World War II veterans King of the Hill characters Male characters in animated television series Television characters introduced in 1997