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"James" redirects here. You may be looking for his son, Jim.


James-Possible-Mugshot
James Possible
Full Name: James Timothy Possible
Alias(es): No Known Aliases
Gender: Male
Age: 48
Build: Tall and slender
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Black
Skin: Unknown
Hometown: Middleton
Number-Header
Infobox-Fading-Pills
Professional Info
Profession(s):
  Rocket Scientist
Affiliation(s):
  Middleton Space Center
Relationships
Relative(s):
  Unnamed father
Ann Possible (wife)
Kim Possible (daughter)
Jim Possible (son)
Tim Possible (son)
"Nana" Possible (mother)
Slim Possible (older brother)
Joss Possible (niece)
Larry (nephew)
June (sister or sister-in-law)
Friend(s):
  Bob Chen
Ramesh
Drew Lipsky (former)
Love Interest(s):
  Ann Possible
Pet(s):
  No Known Pets
Nemesis:
  No Known Nemesis
Behind the Scenes
First Appearance:
  "Tick-Tick-Tick"
Voiced by:
  Gary Cole

Dr. James Timothy Possible is a brilliant rocket scientist. He is devoted to his work at the Middleton Space Center and to his family. He has a very fatherly personality, hearkening back to the father and scientist stereotypes of the 1950s.

Physicality[]

Appearance[]

Dr. Possible is rather tall, pale, slender, has dark eyes, a long crooked nose, and short brown hair with a light grey dash running along his hair line. He usually wears a white collared shirt, a black tie, and matching pants. He's also often seen in his white lab coat while working at the Space Center or in his dress suit or a polo and khaki shorts while at home or on vacation.

Reading

Personality[]

James is a friendly, easygoing, joyful, and occasionally absentminded man. He is humble, diligent, and good-natured, yet he strikes a great balance between professionalism and fun, often cracking jokes and enjoying his own sense of humor. Charmingly, James always seems to know how to make his wife Ann laugh.

While passionate and enthusiastic about his research, he sometimes is self-depreciating and compares himself to other colleagues in his profession. For example, he expressed slight insecurity in episode 31, "Showdown at the Crooked D," for being "the only genius not invited to the Wild West Science Fest" (due to one of Dr. Drakken's schemes). Still, James is typically confident in his abilities and proud of his work. Likewise, he is always very encouraging of his children's hobbies and desire to learn. He cultivates their talents and inspires them to always do their best, often known to proudly remind them that, "Anything is possible for a Possible!"

Abilities[]

A brilliant and adventurous scientist, if a bit absent-minded at times, James is part of a team of researchers at the Middleton Space Center. When a problem fell within his area of expertise, he was always a valuable asset to Kim in her fight against evil. Juggling three impressive teens as a middle-aged careers man is no easy feat!

James is also a genius who has a great understanding of the highly difficult field of cybertronics.[1] In graduate school, he even built a cybertronic battlesuit with a plasma blaster for a lab rat he named Pinky Joe Curly Tail.[2] He often develops new tools and technologies and has the opportunity to launch spacecrafts into orbit.

Taxes

But strangely, despite being a genius, James seems to struggle with finances, unable to do his own taxes even though his job involves a lot of calculating.

He even calls all the accountants in the phone book out of desperation. During a call, he asks if he could get some help with his taxes. When he's not getting the type of quality service he needs, he tries to explain himself, "Look, I'm no rocket scientist - I mean, actually I am! But-hello? Curse you taxman!""

To the rescue

Kim even comes home late to find that he's fallen asleep in a mound of taxes. She ropes in a Certified Public Accountant from Team Impossible to help him out. He considers this guy his hero. Truly, not all geniuses are created equal. While James might not be amazing at his taxes, he thankfully excels in his field.

Also, while not much of an ability, James has a habit of leaning on equipment and accidentally activating it. This is so much of a habit that his friend Bob Chen considers it a "classic Possible" phenomenon. For example, he has accidentally launched a rocket a week ahead of schedule[3], caused a super magnet to de-pants Ron[4] (causing Ron to question if science has gone too far), and even dared Dr. Drakken that he'd delete the Hephaestus Program from his computer, which he had been working on for a number of years, though he said there was nothing to worry about since it was all stored in his head.[1] Hopefully his clumsiness or bravery won't make things come to that.

James Leaning on Equipment

Leaning on a machine which causes Ron to lose his pants...again

Biography[]

Laughing

James and his friends laughing at Drakken's embarrassing attempt at setting them up with "dates"

James graduated from the Middleton Institute of Science and Technologies.[5] In college, he knew a young Drew Lipsky, who would eventually become the supervillain Dr. Drakken. It was the scornful laughter of James and his friends, Bob Chen and Ramesh, (as James recalls, they "laughed for days, long and loud, with youthful abandon!") that supposedly drove Drew over the edge after he had embarrassed himself through his invention of "dates" that later became "perfected" Bebe robots.[3]

Maturing since then, James uses this memory to caution Kim to not be unintentionally hurtful and to also "reconsider Ronald's dream" of becoming the Mad Dog mascot of the cheer team. Thankfully, after an attack by the Bebes, Kim supports Ron's goal, seeing from her father's circumstance how a few words can shift the course of someone's life from either becoming a hero or a villain.

James launching a spaceship

James accidentally launching the G6 rocket into space while telling his wife he'll have bacon toppings on his pizza

James Possible Science Lab

Wondering how Kim is able to explain everything

At some point, James began working at the Middleton Space Center. The series indicates that he had apparently been there for quite some time, at least since Kim was eight years old.[6]

He has a wife, Ann, a daughter, Kim, whom he calls his "Kimmie-cub," and twin sons, Jim and Tim, named after him ("Jim" is short for "James" and "Timothy" is shortened to "Tim"). He and his family also try to stay in touch with their relatives, though they are spread across the country. For instance, his mother, "Nana" Possible, lives in Florida while his older brother, Slim Possible, owns a ranch in Montana, and lives there along with his niece Joss. It is unclear whether Kim's cousin Larry and his mother June are related to James or his wife.

Relationships[]

Family[]

Kim Possible[]

Main article: Kim Possible
Kim and James Possible Thanks dad - glad to help

Though Kim loves her father, she is sometimes embarrassed by his affection and desire to be close to her. She is also greatly frustrated by his tendency to see her as his little girl, even after she was well into high school.[6] This can be seen in his doting and protective nature of Kim, such as during Episode 19 "Monkey Ninjas in Space" while they attend the Little Rockets Space Camp event where he expected her to enjoy the day at work with him just like she used to when she was young (tiny sweatshirt and rocket cookies and all).

Although it might be difficult to adapt to your child growing into an adult, James seems to be patient and understanding, offering his children a lot of liberty within set family boundaries and expectations for them to be upstanding students and citizens. Despite their differences and minor slip ups along the way, Kim is very affectionate to both her parents, often giving them hugs or kisses on the cheek in token of her appreciation.

Additionally, James is very protective of Kim when it came to her dating, despite being very uncomfortable to discuss boys with Kim himself. When it comes to Ronald...he's not exactly as concerned, given the fact that they've been inseparable since their childhood. However, in Season 3 during the "Emotion Sickness" episode, he and Ann were "tickled pink...but not too pink," feeling the need to have a "fam to Ron talk" to clarify that they "want Kimmy to be happy." James even takes it a step further by (jokingly?) threatening to send Ron "black hole deep" should he hurt his daughter, without knowing that Kim initiated this progression in their relationship due to being struck by a mood modulator that caused her to crush on her best friend. Once officially a couple in Season 4, both parents seem very excited and supportive of them both.

More information regarding James' view on Kim and Ron's relationship during Season 4 is needed to be added to this section for a more indepth analysis. Also, a more developed section on James' relationship with Ron would also benefit this page.

James saving them from an avalanche

However, there are also a few instances where Kim hurts her parents' feelings. For example, when they learn that Kim was embarrassed having them chaperone her school ski trip in Episode 5, "Downhill." In this episode, Kim specifically stated that she would be doomed by her father "trying to act cool" (though he did make his own snowboard for the occasion that he ended up using to save them from an avalanche, which is pretty impressive and shows he's more than just brains).

James saving them from an avalanche 2

Additionally, Mr. and Mrs. Possible place a lot of trust in their teen superhero, often times believing her at her word. This is shaken when they are horrified to discover that Kim lied to them during Halloween. After regaining their trust, it appears that they all share a very loving, trusting, and mutually supportive relationship and are easily able to communicate and confide in one another.

Jim and Tim Possible[]

Main article: Jim and Tim Possible
Not going without me

"You're not going...without me!"

Jim and Tim seemed to take more after their father, as they spend much time building experimental rockets around the house, occasionally borrowing some of his tools from work to do so. Though he disapproves of them being disruptive in general, James seems to appreciate both their genius and their interest in his work and encourages them to experiment with ideas of their own.

Nana, Slim, and Joss Possible[]

Main article: "Nana" Possible

Though he lived apart from them, James seems fairly close to his side of the family. He would typically take his entire family to visit his mother "Nana" at the Chez Leisure in Florida, or his brother Slim and Slim's daughter Joss at their ranch in Montana.

James seems to know how to kindly accommodate his mother's views and tendencies, encouraging Kim to not worry instead of getting caught up arguing over generational differences (such as Nana pushing her preferred clothing styles on Kim in Episode 16 "The Golden Years"). He even shares with Kim his suspicion that Nana purposely turns down her hearing aid to end difficult conversations. Later, he listens to Kim's frustration and helps her consider life from her grandmother's perspective, expressing how he knows how Nana can be but to remember that she means well and that she should try to appreciate their rare time together. James recommends taking her mind off it with "a great game of Scategories." The Possibles end up having a good time together and also gain a new found appreciation of their grandma by the end of the vacation (thanks in part due to another one of Drakken's failed plans and admiration of Nana's lemon squares).

Scategories
Main article: Slim Possible
Slim and squirt

Slim is James' older brother who affectionately calls him "Squirt," though Dr. Possible asks him not to call him that in front of the kids (unfortunately, Jim and Tim hear and continue to chuckle about this nickname throughout the episode). Slim seems close to the Possible family, even asking why Ann, his "favorite sister-in-law," isn't there. During their stay, Slim shares that his daughter Joss is "going through a phase" of idolizing a hero (in this case, Kim). James reflects on this sentiment appreciatively, confessing, "Ah, it's great to have heroes. For me, it was Vlad Lukavich of Hydraulic Servo Actuator fame. Man, could that guy build spacecraft! I used to write to him when I was Joss's age...never wrote back."

Slim shares James' love for optimizing technology. On a tour of the ranch, James admires Slim's newest invention: Tornado, a cybertronic solar-powered, self-perpetuating robotic horse.

You're smart and you know it

"You're smart and you know it."

While shopping at the grocery together, James shows his more goofy side. A great example of his stereotypical dad humor comes through when he tries to use "cowboy lingo," saying that if Slim rustled up some of his "famous five-alarm chow," that this would make him "one happy camper." Slim states that there "ain't no campers out in these parts." Instead of taking the hint, James happily deflects, "Uh, right. Buckaroos!" Slim exasperatedly sighs at the cliches, saying, "Squirt, you're the best brother a fella could ever have but you are a tinhorn."

They run into James' friend Professor Ramesh whose arrived for the Wild West Science Fest (unbeknownst to him, its hosted by Dr. Drakken whose plotting to brainwash the smartest minds on the planet with activated cowboy hats that will cause them to act like buffoons so that he'll become the smartest). When learning that he wasn't invited, James confides in Slim that he wish he knew why he didn't make the cut and who created the guest list. This leads him to attempting to discover the reason. Slim lets him use his satellite surveillance system. Slim admits that he's pretty handy with cutting edge technology, but that he's no where near as smart as James is. James humbly deflects but Slim exclaims, "Of course you are and you know it! Doesn't matter who else knows it."

Sometimes youve got to let your hair down

"Sometimes you gotta get loose Dr. P"

James appreciates the encouragement but refuses to give up, feeling vindicated to prove himself. Ron finds him checking the video monitors and surprised, he pretends like he's not spying on the Wild West Science Fest. Ron notices that Ramesh is doing a strange square dance, to which James jealously grumbles, "I bet its a square-root dance."

He then explains to Ron that he doesn't care that he wasn't invited but is going to get to the bottom of it. They head over to the Crooked D and unravel Dr. Drakken's plan. Together, they observe all the scientists dancing strangely. While James thinks that they're acting like "a bunch of goofs," Ron encourages him to relax and go with the flow, stating that it's good to "sometimes let your hair down and get loose" but that boundaries are important and some shouldn't be crossed. After being captured, they realize that the situation is much more serious.

Placed in prison, Drakken admonishes the new team comprised of "the genius and the lack-wit." Misunderstanding that Drakken was insulting himself, Ron defensively turns to Dr. Possible and tells him "Don't let him call you a lack-wit." Without missing a beat, James boldly approaches Drakken, declaring, "Whatever your evil scheme is, Lipsky, it won't work." He refuses to call Dr. Drakken by his villainous title, stating that "You'll always just be Drew Lipsky, the science student who couldn't make the grade." When Drakken reveals that he's adjusted the curve, Dr. Possible immediately connects the dots as to the real purpose of gathering all the brainiacs in one place to control them through the cowboy hats. This correct hypothesis kills Dr. Drakken's joy from believing his scheme was fool-proof. However, James is most concerned with finding out why he wasn't invited. Drakken explains its merely because "Possibles are pests." Eventually, once the Possible Posse comes to the rescue and frees James and Ron, he's seen admiring his older brother's abilities and his family's skill in working together. James is even able to free his friends by destroying the hats. After, they all enjoy a great corn and chili dinner to celebrate their victory. This episode is a great example of many of James' relationship dynamics as well as his personality traits and values.

Main article: Joss Possible

Larry and June[]

Main article: Larry
Main article: June

It is unclear whether Kim's cousin Larry and his mother June were related to either James or Ann. James seemed accustomed to defending and dealing with some of their odd personality quirks, and encourages his own children to try to engage with, include, and never mock them.

Friends[]

My man possible knew what to do - james possible and bob chen

"My man Possible knew what to do!"

James has an overall friendly relationship with his colleagues from the Middleton Space Center, as well as with his old college pals Professor Ramesh and Bob Chen. They each appear to still be currently involved in each others lives. For instance, Bob checked on James when he saw a warning message come to his observatory after James accidentally launched the G6 rocket. They planned on attending their college reunion, were unphased when captured by Dr. Drakken, and cross paths throughout the series, such as at the Wild West Science Fest.

Pizza party

Ron Stoppable[]

Main article: Ron Stoppable

Though sometimes visibly annoyed with how often Ron would pop in uninvited to meals, James did not really seem to mind his presence around the Possible home. It appears that the two get along, often laughing at each others jokes or encouraging each other. Ron often flashes Dr. Possible a "thumbs up" or helps diffuse stressful situations while James seems to try to help Kim consider the feelings of her friend more from time to time. Ron also seems to be defensive and protective over Dr. Possible whenever they're interacting with Dr. Drakken, sticking up for him, trying to warn him, or to have the villain show more respect to his "adopted" father, such as the episodes where Drakken has tried to capture Dr. Possible on numerous occasions. James also seems to have considered Ron as a part of the family ever since he started visiting the Possible household since pre-school. Still, James felt the need to at least threaten Ron after he began dating Kim, always on the look out for his little girl.

Enemies[]

Dr. Drakken[]

A falling out between James and his college friend Drew Lipsky resulted in long-lasting grudge, at least on Drew's part. James genuinely regretted this, especially when he discovered that Drew had become Dr. Drakken, Kim's arch nemesis. Dr. Drakken has sworn to get his revenge on James and his friends, as declared in Episode 9, Attack of the Killer BeBes when Drakken attempts to kidnap them all (foiled initially by Ron's interference and thwarted by James' quick thinking and use of sonic waves from the Kimmunicator). Kim, Dr. Drakken, and Dr. Possible are each equally shocked at this revelation, resulting in some telling repartee:

Disinvited

You're disinvited!

"Wait, he's the guy from college, my arch foe?"

"Well, he didn't use to be blue, I can tell you that much."

"But I was blue, on the inside, scorned by my so called friends, my 'posse.' But I vowed to prove my genius to all of you! And when I got the reunion invite-" James swipes the college reunion invitation from Dr. Drakken's hands, saying, "Since you dropped out, you're really not entitled to that."

However, throughout their more recent dealings, Drakken still makes many of the same mistakes as he did in college (such as not being able to effectively build robots or inventions that follow through according to the purpose of his designs). Because of this, James usually cannot resist critiquing or teasing him on his various failings. Recommend to include examples and further analysis of when Dr. Drakken has captured Dr. Possible.

Love Interests[]

Ann Possible[]

Kim possible parents

James and Ann Possible making each other laugh

His married life is stable and loving, with no signs of conflict between himself and his wife Ann, with the exception of the time his wife got annoyed with him for taking advantage of Kim's memory loss to make her like his favorite show Captain Constellation (fun fact: he loves to write fan fiction for this series!). They are often seen together at the dinner table drinking coffee or reading near one another. As true "soul mates," they have each others' back, support their parenting decisions, and chuckle at their shared jokes. Ann especially seems to find James funny. Though they both have fairly busy schedules, they still frequently find time to spend with each other and their children.

Recommend to include how they met - confirm/disprove fan speculation that they met in college?

Paraphernalia[]

Clothes[]

A white collared dress shirt, a black tie, and dress pants and shoes.

Equipment[]

Often wearing a lab coat and with pens and diagrams close beside him.

Quotes[]

  • "Anything's possible for a Possible!"
  • (angrily) "KIMBERLY ANN POSSIBLE!"
  • "Where's Ronald?"
  • "Well, that hole in the roof of my car really grinds my beans!"
  • "He came over to the house, said something about a mission."
  • His first line of the series is "Jim, Tim, no airborne vegetables at the table. Use the launch pad in the yard."
  • "A Possible has never had detention! Except your brothers, they're little monkeys."
  • "South America, on a school night?!"
  • "Oooh! Smug really pushes my peeve button!"
  • "How's your crisis going, Kimmy?"
  • "Now Kim, you know I don't approve of violence, but they are deadly robots. You go girl!"
  • Nice craftsmanship
    Jim and Tim built a robot to take to the Robot Rumble and show it to their father, exclaiming, "Watch this!" The robot flails it's vacuum/scissor arms in the air. Coming over with his arms at his hips and initially sounding disappointed, James says, "Well you're not going to any rumble...without me!" He then tackles them in a hug, "Nice craftsmanship boys!"
  • While driving Kim in his orange car, she asks, "Um, could you maybe go a little faster?" He turns and looks shocked, "Kim, its a school zone!"
  • On the ski trip he calls for Kim to join in on a bus sing-a-long song. Turning to one of her classmates, he compliments his daughter, saying "Do you know Kim has a beautiful singing voice?" Then proceeds to join his wife in shouting, "NINETY NINE BOTTLES OF POP ON THE WALL, NINETY NINE BOTTLES OF POP!" to which Kim slides down her seat in embarrassment.
  • "Jim, Tim, there will be no surgery at the dinner table."
  • "I pretty much love bacon on everything."
    Sticky situation

    "Good one, honey!"

  • During Season 3 in the "Bonding" episode, James calls Kim's accidental bonding to Bonnie "a sticky situation," causing Ann to laugh at his corny joke that he even tears up over.
  • Ann apologizes, "Sorry dear, we deal in science-" to which he chimes in, "Not mad science."
  • "Prototype G6 rocket went up like a dream. Too bad it wasn't supposed to launch until next week, though."
  • "I suggest you people take your evil elsewhere!"
  • "Nice outfit Mr. Possible, its like retro chic" Schoolgirls laugh at his snowsuit but he smiles and says, "Groovy!" Kim groans and he sighs, "Forgive me, I was making small talk."
    Celebrities

    "Celebrities, am I right?"

  • "Hon, you know how I feel about show folk." Anne responds, "Oh they're just like you or me...except they're wealthy, beautiful, and live by no recognized moral code."
  • In Episode 8 "Mind Games" when Ron and Kim switch minds/bodies, after Ron stands up and counters Mrs. Possible's comment about how brain switching is impossible by saying "Point taken Dr. P, but how else do you explain my bare midriff?" James simply laughs, "Chasing bad guys, switching brains, high school sure has changed since my day!"

Gallery[]

James and ann possible kim possible ref

James and Ann as soul mates

Boy trouble

Trivia[]

  • According to the Animology Test, James is a Beige Raccoon.
    • His "soulmate" is a Teal Cat, of which his wife Ann Possible is one. They truly seem to be, as they are a rare positive portrayal of co-working, committed marriage partners who speak kindly to each other, don't belittle or tend to argue, and encourage and support the other's career and personal goals.
  • In the "Lilo & Stitch" crossover episode "Rufus," Kim says her father knows the governor of Hawaii. In season 1 of the new "Hawaii Five-0," Ann's voice actress played the governor of Hawaii - making this claim genuine.
  • When not working, he is often seen drinking coffee and reading The Examiner newspaper.
  • He mistakes Duff Killagain for a bearded lady (Episode 14, October 31st)
  • In a few episodes he's seen eating pizza, diet soda, and mashed potatoes - presumably his favorite foods along with bacon?
  • He really can't stand celebrities
  • As stated above, in his spare time, he writes fan fiction for Captain Constellation, a sci-fi homage to the Star Trek series.
  • James and Ann seem to love to sing while on road trips.

Alternate Versions[]

An older version of James was shown in Part 3- Future episode of A Sitch in Time[7].

Behind the Scenes[]

Voice Actor/Actress[]

He was voiced by Gary Cole.

Episode Appearances[]

Season X
Production
Number
US Broadcast
Number
Episode
XXX X XXXX


References[]

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