Character Relationship Map: Colossal

Characters

• Gloria (played by Anne Hathaway) — protagonist

  Gloria is an unemployed writer whose alcoholism and destructive behavior have cost her relationship and New York apartment. After returning to Mainhead, she works at Oscar's bar and discovers that her...

• Oscar (played by Jason Sudeikis) — protagonist

  Oscar is Gloria's childhood friend and the owner of his late father's bar. He initially welcomes her and offers her work, but secretly controls a giant robot in Seoul and uses it to gain power and pun...

• Joel (played by Austin Stowell) — supporting

  Joel is one of Oscar's friends at the bar and regularly drinks with Oscar, Garth, and Gloria. Gloria spends a night with him, which fuels Oscar's jealousy and contributes to the escalating conflict be...

• Garth (played by Tim Blake Nelson) — supporting

  Garth is one of Oscar's friends and a regular at the bar. He drinks with Oscar, Joel, and Gloria until morning and witnesses Gloria demonstrate that her movements control the monster in Seoul. He is p...

• Tim (played by Dan Stevens) — supporting

  Tim is Gloria's former boyfriend in New York. Frustrated by her alcoholism and behavior, he ends their relationship and forces her to leave their apartment, later visiting her and apologizing. He trie...

• Young Oscar (played by Nathan Ellison) — supporting

  Young Oscar is Gloria's childhood friend in the flashback that reveals the origin of their powers. He retrieves Gloria's paper Seoul diorama after it blows away, but destroys it out of jealousy. The r...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Gloria → Joel (Romantic Intimate Encounter) — Their encounter complicates Oscar's feelings and intensifies the bar-side conflict.

  The plot states that Gloria spends the night with Joel.

• Gloria → Tim (Romantic Former Partner) — Tim is Gloria's former boyfriend whose breakup begins her return to Mainhead.

  Tim breaks up with Gloria and kicks her out of their New York City apartment.

• Oscar → Young Oscar (Temporal Past Self) — Young Oscar represents Oscar's earlier self and the origin of his resentment.

  The plot shows Young Oscar retrieving Gloria's Seoul diorama during childhood, while the present-day Oscar controls the robot connected to that event.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Oscar → Garth (Social Friend) — Garth belongs to Oscar's close bar-centered friend group.

  Oscar drinks with Garth and Joel at the bar, and Garth is present when Gloria demonstrates her monster connection.

• Gloria → Garth (Social Bar Associate) — Garth is one of Gloria's drinking companions during her early period in Mainhead.

  Gloria drinks with Oscar, Garth, and Joel at the bar until morning.

• Oscar → Joel (Conflict Jealous Rival) — Joel becomes the focus of Oscar's jealousy toward Gloria.

  Oscar becomes jealous after thinking something happened between Gloria and Joel.

• Gloria → Young Oscar (Social Childhood Companion) — Their childhood interaction establishes the roots of the later conflict.

  The childhood flashback shows Young Oscar interacting with Gloria's Seoul diorama and destroying it out of jealousy.

• Gloria → Oscar (Social Childhood Friend) — Their longstanding friendship becomes the foundation of their adult relationship.

  Gloria reunites with Oscar after moving back to Mainhead, and the plot later recalls their childhood connection.

Story Analysis

A woman confronts addiction, guilt, and an abusive childhood connection made physically monstrous.

Plot Progression

1. Exile And Return — Tim ends his relationship with Gloria and forces her out of their New York apartment. Gloria returns to Mainhead, reconnects with Oscar, and accepts work at his bar.
2. The Monster Connection — Gloria's drinking continues while a monster appears in Seoul. She discovers that her movements at a local playground control the creature and demonstrates the connection to Oscar, Garth, and Joel.
3. Power And Jealousy — Oscar manifests a giant robot and initially enjoys its power. Gloria tries to make amends for the monster's destruction, but Oscar's drunken taunting, jealousy, and manipulation strain their friendshi...
4. The Buried Childhood — Tim's visit triggers another confrontation with Oscar. Gloria recalls the childhood Seoul diorama, Young Oscar's jealousy, and the lightning strike that connected their toys to the later manifestation...
5. Seoul's Final Reckoning — Oscar incapacitates Gloria and destroys part of Seoul, then threatens repeated attacks. Gloria travels to South Korea, draws the monster into the final confrontation, and defeats Oscar's robot.