HenchDevilDice

HenchDevilDice is the poly ship between The Devil, Henchman and King Dice from Cuphead fandom.

The Devil and Henchman's Relationship
In the game, Henchman appears as one of the fat demons, who are enemies fought in the One Hell Of A Time boss level of Inkwell Hell. They only appear in the third phase of the fight, where they are brought into the stage as the Devil grabs their backs with his hands and drops them into the ring. The Devil stops summoning them after he gets damaged enough and starts crying.

In The Cuphead Show!, Henchman and the Devil are usually seen with each other, at least when the latter is in the Underworld and not trying to take Cuphead's soul.

In "Carn-Evil" (S1E1) Henchman is writing down the soul counter before the Devil starts singing, during which he smiles upon noticing his boss. During the song where the Devil starts dancing, he interruptedly tells him that the soul counter has surprisingly stopped. Later when Cuphead and Mugman escape the Carn-Evil, which is breaking down at this point, he catches up with the Devil and expresses his surprise as he has never seen him let someone escape before. The Devil tells him that he didn't escape and insists to get revenge on Cuphead by taking what he owes him: his soul. When Henchman corrects the Devil when he refers to Cuphead simply as "Cup" by adding the word "Head" immediately afterwards, the king of the Underworld hits him on the head with his trident.

In "Roll the Dice" (S1E5), Henchman is sent to retrieve King Dice after his failure to obtain Cuphead's soul. He excitedly asks for King Dice's autograph in the elevator down to Inkwell Hell, but is rejected. The Devil seems to appreciate Henchman, such as knowing that he is a big fan of King Dice's show and never misses an episode. After the Devil admonishes King Dice for disappointing him and letting Cuphead get away, he announces that King Dice is no longer his Number One and demotes him from hosting his show. Instead, he gives the position to Henchman. He is much clumsier dancer than King Dice, and falls into a band member's tuba as the episode ends.

In "Sweater Off Dead" (S1E8), Henchman is touring the Gluttony Department with the Devil, before the Devil holds a party in celebration of collecting souls. He then joins in on a conga line from the Devil after he tries to get rid of Stickler. After the Devil has to go out to collect Cuphead's soul, Henchman sarcastically compliments Stickler. According to Megan Ann Boyd, there was actually going to be a scene where the Devil would've asked Henchman to dance with him, in order to avoid Stickler.

Henchman cares for The Devil and wants to do everything to help him, such as trying to cheer him up with some cake and caring for his wounds, as shown in "Sweater Luck Next Time" (S1E9). Demonstrated in the same episode, The Devil trusts Henchman enough to admit to him that he failed to get Cuphead's soul. The Devil also seems to pay attention to Henchman's advice, notably concerning the Obliterator, which could allow him to force Cuphead to remove his invisible sweater.

The Devil noticeably avoids targeting Henchman in all of his attacks, which is specifically shown in "Release the Demons!" (S2E8). Seeing the Devil tearing the pages of a book entitled "Controlling Your Rage," still upset about not having retrieved Cuphead's soul yet, Henchman tries to lighten up his mood by complimenting him about his fur having almost grown back and attempts to calm him down with some tea, to no avail as the Devil blasts it with his pitchfork once he hears the word "cup" (not having left a scratch on his assistant). He is later seen helping the Devil send a squad of his finest demons. However, as he expresses his vengeance about Cuphead, he accidentally ends up destroying them, as well as his second finest demons. Over the course of this, Henchman demonstrates his cognizance of the Devil's incinerating outbursts, hiding behind a stalagmite and later pulling King Dice back too. Throughout most of the episode, Henchman corrects the Devil when he refers to Cuphead as "cup". Although it's clear that the Devil is very annoyed by this, he merely thanks Henchman for reminding him.

In "The Devil's Pitchfork" (S2E13), Henchman attempts to cheer the Devil up, who is upset over no longer being able to collect Cuphead's soul because he missed the deadline, by reading the headline of the newspaper. This doesn't work until he hears a review about him, and how that his touch is getting frantically weaker, thus angering him and using his pitchfork to roast the newspaper. Henchman then encourages the Devil to cause mischief around Inkwell Isles and thus finally cheers up the Devil, who thanks him (sincerely this time) and goes out to do so. Afterwards, the Devil blissfully tells Henchman about the trouble he caused. Later in the same episode, Henchman helps him look for his pitchfork and tells him to retrace his steps, which makes him realize that he left it lying against a tree. Shortly thereafter, they find Cuphead and Mugman are the ones who have Devil's pitchfork. The two demons are later seen descending with Mugman in the elevator, leaving Cuphead standing in the woods alone, devastated.

Despite the fact that he gave the invisible sweater to Stickler, who the Devil is incredibly fed up with, the king of the underworld does not seem to be angry with Henchman about it after he finds out and doesn't even bring it up.

The two demons' relationship with the each other is fleshed out considerably in the third season. In "The Devil's Revenge!" (S3E1), Henchman and the Devil make a friendly bet over whether the Devil will succeed or fail to break Mugman's spirit before the clock strikes twelve, where the Devil bets he will. Knowing how slimy the Devil is when it comes to betting, Henchman is quick to warn him not to cheat beforehand, cutting him to the quick. Over the course of the episode, while the Devil tries to win the bet without cheats, he eventually attempts to cheat after noticing that it's almost twelve. He lies to Henchman about having some dry cleaning for him to pick up. Though temporarily fooled, the Fat Demon is quick to realise his boss is lying and catches him in the act when he tries to turn the clock back. Although the Devil tries to excuse himself, Henchman is not convinced in the least and expresses his disappointment in the Devil for trying to play dirty. The Devil, still trying to cover his tracks, calls Henchman rude, to which his assistant only responds that he ought to be ashamed of himself. Through this, it is shown that while the Devil can trick others into numerous situations, such as giving their souls, he really can't fool Henchman. They briefly argue until they notice the cup brothers escaping. At the end of the episode, Henchman has won the bet.

In "Cupstaged" (S3E3), the Devil holds a performance for his workers. However, Henchman is the only demon to cheer for him as the other spectators are not that intrigued. Later, Henchman accompanies the Devil after learning that Sally Stageplay is hosting auditions for Inkwell Isle's most ambitious show to date: Cup Rogers vs. The Meteor: A New Space Opera. The Devil's motivation to audition is that while he may be feared, he wants to be adored and appreciated in the theatrical arts. Though Henchman claims that he adores him, the Devil insists that he wants to be appreciated by random strangers.

In "Roadkill" (S3E4), The Devil orders Henchman to bring more doughnuts after Stickler has made him drop his. Due to his indolence in retrieving all the souls he lost due to Cuphead and Mugman or collecting souls in general, the Devil, according to Stickler, has activated the Bubbles of Failure that entomb everything the Devil cherishes (that he himself designed) to encourage soul collection. If he doesn't collect a single soul within a business day, all assets will remain permanently seized. Henchman also appears in one of those bubbles, heavily implying that, despite the Devil’s rudeness, he genuinely does have affection for him. Near the end of the episode, after The Devil returns to the Underworld, having brought back a soul (the Telephone's), he catches his assistant after the bubbles begin to break, leaving the Fat Demon flattered. He asks if he got more doughnuts, to which he replies that he couldn't as he was in the bubble.

The two demons are the focus characters in "A Very Devil Christmas" (S3E6). The special is focused on the Devil trying to enter Santa's nice list (with Henchman's assistance) and helping him deliver the toys in order to get a toy train. After the Devil learns about the "Nice List" and the "Naughty List", he returns to the Underworld during a round table discussion and learns that Henchman and the other Imps already knew about them. The Devil asks Henchman why he didn't tell him about the "Nice List", to which he replies that he (quite rightly) didn't think it was his type of list as he is evil to the core.

After a visit to the North Pole, where the Devil asks Santa Claus for the toy train he wants and later gets assistance to gain a place on the Nice List by turning into Santa, he and Henchman begin a journey to deliver the gifts for everyone on the Nice List. Throughout the episode, it's shown that Henchman is not only adept at managing his boss' mood swings, but also giving him the right encouragement to snap him out of his slumps. Additionally, another example of the Devil listening to Henchman's advice is shown when the Fat Demon suggests he uses his pitchfork to get inside houses to deliver the presents rather than go through the chimneys, as he had difficulty doing so. With their last destination being Cuphead and Mugman's house, it is then that the Devil discovers that the gift Cuphead wants is the same toy train he wants. Though considering to keep it at first, the Devil eventually lets the little cup have it, who wishes him a Merry Christmas (without knowing that he isn't Santa). As it was something nice to do, the two demons are delighted to see that the Devil's name has been added to the Nice List. When they return to the North Pole, having successfully delivered the presents, the Devil soon turns back to normal. When he asks Santa about a toy train again, Santa tells him that his present is even better than that: the joy of being nice. Though Henchman is touched, the Devil becomes furious and quickly ushers Henchman to return to the Underworld. At the end of the episode, the Devil is upset about not getting the train he wanted, even after doing everything he was supposed to, only to be greeted with a surprise: a bigger train with an even better "choo-choo" sound than the one he originally wanted. Believing that it was Santa Claus that brought it to him, he blissfully jumps aboard and starts playing with it. It's then revealed that it was Henchman that built it for him. Smiling from behind his boss' throne, he wishes the Devil a Merry Christmas.

In "Down & Out" (S3E8) the Devil and Henchman come across King Dice again after they decide to go to the "new club" the latter heard about (mainly to avoid going through a ledger review with Stickler). There, they find Dice performing. During the break, the Devil tells Henchman to wait outside and confronts Dice, reminding him of the last time he was unable to capture Cuphead, revealing that, if he failed, he would destroy him. However, instead of being terrified, King Dice reassures him that it's all part of his plan to make up for it: with Cuphead believing to be his "manager", he's planning on getting him to sign a business contract, which gives ownership of his soul directly to the Devil. Hearing this, the demon decides to give his former Number One one last chance. King Dice presents the scroll to Cuphead as a contract that confirms the cup as his official manager, only to be turned down, with Cuphead claiming that "music's out and comedy's in", using Mugman's ventriloquism as an example. This infuriates the Devil, who proceeds to leave with Henchman back to the Underworld. Just before they get in the elevator, they notice Dice walking out of the barn and the Devil stops him. Near the end of the episode, however, a more positive interaction is seen between the two. While the Devil is very disappointed in King Dice, he admits that Dice "has something that's been sorely lacking from the organisation for too long" and how it needs "his glitz, pizzazz, and razzle-dazzle." Though baffled at first, King Dice agrees and the two demons welcome him into the elevator with them.

In "Dance with Danger" (S3E10), the Devil and Henchman appear alongside each other when Chalice makes a deal with the Devil to be resurrected.

In "The Devil & Ms. Chalice" (S3E11), Henchman cheers for the Devil and Chalice after having performed a dance routine. The king of the Underworld and his assistant are later seen observing Chalice to ensure she holds her end of the favor to betray Cuphead and Mugman, and get them to sign soul contracts. After she rips the contract, the Devil becomes infuriated and, after a bit of pushing from Chalice claiming her dancing to be the best, suggests to sort things out with a dancing competition. If she wins, she gets her life and doesn't own the Devil anything. If the Devil wins, he obliterates Chalice. Eventually, the Devil wins. Just as he is about to obliterate Chalice with his pitchfork, Cuphead steps in and challenges the Devil to a "Rock, Paper, Scissors" competition. If the Devil wins again, he turns Chalice to ashes and claims Cuphead and Mugman's souls. Beforehand, he orders Henchman to hold his pitchfork (a smaller example of his trust towards his assistant) and begins the challenge with Cuphead, which the latter wins multiple times, subsequently upsetting the Devil more. The Devil desperately demands a rematch but Henchman tells him it's time to go. Admitting to having been defeated, the Devil hangs his head in disappointment. As the two demons head to the elevator, Henchman comforts the Devil and manages to brighten him up a little bit by giving him his pitchfork, as it always cheers him up, and offering to draw him a bath, to which the Devil expresses gratitude.

The Devil and King Dice's Relationship
In the game, King Dice is the Devil's right-hand man and the manager of his casinos. He and his boss send Cuphead and Mugman (who'd gotten themselves indebted to the Devil) to collect the Soul Contracts of the Runaway Debtors so they can be freed of their debt. Eventually Dice and the Devil make a bet over whether the Cup Brothers will return successful or fail in the process where Dice bets against them making it. Eventually he loses the bet and his favor with the Devil after Cuphead and Mugman defeat him, with the Devil offering them to take Dice's former spot. Eventually the Devil is beaten and forced to surrender, leaving him and Dice unable to do evil anymore, or at least for a good amount of time.

In The Cuphead Show King Dice first appears in "Roll the Dice" (S1E5). Although he is supposed to be his self-proclaimed Number One, the Devil doesn't really seem to pay attention to King Dice, sometimes even forgetting who he is, until he tells him that he has captured Cuphead (which is not true). The Devil finally calls him his Number One, but not long before he warns him that he "hates disappointment". When he learns that King Dice has let Cuphead escape, he threatens him without restraint, then tells him that he is no longer his Number One and fires him as the host of Roll the Dice. King Dice seemingly tries to have a chill and easygoing approach towards his boss, though, The Devil seems to have more respect for Henchman than him.

In "Release the Demons!" (S2E8) King Dice enters the Underworld through a cave after the Devil accidentally disintegrates his finest demons. When King Dice comes across the remains of the demons, he is left startled upon notice. After having to comply with his third finest ranking demons, the Devil releases them from the underworld before King Dice realises he is also required to get Cuphead's soul, as he too runs out from the gates of the underworld. When he arrives at the corn maze, that Cuphead and Mugman are at, he eliminates the demons one by one so he can catch Cuphead himself. However, his actions are discovered by Henchman, who immediately reports to the Devil that King Dice is the only one left, though Henchman didn't tell him that the latter had killed all of them. King Dice is then shown dancing in triumph through a magic mirror. Later, he places himself above the maze exit with a net waiting for the opportunity to pounce on Cuphead. Unfortunately for him, however, when he notices the Four Horsemen, which the Devil also released, King Dice turns very pale, leaving him frozen with fear. Later, when two visitors notice him, they proceed to call him lame.

In "Down and Out" the Devil and King Dice cross paths again after the former and Henchman decide to the "new club" the latter heard about (mainly to avoid going through a ledger review with Stickler). There, they find Dice performing. During the break, the Devil confronts Dice and reminds him of the last time he was unable to capture Cuphead, revealing that, if he failed, he would destroy him. However, instead of being terrified, King Dice reassures him that it's all part of his plan to make up for it: with Cuphead believing to be his "manager", he's planning on getting him to sign a business contract, which gives ownership of his soul directly to the Devil. Hearing this, the demon decides to give his former Number One one last chance. King Dice presents the scroll to Cuphead as a contract that confirms the cup as his official manager, only to be turned down, with Cuphead claiming that "music's out and comedy's in", using Mugman's ventriloquism as an example. This infuriates the Devil, who proceeds to leave with Henchman back to the Underworld. Just before they get in the elevator, they notice Dice walking out of the barn and the Devil stops him. Near the end of the episode, however, a more positive interaction is seen between the two. While the Devil is very disappointed in King Dice, he admits that Dice "has something that's been sorely lacking from the organization for too long" and how it needs "his glitz, pizzazz, and razzle-dazzle." Though baffled at first, King Dice agrees and the two demons welcome him to the elevator with them. After this, it could be assumed that the Devil and Dice are on better terms now.

Henchman and King Dice's Relationship
In the game, both Henchman and King Dice are the Devil's surbordinates, though they don't interact with each other andappear in different boss fights.

According to the Devil, Henchman is a big fan of King Dice's show and never misses an episode. In "Roll the Dice" (S1E5), when The Devil wants to see King Dice, Henchman asks for his autograph, to which King Dice indignantly declines. Both of them seem to be somewhat alarmed about the Devil's anger, though King Dice didn't seem to realize the danger as seen in "Release the Demons!" (S2E8) where he has a baffled look on his face when Henchman pulls him aside during the Devil's tirade about Cuphead.

In "Down & Out" the Devil and Henchman come across King Dice again after they decide to go to the "new club" the latter heard about (mainly to avoid going through a ledger review with Stickler). There, they find Dice performing. While Henchman is happy to see him again, the Devil doesn't share his enthusiasm. During the break, the Devil tells Henchman to wait outside and confronts Dice, reminding him of the last time he was unable to capture Cuphead, revealing that, if he failed, he would destroy him. However, instead of being terrified, King Dice reassures him that it's all part of his plan to make up for it: with Cuphead believing to be his "manager", he's planning on getting him to sign a business contract, which gives ownership of his soul directly to the Devil. Hearing this, the demon decides to give his former Number One one last chance. King Dice presents the scroll to Cuphead as a contract that confirms the cup as his official manager, only to be turned down, with Cuphead claiming that "music's out and comedy's in", using Mugman's ventriloquism as an example. This infuriates the Devil, who proceeds to leave with Henchman back to the Underworld. Just before they get in the elevator, they notice Dice walking out of the barn and the Devil stops him. Near the end of the episode, however, a more positive interaction is seen between the two. While the Devil is very disappointed in King Dice, he admits that Dice "has something that's been sorely lacking from the organization for too long" and how it needs "his glitz, pizzazz, and razzle-dazzle." Though baffled at first, King Dice agrees and the two demons welcome him into the elevator with the Henchman can be seen smiling at King Dice, likely happy to have him back in the organization.

In some ways, King Dice can be seen as a foil to Henchman as well: both are the nearest the Devil has to minions/ sidekicks (since he goes through his other mooks in rapid succession), however, while Henchman is a dopey and clumsy assistant who tries to mediate his boss and his subordinates, King Dice is a devious and charismatic sycophant who wants the perks that come from being the Devil's "Number One" without putting any actual work in, and will gladly manipulate and backstab the Devil's other lackeys to maintain his own credibility. Also, while King Dice is deluded into thinking he is on special terms with the Devil (who treats him as an annoyance at best), Henchman is closest to having a genuine, if unflaunted, friendship with the Devil.

Head writer Deeki Deke once said on Twitter that King Dice might actually hold a one-sided resentment towards Henchman for his proximity to the Devil and that, since Henchman took over and hosted Roll the Dice, it's highly unlikely for King Dice to give him an autograph.

Fanon
Polyships tend to be quite rare in the Cuphead fandom and HenchDevilDice is no exception. Still, it is very well-received. Those who do ship it are the ones who cannot decide between pairing the Devil with another supporting character from the game (e.g. DevilDice) or the television show (e.g. HenchDevil). Basically a combination of three pairings, the ship's portrayal tends to ignore the canonical interactions between the three characters, namely the Devil's nonchalant treatment of King Dice and the latter's possible resentment towards Henchman (according to headwriter Deeki Deke).

As they're presented as the three more memorable antagonists in The Cuphead Show!, The Devil, Henchman, and King Dice are often seen as a trio.

Most of the time, fan art shows two of the guys showing affection to the third guy, leaving the third guy flustered (the "third guy" is usually Henchman). In some cases, the ship is comically downplayed in different scenarios surrounding the trio, such as Dice being jealous of Henchman earning the Devil's admiration, Henchman taking the role of the third wheel for the Devil and King Dice, the Devil teasing King Dice for liking Henchman, and Henchman doing the same to the Devil for liking Dice.

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Variations

 * HenchDevil refers to the ship between Henchman and the Devil
 * DevilDice refers to the ship between the Devil and King Dice
 * HenchDice refers to the ship between Henchman and the Devil

Trivia

 * Being the three major antagonists, they're often seen as equivalents to the Cup Trio.
 * The Devil and Cuphead, surprisingly, have quite a bit in common, as they're both hot-blooded, rather immature mischief makers who chase thrills whenever they can (Cuphead via getting up to adventures in the Isles, the Devil by messing with the residents). They also both try to avoid work in favour of having fun (Cuphead going to the Carn-Evil instead of painting the fence, the Devil trying to enjoy his productivity party instead of getting Cuphead's soul) and apparently share a sense of humor.
 * Henchman seems to share some traits with Mugman, especially when it comes to his relationship with the Devil, which resembles Mugman's relationship with Cuphead, in a sense; the difference is that the two demons are friends while the two cups are brothers. Both are very intelligent, openly caring, and often try to keep their companions in-line (Mugman keeping Cuphead out of trouble, Henchman keeping the Devil on track no matter how many mood swings he has). Both of them can be very cheerful, even in situations that don't call for it, as well as rather oblivious (Mugman when he first meets Baby Bottle and is taken to the Underworld, Henchman about the Devil meeting Santa Claus while the latter is facing a dilemma). They, additionally, seem to share a talent in constructing.
 * King Dice seems to share some similarities with Ms. Chalice, as they're both charming, albeit manipulative grifters who can easily trick people into doing things for them (King Dice, being a con artist himself, successfully manipulating some of the demons he's forced to work with into killing each other to capture Cuphead, Chalice using her charms and cuteness to get free stuff). Moreso, they manage to get away with their antics - for a short while anyway (King Dice being adored by the masses whilst tricking people into playing a game where the "prize" is that they lose their souls until it gets exposed, Chalice taking things from people without them getting upset and angry at her until they start picking up on her schemes). They also appear to share a natural talent for singing and dancing, as well as the gag of having talkative reflections and referring to themselves as "number one".