You probably remember the White Rabbit as that frantic guy with the pocket watch, always screaming about being late. In Lewis Carroll’s original book, he’s basically a high-strung bureaucrat. But if you've played Alice: Madness Returns, you know American McGee’s version of the character is a whole different beast. Or, more accurately, a whole different trauma.
Honestly, the Alice Madness Returns White Rabbit isn't even a living thing for most of the game. He's a memory. A symbol of Alice Liddell’s shattered childhood innocence. While other characters like the Cheshire Cat get all the spotlight for being cryptic and cool, the Rabbit is the one who actually anchors Alice to the reality of what she lost in that fire.
The Rabbit that survived the flames
When the Liddell home burned down, almost everything Alice loved turned to ash. Except for one thing. Her stuffed rabbit. That toy is the physical tether between her present-day misery in London and the vibrant, albeit weird, life she had before.
In the game’s lore, this isn't just a plushie. It’s a "linchpin." When Alice is stuck in the Rutledge Asylum, she’s catatonic. Braindead, basically. It’s only when she’s reunited with that rabbit doll that her mind starts to stir again. It’s like the toy is a key that unlocks the door to Wonderland, for better or worse.
A very gory introduction
If you’ve played the opening sequence, you know it’s not exactly a Disney movie. During Alice’s hypnosis therapy with Dr. Angus Bumby, we see the White Rabbit for the first time in the sequel. He’s sitting on a giant leaf, having tea with Alice. Everything looks peaceful until it very suddenly isn't.
The Rabbit’s head begins to twitch. He stares at her. When she asks if something is wrong, he gives a creepy reply: "Something wrong? Raaaaaather..." Then, his mouth starts bleeding, his eye pops out, and his head literally explodes. It’s a fountain of blood right in Alice’s face. This is the "trigger." It’s the moment Alice realizes her mind is being invaded and corrupted by something new—the Infernal Train.
Why the White Rabbit is barely in the sequel
You might have noticed the White Rabbit feels a bit... missing. In the first game, American McGee's Alice, he was a major guide. He’s the one who gets crushed by the Mad Hatter’s foot. But in Madness Returns, his role is mostly relegated to the background or specific mini-games.
- Scrapped Content: Originally, Spicy Horse (the developers) had much bigger plans for him. He was supposed to guide Alice through the Vale of Tears and even tell her to run from the London police.
- The Cheshire Takeover: Most of those "guide" duties were eventually shifted to the Cheshire Cat.
- Symbolic Death: Because the White Rabbit represents Alice’s innocence, his absence—and the fact that we see a doll of him hanging from a noose in the Dollhouse level—shows how much Alice is losing herself.
The 13 o’clock watch he was supposed to carry is another "what could have been" moment. You can actually see it on the rabbit doll in the Dollhouse, but he never uses it in-game. It’s a subtle nod to the fact that in Wonderland, time is broken. Or rather, Alice’s time stopped the moment her family died.
The Radula Rooms and "Battle or Survival"
If you’re looking for the White Rabbit later in the game, you’ll find him acting as a host. He and the Mad Hatter run the Radula Rooms. These are the hidden challenge rooms where you have to survive waves of enemies or solve puzzles to earn jar of paint for your health bar.
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It’s a bit weird, right? One minute he’s exploding in a hallucination, the next he’s a game show host. Some fans think this means he was revived after the first game, while others argue that the Radula Rooms are just a "realm of the dead" within Alice’s subconscious. Either way, he’s still obsessed with punctuality. He’s constantly nagging you to hurry up and get to the Infernal Train.
The voice behind the whiskers
Did you know Roger L. Jackson voices almost half the cast? He’s the voice of the Alice Madness Returns White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and Tweedledum. It’s kind of impressive. It also adds to the feeling that everyone in Wonderland is just a different facet of the same fractured psyche.
What the White Rabbit says about Dr. Bumby
The most tragic part of the Rabbit’s existence in this game is how he relates to the villain, Dr. Angus Bumby. Bumby is a "psychologist" who specializes in making children forget their traumas by essentially wiping their minds.
When the White Rabbit dies or is shown being abused in Wonderland, it’s a direct metaphor for Bumby’s "work." The Rabbit is the part of Alice that remembers the truth about the fire. By killing the Rabbit, or making Alice believe he is "mad," Bumby is trying to kill her memory of what actually happened that night.
Actionable insights for your next playthrough
If you're jumping back into Wonderland, keep your eyes peeled for these specific Rabbit details:
- Look for the hanging doll: In the Dollhouse (Chapter 5), find the room with the table of buggy desserts. The White Rabbit doll is hanging right there. It’s one of the darkest visual metaphors in the game.
- Listen to the background audio: During the initial "head explosion" scene, you can hear Dr. Bumby’s voice whispering that the Rabbit "shouldn't be around." It’s a chilling hint at the doctor’s true intentions.
- Check out the DLC: If you have the "Madness Returns" DLC, you can actually wear the "Late but Lucky" dress. It’s themed after the White Rabbit and gives Alice constant health regeneration. It’s a nice way to keep that "innocence" alive while you’re carving up Ruin.
The White Rabbit might not have as many lines as the Cat, but he’s the reason Alice keeps fighting. He is her past. And in a world where everyone is trying to make her forget, he’s the only one reminding her that she’s running out of time to find the truth.