The Adventures of Tintin partially deaf physicist and a regular character alongside Tintin, Snowy, and Captain Haddock. He was introduced in "Red Rackham's Treasure", and based partially on Auguste Piccard, a Swiss physicist. The leading characters do not initially welcome his presence, but through his generous nature and his scientific ability, he develops a lasting bond with them. Eventually, by the end of "Land of Black Gold", he becomes a resident of Marlinspike Hall. Normally mild-mannered and dignified, Calculus occasionally loses his temper and acts in a spectacularly aggressive manner in response to actual or perceived insults, such as when Captain Haddock belittles his
Tintin and the Picaros television series. Directed by Stéphane Bernasconi, the series has been praised for being "generally faithful", with compositions having been actually directly taken from the panels in the original comic book. Many fans felt it was out of character for Tintin in the book to refuse to go to South America. In the television episode, Tintin is all for rescuing his friends and goes with Haddock and Calculus early in the adventure. In the original comic, Tintin wore bell-bottoms throughout the book, which was in contrast with the plus-fours he had always worn previously. In the episode, his plus-fours have returned.