Bernard (The Rescuers)

Bernard is the hero and male of two main protagonists of "The Rescuers" and "The Rescuers Down Under". He is a gray mouse who wears a brown cap and a red shirt (though when he first appeared as the Rescue Aid Society's janitor, he also wore overalls).

He is aerophobic and does not like anything to do with the number 13.

"The Rescuers" (the first one, that is)
Bernard first appeared in "The Rescuers" as the janitor for the Rescue Aid Society until the Hungarian delegate, Bianca, picked him to be her co-agent (they have been agents since the mission to rescue the little orphan girl named Penny).

That rainy night, Bernard (clad in a yellow raincoat and rain hat) and Bianca (clad in a purple raincoat and pink kerchief) board a human-type bus and exit at the stop. As they are entering through the zoo (which is, of course, closed), Bernard goes to check it out, only to run into a lion and run away (with Bianca). As they finally enter Morningside Orphanage, Bernard looks to find a box with Penny's things in a box (formerly containing 24 cans) which says "Hold Until Further Notice". The two mouse heroes listen to an old cat, Rufus, about the last time the latter saw Penny. He then tells the two heroes about a sleazy pawn shop (owned by the principal adversary, Madame Medusa). It has stopped raining by the time they get to that shop. After they find a book that belongs to Penny, a cuckoo clock makes it named sound, and Bernard gets his tail smashed by the pages and front cover of the book, but Bianca (despite being amused by its look from that) helps him fix it. Just then, they hide separately as Medusa answers the phone. It is then that Bernard and Bianca find out that Penny is in the fictional marshy swamp of Devil's Bayou. Bernard quietly tells Bianca to get into the suitcase, but only he manages to get in, but Bianca doesn't because Medusa has come back to pack it and then put her jacket on. Again, Bianca tries to get in the suitcase, but fails again as the greedy kidnapper is about to try to close the suitcase...

Bernard, now clad in his trademark red shirt and brown cap (but with an orange jacket and no overalls), takes Bianca up the airport escalator and head off for Albatross Airlines (the mouse equivalent to an airport). After a voiceover from the albatross "captain", Orville, Bernard later gives him landing permission. Bernard tries convincing Bianca to take the train and "play it safe" instead. It is Bernard who tells Orville that the two need to get to Devil's Bayou. Because of his dislike of the number 13, Bernard just jumps the last of the 13 stairs into the cockpit (which is mostly made from a sardine can). He reads the checklist to Orville, finishing with the added famous motto, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Orville starts flying (much to Bernard's fear). Bernard is even more worried when Orville passes a red light, but Bianca kisses him and tells him to stop worrying. Later that night, Bernard is reading a book about the hazards of Devil's Bayou when Bianca falls asleep on his shoulder. Shyly and hesitantly, he puts him arm around her and tells her "Good night, Bianca." (The first time he simply calls her "Bianca", as he previously always called her "Miss Bianca".

Back to the flight, while both mouse heroes are sleeping, Mr. Snoops (the right-hand man of Madame Medusa) lights fireworks to light up the swamp so his boss can find Penny (who has escaped again). As one rocket passes, burning Orville's "rudder", Bernard removes his jacket to try and put the fire out. After the two mice are forced to bail out, Bernard tries holding on to Bianca, but she still slips and falls out of her dress. So Bernard has her hold onto him as he opens up his umbrella. As Ellie Mae, one of the two muskrats, helps Bianca out of the puddle, the other muskrat, Luke, gives Bernard a drink of liquor, causing him to cough a lot and hoarsely explain where he, Bianca and Orville are from. Later, as Brutus and Nero (Medusa's pet crocodiles) have respectively caught Penny and her teddy bear, Bernard and Bianca run to try and find out where they are taking Penny. It is Bernard who unties the leaf boat (driven by the dragonfly, Evinrude) from the "dock". As they pass between Nero and Brutus, waves come and Bianca falls overboard, but Bernard uses a rope to save her. Slowly, they continually head for the giant river boat (where Medusa lives), and as soon as they get there, they duck as Medusa passes in her swamp mobile.