That’s part of the genius of the characterisation of Bugs. Mickey ended up as a bland Everyman character because all his original mischievousness was ironed out of him in order to make him into an acceptable corporate mascot. But with Bugs, they realised fairly early on how to keep the core of the character without letting him turn into a “designated protagonist” bully. Like all great characters, he has rules. Bugs is a trickster, sure- but he never initiates conflict. He has to be wronged first: then everything he does in revenge is justified. Either that, or another innocent character has to be bullied, then Bugs can stand up for them. In addition to that, his enemies are always written to be a real threat- Yosemite Sam was even written in when Elmer Fudd became a little too downtrodden to appear as much of a challenge to Bugs. Since he’s faced with a real threat, his responses never seem disproportionate. These elements combined, make a trickster archetype that can still be the face of the studio- A wise-cracking crowd pleaser.
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