List of mad scientists

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following is a list of fictional mad scientists in cultural sources (literature, movies, comics, etc.). They are split into pre- and post-1945, as the images of mad scientists changed and proliferated in the years following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the increased role of scientists following World War II.

For a list of real people who have inspired the "mad scientist" trope, see "Mad scientist: Real-life prototypes".

Contents 1 Before 1945 1.1 Novels 1.2 Movies 2 After 1945 2.1 Novels 2.2 Movies 2.3 Television series 2.4 Cartoon/Anime 2.5 Comics 2.6 Video games 2.7 Toys 2.8 Audio drama 2.9 Opera

[edit] Before 1945

[edit] Novels

• Dr. Faust, figure of novels and plays (e.g. by Christopher Marlowe and J.W. von Goethe), based on a real figure from the 16th century.
• Victor Frankenstein, creator of Frankenstein's monster, in the novel Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley (1818).
• Nathaniel Hawthorne, in his short story "The Birthmark" (1843), shows a scientist who, while perhaps not mad, is certainly overconfident, and whose meddling with nature brings about tragedy.
• Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) portrays the essentially humane experimenter driven to madness and suicide by the nature of his science.
• Several (but not all) of Jules Verne's novels feature a mad scientist. Some of these are humorous, who fail everything they try; others are shown as rather serious and even dangerous characters. Here's a partial list.
  • The main characters of The Chase of the Golden Meteor (La Chasse au météore) (1908) are three mad scientists: Dean Forsyth and Sidney Hudelson, rivalling astronomers, and the eccentric inventor Xirdal Zephyrin.
  • Thomas Roch in Facing the Flag (Face au drapeau) (1896) is a typical mad scientist in that he doesn't realize his powers are used for evil purposes.
  • Captain Nemo, the rich protagonist who builds a submarine appears in two novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) and The Mysterious Island (1874).
  • Arguably, the main character of Mathias Sandorf (1885).
  • Professor Lidenbrock from Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864).
  • J. T. Matson (and other characters) in Barbicane and Co. (Sans dessus dessous) (1889) and also in From the Earth to the Moon (1865) who enjoys making giant cannons.
  • Off on a comet (orig. title Hector Servadac, 1877) has the astronomer Palmyrin Rosette as an important character.
  • In Search of the Castaways (1865) has Jaques Paganel, a geographer who becomes involved in the story by accident: he is so forgetful that he's boarded the wrong ship. Nevertheless, he is very a famous scientist in the book, has three lines of titles and three middle names.
  • John Hatteras from Journeys and Adventures of Captain Hatteras (orig. title Les Aventures du capitaine Hatteras, 1864) can be counted as one as well.
  • Carpathian Castle (1892) has a mad scientist named "Orfanik".
• H. G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896) carried Frankensteinian experimentation a step further with its mad scientist Dr. Moreau, contrasting it with an idyllic 'natural' South Sea island setting. Several film versions were made (such as The Island of Lost Souls (1933)).
• The Harold MacGrath 1920 novel The Drums of Jeopardy had a Russian mad scientist named "Boris Karlov" reported to be the source for the stage name adopted by actor Boris Karloff.
• Dr. Herbert West, a Frankenstein-like doctor obsessed with bringing the dead back to life, in H. P. Lovecraft's novella "Herbert West, Reanimator" (1922).
• Griffin, from The Invisible Man (1897) by H.G. Wells. Griffin discovers the secret of invisibility, but the process sends him into murderous insanity.
• Phor Tak, the discoverer of invisibility in Edgar Rice Burroughs' 1930 science-fiction novel, A Fighting Man of Mars.
• Dr Rance Mandarin, a.k.a. Doctor Death, from the novels "12 Must Die", "The Gray Creatures" and "The Shriveling Murders" which appeared in three issues of the pulp magazine Doctor Death in 1935.

[edit] Movies

• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) is a silent film featuring the mad hypnotic doctor and his sleepwalking assistant.
• Dr. Mabuse, most famous from the films made about him by Fritz Lang
• C. A. Rotwang in Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927).
• Dr. Frankenstein in several movie versions.
• Dr. Jack Griffin, in the film The Invisible Man (1933), adapted from the Wells novel.
• Dr. Janos Rukh, in the film The Invisible Ray (1936). Dr. Rukh discovers a radioactive ray that cures blindness but causes him to develop a murderous paranoid rage against other scientists, whom he accuses of stealing his discovery.
• Dr. Throkel, in the film Dr. Cyclops (1940). Dr. Throkel shrinks opponents of his unorthodox experimentation with radium.
• Dr. Benjulia, in Wilkie Collin's "Heart and Science" (1888)
• Dr. Moreau, in H. G. Well's "The Island of Dr. Moreau" (1896)

[edit] After 1945

[edit] Novels

• The Mad Scientists' Club: a book series that portrayed seven oddball teens who are actually good scientists and brave adventurers rather than wacky science freaks
• The unnamed narrator in Thomas Ligotti's short story "The Chymist"
• Dr. Adam Burkhardt, in the Frank Peretti novel Monster, who mutates a chimpanzee to the point where it grows into a bigfoot-like creature, after which it escapes the lab and gruesomely kills several people.
• Dr. Jacob Burroughs, Colonel, A.U.S. from Robert A. Heinlein's The Number of the Beast (1980) (Although Heinlein used the term "Mad Scientist" to describe him, he does not exhibit many of the characteristics.)
• Domontor the Demented, in the Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson gamebook Temple of Flame
• Dr. Hugo Grief from the Alex Rider book Point Blanc
• Various parodies in Terry Pratchett stories, including Igor the manservant
• Xavier Mace, a recurring adversary in a 1990s series of Tom Swift, Jr. books
• Dr. Ignacio Metz, who did unorthodox experiments with dolphin uplift in David Brin's Startide Rising
• Various characters from the James Bond series of novels;
  • Dr. Julius No from Dr. No
  • Dr. Anton Murik in Licence Renewed
• Dr. Roger Nordhagen, a plastic surgeon with something nasty in the basement, in Thomas Tessier's novel Finishing Touches
• The Horrible Math Teacher in the GrailQuest gamebooks
• John Roe O'Neill, in the Frank Herbert novel The White Plague
• Dr. Fabian Rosten, in "High Times"
• De Selby, an eccentric Irish philosopher and scientist in The Third Policeman and The Dalkey Archive by Flann O'Brien
• Vergil Ulam, in the Greg Bear novel Blood Music
• Dr. Lazlo Zand, from the Robotech novels by Jack Mckinney

[edit] Movies

• Dr. Strangelove, the title character, German name, Dr. Seltsam, in (1964)
• David Banner, in Hulk
• Ernst Stavro Blofeld from James Bond, head of SPECTRE.
• Professor Ned Brainard The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
• Dr. Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy
• Dr. Seth Brundle in David Cronenberg's remake of The Fly
• The Skeksis skekTek in The Dark Crystal [1982]
• Dr. Eldon Tyrell in Blade Runner (1982)
• Sebastian Caine, in Hollow Man (2000)
• Max Cohen, in Pi (1998)
• Kevin Dornwinkle, in Invisible Maniac (1990)
• Dr. Durand Durand, in Barbarella (1968)
• Elizabeth, from Wicked Science
• Dr. Otto Frank, in Monstrosity (1964)
• Dr. Victor Frankenstein (in the film versions, at least)
• Dr. Elaine Frederick in Flesh Feast (1970)
• Dr. Frank N. Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Professor Foot in Help! (1964)
• The protagonists of Ghostbusters
• Dr. Charles Girard, in Terror Is a Man (1959)
• Dr. Gulk, in Supersonic Man (1979)
• Dr. Susan Harris, in Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973)
• Dr. Paul Holliston, in Embryo (1976)
• Dr. Kobras, in Puma Man (1980)
• Baron von Kratzmar in Adele Hasn't Had Her Dinner Yet (1977)
• Krank, and the doctor who made him, in The City of Lost Children (1995)
• Doctor Kraspin, in The Humanoid (1979)
• Dr. Kurt Leopold, Zaat (1972)
• Dr. Emilio Lizardo, in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
• Dr. Logan - Day of the Dead (nicknamed "Dr. Frankenstein")
• Dr. Lorca, in the film Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1968)
• Buddy Love, from The Nutty Professor (Part 1: 1996, Part 2: 2000)
• Dr. Arliss Loveless, in Wild Wild West (1999)
• Professor Mason, in Death Dimension (1978)
• Dr. Mifune, in Terror of Mechagodzilla
• Dr. Edward Morbius, in Forbidden Planet (1956)
• Edward Nigma, aka The Riddler, in Batman Forever
• Jason Woodrue in "Batman and Robin" (1997)
• Dr. No, and various other characters from the James Bond series of films
• Professor Nolter, in The Mutations (1973)
• J. Frank Parnell, in Repo Man (1984)
• The Abominable Dr. Phibes (Vincent Price) in the series The Abominable Dr. Phibes
• Philo in UHF
• Dr. Hans Reinhardt, in The Black Hole (1979)
• Michael Sharrington, in Graveyard of Horror (1971)
• Dr. Tolian Soran from the Star Trek film Star Trek: Generations
• Dr. Carl Stoner, in Ssssss (1973)
• Syndrome/Buddy Pine, in The Incredibles (2004)
• Dr. Sy N. Tist, from the Mad Scientist series
• Dr. Totenkopf, in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
• Dr. Richard Benjamin Vannacutt from House on Haunted Hill (1999)
• Dr. Eric Vornoff (Bela Lugosi) in Bride of the Monster
• Professor Wendland, in Superargo (1968)
• Dr. Herbert West, in Re-Animator (1985)
• Sir August DeWynter, in The Avengers (1998)
• Dr. Finkelstein in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
• Dr. Evil, nemesis of Austin Powers
• Nathaniel Pickman Wingate in Kamillions (1989)
• Dr. Benway in Naked Lunch (1991)

[edit] Television series

• Dr. Bunsen Honeydew from The Muppet Show
• Jha'Dur (AKA Deathwalker), from the Babylon 5 episode "Deathwalker"
• Professor Maggie Walsh, from the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Dr. Crell Moset , from the TV series Star Trek Voyager
• Dr. Clayton Forrester, from Mystery Science Theater 3000, named after the hero scientist in the 1953 film The War of the Worlds
• Dr. Laurence Erhardt, from Mystery Science Theater 3000. Appeared in the initial locally broadcast season, and in the first national season along with Dr. Clayton Forrester.
• Dr. Yes, and various other parodic characters in Get Smart
• Dr. Miguelito Loveless, in the 1960s series The Wild Wild West
• Dr. Momus Alexander Morgus from Morgus Presents!
• Johann Wilhelm Möbius in Dürrenmatt's satiric drama The Physicists (1962)
• Namtar, from Farscape
• Dr. Chaotica from the "Bride of Chaotica" episode in Star Trek: Voyager
• Dr. Paul Museveni from Andromeda
• Davros and the Rani, from Doctor Who
• Degra, from Star Trek: Enterprise
• Dr. Arik Soong, from Star Trek: Enterprise
• The Angry Scientist from Sheep in the Big City
• Dr. Sparrow from Angel

[edit] Cartoon/Anime

• Orochimaru, from the manga/anime Naruto
• The Professor, from the cartoon series Felix the Cat
• The Evil Scientist from Looney Tunes
• Dr. Agasa from the manga/anime Detective Conan
• Doctor Arkeville, from the cartoon series (but not the comic or toyline) Transformers
• Bighead from The Ambiguously Gay Duo
• Dr. Blight, a female mad scientist specialising in genetic engineering and air pollution, from Captain Planet and the Planeteers
• The Brain, from Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain
• Dr. Reginald Bushroot and Elmo Sputterspark from Darkwing Duck
• Hector Con Carne and Major Dr. Ghastly, from Evil Con Carne
• rotcoD daM, from the cartoon series Sinbad the Sailor
• Dexter and Mandark, of Dexter's Laboratory
• Dr. Drakken (a.k.a. Drew Lipsky), DNAmy (a.k.a. Amy Hall), and Professor Dementor, from the TV series Kim Possible
• Dantalion, also a Crimson Lord in Shakugan no Shana
• Dr. Eyepatch from The Super Milk-chan Show
• Professor Hubert Farnsworth from the cartoon series Futurama
• Carl Foutley (aspiring), on As Told By Ginger
• Professor Frink from The Simpsons
• Dr. Putrid T. Gangreen from the cartoon series Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1994)
• Dr. Gero, Dr. Myū and Dr. Wheelo from Dragonball Z
• Newton Gimmick in The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin
• Hugo A Go Go, from the cartoon series Batfink
• Professor Goatsbeard (Dutch original Joachim Sickbock), an antropomorphic goat, from the Tom Puss/Oliver B. Bumble cartoon series. A statue of the mad scientist can be seen in Rotterdam. [1]
• Professor Grotalent from the French comics/cartoon Spiff and Hercules.
• Washu Hakubi in the anime series Tenchi Muyo!
• Dr. Hell from anime Go Nagai's Mazinger Z
• Fritz Huhnmorder, from the action figure stop-motion television show, Robot Chicken
• Head Commander Gendo Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion
• Dr. J, Professor G, Doktor S, Instructor H, and Master O from the anime Gundam Wing
• Dr. Jumba Jookiba, from the Lilo & Stitch cartoons and movies
• Professor Moshimo and Dr. Kamikazi, from Robotboy
• Dr. Muraki Kazutaka, whose interest in (and applications of) genetics, cloning, and anatomy in general stem from decidedly less than harmless intentions. He's from the anime Yami no Matsuei
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi from Bleach
• Eiri Masami from Serial Experiments Lain
• Professor Membrane from Invader Zim
• Dr. Viper from SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
• Dr. Mephesto from South Park
• Ichiro "Icchan" Mihara from Angelic Layer
• Naraku from InuYasha
• Mojo Jojo, Professor Utonium, and Dick Hardly from The Powerpuff Girls
• Dr. Desty Nova from the anime/manga series Battle Angel Alita, who used Nanotechnology to try to overcome the human Karma
• Jimmy Neutron, Professor Finbarr Calamitous, and Doctor Sydney Orville Moist, from The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
• Mr. Paulson, from Teamo Supremo. However, the real mad scientist of the series was an occasional villain named Dr. Droid, who constructed robot look-alikes of everyone because he believed robots to be superior.
• Professor von Proton from The Big Knights, described as "that discraced scientist from village Borodzo". Inventor of the Protonosphere (a time travel machine), and Proton-Power a highly unstable method of power generation fueled by "freely available porcine agricultural by-product".
• Simon Bar Sinister, from the Underdog cartoon (1964)
• Dr. Slump from Dr. Slump
• Dr. Mashirito from Dr. Slump
• Professor Squarkencluck, from the cartoon Dangermouse
• Baxter Stockman and occasionally Donatello and Leatherhead from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Kaolla Su from the manga/anime Love Hina
• Tarantulas, from the Beast Wars animated series
• Professor Tomoe from ]the manga/anime series Sailor Moon
• Shou Tucker, Zolf Kimblee, and others in Fullmetal Alchemist
• Dr. Nora Wakeman, from the TV series My Life as a Teenage Robot
• Dr. Weird from Aqua Teen Hunger Force
• Phineas J. Whoopee from Tennessee Tuxedo
• Dr. Zin, from the Jonny Quest cartoon series
• Urpgor, from the cartoon series The Dreamstone
• Tracy McBean, from the cartoon of the same name
• Dr. Benjamin Boris Karbunkle from Biker Mice from Mars

[edit] Comics

• "The Doctor" from the manga Hellsing. His name is unknown and he is simply referred to as "DOC".
• Doctor Doom, from Marvel Comics, arch-enemy of the Fantastic Four
• Mister Sinister, from Marvel comics
• Lex Luthor, from DC Comics, arch-enemy of Superman
• Doctor Sivana from DC Comics
• Norman Osborn (The Green Goblin), Otto Octavius (Doctor Octopus), and Curt Connors (The Lizard) in Spider-Man, went mad and became evil after an experiment mutated or altered them
• Egghead and Dr. Henry Pym from Marvel comics
• The Mandarin from Marvel comics
• Riff, Dr. Catherine Crabtree, and Dr. Irving Schlock, from Sluggy Freelance.
• Dr. August Hopper a.k.a. The Locust, and Forge (comics) from the X-Men comics
• Dr. Cedric Rawlings from the Captain America comics
• Dr. Light, enemy of the Teen Titans
• Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi), a grudgingly heroic female version of the above introduced during Crisis on Infinite Earths
• Baron Karza from the Micronauts comic book (Marvel)
• Gyro Gearloose from the Scrooge McDuck universe
• Dr. Weekday and Dr. Saruta from the Tezuka manga Phoenix series
• Mad Scientist is Monster in My Pocket #39. In the comicbook, he is clearly Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, though in the first issue, drawn by Ernie Colon he seems to be a transitional version of the two, and looking more like he came from the eighteenth century than the nineteenth. Both of these were corrected by Gil Kane the following issue. In it and subsequent issues, written by Dwayne McDuffie, he would frequently be force-fed his potion as a significant plot complication.
• Professor Cuthbert Calculus (Professeur Tryphon Tournesol) from The Adventures of Tintin
• Prof. Septimus in Blake and Mortimer's "The Yellow Mark"
• Professor Miloch Georgevitch in Blake and Mortimer's "The Diabolical Trap"
• Champignac and Zorglub in Spirou et Fantasio (occasionally Fantasio)
• Baron Klaus von Wulfenbach, Agatha Heterodyne (one of the rare females), and other sparks, from Phil Foglio's Girl Genius comics
• Dr. Helen Narbon, Helen Beta Narbon, Lupin "Wolf" Madblood, and others in the webcomic Narbonic
• Casey and Andy from the webcomic Casey and Andy
• Tedd Verres and Dr. Germahn, from the webcomic El Goonish Shive
• Dr. Otto Bonn, from the webcomic The Polymer City Chronicles
• Dr. Victor Haas, and other victims of Science Related Memetic Disorder, from the webcomic A Miracle of Science. The lead character, Agent Benjamin Prester of the Vorstellen Police, is a recovered mad scientist who works investigating and preventing mad-science related crimes.
• Nick Wellington and Professor Otto Wisebottom, from the webcomic General Protection Fault
• Gav Van Darin, Danny Hua, King Luca, and Suzy Gee, from the webcomic Nukees
• Dr. Von Richter, the chief villain of the Argentine comic book, Cybersix, and its various adaptations
• Bernie, from the comic strip Doonesbury
• T.O. Morrow, enemy of the Justice League.
• Frederick Willheim creator of cyborg gorilla Cy-Gor, a Spawn villain.
• Kevyn Andreyasn, from the webcomic Schlock Mercenary
• Franjinha, from Monica's Gang, a popular Brazilian series.
• Nearly the entire cast of Mad About U.
• Dr. Jonathan Crane, from Batman

[edit] Video games

• Rodyle from Tales of Symphonia
• Dr. Albert W. Wily, from the video game series Mega Man
• Dr. Weil, a Neo Arcadian in Mega Man Zero series
• Dr. Hans Ubermann, from the Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis adventure game (1992)
• Dr. Fred Edison, from adventure games Maniac Mansion and Day of the Tentacle
• Prof. Gerald Robotnik, Dr. Eggman's grandfather
• Dr. Eggman, from the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series
• Dr. Brain, from the educative video games Island of Dr. Brain, Castle of Dr. Brain, The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain and The Time Warp of Dr. Brain
• Dr. Proton, from Duke Nukem 1
• Dr. Gregor Hoffman from Crusader: No Remorse
• Dr. Malcolm Betrüger, from Doom 3
• Dr. William Birkin, from Resident Evil 2
• Dr. Killjoy, owner and main physician of 'Carnate Institution for the Alienated', whose treatment methods were drastic and lethal, including lobotomy, dismembernment and electro-shock therapy. Appears in The Suffering
• Dr. Muto, titular character of Dr. Muto
• Professor Burnital, Dr. Muto's arch-nemesis
• Dr. Baldhead, from the Guilty Gear series
• Dr. Bomb, from platform game Bravoman
• Dr. Wallace Breen, Black Mesa Administrator turned puppet dictator of Earth, Half-Life 2.
• Dr. Sludge Vohaul from the Space Quest series.
• Dr. Schabbs and Otto Giftmacher from Wolfenstein 3D.
• Dr. Neo Cortex, alongside his colleagues Doctor N. Gin, Doctor Nitrus Brio and Nefarious Tropy, from the Crash Bandicoot game series.
• Andross, from game series Star Fox
• Professor E. Gadd, from the Mario Games.
• Dr. Ironstein, from the Flight of the Amazon Queen adventure game (1995)
• Dr. Ignatio Mobius, from the Command & Conquer series. It is worth noting that Dr. Mobius is a very strange, almost Archimedes Plutonium-like character in his first incarnation as portrayed by Richard Smith, becoming considerably more staid and less mad scientist when later portrayed by Rene Auberjonois.
• Dr. Lugae from Final Fantasy IV
• Professor Hojo from Final Fantasy VII.
• Dr. Knarf, from the Sony PlayStation 3D platform game, Jersey Devil.
• Dr. Boskonovitch, from Tekken
• Dr. Jacob Crow from Timesplitters: Future Perfect
• Bishop Mandible from LOOM
• Henry Stauf from The 7th Guest
• Dr. Willard from Tomb Raider 3
• Dr. Cranium from Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness
• Dr. Pretorius / Dr. Mobius (the same person) from Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire
• Garlen from the Klonoa series
• Dr. (George Wilhelm) Krieger from the Far Cry series
• Dr. Crygor from WarioWare, Inc. series of games
• Baron K. Roolenstein from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Double Trouble
• Dr. Exavolt from Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
• Dr. Riptide from In Search of Dr. Riptide
• Cranky Kong from Donkey Kong 64

[edit] Toys

• Dr. X, from Action Man
• Dr. Ein-O, from Smart Boxes. He is directly based on Albert Einstein.
• Dr. Mindbender, from the cartoon, comic, and toyline G.I. Joe
• Dr. Sy N Tist, from Mad Scientist by Mattel

[edit] Audio drama

• Dr. Marlin Mazoola, from the adventures of Jack Flanders

[edit] Opera

• Soprano 1 in Facing Goya
• Tenor in Facing Goya