Control Freak (villain)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Control Freak is a fictional character from the Teen Titans animated series. He is a supervillain who is obsessed with television and is an epitome of geekiness. He is overweight, has long hair, and is uncleanly shaven- all stereotypical traits of a nerd. He is voiced by Alexander Polinsky.

[edit] Characteristics

According to his character designer, Derrick Wyatt, Control Freak is based on an idea Dwayne McDuffie had created for the Impulse comic book but never used. Because of this, fan speculation is that Control Freak may make the jump from the series to the main comics sometime in the future. The character has appeared in at least one issue of Teen Titans Go, the comic books based on the animated series. Interestingly, he has an uncanny resemblance to Harry Knowles of Ain't it Cool News.

Despite his "nerd" classification, Control Freak is actually a very competent villain-when he chooses to be. His genius allows him to create deadly weapons; according to Cyborg, he has enough technology to break every law of physics. However, Control Freak rarely uses his great intellect, preferring instead to make himself look "cool" in TV land, or committing crimes that will make him look like a villain. Because of this, no one really takes him seriously; he's not even on the Titans' enemy list.

Control Freak is notorious for destroying the fourth wall, the illusion of a separate reality. In "For Real", he blatantly names the episode production number of his last appearance (257-494), and upon finding that he is not on the "Villains List", even though the Puppet King is, Control Freak angrily exclaims the fact that he is a recurring villain in the series and therefore should be on the list.

[edit] Apperances

In the episode "Fear Itself", he uses a special remote control device to take over a video store by turning most everything in the store (television screens, VHS tapes, DVDs, and even candy) into living creatures. The Titans stop him and take him to jail.

Control Freak is a more prominent villain in "Episode 257-494" when he uses a device to insert himself into television signals. He crosses several television programs which are parodies of popular movies and shows (such as Star Wars and Looney Tunes) and obtains powers and technology from the programs to use against the Titans. Once again, he is defeated, ironically by some obscure television knowledge of Beast Boy. Control Freak uses the same monsters he used in "Episode 257-494" with his remote to try to defeat Killowat in "Calling All Titans".

Control Freak returns once again in "For Real", this time with a series of challenges for his foes. However, he finds the house in new management, as the Titans are off hunting the Brotherhood. Instead, he runs into the Titans East, which results in quite an interesting series of events. His actions in "For Real" playfully mock some of the more dedicated fans of the show.

In "Titans Together", Control Freak was possessed by Jericho and used to fight off Trident during the final battle. He uses a four-sided light saber-like device. It is a stick with four laser-like "blades" coming out of it, two on each side. His motions and appearance are reminiscent of the Star Wars kid. He is eventually flash-frozen by Más y Menos.

Control Freak is the main villain in the comic book Teen Titans Go #23. He employs Red X robots to steal and fight the Titans for him.