Dr. Evil

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Dr. Evil is a fictional supervillain played by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers film series. He is the chief villain of the movies, and Austin Powers' nemesis. A parody of any number of James Bond villains, primarily Ernst Stavro Blofeld of SPECTRE, Dr. Evil routinely hatches schemes to terrorize and take over the world. He is typically accompanied by his hairless cat (originally a Persian cat, but went bald during a cryogenic unfreezing process) Mr. Bigglesworth and his side-kick Mini-Me.

Dr. Evil in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Background
2 Entourage
3 Schemes
4 Parody
- 4.1 The James Bond Films
- 4.2 Others
5 Mr. Bigglesworth
6 Trivia
7 Translations

[edit] Background

According to his own account in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, delivered at a group therapy session with his estranged son Scott, Dr. Evil's upbringing went as follows:

“

The details of my life are quite inconsequential.... Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a 15-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize; he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possesses and the insane lament... My childhood was typical: summers in Rangoon... luge lessons... In the spring, we'd make meat helmets... When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds — pretty standard, really. At the age of 12, I received my first scribe. At the age of 14, a Zoroastrian named Wilma ritualistically shaved my testicles — there really is nothing like a shorn scrotum — it's quite breathtaking... I suggest you try it.

”

In Goldmember, Dr. Evil claims that his adopted mother was the love-slave of the Belgian baker. This may be a cultural reference to the series of infamous kidnappings and murders by a Belgian paedophile.

Dr. Evil's real name is later revealed to be Douglas "Dougie" Danger Powers. He is in fact Austin Powers' brother and the son of Nigel Powers — a fact revealed in the third Austin Powers film, Goldmember. It is revealed that Douglas and Austin were separated as babies after a car explosion, and that Nigel thought only Austin survived. Douglas was raised by Belgians, which is what made him so complex and evil. His home town is Bruges, a Dutch-speaking town.

He also attended the British Intelligence Academy with Austin (along with Basil Exposition and Number 2), and is angered that Austin won the "International Man of Mystery" award, while he, the academy's best student was overlooked.

In the first film, Dr. Evil is cryogenically frozen in 1967 and reawakened in 1995. Like Austin Powers, he faces challenges in acclimatising to the new period (although he has his staff, who remained behind, to help him).

Dr Rex (bottom right) using the same gesture in "Number 12 Looks Just Like You" (1964).

He often places his little finger near his mouth (see top picture). Although expanded upon, this signature move may have been taken from "Number 12 Looks Just Like You," an episode of The Twilight Zone in which Dr. Rex (pictured at right) uses the same gesture several times. Although the idiosyncrasy was intended to be a humorous "signature move" for Evil, the only apparent reason for Rex's use of it was to differentiate him from several other characters (played by the same actor) who were intentionally physically identical to him.

Evil also repetitively uses the euphemism frickin'. He occasionally uses unnecessary finger quotes around now-familiar technical terms such as laser.

The scar on Dr. Evil's face is very likely a remnant of Mensur fencing, an activity in which secretive elite European student groups participate; it may also be a reference to similar scars on early 20th century movie villians such as several portrayed by Erich von Stroheim. In Goldmember it is revealed that he has a tattoo on his buttocks that reads "E. Diddy" and he also claimed to have three testicles.

[edit] Entourage

Dr. Evil employs a diverse and highly stereotypical group of minions.

Perhaps closest to Dr. Evil is his assistant, Frau Farbissina, founder of the militant wing of the Salvation Army. In the second film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, they make love, which "gets weird" afterward. Frau is revealed to be Scott's mother in the second film. (In the first film, it is asserted that Scott was created via Dr. Evil's frozen semen.) In Goldmember, Farbissina and Dr. Evil also kiss while he is in prison; although the two enjoyed it, the purpose was to transfer a key to Evil so that he could escape. She is probably a parody on the character Rosa Klebb in the James Bond movie From Russia With Love.

Evil is rarely seen without Mr. Bigglesworth his Persian cat, which was rendered furless as a side effect of cryogenic freezing and thereafter played by a Sphinx cat.

Dr. Evil carries on a strained relationship with his son Scott. In fact, he frequently tries to have Scott killed, but he never succeeds. He liquidates their therapy group, accusing them of being "insolent".

Number 2 is the leader of Dr. Evil's industrial empire, Virtucon. A natural businessman, Number 2 is often more concerned about the financial aspects of world domination than the world domination itself. In each successive film, Number 2 has devised various schemes and ventures which would not only garner massive profits for - and expand the power-base of - the Virtucon empire, but would do so legitimately, leaving the authorities with little excuse for apprehending Dr. Evil. Evil, however, refuses to heed Number 2's advice and has often made Number 2 suffer for his insolence, claiming that his strategies are insulting to the ideals of an evil empire.

Dr. Evil's handyman extraordinaire is Random Task, a Korean ex-wrestler whose personality and assassination style is a parody to that of Oddjob from Goldfinger, except he throws his shoe instead of his hat. Austin later comments on Task's fighting style: "Who throws his shoe? Honestly! You fight like a woman!" Task repetitively cracks his neck and it is often his job to silently move dead bodies away and move Dr. Evil's chair. Random Task attempts to kill Austin in his Honeymoon suite unsuccessfully as Austin uses the Swedish-Made Penis Enlarger pump on him before Vanessa Kensington breaks a bottle of champagne over his head knocking him unconscious.

Patty O'Brien is an ex-Irish assassin who is superstitious in leaving a keepsake on his good-luck charm bracelett from every victim he kills. Apparently Scottland Yard has been trying to get a hold of that bracelett for sometime. O'Brien explains in his Irish accent: "They're always after me lucky charm." Dr. Evil and Frau insult O'Brien revealing his voice to sound like the Lepricaun mascot from Lucky Charms. Unfortunately, O'Brien does not understand the reference. O'Brien attempts to assassinate Austin by choking him with his bracelett in the bathroom stall, but Austin drives his head into the toilet drowning him.

In the opening few minutes of the first film, Dr. Evil has four henchmen, namely Jurgen, Generalissimo, Rita, and Don Luigi, who are all executed because of their failure to kill Austin Powers.

Mustafa (played by Will Ferrell) was another notable assistant, for he designs the cryogenic freezing process that preserves Dr. Evil for 30 years. In 1969, two years after the 1960's Dr. Evil was frozen, Mustafa was caught by the 1990's Austin Powers (who had followed 90's Dr. Evil through time) and was forced to answer questions on the location of 90's Dr. Evil's hideout (as it turns out, he can't help but answer any question that is asked to him three times). He was silenced by Mini-Me before he could reveal his boss's location and was nearly killed. Mustafa somehow managed to survive until 1997 and saw to it that the 90's Dr. Evil was thawed out, but he gets incinerated (and shot) after he learns that the cryogenic freezing process has left Mr. Bigglesworth completely furless.

The second film introduces Dr. Evil's clone, Mini-Me, who is 1/8th his size. Dr. Evil considers him more of a real son than Scott, provoking the latter's jealousy.

[edit] Schemes

Dr. Evil's projects for world domination are often named after pop culture trademarks (Death Star, Alan Parsons Project, Preparation H) and he is often unaware of the accidental pun. For example, when Dr. Evil says he will turn the moon into a "Death Star" (said with finger quotes), Scott laughs and calls him "Darth". Scott also coughs and mutters "Rip-off!" After a slight pause, his father says, "Bless you."

Dr. Evil seems to have a problem in general with understanding money, especially regarding the modern American economy and inflation. In the first film, he intends to hold the world ransom for $1 million, but doesn't understand that $1 million doesn't come to much in 1997 as it did in the 1960s, and the demand causes the U.N. to burst out laughing. In the second film, however, Dr. Evil goes back to 1969 and plans to hold the world ransom for $100 billion, an amount of money that didn't exist back then, and when he tells the amount to the President, he receives a similar reaction from the first film when the President and his cabinet laugh at him. In the second film, Dr. Evil says, "Why make trillions when we can make...BILLIONS?," not knowing that trillions are larger than billions. In the third movie, he demands "1 billion, gagillion, fafillion, shabolubalu million illion yillion...yen." This time his demand is met with simple confusion from the world leaders.

One of Dr. Evil's greatest desires is to have "frickin' sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their frickin' heads," and is disappointed when he can't have the sharks due to laws on endangered species. Instead, Number 2 gives him mutated sea bass, which Dr. Evil grudgingly accepts, muttering "well, it's a start" (they were ill-tempered, as the bass do manage to eat the head of one unfortunate henchman hired by Dr. Evil). Scott, however, manages to get him said sharks in the third film as a father-son gift.

Dr. Evil can't resist cracking puns at his own work (he says his submarine lair is "long, hard, and full of seamen"). He creates models of his plans, worried that they are too complicated for his minions to understand. He also cares nothing for the companies (Virtucon, Starbucks, Hollywood Talent Agency) that fund his plans, ignoring all suggestions from Number 2 on how to increase the profit of such companies.

Often Dr. Evil's lairs are right in the open: atop the Starbucks headquarters in Seattle, behind the Hollywood sign, and in a gigantic submarine shaped like himself. In the second movie, his lair in 1969 is inside a volcano carved to resemble him with his finger to his mouth.

[edit] Parody

[edit] The James Bond Films

Just as Austin Powers lampoons James Bond, Dr. Evil parodies several James Bond villains. The first is Ernst Stavro Blofeld, as portrayed by Donald Pleasence in the film You Only Live Twice. (Curiously, Pleasence was a regular to the Halloween movie series, whose villain is named Michael Myers.) Blofeld has a white Persian cat, parodied by Dr. Evil's Mr. Bigglesworth.

Dr. Evil also wears clothing with a strong resemblance to Dr. No from the 1962 film of the same name, specifically gray Nehru Jacket jumpsuits and similar anti-radiation suits. Some aspects, including some of his quotes and his henchman Random Task, parody elements from Goldfinger.

While Dr. Evil is primarily a send-up of the 1960s Sean Connery-era Bond villains, the 1970s Roger Moore-era also gets skewered: the interior of Dr. Evil's space station in The Spy Who Shagged Me resembles Sir Hugo Drax's space station from Moonraker, and the film's title spoofs The Spy Who Loved Me. Dr. Evil has three testicles, as is proven in Goldmember when he checks to see that "they're all there" following a rather painful blow to his groin. This is most likely a nod to James Bond villain Francisco Scaramanga from 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun, who had three nipples. Mini-Me may also be another reference to Scaramanga, who had a dwarf servant named Nick Nack.

[edit] Others

Some of Dr. Evil's facial and vocal expressions are allegedly patterned after Lorne Michaels, producer of television's Saturday Night Live, where Myers worked for a number of years. It should also be noted that he has what sounds like a thick Canadian accent.

The name Dr. Evil is a reference to Mr. Evil, a Blofeld-character played by Jim Backus in "The Invasion" episode of Gilligan's Island. The Doctor term is reference to Dr. No, a James Bond villain.

[edit] Mr. Bigglesworth

Mr. Bigglesworth is a fictional cat belonging to Dr. Evil. He was originally similar to Blofeld's cat, a stereotyped white Persian cat from the James Bond movie series. He was forced to escape hastily with Dr. Evil in a cryogenic capsule, freezing off all of his fur in the process. Mr. Bigglesworth has since that time been bald, played by a Sphynx cat, in particular by SGC Belfry Ted Nude-Gent, bred by Michelle Berge of Belfry Cattery. Dr Evil's miniature clone, Mini-Me has a tiny cat called "Mini Mr. Bigglesworth", presumably also a clone of Mr. Bigglesworth. However, in the third installment of the franchise, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Mr. Bigglesworth is not seen once in the entire length of the film, except for promotional shots, the school flashback to when he still had hair, and in the film within the film, Austinpussy.

[edit] Trivia

On the latter two Austin Powers films, Dr. Evil parodies two hit rap songs from 1998. The first being Just the Two of Us by Will Smith, and the second being Hard Knock Life by Jay-Z.

Dr. Evil's henchmen are usually equipped with Beretta Model 12 9mm Submachine guns in the first and second films, and MP5K sub-machine guns in the third.

In the first two Austin Powers' films, Dr. Evil's eyes are brown, but in the third, Mike Myers wore contact lenses to give his eyes an icy blue colour.