Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character--typically, but not exclusively villianous-- who usually appears in fiction, usually depicted as a scientist who is insane or at the least very eccentric. He is usually working with some utterly fictional technology in order to forward his evil schemes. Recent Mad Scientists depictions are often satirical and humorous.
"They LAUGHED at my theories at the institute! Fools! I'll destroy them all!" - A stereotypical Mad Scientist caricature.
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2 History 3 Fictional Mad Scientists since 1945 4 Fields of Research 5 Untouched Fields 6 Real-life Prototypes 7 References 8 External Links |
Mad scientists are typically characterized by obsessive behaviour and the employment of extremely dangerous methods. They often are motivated by revenge , seeking to settle real or imagined slights, typically related to their unorthodox studies.
Their laboratories often hum with Tesla coils, Van de Graaff generators, perpetual motion machines, and other visually impressive electrical oddments, or are decorated with test tubes and complicated distillation apparatus containing strangely-coloured liquids - often without regard for the actual use of such equiptment. The general rule to follow when you encounter mad scientist experiments is 'do not attempt this at home!'
Other Traits:
Warning: Plot details follow.
The stereotype originated in literary works in the nineteenth century to depict the dangers of science. The perceived conflict between science and religion during this period informed the earliest depictions of the stereotype.
The prototypical mad scientist was Doctor Frankenstein, creator of Frankenstein's monster, who made his first appearance in 1818, in the novel Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. Though Dr. Frankenstein is a character of some sympathy in his first appearance, the critical elements of conducting forbidden experiments that cross "boundaries that ought not to be crossed," heedless of the consequences, are present in Shelley's novel.
In more recent years, the mad scientist as a lone searcher of the forbidden unknown has tended to be replaced by mad corporate executives who plan to profit from defying the laws of nature and humanity regardless of who suffers; these people hire a salaried scientific staff to pursue their twisted dreams. This shift is typified by the revised history of Superman's archenemy, Lex Luthor: originally conceived in the 1930s as a mad scientist in the lone-searcher-of-the-forbidden-unknown, a major retcon of the character's origins in the early 1980s made him the head of a mega corporation who also plays a leading role in his R & D Department. Still, the pose has been used whimsically by popular science writers to attract readers (things are more interesting if they are somehow dangerous).
Fields that are largely untapped by mad scientists include:
Common Defining Characteristics
History
Before 1945
Nevertheless, the essentially benign and progressive nature of science in the public imagination continued without a check, exemplified by the optimistic 'Century of Progress' exhibition in Chicago, 1933, and the 'World of Tomorrow' at the New York World's Fair of 1939.Since 1945
Fictional Mad Scientists since 1945
See also: CranksFields of Research
Untouched Fields
Real-life Prototypes
Some real-life scientists, not necessarily madmen, whose personalities have contributed to the stereotype:
Related: List of notable eccentricsReferences
External Links