Doctor Mindbender
Encyclopedia
Dr. Mindbender is a fictional character from the 1980s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
toyline, comics, and animated series. He is a scientist who works for the fictional terrorist organization Cobra.
and interrogation
, but his expertise also includes genetics
, cloning
, dentistry
, and some cybernetics
.
A new version of Doctor Mindbender was released in 1993 as part of the Battle Corps line.
. He created the Battle Android Troopers (B.A.T.s) and also made several modifications to Venom's prized creation, the Brainwave Scanner
.
Dr. Mindbender also creates the composite-clone Serpentor
in an attempt to engineer the ultimate soldier. He and other Cobra agents raid the tombs of noted military leaders, such as Genghis Khan
and Alexander the Great for DNA. Dr. Mindbender also takes the opportunity to add in the DNA of the ninja Storm Shadow
. Mindbender loyally serves Serpentor. Mindbender analyzes Cobra satellite photos and pieces together the location of the Joe's new Utah base. A civil war, between Serpentor and Fred VII
, a Crimson Guardsman posing as Cobra Commander, breaks out on Cobra Island
. When Serpentor is killed by Zartan
, Mindbender switches sides, becoming an advisor to Fred VII. Even then he was not loyal, listening to a plan that would seemingly allow Cobra Commander to be cloned.
Eventually the original, non-clone Cobra Commander returns, and threw all perceived traitors, including Mindbender, into a landlocked freighter on Cobra Island. Mindbender manages to preserve Serpentor's body, which was thought by many to be destroyed. The freighter itself is then buried inside a mountain. Though an escape plan was devised, Mindbender, along with some of the other traitors dies of botulism
before it could be enacted.
However, he was later cloned, and returns to loyally serve Cobra Commander for a time. The clone recognizes Megatron as a Decepticon (though not necessarily as Megatron himself) when he was first reanimated, in a reference to the G.I. Joe and the Transformers comic series by Marvel in the 1980s. The clone of Mindbender was created at around the same time as the launch of the Transformers: Generation 2
comic series, and Megatron and a number of Autobots appeared in a few issues of G.I. Joe at the same time that Mindbender's clone was created by Cobra Commander.
Several years after Frontlines, Cobra re-organizes. One of Mindbender's new projects is a new, more powerful Battle Android Trooper. This is stolen by the ninja-mercernary Firefly
.
When Serpentor returns, leading a renegade faction called the Coil, Mindbender returns to the side of his creation. When Serpentor was defeated again, Mindbender is captured, but managed to convince Cobra Commander to spare his life by offering him control of his latest creation, a weapon of mass destruction called the Tempest.
Mindbender ends up on the run over Cobra Island
, trying and failing to escape with the Joe agent 'Barrel Roll'. Mindbender is seen running into the forest, pursued by Cobra Vipers.
Commander gained control of the Tempest. He also shoots Mindbender in the back, killing him. This time, Mindbender's death appears to be permanent. According to the Data Desk, Mindbender is buried an unmarked grave in Potter's Field, sharing the same fate as Dr. Venom, the mad scientist he replaced.
-style G.I. Joe novel Operation: Mindbender (ISBN 0-345-33786-7). In the story, Mindbender perfects a brainwashing process resulting in G.I. Joe members violently attacking their friends and allies.
. Shipwreck runs through Cobra's base and knocks a vial of chemicals out of the doctor's hand. They land on his head, causing him to lose his hair. Mindbender is Cobra's chief interrogator and science officer. He hates Cobra Commander
(who calls him "Fender-Bender"). In "Arise Serpentor Arise", he collaborates with Destro and Tomax and Xamot in a plot to obtain DNA samples of the best militaristic minds in history, because he feels Cobra needs a leader that can inspire courage in its cowardly troops. This results in the creation of Serpentor
. Doctor Mindbender is easily Serpentor's most loyal member of Cobra's High command (and as such Serpentor trusted Doctor Mindbender the most out of the Cobra High Command, even being exceptionally lenient if a mission's failure is Mindbender's fault), but there are times when he considers the monarch to be a "spoiled brat".
, it is revealed that the idea to create Serpentor was planted in Mindbender's brain by Golobulus (the leader of Cobra-La
) using the "Psychic Motivator". Doctor Mindbender appears outraged by this, as he had thought of Serpentor as his own creation, but he quickly falls into line and begins serving Cobra-La. Doctor Mindbender is present in the final battle between Cobra, Cobra-La and the Joes.
, he creates a new and improved Battle Android Trooper, and uses stolen G.I. Joe technology to create headsets which allow Destro
and Storm Shadow
to control the B.A.T.s in battle. Doctor Mindbender is also working on Venom Troopers, but ultimately loses all of his research when the Cobra base is destroyed. Cobra Commander flippantly tells him to start over, leaving Doctor Mindbender shocked and appalled at such a suggestion.
For G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom
, Doctor Mindbender has rebuilt all of his research, and the Venom project is now fully up and running. Thanks to Doctor Mindbender's genius, Cobra begins kidnapping people from around the world and turning them into animal/human hybrids. Doctor Mindbender warns Cobra Commander about putting too much Venom into a single subject but the Commander ignores him. The captured General Hawk
is transformed into Venomous Maximus, a being so powerful he quickly seizes power of Cobra with the help of Overkill
. Cobra Commander and Doctor Mindbender are captured by Maximus and Overkill. As the Joes attack while Maximus goes to launch his Venom missile, Doctor Mindbender is forced to join forces with his G.I. Joe rival, Hi-Tech, and work against Maximus. They reverse the polarity of the Venom missiles, which in turn destroy Cobra's base. In the confusion following the battle, Doctor Mindbender makes his escape.
. Instead, Overkill has taken over his role as Cobra's chief scientist.
, Doctor Mindbender appears as a young scientist named Dr. Brian Bender, who works for Cobra and is wanted for his illegal experiments. One of his experiments included the Bio Vipers. In "The Enemy of My Enemy," he was also responsible for creating the cobra Serpentor to be Cobra Commander's pet. It is also shown that he has gone into competition against Destro. In "Brothers of Light," he later obtained Tomax and Xamot to be used as part of his experiment that involved modifying the Bio Vipers.
In "Prodigal," it was revealed that Doctor Mindbender found Ripcord barely alive and experimented on him in order to make a human/Bio-Viper hybrid that would be Cobra Commander's first step to immortality. When Ripcord is abducted from the hospital by the Joes, Doctor Mindbender tells Cobra Commander that this is the perfect opportunity to track the Joes. It turned out that Doctor Mindbender had placed a control chip in Ripcord's head so that the Cobra Drones can have him transform into his Bio-Viper form. After Ripcord rejoined the Joes, Cobra Commander has begun to be fed-up with Doctor Mindbender and threatens to have Serpentor devour him. Doctor Mindbender is quick to remind Cobra Commander that he alone knows about his disease and can help treat it even stating that if Cobra Commander doesn't spare him, he'd had to see how his underlings see Cobra Commander in a weakened state. Cobra Commander allows Doctor Mindbender to live for now, but is quick to punish him with a electrical blast from his cane as a way of reminding the doctor who was in charge.
In "The Anomaly," Doctor Mindbender tries to recreate the human/Bio-Viper hybrid. The first one seems to fall apart but actually comes together in the sewers. When the Sewer Viper is mistakened as a Sewer Monster in New York, Cobra Commander sends Doctor Mindbender to reclaim it for sending some of Cobra's elite soldiers would end up having the Sewer Viper traced back to Cobra Industries. Doctor Mindbender manages to bring some Bio-Vipers along and have a fail-safe installed in the Bio-Vipers that would cause them to explode enough to level a section of the city in the event that Doctor Mindbender's neuro-link helmet is separated from him. When his Bio-Vipers managed to trap the Joes and Tunnel Rat's brother Teddy in the subway, Doctor Mindbender uses his neuro-link helmet to take control of Ripcord. When the Sewer Viper attacks, Doctor Mindbender tries to take control of it only for it to not have a control chip in it. The Sewer Viper manages to remove the control chip from Ripcord's head freeing him from Doctor Mindbender's control. Ripcord manages to destroy the neuro-link helmet and was about to take revenge on Doctor Mindbender for what he did for him only for Duke to intervene. When the Bio-Vipers start to explode, the Sewer Viper ends up sacrificing itself to absorb the blast while Doctor Mindbender escapes.
In "Revelations" Pt. 2, Doctor Mindbender and Destro end up working on rebuilding the M.A.S.S. Device that Scarlett's father Professor Patrick O'Hara worked on while attempting to replicate the crystal needed to power it.
In "Revelations" Pt. 2, Scarlett and Snake Eyes fight Baroness and Doctor Mindbender in the room where the M.A.S.S. device is. Overwhelming Bio-Vipers end up defeating Scarlett and Snake Eyes where a message that her father had said causes Baroness and Doctor Mindbender to force Scarlett into entering the code to the M.A.S.S. Device using Snake Eyes as bait. The M.A.S.S. Device is a success as Professor Patrick O'Hara emerges from the M.A.S.S. device. After Snake Eyes ends up destroying the M.A.S.S. Device, it's destruction causes a wormhole that sucks Baroness and Doctor Mindbender in. It is unknown what happened to them.
), who was 'The Doctor' before assuming his Cobra Commander persona. His fate in the film is unclear; their laboratory is destroyed (leading to the Commander's severe scarring) but Rex tells Duke that Doctor Mindbender trained him in nanotechnology after the attack. In the DVD release, additional dialogue indicates that Doctor Mindbender survived. In the commentary, director Stephen Sommers
says there is a good chance Doctor Mindbender would return in a sequel.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a military-themed line of action figures and toys in Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise. The toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 figures and 250 vehicles and playsets. The line reappeared in 1997 and has continued in one form or another to the...
toyline, comics, and animated series. He is a scientist who works for the fictional terrorist organization Cobra.
Profile
Dr. Bender was at one time a peace-loving orthodontist. He built a machine to relieve dental pain, using electric brainwave stimulation. Unfortunately he tested it on himself, and when it went haywire, he became hateful, deceitful and vain. Dr. Mindbender abandoned his practice and joined forces with Cobra, devoting all his time to perfecting his digital brain-scrambling. He is a master of mind controlMind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
and interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
, but his expertise also includes genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
, dentistry
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
, and some cybernetics
Cybernetics
Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
.
Toys
Doctor Mindbender was first released as an action figure in 1986. The Dr. Mindbender toy was bare chested, and summarily "clothed" in purple pants and leather metal-studded suspenders.A new version of Doctor Mindbender was released in 1993 as part of the Battle Corps line.
Marvel
In the Marvel Comics G.I. Joe series, he first appeared in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #44 (February 1986), as "Dr. Brain-Wave". Mindbender became Cobra's primary science officer after his predecessor, Doctor Venom, was killed in actionKilled in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
. He created the Battle Android Troopers (B.A.T.s) and also made several modifications to Venom's prized creation, the Brainwave Scanner
Brainwave Scanner
The Brainwave Scanner is a fictional device found in Marvel's G.I. Joe comic series used by Cobra for interrogation and brainwashing. It was invented by Doctor Venom and later refined by Dr. Mindbender.-Marvel Comics:...
.
Dr. Mindbender also creates the composite-clone Serpentor
Serpentor
Serpentor is a fictional character from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a line of military-themed toys created by Hasbro. The character was introduced in 1986 as a toy with an air chariot and included in the animated series that same year.-Toys:...
in an attempt to engineer the ultimate soldier. He and other Cobra agents raid the tombs of noted military leaders, such as Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
and Alexander the Great for DNA. Dr. Mindbender also takes the opportunity to add in the DNA of the ninja Storm Shadow
Storm Shadow (G.I. Joe)
Storm Shadow is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book series and television shows. The character is best known for his history with fellow ninja Snake Eyes...
. Mindbender loyally serves Serpentor. Mindbender analyzes Cobra satellite photos and pieces together the location of the Joe's new Utah base. A civil war, between Serpentor and Fred VII
Fred VII
Fred VII is a fictional character in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book, a member of the Crimson Guard, the elite Cobra combat and covert operations/infiltration force...
, a Crimson Guardsman posing as Cobra Commander, breaks out on Cobra Island
Cobra Island
Cobra Island is a fictional country located in the Gulf of Mexico. It is the main base of operations for the fictional Cobra Organization featured in the G.I. Joe toyline from the 1980s. It is featured in the G.I. Joe cartoon and the comic book series created by Marvel Comics and Devil's Due...
. When Serpentor is killed by Zartan
Zartan
Zartan is a character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, by Hasbro. He is a mercenary who often worked directly for Cobra Commander, and is one of the main villains in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic and animated series. His character was voiced by Zack Hoffman in the 1985 TV...
, Mindbender switches sides, becoming an advisor to Fred VII. Even then he was not loyal, listening to a plan that would seemingly allow Cobra Commander to be cloned.
Eventually the original, non-clone Cobra Commander returns, and threw all perceived traitors, including Mindbender, into a landlocked freighter on Cobra Island. Mindbender manages to preserve Serpentor's body, which was thought by many to be destroyed. The freighter itself is then buried inside a mountain. Though an escape plan was devised, Mindbender, along with some of the other traitors dies of botulism
Botulism
Botulism also known as botulinus intoxication is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin which is metabolic waste produced under anaerobic conditions by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and affecting a wide range of mammals, birds and fish...
before it could be enacted.
However, he was later cloned, and returns to loyally serve Cobra Commander for a time. The clone recognizes Megatron as a Decepticon (though not necessarily as Megatron himself) when he was first reanimated, in a reference to the G.I. Joe and the Transformers comic series by Marvel in the 1980s. The clone of Mindbender was created at around the same time as the launch of the Transformers: Generation 2
Transformers: Generation 2
Transformers: Generation 2 is the name used to refer to a Transformers toy line, television series and comic book series which ran from 1993-1995...
comic series, and Megatron and a number of Autobots appeared in a few issues of G.I. Joe at the same time that Mindbender's clone was created by Cobra Commander.
Devil's Due
Mindbender plays a major role in the first story-arc of the series G.I. Joe Frontlines. This takes place in the last few weeks of the original incarnation of the G.I. Joe team. Cobra forces have consolidated at Destro's castle. Mindbender involves himself heavily in the trickery and deceit that results when Cobra forces battle G.I. Joe throughout the castle for control of a space-based weapon.Several years after Frontlines, Cobra re-organizes. One of Mindbender's new projects is a new, more powerful Battle Android Trooper. This is stolen by the ninja-mercernary Firefly
Firefly (G.I. Joe)
Firefly is a fictional character in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero universe. He is a mercenary who works for the Cobra Organization as a saboteur.-Profile:...
.
When Serpentor returns, leading a renegade faction called the Coil, Mindbender returns to the side of his creation. When Serpentor was defeated again, Mindbender is captured, but managed to convince Cobra Commander to spare his life by offering him control of his latest creation, a weapon of mass destruction called the Tempest.
Mindbender ends up on the run over Cobra Island
Cobra Island
Cobra Island is a fictional country located in the Gulf of Mexico. It is the main base of operations for the fictional Cobra Organization featured in the G.I. Joe toyline from the 1980s. It is featured in the G.I. Joe cartoon and the comic book series created by Marvel Comics and Devil's Due...
, trying and failing to escape with the Joe agent 'Barrel Roll'. Mindbender is seen running into the forest, pursued by Cobra Vipers.
Commander gained control of the Tempest. He also shoots Mindbender in the back, killing him. This time, Mindbender's death appears to be permanent. According to the Data Desk, Mindbender is buried an unmarked grave in Potter's Field, sharing the same fate as Dr. Venom, the mad scientist he replaced.
IDW Comics
It is shown that Dr. Mindbender has played a role in many of the major scientific discoveries throughout the 20th century (including the development of the Atom Bomb, and something that is highly suggested to be the implementation of the polio vaccine). His main motivation is to fully exploit human intellectual capabilities so that humanity can replace God.Novels
Dr. Mindbender is the main villain of the gamebookGamebook
A gamebook is a work of fiction that allows the reader to participate in the story by making effective choices. The narrative branches along various paths through the use of numbered paragraphs or pages...
-style G.I. Joe novel Operation: Mindbender (ISBN 0-345-33786-7). In the story, Mindbender perfects a brainwashing process resulting in G.I. Joe members violently attacking their friends and allies.
Sunbow
Doctor Mindbender is first shown in the G.I. Joe episode "No Place Like Springfield Part 2" voiced by Brian CummingsBrian Cummings
Brian Cummings is an American voice actor.-Biography:He is known for his work in radio and television commercials, television and motion picture promos, cartoons and as the announcer on The All-New Let's Make a Deal from 1984 to 1985...
. Shipwreck runs through Cobra's base and knocks a vial of chemicals out of the doctor's hand. They land on his head, causing him to lose his hair. Mindbender is Cobra's chief interrogator and science officer. He hates Cobra Commander
Cobra Commander
Cobra Commander is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe franchise. He appears in the toyline, animated series , comic books, video games, and movie as the usual principal antagonist. He is the supreme leader of the terrorist organization Cobra, and archnemesis of the Joes...
(who calls him "Fender-Bender"). In "Arise Serpentor Arise", he collaborates with Destro and Tomax and Xamot in a plot to obtain DNA samples of the best militaristic minds in history, because he feels Cobra needs a leader that can inspire courage in its cowardly troops. This results in the creation of Serpentor
Serpentor
Serpentor is a fictional character from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a line of military-themed toys created by Hasbro. The character was introduced in 1986 as a toy with an air chariot and included in the animated series that same year.-Toys:...
. Doctor Mindbender is easily Serpentor's most loyal member of Cobra's High command (and as such Serpentor trusted Doctor Mindbender the most out of the Cobra High Command, even being exceptionally lenient if a mission's failure is Mindbender's fault), but there are times when he considers the monarch to be a "spoiled brat".
G.I. Joe: The Movie
In G.I. Joe: The MovieG.I. Joe: The Movie
G.I. Joe: The Movie is a 1987 animated film spun off from the animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, based on the original Hasbro toyline. It was produced by Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions and was animated in Japan by Toei Animation.Created at the height of the G.I. Joe craze in...
, it is revealed that the idea to create Serpentor was planted in Mindbender's brain by Golobulus (the leader of Cobra-La
Cobra-La
Cobra-La is a fictional civilization created by Hasbro for the military-themed toyline and TV series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Introduced to the public in G.I. Joe: The Movie and the 1987 series of action figures, Cobra-La was created as a reference to James Hilton's Lost Horizon, and the...
) using the "Psychic Motivator". Doctor Mindbender appears outraged by this, as he had thought of Serpentor as his own creation, but he quickly falls into line and begins serving Cobra-La. Doctor Mindbender is present in the final battle between Cobra, Cobra-La and the Joes.
Spy Troops and Valor vs. Venom
In the new continuity set by the CGI animated movies, Doctor Mindbender once again serves as Cobra's chief scientist. In G.I. Joe: Spy TroopsG.I. Joe: Spy Troops
G.I. Joe: Spy Troops is a 2003 direct-to-video CGI animated movie produced by Reel FX Creative Studios. Spy Troops is the first G.I. Joe movie to be released by Reel FX....
, he creates a new and improved Battle Android Trooper, and uses stolen G.I. Joe technology to create headsets which allow Destro
Destro
Laird James McCullen Destro XXIV, usually referred to simply as Destro, is a fictional villain from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line of military-themed toys from Hasbro. He is portrayed by Christopher Eccleston in the 2009 live-action film, G.I...
and Storm Shadow
Storm Shadow (G.I. Joe)
Storm Shadow is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book series and television shows. The character is best known for his history with fellow ninja Snake Eyes...
to control the B.A.T.s in battle. Doctor Mindbender is also working on Venom Troopers, but ultimately loses all of his research when the Cobra base is destroyed. Cobra Commander flippantly tells him to start over, leaving Doctor Mindbender shocked and appalled at such a suggestion.
For G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom
G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom
G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom is a direct-to-video CGI animated movie and sequel to G.I. Joe: Spy Troops. It was released in 2004 by Reel FX Creative Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Like Spy Troops, the film was written around the theme of the toys released that year. In this case, it...
, Doctor Mindbender has rebuilt all of his research, and the Venom project is now fully up and running. Thanks to Doctor Mindbender's genius, Cobra begins kidnapping people from around the world and turning them into animal/human hybrids. Doctor Mindbender warns Cobra Commander about putting too much Venom into a single subject but the Commander ignores him. The captured General Hawk
Hawk (G.I. Joe)
Hawk is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line of military-themed toys. He appears in the animated series, comic books, toyline, and movie.-Profile:...
is transformed into Venomous Maximus, a being so powerful he quickly seizes power of Cobra with the help of Overkill
Overkill (G.I. Joe)
Overkill is a character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline from Hasbro, which has spawned comics and cartoon series. He first appeared in the 1989 G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero incarnation of the series. He also appears in G.I...
. Cobra Commander and Doctor Mindbender are captured by Maximus and Overkill. As the Joes attack while Maximus goes to launch his Venom missile, Doctor Mindbender is forced to join forces with his G.I. Joe rival, Hi-Tech, and work against Maximus. They reverse the polarity of the Venom missiles, which in turn destroy Cobra's base. In the confusion following the battle, Doctor Mindbender makes his escape.
Sigma 6
Doctor Mindbender did not appear in G.I. Joe: Sigma 6G.I. Joe: Sigma 6
G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 is a line of military-themed action figures and toys produced by Hasbro, re-imagining the characters of the 1980s toyline, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.The Sigma 6 toy line served several purposes for Hasbro...
. Instead, Overkill has taken over his role as Cobra's chief scientist.
Renegades
In G.I. Joe: RenegadesG.I. Joe: Renegades
G.I. Joe: Renegades is an American animated television series based on the G.I. Joe toy franchise. The series premiered on November 26, 2010 on The Hub. The series aired on Teletoon in Canada....
, Doctor Mindbender appears as a young scientist named Dr. Brian Bender, who works for Cobra and is wanted for his illegal experiments. One of his experiments included the Bio Vipers. In "The Enemy of My Enemy," he was also responsible for creating the cobra Serpentor to be Cobra Commander's pet. It is also shown that he has gone into competition against Destro. In "Brothers of Light," he later obtained Tomax and Xamot to be used as part of his experiment that involved modifying the Bio Vipers.
In "Prodigal," it was revealed that Doctor Mindbender found Ripcord barely alive and experimented on him in order to make a human/Bio-Viper hybrid that would be Cobra Commander's first step to immortality. When Ripcord is abducted from the hospital by the Joes, Doctor Mindbender tells Cobra Commander that this is the perfect opportunity to track the Joes. It turned out that Doctor Mindbender had placed a control chip in Ripcord's head so that the Cobra Drones can have him transform into his Bio-Viper form. After Ripcord rejoined the Joes, Cobra Commander has begun to be fed-up with Doctor Mindbender and threatens to have Serpentor devour him. Doctor Mindbender is quick to remind Cobra Commander that he alone knows about his disease and can help treat it even stating that if Cobra Commander doesn't spare him, he'd had to see how his underlings see Cobra Commander in a weakened state. Cobra Commander allows Doctor Mindbender to live for now, but is quick to punish him with a electrical blast from his cane as a way of reminding the doctor who was in charge.
In "The Anomaly," Doctor Mindbender tries to recreate the human/Bio-Viper hybrid. The first one seems to fall apart but actually comes together in the sewers. When the Sewer Viper is mistakened as a Sewer Monster in New York, Cobra Commander sends Doctor Mindbender to reclaim it for sending some of Cobra's elite soldiers would end up having the Sewer Viper traced back to Cobra Industries. Doctor Mindbender manages to bring some Bio-Vipers along and have a fail-safe installed in the Bio-Vipers that would cause them to explode enough to level a section of the city in the event that Doctor Mindbender's neuro-link helmet is separated from him. When his Bio-Vipers managed to trap the Joes and Tunnel Rat's brother Teddy in the subway, Doctor Mindbender uses his neuro-link helmet to take control of Ripcord. When the Sewer Viper attacks, Doctor Mindbender tries to take control of it only for it to not have a control chip in it. The Sewer Viper manages to remove the control chip from Ripcord's head freeing him from Doctor Mindbender's control. Ripcord manages to destroy the neuro-link helmet and was about to take revenge on Doctor Mindbender for what he did for him only for Duke to intervene. When the Bio-Vipers start to explode, the Sewer Viper ends up sacrificing itself to absorb the blast while Doctor Mindbender escapes.
In "Revelations" Pt. 2, Doctor Mindbender and Destro end up working on rebuilding the M.A.S.S. Device that Scarlett's father Professor Patrick O'Hara worked on while attempting to replicate the crystal needed to power it.
In "Revelations" Pt. 2, Scarlett and Snake Eyes fight Baroness and Doctor Mindbender in the room where the M.A.S.S. device is. Overwhelming Bio-Vipers end up defeating Scarlett and Snake Eyes where a message that her father had said causes Baroness and Doctor Mindbender to force Scarlett into entering the code to the M.A.S.S. Device using Snake Eyes as bait. The M.A.S.S. Device is a success as Professor Patrick O'Hara emerges from the M.A.S.S. device. After Snake Eyes ends up destroying the M.A.S.S. Device, it's destruction causes a wormhole that sucks Baroness and Doctor Mindbender in. It is unknown what happened to them.
Live-action movie
Doctor Mindbender also appears in a flashback in the 2009 film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra played by Kevin J. O'Connor. In the remainder of the film the character known as 'The Doctor' is implied to be Doctor Mindbender by his characteristic monocle. It is revealed that he passed the secrets of nano-technology on to Rex Lewis (played by Joseph Gordon-LevittJoseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films....
), who was 'The Doctor' before assuming his Cobra Commander persona. His fate in the film is unclear; their laboratory is destroyed (leading to the Commander's severe scarring) but Rex tells Duke that Doctor Mindbender trained him in nanotechnology after the attack. In the DVD release, additional dialogue indicates that Doctor Mindbender survived. In the commentary, director Stephen Sommers
Stephen Sommers
Stephen Sommers is an American screenwriter and film director, best known for The Mummy and its sequel, The Mummy Returns. He also directed Disney's live action version of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, the action/horror film Van Helsing, and the 2009 film G.I...
says there is a good chance Doctor Mindbender would return in a sequel.
Popular culture
- Doctor Mindbender appears in the Robot ChickenRobot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
episode "Joint Point" voiced by Seth GreenSeth GreenSeth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
. In a documentary segment that parodies the Terrordrome in the style of The Office, Doctor Mindbender explains how he runs a class to train the Cobra Organization's new recruits. - The figure receives a brief mention in the 'Stephen King Companion' non-fiction essay collection.
- The character is described on page 128 of the magazine 'The New Yorker'. Volume 62, 1986.
- Another mention is made in 'Out of the garden: toys, TV, and children's culture in the age of marketing'.
External links
- Dr. Mindbender at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page
- Dr. Mindbender at YOJOE.com