Mad Thinker
Encyclopedia
The Mad Thinker is a fictional character
, a supervillain
in the . He is a genius specializing in evil robotics
and usually comes up with very elaborate infallible devious plans that unfold like clockwork.
The Mad Thinker was introduced by Stan Lee
and Jack Kirby
in Fantastic Four
#15 (June 1963). His real name and origin has never been revealed.
as his base and all organized crime members as his lieutenants. The Fantastic Four were lured away from New York just before a meteorite
struck the city and briefly knocked out electrical power, including the Baxter Building's defense systems. The Mad Thinker took the opportunity to create a robotic servant, the Awesome Android. He trapped the Fantastic Four in the lower quarters of the building but was eventually caught, after being stopped by an unforeseen factor: the building's mailman, Willie Lumpkin
, who on Reed's orders rang a bell at 4 pm, activating a circuit breaker Reed had built into all his devices.
It seemed that his primary objective had not really been to take over the city but to manipulate organized crime into helping him get into the Baxter building so that he could indulge his intellectual avarice by stealing the technology of Reed Richards. In that sense, the Fantastic Four did not really defeat him, they only defeated his pretext. The Mad Thinker would gladly get sent to prison for a peek at the secrets of what he considered the greatest mind in the world.
Prisons don't do well to hold the Mad Thinker and he escapes from all levels of incarceration with little difficulty. Often he doesn't even bother escaping, but simply transmits his thoughts into a robot body at one of his secret bases. He can not only do his work, but he has the perfect alibi—he's already in prison.
After his initial defeat against the Fantastic Four, the Mad Thinker teamed with the Puppet Master
for the first time. He used the original X-Men
through a mind-controlled Professor X
to battle the Fantastic Four. Again with the Puppet Master, he pitted the Thing
against the Human Torch
, but was foiled by Reed Richards
. Later he created a radio-controlled bouncing ball with which he tried to eliminate the Thing and Torch while they were at a new dam's opening and nearly brought down the ball, but the Torch was able to destroy it.
He then created Quasimodo
, a "living" computer. He located and revived the original Human Torch and used him to battle the present-day Torch. Later, with his Triumvirate of Terror (consisting of Piledriver, Hammerhead, and Thunderboot), he captured the Avengers
, and invaded Avengers Mansion
, believing that he had successfully overcome them by remembering to take advantage of the human element of his enemies' personalities that he had forgotten in the past, but he was nevertheless foiled by the unexpected intervention of Hercules
, who had only recently begun to stay with the Avengers following his exile from Olypmus.
The Mad Thinker impersonated Dr. Jose Santini, and disrupted an attempt to cure the Thing, causing the Thing to turn against the Fantastic Four. However, the Mad Thinker was captured by Mister Fantastic and the Human Torch From his prison cell, he sent a battle android against the Fantastic Four, but the android was sent into the Negative Zone
by Mister Fantastic.
He allied with the Puppet Master again and with Egghead
in their attempted blackmail of the United States government using a laser-firing satellite. Again with the Puppet Master, he attacked the Fantastic Four using androids of their past foes. With the Puppet Master, he then battled Spider-Man
and the Thing.
The Mad Thinker then took part in the Black Lama
's contest of super-villains, but was defeated by Iron Man
. Mad Thinker then re-established control of his robot the Scavenger and sent it against the Fantastic Four. He was defeated by Thundra
, Tigra
, and Brute
. He then battled the Thing, Daredevil
, Vision
, and Yellowjacket
. With the Puppet Master and Wizard
, he attempted to disrupt the wedding of the Human Torch and Alicia Masters
. The Mad Thinker later took control of the computers in Fantastic Four headquarters, but was foiled by Mister Fantastic.
The Mad Thinker later refused involvement in Loki
's "Acts of Vengeance
." He instead escaped prison, and sent Gargantua
against Wonder Man
and the Wasp
in an attempt to forestall the proposed Super-Powers Registration Act. Later, he attempted a robbery using robot dinosaurs, and was foiled by Destroyer
and Tattletale
of Power Pack
.
The Mad Thinker became interested in the young super-group called the New Warriors
, and posed them a riddle when they first formed. In the final issue of the series, the answer to the riddle was revealed: the Mad Thinker's nephew had accidentally gained uncontrollable superpowers from his lab, killing his mother in the process. Now, the Thinker wanted them to help him. Presumably they did so using the Neo-neutralizer they acquired in that adventure.
Since then, the Mad Thinker has been seen battling She-Hulk
in a prison escape attempt. However, this Mad Thinker was revealed to be merely yet another android duplicate of the real Mad Thinker. Following the destruction of this android, the Awesome Android (now calling itself Awesome Andy) took custody of the android's still-functional head until it was stolen by the teenage supervillain Southpaw
.
Although willing to kill heroes who get in his way, there are lines the Mad Thinker will not cross. A partnership with the Wizard
was cut short after the kidnapping of the child Franklin Richards
. The Wizard wished to experiment upon Franklin and learn the secret of his vast powers. The Mad Thinker, however, claimed that this had an almost certain probability of Franklin's death. When the Wizard acknowledged this but decided to continue anyway, an angry Thinker dissolved the partnership and helped lead Franklin's godfather, The Thing
, to where the Wizard had the boy hostage. Currently, the Mad Thinker has himself allied with the Puppet Master
, planning to strike against the Fantastic Four yet again. Told that he preferred to be called "The Thinker", The Puppet Master asked him why he had been called "The Mad Thinker" in the past. The reply was that he used to have "repressed anger issues". When the Puppet Master asks him about his anger, he replies that "it isn't repressed any more." He has built a device to amplify the Puppet Master's power so that they can escalate a battle between the two rival factions in the Super Hero Civil War
.
In exchange for not being connected to the crimes on Yancy Street
, Reed has the Thinker double check his calculations concerning the potential effects of not supporting the registration of all superheroes.
Mad Thinker, along with Awesome Android, later appear as members of the Intelligencia
. Mad Thinker even created the Gammadroid which he used to help MODOK and Hulk Robot
capture Red Hulk
.
and can rapidly organize and correlate vast amounts of information and perceive non-obvious patterns. He has the facilities and means to create all manner of sophisticated weaponry, androids, armor, and vehicles.
His analytical, mathematical, and geometrical abilities are of a sophisticated order not commonly found on Earth. He is particularly adept at computers, robotics, and artificial intelligence
, with Ph. D.s in computer science and engineering. He has constructed his own android, The Awesome Android, and twice resurrected the original Human Torch. He also built Quasimodo
and the Scavenger, and various other equipment as needed, including monocle-sized hypno-lenses. In addition to his own achievements he has stolen much of the secret technology of Reed Richards, back in the incident when he took over the Baxter building.
The Mad Thinker is also a proficient disguise artist. Through a surgically-implanted radio link, he is able to project his consciousness into an android simulacrum of himself.
The Thinker's intricate plans are most often foiled by what he refers to as the x-factor, or human unpredictability. Also the Thinker is not an intuitive genius (e.g., Reed Richards) and is thus incapable of true invention; instead, he synthesizes for his own use the creations of others (e.g., his android creations are based on discoveries of Reed Richards).
imprint, the Baxter Building
was the home of a Think Tank of young geniuses, funded by the US Government. A girl named Rhona Burchill was considered for the project, but was denied due to her borderline psychotic tendencies. Enraged, she went home and concocted an accelerant that would allow her to think many times faster. Needing more brain power to handle the drug, she anesthetized her brother Bobby, and using a crude surgical technique, cut out portions of his brain and grafted them onto her own. Claiming that "You don't need a Think Tank - You just need a thinker", she attacks the Baxter Building and lays a trap that ensnares the Fantastic Four, several soldiers and Fantastic Four supervisor Lt. Lumpkin
. When she tells her story in her now stream of consciousness speech pattern to the Four, Reed calls her mad. She replies, "If it's mad to think the unthinkable, then I'm the maddest thinker there ever was". Based on this comment, she has since been referred to as the Mad Thinker.
She also appeared as the villain in the Ultimate X4
miniseries, which showed her with an android resembling the Awesome Android, which she calls Robby. During this appearance she attempted to steal Cerebro
and use it to gain control of all the minds on the planet, but, with the aid of Wolverine
, Shadowcat
and Iceman
, the Fantastic Four were able to distract her until Reed could reprogram Cerebro to cause Rhona to develop the power of empathy rather than control, forcing her to shut Cerebro down or lose herself amid the pain of the world. Though she attempts to escape, Wolverine had cut a certain hose in her escape vehicle, causing it to explode on her when she activates the after burners.
Spidey Super Stories
) has Spider-Man
defeating the Mad Thinker by debating philosophy, severely boring the observing Uatu the Watcher
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the . He is a genius specializing in evil robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
and usually comes up with very elaborate infallible devious plans that unfold like clockwork.
The Mad Thinker was introduced by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
in Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
#15 (June 1963). His real name and origin has never been revealed.
Fictional character biography
The professional criminal mastermind known as the Mad Thinker made his debut fighting the Fantastic Four. He once attempted to take over New York City using the Baxter BuildingBaxter Building
The Baxter Building is a fictitious 35-story office building in Manhattan whose five upper floors house the Fantastic Four's headquarters in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
as his base and all organized crime members as his lieutenants. The Fantastic Four were lured away from New York just before a meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
struck the city and briefly knocked out electrical power, including the Baxter Building's defense systems. The Mad Thinker took the opportunity to create a robotic servant, the Awesome Android. He trapped the Fantastic Four in the lower quarters of the building but was eventually caught, after being stopped by an unforeseen factor: the building's mailman, Willie Lumpkin
Willie Lumpkin
Willie Lumpkin is a fictional supporting character in the Marvel Universe, who is best known as the mailman of the Fantastic Four in their self-titled comic book.-Newspaper comic strip:...
, who on Reed's orders rang a bell at 4 pm, activating a circuit breaker Reed had built into all his devices.
It seemed that his primary objective had not really been to take over the city but to manipulate organized crime into helping him get into the Baxter building so that he could indulge his intellectual avarice by stealing the technology of Reed Richards. In that sense, the Fantastic Four did not really defeat him, they only defeated his pretext. The Mad Thinker would gladly get sent to prison for a peek at the secrets of what he considered the greatest mind in the world.
Prisons don't do well to hold the Mad Thinker and he escapes from all levels of incarceration with little difficulty. Often he doesn't even bother escaping, but simply transmits his thoughts into a robot body at one of his secret bases. He can not only do his work, but he has the perfect alibi—he's already in prison.
After his initial defeat against the Fantastic Four, the Mad Thinker teamed with the Puppet Master
Puppet Master (comics)
The Puppet Master, real name Phillip Masters, is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Fantastic Four comics. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four volume 1 #8...
for the first time. He used the original X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
through a mind-controlled Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
to battle the Fantastic Four. Again with the Puppet Master, he pitted the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
against the Human Torch
Human Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
, but was foiled by Reed Richards
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
. Later he created a radio-controlled bouncing ball with which he tried to eliminate the Thing and Torch while they were at a new dam's opening and nearly brought down the ball, but the Torch was able to destroy it.
He then created Quasimodo
Quasimodo (comics)
Quasimodo , also known as the Living Computer, is a supervillain in the Marvel Universe...
, a "living" computer. He located and revived the original Human Torch and used him to battle the present-day Torch. Later, with his Triumvirate of Terror (consisting of Piledriver, Hammerhead, and Thunderboot), he captured the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
, and invaded Avengers Mansion
Avengers Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, Avengers Mansion has traditionally been the base of the Avengers. The enormous, city block-sized building is located at 890 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City.-Creative origin:...
, believing that he had successfully overcome them by remembering to take advantage of the human element of his enemies' personalities that he had forgotten in the past, but he was nevertheless foiled by the unexpected intervention of Hercules
Hercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
, who had only recently begun to stay with the Avengers following his exile from Olypmus.
The Mad Thinker impersonated Dr. Jose Santini, and disrupted an attempt to cure the Thing, causing the Thing to turn against the Fantastic Four. However, the Mad Thinker was captured by Mister Fantastic and the Human Torch From his prison cell, he sent a battle android against the Fantastic Four, but the android was sent into the Negative Zone
Negative Zone
The Negative Zone is a fictional setting, an antimatter universe depicted in publications from Marvel Comics, most frequently in Fantastic Four and Captain Marvel. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it first appeared in Fantastic Four #51 .-Fictional description:The Negative Zone in the Marvel...
by Mister Fantastic.
He allied with the Puppet Master again and with Egghead
Egghead (comics)
Egghead is the name of two fictional Marvel Comics villains. The original first appeared in Tales to Astonish #38. He is also the arch-nemesis of super-hero Henry Pym. The second first appeared in Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1.-Elihas Starr:...
in their attempted blackmail of the United States government using a laser-firing satellite. Again with the Puppet Master, he attacked the Fantastic Four using androids of their past foes. With the Puppet Master, he then battled Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and the Thing.
The Mad Thinker then took part in the Black Lama
Black Lama
Black Lama is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Black Lama first appeared in Iron Man #53 , and was created by Mike Friedrich, George Tuska, and Jim Starlin....
's contest of super-villains, but was defeated by Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
. Mad Thinker then re-established control of his robot the Scavenger and sent it against the Fantastic Four. He was defeated by Thundra
Thundra
Thundra is a Marvel Comics superheroine who is often aligned with the Fantastic Four. She is a powerful, red haired, amazon-like warrior, or Femizon, from a matriarchal, technologically advanced future timeline where men have been subjugated by women...
, Tigra
Tigra
Tigra is a fictional American comic book superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. Introduced as the non-superpowered crime fighter The Cat in Claws of the Cat #1 , she was co-created by writer-editor Roy Thomas, writer Linda Fite, and penciller Marie Severin...
, and Brute
Brute (Reed Richards)
Brute is a fictional character featured in Marvel Comics publications, most notably Fantastic Four.-Publication history:The Reed Richards of Counter-Earth first appeared in Marvel Premiere #2 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane....
. He then battled the Thing, Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
, Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
, and Yellowjacket
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
. With the Puppet Master and Wizard
Wizard (Marvel Comics)
The Wizard , also known as the Wingless Wizard, is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe...
, he attempted to disrupt the wedding of the Human Torch and Alicia Masters
Lyja
Lyja is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. As a Skrull, she possesses the ability to shapeshift into almost any humanoid or animal form. Modifications on her body gave her the power to generate energy blasts.-Fictional character biography:...
. The Mad Thinker later took control of the computers in Fantastic Four headquarters, but was foiled by Mister Fantastic.
The Mad Thinker later refused involvement in Loki
Loki (comics)
Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of the superhero Thor. He is based on the being of the same name from Norse mythology...
's "Acts of Vengeance
Acts of Vengeance
"Acts of Vengeance" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through several titles published by Marvel Comics from December 1989 to February 1990.-Publication history:...
." He instead escaped prison, and sent Gargantua
Gargantua (comics)
Gargantua is a fictional character and exists in the Marvel Universe. He first appeared in Defenders #126.-Fictional character biography:...
against Wonder Man
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
and the Wasp
Wasp (comics)
The Wasp is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe and founding member of The Avengers. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 ....
in an attempt to forestall the proposed Super-Powers Registration Act. Later, he attempted a robbery using robot dinosaurs, and was foiled by Destroyer
Jack Power
Jonathan "Jack" Power, currently known as Mass Master, formerly Counterweight and Destroyer, is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' universe. He first appeared in Power Pack #1 and was created by Louise Simonson and June Brigman.-Publication history:Jack was a founding member of the superhero...
and Tattletale
Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in Fantastic Four.Franklin is an Omega-Level mutant with vast psionic and reality-manipulating powers...
of Power Pack
Power Pack
Power Pack is a fictional team of comic book superheroes consisting of four young siblings who appear in books published by Marvel Comics. They were created by writer Louise Simonson and artist June Brigman and first appeared in their own series in 1984. The series lasted 62 issues...
.
The Mad Thinker became interested in the young super-group called the New Warriors
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
, and posed them a riddle when they first formed. In the final issue of the series, the answer to the riddle was revealed: the Mad Thinker's nephew had accidentally gained uncontrollable superpowers from his lab, killing his mother in the process. Now, the Thinker wanted them to help him. Presumably they did so using the Neo-neutralizer they acquired in that adventure.
Since then, the Mad Thinker has been seen battling She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....
in a prison escape attempt. However, this Mad Thinker was revealed to be merely yet another android duplicate of the real Mad Thinker. Following the destruction of this android, the Awesome Android (now calling itself Awesome Andy) took custody of the android's still-functional head until it was stolen by the teenage supervillain Southpaw
Southpaw (comics)
Southpaw is a fictional character that first appeared in the Marvel comic She-Hulk. She is Holden Holliway's granddaughter and in the custody of She-Hulk ....
.
Although willing to kill heroes who get in his way, there are lines the Mad Thinker will not cross. A partnership with the Wizard
Wizard (Marvel Comics)
The Wizard , also known as the Wingless Wizard, is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe...
was cut short after the kidnapping of the child Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in Fantastic Four.Franklin is an Omega-Level mutant with vast psionic and reality-manipulating powers...
. The Wizard wished to experiment upon Franklin and learn the secret of his vast powers. The Mad Thinker, however, claimed that this had an almost certain probability of Franklin's death. When the Wizard acknowledged this but decided to continue anyway, an angry Thinker dissolved the partnership and helped lead Franklin's godfather, The Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
, to where the Wizard had the boy hostage. Currently, the Mad Thinker has himself allied with the Puppet Master
Puppet Master (comics)
The Puppet Master, real name Phillip Masters, is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Fantastic Four comics. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four volume 1 #8...
, planning to strike against the Fantastic Four yet again. Told that he preferred to be called "The Thinker", The Puppet Master asked him why he had been called "The Mad Thinker" in the past. The reply was that he used to have "repressed anger issues". When the Puppet Master asks him about his anger, he replies that "it isn't repressed any more." He has built a device to amplify the Puppet Master's power so that they can escalate a battle between the two rival factions in the Super Hero Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
.
In exchange for not being connected to the crimes on Yancy Street
Yancy Street Gang
The Yancy Street Gang are a fictional street gang occasionally featured in the Fantastic Four comic book published by Marvel Comics. The Yancy Street Gang was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Fantastic Four #15 , though mostly off-panel; as in most of their appearances,...
, Reed has the Thinker double check his calculations concerning the potential effects of not supporting the registration of all superheroes.
Mad Thinker, along with Awesome Android, later appear as members of the Intelligencia
Intelligencia (comics)
The Intelligencia is a name of a fictional supervillain team that appears as an antagonist in the Hulk comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Fall of the Hulks: Alpha ....
. Mad Thinker even created the Gammadroid which he used to help MODOK and Hulk Robot
Hulk Robot
The Hulk Robot is a Marvel Comics robot that is modeled after the Hulk.-Fictional character biography:Rusty and Arthur are two Maryland Institute of Technology students who constructed the Hulk Robot to be the mascot for their school's all-star game, but Dr. Timothy Ryan considered it dangerous and...
capture Red Hulk
Thunderbolt Ross
General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary of the Hulk, sometimes as a supervillain. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, ex-father in-law of Glenn Talbot and the father in-law...
.
Powers and abilities
The Mad Thinker has no superhuman powers. However, he is an extraordinary genius with knowledge of technology centuries beyond conventional science. He has an eidetic memoryEidetic memory
Eidetic , commonly referred to as photographic memory, is a medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme precision and in abundant volume. The word eidetic, referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but...
and can rapidly organize and correlate vast amounts of information and perceive non-obvious patterns. He has the facilities and means to create all manner of sophisticated weaponry, androids, armor, and vehicles.
His analytical, mathematical, and geometrical abilities are of a sophisticated order not commonly found on Earth. He is particularly adept at computers, robotics, and artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, with Ph. D.s in computer science and engineering. He has constructed his own android, The Awesome Android, and twice resurrected the original Human Torch. He also built Quasimodo
Quasimodo (comics)
Quasimodo , also known as the Living Computer, is a supervillain in the Marvel Universe...
and the Scavenger, and various other equipment as needed, including monocle-sized hypno-lenses. In addition to his own achievements he has stolen much of the secret technology of Reed Richards, back in the incident when he took over the Baxter building.
The Mad Thinker is also a proficient disguise artist. Through a surgically-implanted radio link, he is able to project his consciousness into an android simulacrum of himself.
The Thinker's intricate plans are most often foiled by what he refers to as the x-factor, or human unpredictability. Also the Thinker is not an intuitive genius (e.g., Reed Richards) and is thus incapable of true invention; instead, he synthesizes for his own use the creations of others (e.g., his android creations are based on discoveries of Reed Richards).
Ultimate Thinker
In the Ultimate MarvelUltimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
imprint, the Baxter Building
Baxter Building
The Baxter Building is a fictitious 35-story office building in Manhattan whose five upper floors house the Fantastic Four's headquarters in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
was the home of a Think Tank of young geniuses, funded by the US Government. A girl named Rhona Burchill was considered for the project, but was denied due to her borderline psychotic tendencies. Enraged, she went home and concocted an accelerant that would allow her to think many times faster. Needing more brain power to handle the drug, she anesthetized her brother Bobby, and using a crude surgical technique, cut out portions of his brain and grafted them onto her own. Claiming that "You don't need a Think Tank - You just need a thinker", she attacks the Baxter Building and lays a trap that ensnares the Fantastic Four, several soldiers and Fantastic Four supervisor Lt. Lumpkin
Willie Lumpkin
Willie Lumpkin is a fictional supporting character in the Marvel Universe, who is best known as the mailman of the Fantastic Four in their self-titled comic book.-Newspaper comic strip:...
. When she tells her story in her now stream of consciousness speech pattern to the Four, Reed calls her mad. She replies, "If it's mad to think the unthinkable, then I'm the maddest thinker there ever was". Based on this comment, she has since been referred to as the Mad Thinker.
She also appeared as the villain in the Ultimate X4
Ultimate X4
Ultimate X4 is a Marvel Comics miniseries, set in the Ultimate Marvel universe outside the mainstream continuity. It features a crossover between the Ultimate X-Men and the Ultimate Fantastic Four. This miniseries is the first canonical team-up of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four in the Ultimate...
miniseries, which showed her with an android resembling the Awesome Android, which she calls Robby. During this appearance she attempted to steal Cerebro
Cerebro
In the Marvel Comics universe, Cerebro is a device that the X-Men use to detect humans, specifically mutants. It was created by Xavier and Magneto, and was later enhanced by Dr. Hank McCoy...
and use it to gain control of all the minds on the planet, but, with the aid of Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
, Shadowcat
Kitty Pryde
Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 and was created by writer-artist John Byrne....
and Iceman
Iceman (comics)
Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....
, the Fantastic Four were able to distract her until Reed could reprogram Cerebro to cause Rhona to develop the power of empathy rather than control, forcing her to shut Cerebro down or lose herself amid the pain of the world. Though she attempts to escape, Wolverine had cut a certain hose in her escape vehicle, causing it to explode on her when she activates the after burners.
What If?
In a parody issue of What If?, the entry entitled "Spidey Intellectual Stories" (a send-up of The Electric Company'sThe Electric Company
The Electric Company is an educational American children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop for PBS in the United States. PBS broadcast 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971 to April 15, 1977...
Spidey Super Stories
Spidey Super Stories
"Spidey Super Stories" was a live-action, recurring skit on the PBS children's television series The Electric Company. Episodes featured the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, provided to the Children's Television Workshop free of charge, and was played by puppeteer Danny Seagren...
) has Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
defeating the Mad Thinker by debating philosophy, severely boring the observing Uatu the Watcher
Uatu
Uatu, often simply known as The Watcher, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and designed by artist Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #13 ....
.
Television
- The Mad Thinker appeared in the Iron Man segment of The Marvel Super Heroes.
- The Mad Thinker is referenced in The Super Hero Squad ShowThe Super Hero Squad ShowThe Super Hero Squad Show is an American cartoon series by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the characters of the Marvel Universe in a cartoonish super-deformed-style...
episode "This Forest Green." When Egghead states that Doctor Doom is more clever than him, Doctor Doom mentions Reed Richards, Bruce Banner, and Mad Thinker. - The Mad Thinker appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest HeroesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest HeroesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is an American animated television series by Marvel Animation in cooperation with Film Roman based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. The show debuted on Disney XD in Fall 2010 starting with a 20 part micro-series. A second season has been...
, voiced by Danny MannDanny MannDaniel "Danny" Mann is an American voice actor, writer, singer, musician, and production manager. He is best known for his voice of Hector from Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats, Freeway, Cloudraker and Lightspeed in Transformers, Backwoods Beagle in DuckTales, Kaltag in Balto, Ferdinand from Babe,...
. In the episode "The Man in the Ant Hill," Mad Thinker is an inmate at the Big HouseBig House (comics)Big House is the name of a fictional prison appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. It is also called the Lang Memorial Penitentiary.-History:The Big House is the United States' newest maximum security prison...
. He tells Whirlwind that he has planned many ways of escape. He mentions to Whirlwind that the Big House is one of the four major supervillain prisons and that when their systems break down, every villain will take the opportunity to escape. In the episode "The Breakout" Pt. 1, Ant-Man visits Mad Thinker's cell when he saw footage of Mad Thinker's conversation with Whirlwind. During that time, the Big House's security systems break down as Mad Thinker predicted. He takes the opportunity to escape during the chaos. - The Ultimate version of Mad Thinker appears in Iron Man: Armored AdventuresIron Man: Armored AdventuresIron Man: Armored Adventures is a 3D CGI cartoon series based on the Marvel Comics superhero Iron Man. It debuted in the USA on the Nicktoons on April 24, 2009, and has already begun airing on Canadian network Teletoon. The series is story edited by showrunner Christopher Yost, who also worked on...
. She is a gothic girl named Rhona Erwin who was the smartest girl at the Tomorrow Academy until Tony Stark enrolled. She and Tony had an argument in class causing the teacher to send Tony to the principal's office. In the episode "Ready A.I.M. Fire," Rhonda and Andy are mentioned when discussing Basil SandhurstController (Marvel Comics)The Controller, real name Basil Sandhurst, is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Universe. He specializes in mind control, and is a frequent foe of Iron Man. Marvel Comics writer Archie Goodwin created the character, and Marvel artist George Tuska designed him.-Fictional...
's conversation with Tony. In the episode "All the Best People are Mad," Rhona and her brother Andy slip sleeping gas into the school and places Tony into competing the D.A.T.s (Deadly Aptitude Tests) with Pepper Potts, James Rhodes, Happy Hogan, and Whitney Stane placed in different death traps (similar to the Saw franchise). Her motive in this is that she claims the Tony is a fraud in geniuses. In Tony's first test, Pepper is chained to a pole in the auditorium with it's shackles being part of his history question and uses the mirrors and amplified lights referencing the question on who invented the first laser that was used to sink Roman ships in Ancient Rome. Upon guessing ArchimedesArchimedesArchimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an...
, Pepper is freed upon Tony guessing it right. When asked by Andy if he can activate the next death trap. Rhona tells him that she's the supervillain and he's just her henchman With James Rhodes, Whitney Stane, and Happy Hogan's lives threatened, Tony is forced to continue the D.A.T.s. For the second challenge revolving around math, James Rhodes is strapped to a round table with a chainsaw descending on it. Upon reaching Room 314, the floor is rigged with traps that launch saw blades upon the wrong plates being stepped on. Tony ends up going on the numbers that represents Double Pi and saves James. Rhona goes by Andy's requests by having Tony uses one of his friends for his lifeline. For the third challenge revolving around philosophy, Happy Hogan is strapped to a electric chair. When asked who said "I think therefore I amCogito ergo sumis a philosophical Latin statement proposed by . The simple meaning of the phrase is that someone wondering whether or not they exist is, in and of itself, proof that something, an "I", exists to do the thinking — However this "I" is not the more or less permanent person we call "I"...
," Tony states René DescartesRené DescartesRené Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
and Happy Hogan ends up freed. For the fourth challenge revolving around music, Whitney Stane is trapped in a container that is slowly filling with poison gas. Tony is told to identify the musical piece that was playing and Happy helps Tony to identify Ludwig van BeethovenLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's Symphony No. 3Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven)Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E flat major , also known as the Eroica , is a landmark musical work marking the full arrival of the composer's "middle-period," a series of unprecedented large scale works of emotional depth and structural rigor.The symphony is widely regarded as a mature...
and Whitney Stane is freed. Rhona then ends up going on the final question revolving around physics where about what is the heaviest nucleus. With help from his friends, Tony ends up disarming the bomb before it can blow up the East Wing. Displeased at losing, Rhona sends Andy to take car of Tony's friends. After Andy is knocked down by Iron Man, Rhona uses a laser gun used from Henry PymHenry PymDr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
's gun. Rhona ends up fighting Whitney Stane and Pepper Potts. When Andy is badly damaged by Rhona, she is devastated by this. Rhona is arrested by the FBI upon their arrival. Rhona is revealed by Pepper's father to be Rhona Burchill who had escaped from Ravencroft (where she was after she tried to blow up the Baxter School) and that Andy was created to be the closest thing she has to family. Rhona vows to make Iron Man pay for this and quotes one of William Shakespeare's line. Rhona is then taken away by a Ravencroft doctor that is actually one of Rhona's androids.
Miscellaneous
- In the spin-off comic book to The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest HeroesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest HeroesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is an American animated television series by Marvel Animation in cooperation with Film Roman based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. The show debuted on Disney XD in Fall 2010 starting with a 20 part micro-series. A second season has been...
cartoon, Mad Thinker and his creations, Awesome Android and QuasimodoQuasimodo (comics)Quasimodo , also known as the Living Computer, is a supervillain in the Marvel Universe...
are committing a criminal activity. They are defeated and arrested by Ant-Man and the Hulk.
External links
- Mad Thinker at Marvel.com
- Ultimate Mad Thinker at Marvel.com