Cobra
Scientist
& Master of Mind Control
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File Name: Unknown
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Birthplace: Unknown |
Primary Military
Specialty: Genetic Engineer
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Secondary
Military Specialty: Orthodontist
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Status: Killed in action
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First Appearance:
G.I. JOE #44
(February 1986)
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"Hrmph! This Dr. Mindbender thinks more
highly of himself than Major Bludd does!"
— Cobra Commander
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There
are many rumors about Dr.
Mindbender's
past, but the most persistant one is that he was once a kind and honest
orthodontist experimenting with electric brainwave stimulation as a
means
of relieving dental pain. Using himself as his own test subject, the
doctor
performed an experiment that went awry and transformed him into the
cruel,
vain and amoral Dr. Mindbender. Now free from any sense of right and
wrong,
Mindbender continued to experiment with mind control and other projects
that no reputable or ethical scientist would ever conceive of.
Mindbender
began to
build
quite
a reputation in the underworld and caught the attention of Cobra. Using
his "creeper bombs" -- incredibly fast-growing vines that grew pods
that
could burst open and release sleeping gas -- and his incredibly
advanced
Battle Android Troopers, Mindbender
demonstrated his abilities to
Destro
and the Baroness by attacking a group of
newly-recruited Joes being
trained
by Lady Jaye. (At the time, the Doctor had
no idea that some of his
BATs'
components were actually supplied by Destro's weapons manufacturing
company.)
The Joes defeated the Doctor's creations, but Destro and the Baroness
recognized
his genius. Even so, Destro was still disgusted by Mindbender's extreme
arrogance,
sometimes mocking the Doctor by calling him "Dr. Brainwave". Cobra Commander shared Destro's distaste for the
scientist, noting upon their first meeting: "Hrmph! This Dr.
Mindbender thinks more highly of himself than Major
Bludd does!"
When he
first
arrived on Cobra Island, Mindbender used his jet ski-like
torpedo transports (Hydro-sleds) against the Joes when they attempted
to
rescue Ripcord, Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow. During the battle,
the
Baroness
gunned-down and seemingly killed an unarmed Storm Shadow. Keeping his
reasons to
himself,
Mindbender ordered that the ninja's body be kept and stored.
Shortly after joining
Cobra,
Dr. Mindbender proposed an incredibly ambitious project to Cobra
Commander.
To assure Cobra's success, the organization needed a great warrior to
lead
it into battle. But, instead of trying to find such a man, why not
create
him? He postulated that by using cloning technology to combine the DNA
of several ideal candidates, a new, perfect soldier could be created.
But
instead of using genetic materials of the living, Mindbender would
combine
the genes of history's greatest warriors. Cobra Commander was willing
to
let the Doctor attempt it, and authorized the use Cobra's resources to
that end. With the help of Destro and the Baroness, Mindbender broke
into
tombs, museums and mausoleums to find the remains of history's most
famed
soldiers. Once that was complete, Mindbender set up a laboratory in the
Museum of Antiquities in the Cobra-controlled town of Springfield.
Highly
advanced computers and medical equipment combined the dead men's DNA
into
a single pattern. Mindbender created a dozen separate clone bodies, and
used each one as a test for his final creation. When he had mastered
the process, Mindbender finally encoded the DNA pattern into a single
clone body.
That
would give the warrior the best mental and physical potential of all
the
great soldiers. After accelerating its growth to artficially age his
new creation, to give the new being memories, Mindbender simply
entered
data into the brain as one would a computer -- with the help of the
late
Dr. Venom's Brain-wave Scanner -- and historical fact became several
lifetimes
of memories. In addition, Mindbender connected himself to the scanner
to
instill a loyalty to Cobra in his creation. He also used the apparently
lifeless body of Storm Shadow as "fresh meat" for his project, which
may
have helped wake Storm Shadow from the near-death ninja trance that
helped
him survive being shot. In the midst of the final stage of the project,
the G.I. Joe team staged an invasion of
Springfield. As the battle
raged
outside, the new being came to life. Mindbender dubbed him "Serpentor",
because it had "a snake-like ring to it". Serpentor seemed to know
every
move the Joes were making and he convinced Destro to allow him to lead
the Cobra troops in a holding action against the Joes to let Cobra
evacuate
the town. In the fighting that followed, Serpentor led the attack
personally,
displaying not only his tactical skills but his charismatic leadership.
Upon arrival at Cobra Island, the Commander ordered Mindbender to
destroy his other young clones, fearing they would fall into the wrong
hands. In reality, the Doctor transferred the clones, still floating
inside giant vats, to a hidden laboratory on the island that even Cobra
Commander was unaware of. Mindbender remained at Serpentor's
side, seemingly enamored with his
own
creation. Serpentor's successes boosted Mindbender's already high
opinion
of himself. He took Serpentor's side when he and Cobra Commander were
at
odds after the Battle of Springfield. After an attack on G.I. Joe
headquarters,
Cobra Commander and Destro were presumed dead, allowing Serpentor to
take
control of Cobra.
As
Serpentor expanded
Cobra's
weapon sales business, Mindbender took charge of the Terror-Drome
project.
Cobra sold their Terror-Drome launch bases to any nation that could pay
for them, and in doing so played a part in further destabilizing
already-chaotic
regions of the world. Mindbender and the Baroness were stationed at the
Terror-Drome in Sierra Gordo in the midst of the counter-revolution.
When
Snake-Eyes was sent in on a recon mission, the commando was captured
and
subjected to Mindbender's upgraded version of the late Dr. Venom's
Brain-wave
Scanner. Mindbender also had a new lab set up in the Cobra Consulate in
New York City, were he continued to refine the Scanner. The
Terror-Drome
project finally came to fruition many months later when the launch
base's
secret was revealed in Frusenland. The bases' paranoia-inducing low
frequency
sound wave transmitters were activated, helping to spark civil unrest
in
the country. The Joes arrived just in time and revealed Cobra's
treachery
to the country's prime minister, ruining the Terror-Drome operation.
Shortly
after the debacle in Frusenland, Mindbender and Serpentor discovered
that
Cobra Commander was in fact an imposter: the Crimson Guardsman Fred
VII.
They kept the information to themselves, hoping to find the best way to
use the information to their advantage.
Mindbender's next creation
was the surgically-enhanced Cobra pilot known as the Star-Viper. He was
intended to pilot Cobra's new Stiletto rocket plane, but Mindbender
wanted
to prove the Star-Viper's usefulness in other areas. With Serpentor's
approval,
the Star-Viper was sent to investigate the Utah Army base where some
G.I.
Joe activity had been detected. The enhanced Viper infiltrated Joe
headquarters
and stole a top secret electronic "black box" from the space shuttle
Defiant.
The device was extremely valuable to the Pentagon, but when the
Star-Viper
returned to Cobra Island with his prize, a fist fight broke out between
Serpentor and the Cobra Commander imposter, Fred VII. The fight quickly
led to a civil war on the island, and though most had forgotten the
black
box, Mindbender snatched it up for safe keeping. Mindbender was
Serpentor's
closest advisor during the war, and when the war seemed to be favoring
Fred VII, the scientist suggested using the black box to make a deal
with
the United States. Mindbender himself flew to Washington and a deal was
struck for the G.I. Joe team to enter the war on Serpentor's side. With
the Joes' help the tide of the war turned, but in the middle of a
battle,
Zartan fired an arrow that struck
and killed
Serpentor. Fearing for
himself,
Mindbender ran towards enemy lines and quickly made a deal with Fred's
forces. The Joes were forced to leave the island, in disgrace.
Afterwards,
the Doctor told Fred VII that he knew his true identity, and allied
himself
with the fake Cobra Commander. Hoping to stay in Fred's good graces,
Mindbender
then staged an assault on the Pit in Utah, based on the information
provided
by the Star-Viper. The Joes learned of the invasion and moved the
base's
surface buildings to hide their true underground headquarters. Cobra
forces
destroyed the Joes' buildings and discovered solid earth underneath.
Mindbender
was enraged and humiliated.
Since even
before
Serpentor's death, Dr. Mindbender had been experimenting with one of
the other Serpentor clones. He modified its physical appearance, and
artificially aged so that it would in no way resemble the original
Serpentor. Following the Cobra Island civil war, he hatched a plan and
recruited Zartan's brother, Zandar, to help
him. Through an alias, Zandar served as Mindbender's representative
while he brokered a deal with one of the corrupt generals who was part
of the cabal known as the Jugglers. Mindbender sold the altered clone
to the general, who intended to use it in the future as a super soldier
under his own control. But Mindbender himself hoped to use the
clone as a secret weapon against both G.I. Joe and Cobra, should the
need arise. With the help of the hypnotist, Crystal Ball, the clone
was programmed to be suggestive to commands and controllable through
various post-hypnotic code-word triggers. The Jugglers were
unaware of the post-hypnotic suggestions, allowing Mindbender to have a
sleeper agent hidden amongst his enemies. Circumstances would soon
bring an abrupt end to Mindbender's plan, but many years later, the
Jugglers would activate the
clone under the guise of General Philip Rey.
Months after
his failure in
Utah, Dr. Mindbender was approached by Raptor, who offered to tell him
where the body of the original Cobra Commander was buried. They both
considered
using the Commander's DNA and the technology that created Serpentor to
create a new leader. After they arrived at the Commander's gravesite,
they
discovered Cobra Commander was alive and well, having been rescued
years
before by his loyal Crimson Guard. The
Commander decided it was time to
return, to Cobra and rounded up many of his enemies, including
Mindbender.
Along with several others, Mindbender was imprisoned inside Cobra
Island's
landlocked freighter, which the Commander buried under the rubble of a
collapsed volcano. Nearly all those inside apparently died from spoiled
rations
--
the only food inside the ship. Mindbender's lifeless body was
discovered
by Cobra Vipers months later.
That should
have been the
end
of the story of Dr. Mindbender, but for a man who learned to create
life,
death was only a challenge to overcome. Before his death, Mindbender
had
stored the data that made up his memories in the same computer system
he
had used to construct Serpentor's brain. With this and samples of his
own
DNA, the evil genius left behind a blueprint for his own resurrection.
His equipment remained untouched in his lab on Cobra Island for years
until
Cobra Commander abandoned the island and took back control of the
Silent
Castle in Trans-Carpathia. There, the Commander set up Mindbender's lab
equipment, which now included a lifeless body floating in the same
cloning
tank that Serpentor had emerged from years before. It was in the Silent
Castle that the body began to show signs of life. A short time later,
Cobra
Commander traveled to the Cobra-controlled town of Millville. While
Vipers
were off-loading the cloning tank from a helicopter, a resident of the
town began to resist Cobra's brainwashing and knocked the tank to the
ground.
The tank shattered and the man smashed a portable Brain-wave Scanner
near
it, sending bolts of electricity into the liquid surrounding the barely
alive body. The jolt of energy suddenly brought life to the body, and
Dr.
Mindbender had returned. The scientist soon returned to his evil ways,
now fully supporting Cobra Commander. With Mindbender's help, the
Commander
used mind control to bend Destro, the Baroness, Zartan and Billy to his
will, giving Cobra a new high command. The Doctor also created
holographic
illusions to confuse any who entered the Silent Castle, and designed a
new suit of battle armor for Cobra Commander that could be hidden
beneath
his normal uniform. Just as Cobra gained
territory
in Eastern Europe, an allied military force attacked and defeated the
terrorist
organization. In the wake of that conflict, most of Cobra's high
command
scattered and went into hiding.
Dr.
Mindbender went underground for
years (though he did spend some time working for Destro's weapons
company) until
2001, when Cobra Commander called together his former lieutenants.
Mindbender
was one of the many who answered the call, ready to serve a new,
revitalized
Cobra.
One of his first new projects was yet another upgrade to his Battle
Android Trooper. But Mindbender lost control of his newest BAT and was
nearly killed in the process. The android went on a rampage through
Chicago while Mindbender, the Dreadnoks and a number of Joes tried to
stop it. After the failure of his BAT, Mindbender went
into hiding as
he began to have strange dreams of his past life, long before he was
revived in his new cloned body. Through his current dreams he began to
realize that he had some kind of psychic link to the Serpentor clones
he had left on Cobra Island when he died,
perhaps because his new body was created the same way that they were.
He also came to know that Serpentor's body had been preserved many
years ago and had since been revived by a secret group known as The
Coil. The other clones, now children, had been discovered some time
after Cobra Island was abandoned and had been placed with foster
families. Dr. Mindbender
gathered three of the children and when Serpentor finally revealed
himself to rescue the remaining children from the Joes, Mindbender
joined him.
With The Coil as his personal army
headquartered
on Cobra
Island, Serpentor launched an attack on the world. His forces soon
battled the Joes and Cobra, and were defeated. When the battle was
over, Serpentor was missing and presumed dead. Mindbender fled for his
life as the Commander vowed that he could never escape him. The Doctor
eventually found his way off of the Island and made his
way to the
Dreadnoks' compound in Florida, hoping to make a deal with Zartan. He
told Zartan he would not reveal to Cobra Commander that Zandar had
betrayed him on Cobra Island if Zartan helped him retrieve a device
called the Tempest, which The Coil was digging up in Europe. Despite
his threats, Mindbender was held prisoner at Zartan's compound while he
left to rescue Cobra Commander from incarceration in a government
facility. But he was soon horrified to discover that the person he
thought was Zartan had been Cobra Commander in disguise, and it was in
fact Zartan who had been rescued. All along the Doctor had been telling
Cobra Commander the details about the Tempest.
Dr. Mindbender learned that the
Tempest had all
ready been transferred to Cobra Island, where Destro was now running
Cobra and had recently welcomed the members of The Coil back into the
organization. Mindbender then joined Cobra Commander when he traveled
to the Island and wrested control back from Destro. He then
took control of the Tempest, a device that could
seed the clouds to make it rain. With Dr. Mindbender's help, it was
used to make the flash-eating Death Angel virus rain down upon a chosen
area. The Commander then set up a new Cobra headquarters in
the European nation of Badhikstan, and prepared to launch the Tempest
into orbit onboard a satellite. After Dr. Mindbender finished preparing
the Tempest, the Commander shot him, wishing to put an end to
Mindbender's constant betrayals. Soon, the G.I. Joe team lead an
assault on the Cobra
base. Cobra Commander escaped, leaving Mindbender bleeding on the
floor. When the Joes found him barely alive, he helped them destroy the
Tempest satellite before it could be activated, betraying Cobra one
last time. It was to be Dr. Mindbender's final act before bleeding to
death from the Commander's gunshot wound.
Artwork: G.I. JOE
Yearbook
#3 (back cover); G.I. JOE Frontline trade
paperback (cover) by Dan Jurgens; G.I. JOE Battle Files #2 (interior)
by Dave Johnson.
Appearances:
- G.I. JOE: #44,
47-50,
52, 54-56, 63-65, 67, 68, 72-77, 80, 83, 84, 86-88,
90, 97-99, 120 (dossier), 139, 140, 141, 145, 146, 148-151
- G.I. JOE Special Missions: #7,
16
-
G.I.
JOE: Order of Battle: #3
- G.I. JOE Yearbook: #3, 4
- G.I. JOE vol. 2: #1,
2, 4, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 22-27, 29-32, 36-41
- G.I. JOE: Battle Files: #2
- G.I. JOE: Front Line: #1-4
- G.I. JOE: Data Desk Handbook
- G.I. JOE: America's Elite: #20
(flashback)
(compiled with help from Bryon Hake)
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Action
figure/filecard
links at YoJoe.com :
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