Douglas "Dougie" Powers, commonly known as Dr. Evil, is a fictional character portrayed by

Mike Myers Michael John Myers, (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood W ...

in the ''

Austin Powers ''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...

'' film series. He is the main

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Austin Powers ''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...

nemesis In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods. Etymology The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...

(and secret twin brother). He is a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

villains, primarily

Ernst Stavro Blofeld Ernst Stavro Blofeld is a fictional supervillain in the ''James Bond'' series of novels and films, created by Ian Fleming. A criminal mastermind with aspirations of world domination, he is the archenemy of British MI6 agent James Bond. Blofel ...

. Dr. Evil routinely hatches schemes to terrorize and take over the world, and is usually accompanied by "Number Two", his

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, f ...

who fronts his evil corporation Virtucon Industries, his

personal assistant A personal assistant, also referred to as personal aide (PA) or personal secretary (PS), is a job title describing a person who assists a specific person with their daily business or personal task. It is a subspecialty of secretarial duties ...

Frau Farbissina, and his sidekick

Mini-Me Mini-Me is a fictional character from the ''Austin Powers'' film franchise, portrayed by Verne Troyer. He debuts in the second film in the trilogy, ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,'' and appears again in the third film, ''Austin Powers in ...

, a

dwarf Dwarf, dwarfs or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a supernatural being from Germanic folklore * Dwarf, a human or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a sh ...

clone of himself. American costume maker Phillip Morris had also created a long-running character named Dr. Evil in 1959. After an eight-year legal battle,

New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...

paid him a settlement in response to a trademark dispute.

Creation

In 1997, an unnamed ''Saturday Night Live'' writer claimed Dr. Evil was based on ''SNL'' creator

Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian and American television writer and film producer. He created and produced ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and produced the ''Late Night (franchise) ...

, saying: "It's the lower lip, the eyebrows, the whole way he talks." Another unnamed former ''SNL'' actor cited Michaels' "obsessing about minutiae, the way he ends everything by bringing his pinkie up and chewing the fingernail". Myers' former ''SNL'' castmate

Dana Carvey Dana Thomas Carvey (born June 2, 1955) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster, screenwriter and producer. Carvey is best known for his seven seasons on ''Saturday Night Live'', from 1986 to 1993, which earned him five consecutive Pri ...

stated the character is based on a Michaels impersonation he created, including his pinkie mannerism. Myers disagreed, insisting the character was based on

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes," and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. Pleas ...

's portrayal of Bond villain

in ''You Only Live Twice''. He later stated, "The Dr. Evil voice is a little bit Lorne Michaels ... but there is a lot more Donald Pleasence in there than Lorne. Lorne has a pinky thing, but he doesn’t do it anymore."

Character background

In the first film, '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'', Dr. Evil is an internationally known criminal genius,

cryogenically frozen Cryopreservation or cryoconservation is a process where biological material - cell (biology), cells, Biological tissue, tissues, or Organ (anatomy), organs - are frozen to preserve the material for an extended period of time. At low temperature ...

in 1967 and reawakened in 1997. According to his own account, Dr. Evil's upbringing went as follows: In the second film, he went on the ''Jerry Springer'' show and declared that he was the "Princess of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

". In the third film, ''

Goldmember ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' is a 2002 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the third and final installment in the ''Austin Powers'' film series and stars Mike Myers in four different roles: Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Goldmem ...

'', Nigel Powers reveals that Dr. Evil is in fact Austin Powers' twin brother, Douglas "Dougie" Powers. He explains that Douglas and Austin were separated as babies following a car explosion, and that he had thought that only Austin had survived. Following the explosion, Dougie was raised in

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Relationships with other characters

Scott Evil

Dr. Evil has a strained relationship with his son Scott (played by

Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green ( ''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor. His film debut was '' The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting roles in comedy films in the 1980s, including '' Radio Days'' ( ...

), even liquidating their therapy group over an accusation of insolence. Scott points out Dr. Evil's incompetence and immaturity, as well as obvious mistakes and flaws in his plans. Scott later grows more "evil" and momentarily gains his father's respect, especially after Scott provides him a pool filled with sharks with laser-beams attached to their heads. When Dr. Evil switches sides to help Austin save the world, Scott takes over as the head of the evil organization.

Mr. Bigglesworth

Mr. Bigglesworth (played by Ted Nude Gent) is a fictional cat belonging to Dr. Evil. He was originally similar to Blofeld's cat, a typical white

Persian cat The Persian cat, also known as the Persian Longhair, is a long-haired breed of cat characterised by a round face and short muzzle. The first documented ancestors of Persian cats might have been imported into Italy from Greater Khorasan, Khoras ...

from the

movie series. Having escaped with Dr. Evil in a

cryonic Cryonics (from ''kryos'', meaning "cold") is the low-temperature freezing (usually at ) and storage of human remains in the hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticism by the mainstream scientif ...

capsule, he lost all his fur due to an error in the thawing process. Mr. Bigglesworth has subsequently become

bald Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to a loss of hair from part of the head or body. Typically at least the head is involved. The severity of hair loss can vary from a small area to the entire body. Inflammation or scarring ...

, played by a

Sphynx cat The Sphynx cat (pronounced , ) also known as the Canadian Sphynx, is a breed of cat known for its lack of fur. Hairlessness in cats is a naturally occurring genetic mutation, and the Sphynx was developed through selective breeding of these anim ...

, whilst Dr. Evil's miniature clone,

, has a kitten named Mini Mr. Bigglesworth. In the third installment of the franchise, Mr. Bigglesworth is only seen once.

Minions

Dr. Evil employs a diverse and highly

stereotypical In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...

group of

minion Minion or Minions may refer to: Places *Minions, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom People *Frank Minion (born 1929), American jazz and bop singer *Fred Minion, English professional footballer *Joseph Minion (born 1957), American film ...

s. * His

Frau Farbissina (played by

Mindy Sterling Mindy Lee Sterling (born July 11, 1953) is an American actress. She is primarily known as a character actress who has amassed multiple live action and voice-over credits across film and television. Her accolades include nominations for two Pr ...

) is the founder of the militant wing of

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

. ("Farbissina" is

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

for "embittered".) In the second film, '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'', after imbibing some of Austin Powers' mojo, Dr. Evil becomes temporarily irresistible to Frau Farbissina, who is portrayed as a lesbian. In ''Goldmember'', Farbissina and Dr. Evil kiss while he is in prison; the purpose was to transfer a key to Evil so that he could escape. * Number Two (played by

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor. He is known for starring in the television shows ''It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series), It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch (American TV series), Switch'' (1975–1978), ...

, while the young Number Two is portrayed by

Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and entertainment host. Following numerous television roles in the early 1980s, he came to prominence as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack with starring roles in ...

, and the even younger Number Two by

Evan Farmer Evan Ragland Farmer, Jr. (born July 28, 1972) is an American business owner, television host, radio host, actor, musician, designer/customizer, and author. He is best known for his lead role as Jerry O'Keefe in the MTV Film and follow-up televisi ...

) leads Dr. Evil's industrial empire Virtucon and is primarily concerned with the financial aspects of world domination. In successive films, his schemes and ventures garner massive profits for Virtucon without straying very far into illegality. *

Fat Bastard Fat Bastard is a fictional character appearing in the second and third films of the ''Austin Powers'' series: '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' and ''Austin Powers in Goldmember''. A morbidly obese henchman hailing from Clydebank, Sc ...

(also portrayed by Mike Myers) is a

morbidly obese Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic physical and mental illnesses. The health effects of being overweight but not obese are controversial, with some studies showing that the mortality rate for individuals who are classified as overweight ( ...

henchman hailing from

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, said to weigh a

metric ton The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the sh ...

. His extreme size endows Fat Bastard with super-human strength. Fat Bastard is noted for his foul temper, frequent flatulence, vulgar manners, and

cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well document ...

. Fat Bastard reappears at the end of ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'', having lost most of his girth and attributing the loss to the " Subway diet". * Random Task is an ex-wrestler whose personality and assassination style parody those of

Oddjob Oddjob (often written as "Odd Job") is a fictional character in the espionage novels and films featuring James Bond. He is a henchman to the villain Auric Goldfinger in Ian Fleming's 1959 James Bond novel '' Goldfinger'' and its 1964 film adap ...

from '' Goldfinger'', except that he throws his shoe instead of his hat. * Patty O'Brien is an ex-assassin who is extremely

superstitious A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and p ...

, leaving a keepsake from his good-luck charm bracelet on the body of every victim he kills. Apparently

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

has been trying to recover that bracelet for some time. * Mustafa (played by

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell received various accolades, including ...

) designs the cryogenic freezing process that preserves Dr. Evil for 30 years. * The second film introduces Dr. Evil's clone

(played by

Verne Troyer Verne Jay Troyer (January 1, 1969 – April 21, 2018) was an American actor and occasional stunt coordinator and performer. He was best known for playing Mini-Me in the ''Austin Powers'' film series. He had cartilage–hair hypoplasia and ...

) who is "one-eighth his size but twice as evil." Dr. Evil considers him more of a real son than Scott, provoking the latter's jealousy. Mini-Me later joins Austin to become a miniature version of him. As revealed by Myers in the audio commentary for ''The Spy Who Shagged Me'', Mini-Me is a parody of the character Majai, from the film ''

The Island of Dr. Moreau ''The Island of Doctor Moreau'' is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was published on 1 January 1896. The novel is set between 1 February 1887 and 5 January 1888. The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Pr ...

'', as played by

Nelson de la Rosa Nelson de la Rosa Martínez ( – October 22, 2006), Mahow, was a Dominican actor and one of the shortest men of the 20th and 21st centuries. Nelson measured 71 centimeters tall (about 2 feet 4 inches). His stature was caused by Seckel syn ...

, whose sole purpose in that film is to follow

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

's Dr. Moreau character and copy his every move, dressing identically to Brando. Majai never speaks in the film, and similarly, Mini-Me does not speak either. At their secret Island hideout in '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'', Dr. Evil plays a

Bösendorfer Bösendorfer (L. Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH) is an Austrian piano manufacturer and, since 2008, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation. Bösendorfer is unusual in that it produces Imperial Bösendorfer, 97- and 92-Key (instrument) ...

Imperial piano; incidentally, 'böse' means evil in German. While

plays a "mini Bösendorfer Imperial" piano

In television

Myers later revived the Dr. Evil character for a brief appearance on the December 20, 2014 episode of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'', a show on which Myers had previously had a regular role. During the sketch, Dr. Evil lampooned

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

and

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...

on their spat over ''

The Interview ''The Interview'' is a 2014 American political satire action comedy film produced and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg in their second directorial work, following '' This Is the End'' (2013). The screenplay was written by Dan Sterling ...

''. Myers once again revived the character for a brief appearance on a 2018 episode of ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...

'' in a sketch where Dr. Evil has been fired from President Trump's cabinet, and again on

Election Day Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections ...

to announce his run for Congress. Myers subsequently played Dr. Evil in a

Super Bowl LVI Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 NFL season, 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2021 Los Angeles Rams season, Los Angeles ...

commercial for

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

, and

also reprised their roles as Scott Evil, Number Two, and Frau Farbissina. In the commercial, Dr. Evil along with his henchmen take over General Motors, but his henchmen tell him that climate change is the biggest threat of the planet, making Dr. Evil the second threat on the planet. So, Evil decides he and his henchmen will save the planet, with the lineup of the company's

electric vehicles An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...

. Scott Evil also informs his father he has a grandson named Kyle (but Dr. Evil names him Baby Me).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evil, Dr. Austin Powers characters Fictional physicians Fictional mad scientists Fictional mass murderers Adoptee characters in films Fictional cryonically preserved characters Time travelers Fictional twins Fictional Belgian people Fictional French people Fictional Belgian criminals Fictional scientists in films Film characters introduced in 1997 Fictional terrorists Male film villains Film supervillains