Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

, he is a government official and a founding member of the

Diogenes Club The Diogenes Club is a fictional gentlemen's club created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and featured in several Sherlock Holmes stories, such as 1893's " The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter". It seems to have been named after Diogenes the Cynic ...

. Mycroft is described as having abilities of deduction and knowledge exceeding even those of his brother, though their practical use is limited by his dislike of fieldwork.

Fictional character biography

History and occupation

Mycroft Holmes is Sherlock Holmes's older brother. He mainly appears in two stories by Doyle, " The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter" and "

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of eight stories in the cycle collected as ''His Last Bow'' (1917), and is the second and final main appear ...

". He also appears briefly in " The Final Problem", and is mentioned in " The Adventure of the Empty House". He first appears in "The Greek Interpreter", in which he brings Sherlock a case involving one of his neighbours. Sherlock Holmes tells

Dr. Watson Dr. John H. Watson is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). "The Adventure of Shosc ...

that Mycroft has powers of observation and deduction superior to his own, but is not energetic or ambitious, nor does he have the capability to prepare a case for trial. He also comments that some of his most interesting cases have come to him through Mycroft. In the story, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson visit Mycroft at the

, which Mycroft co-founded. Also, visits 221B Baker Street as well. Mycroft makes a brief appearance in " The Final Problem". Sherlock Holmes gives Dr. Watson instructions to take a certain route to leave London to avoid Moriarty's gang, and part of this plan involves a ride in a brougham driven by a cloaked driver. Watson sees the coachman and does not recognise him. Sherlock later tells Watson that the driver was Mycroft. Near the end of the story after Sherlock's supposed death, Watson reads a letter left by Sherlock, which includes the statement, "I made every disposition of my property before leaving England, and handed it to my brother Mycroft." In " The Empty House", it is revealed that Sherlock Holmes faked his death in "The Final Problem" and subsequently went abroad. His only confidant during this time was Mycroft, who provided him with the money he needed. When Sherlock returned to London, he found that Mycroft had preserved his Baker Street rooms and his papers "exactly as they had always been". In " The Bruce-Partington Plans", Mycroft goes to Baker Street to speak with his brother about recovering missing submarine plans for the government. Sherlock Holmes says in this story that Mycroft only visited 221B Baker Street once before. Though Sherlock initially told Watson in "The Greek Interpreter" that Mycroft audits books for the British government, he reveals to Watson in "The Bruce-Partington Plans" that Mycroft's true role is more substantial: Mycroft has a unique position in the government, which is not named in the stories. Sherlock comments regarding Mycroft's role that there "has never been anything like it before, nor will be again" and that Mycroft "has the tidiest and most orderly brain, with the greatest capacity for storing facts, of any man living". He describes Mycroft's position: He adds to this that Mycroft thinks of nothing other than government policy, except when he asks Mycroft to advise him on one of his cases. Several Holmesian scholars have proposed theories about Mycroft, though none of these are confirmed in the stories. In " The Adventure of Black Peter", Dr. Watson records that Sherlock Holmes could assume various disguises in "at least five small refuges" which he had in different parts of London;

Vincent Starrett Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett (; October 26, 1886 – January 5, 1974), known as Vincent Starrett, was a Canadian-born American writer, newspaperman, and bibliophile. Biography Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett was born above his grandfathe ...

wrote that Mycroft's residence "would certainly be one of them". Ronald A. Knox suggested that Mycroft was a double agent who assisted both Sherlock and

Professor Moriarty Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and criminal mastermind created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to be a formidable enemy for the author's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. He was created primarily as a device by which Doyle could ...

, with the goal of ultimately betraying Moriarty and members of his gang, including Colonel Moran. June Thomson theorised that Mycroft nominated Sherlock to infiltrate the German spy ring in " His Last Bow" (set in 1914) and might have persuaded Sherlock to come out of retirement. Thomson calculated that Mycroft would have retired himself in 1912 at the age of sixty-five years old, but would have maintained his connections with former colleagues in the government.

Personality and habits

Possessing deductive powers exceeding even those of his younger brother, Mycroft is nevertheless unsuitable for performing detective work as he is unwilling to put in the physical effort necessary to bring cases to their conclusions. In " The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter", Sherlock Holmes says: Mycroft does not have ambitions of any kind, according to Sherlock. Despite being "the most indispensable man in the country", as Sherlock says, Mycroft remains a subordinate, will receive "neither honour nor title", and his relatively modest annual salary in "The Bruce-Partington Plans" (which takes place in 1895) is £450 (). He lives in rooms in Pall Mall. His regular routine is to walk around the corner each morning to

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...

where he works, and in the evening, to walk back to Pall Mall. He then stays at the

, which is located across from his lodgings in Pall Mall, from quarter to five until twenty to eight. He seldom breaks this routine or goes anywhere except these three locations. Mycroft reads Watson's accounts of Sherlock's adventures and takes an interest in Sherlock's cases. In "The Greek Interpreter", he takes snuff from a tortoise-shell box while at the Diogenes Club, and brushes the grains from his coat with a large, red silk handkerchief. He is also seen "sitting smoking in the armchair" at Baker Street. Mycroft is occasionally referred to by Sherlock Holmes as "Brother Mycroft" in "The Bruce-Partington Plans". He is the only character to refer to Sherlock exclusively by his first name.

Appearance and age

Mycroft resembles his brother Sherlock Holmes, but is described in "The Greek Interpreter" as being "a much larger and stouter man". According to Watson, Mycroft's eyes are "a peculiarly light, watery grey" and always have "that far-away, introspective look" which Watson had only seen in Sherlock's when he exerted his full powers (Sherlock also has grey eyes.) In "The Final Problem", Sherlock informs Watson that the driver of the brougham (later revealed to be Mycroft) will wear "a heavy black cloak tipped at the collar with red". When Watson sees the coachman, he describes him as "a very massive driver wrapped in a dark cloak". In "The Bruce-Partington Plans", Watson states that Mycroft is "tall and portly", and gives the following description of him: Mycroft is seven years older than Sherlock. According to Leslie S. Klinger, Mycroft was born in 1847. A reference in the short story " His Last Bow", which takes place in 1914, suggests that Sherlock is sixty years old at the time. This would make the year of Sherlock's birth approximately 1854, and thus Mycroft's approximately 1847.

Adaptations

Mycroft Holmes has been portrayed many times in adaptations of the Holmes stories in film, television, radio, and other media.

Radio

* Episodes adapted from the stories in which Mycroft appears, "The Bruce-Partington Plans" and "The Greek Interpreter", both aired in ''

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, which h ...

'' in 1931, and in ''

The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a radio drama series which aired in the USA from 1939 to 1950, it ran for 374 episodes, with many of the later episodes considered lost media.Dickerson (2019), pp. 276–279. The series was based on ...

'' in 1939 and 1940 respectively, as well as both in 1943 in the same series. No cast listing currently exists to show who portrayed Mycroft in these episodes. Rex Evans played Mycroft in at least two episodes of ''The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'', which were broadcast in 1945 and 1946 respectively, with

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was an Anglo-South African actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume drama ...

as Holmes and

Nigel Bruce William Nigel Ernle Bruce (4 February 1895 – 8 October 1953) was an English character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in a series of films and in the radio series '' The New Adventures of Sherlo ...

as Dr. Watson. * In the 1950s radio series starring

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...

as Sherlock Holmes, Gielgud's own brother,

Val Gielgud Val Henry Gielgud CBE (28 April 1900 – 30 November 1981) was an English actor, writer, director and broadcaster. He was a pioneer of radio drama for the BBC, and also directed the first ever drama to be produced in the newer medium of te ...

, played the part in "The Bruce-Partington Plans". * In the BBC radio dramatisations with Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley, Mycroft was played at various times by Malcolm Graeme, Keith Williams, Felix Felton, and, in "The Empty House", by Carleton Hobbs himself. * In the

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

adaptations starring Clive Merrison as Sherlock and Michael Williams as Watson, John Hartley played Mycroft in "The Greek Interpreter" on 21 October 1992, "The Bruce-Partington Plans" on 24 January 1994, and "The Retired Colourman" on 29 March 1995. Mycroft, voiced by James Laurenson, also appears in a two-part episode of the BBC radio series '' The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'', again with Clive Merrison as Sherlock Holmes. * Mycroft is a recurring character in the American radio series '' The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''.

Film

* The first film appearance of Mycroft Holmes was in the 1922 short film ''The Bruce Partington Plans'' in the Stoll film series, where he was played by

Lewis Gilbert Lewis Gilbert (6 March 1920 – 23 February 2018) was an English film director, producer and screenwriter who directed more than 40 films during six decades; among them such varied titles as '' Reach for the Sky'' (1956), '' Sink the Bismarck! ...

. * In the 1965 film '' A Study in Terror'', Mycroft is played by

Robert Morley Robert Adolph Wilton Morley (26 May 1908 – 3 June 1992) was an English actor who enjoyed a lengthy career in both Britain and the United States. He was frequently cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment, often in ...

. * In the

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...

-directed film '' The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' (1970), Mycroft was played by

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a career spanning more than sixty years, Lee became known as an actor with a deep and commanding voice who often portrayed villains in horr ...

. * The 1975 film '' The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother'', starring

Gene Wilder Gene Wilder (born Jerome Silberman; June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and filmmaker. He was mainly known for his comedic roles, including his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Fa ...

as Holmes's ''younger'' brother "Sigerson Holmes," was inspired by Mycroft, who is mentioned, but does not appear except in a photograph of the three brothers as children. * Charles Gray assumed the character in both the 1976 film ''

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution ''The Seven-Per-Cent Solution: Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D.'' is a 1974 novel by American writer Nicholas Meyer. It is written as a pastiche of a Sherlock Holmes adventure, and was made into a film of the same ...

'' and Granada Television's ''

'' series. * Peter Jeffrey played Mycroft in the 1990 film '' Hands of a Murderer'. *

Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...

played Mycroft in the

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter known primarily for British comedy gangster films and large-scale action-adventure films. Ritchie left school at the age of 15, and worked in e ...

-directed '' Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'', released in December 2011. *

Hugh Laurie James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, singer, musician and writer. He first gained professional recognition as a member of the English comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. Fry and Laurie act ...

played Mycroft in the

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 ...

comedy movie '' Holmes & Watson'', released in 2018 * Sam Claflin played Mycroft in the movie '' Enola Holmes'', released in September 2022.

Television

* The BBC broadcast two ''Sherlock Holmes'' series in 1965 and 1968 which starred Douglas Wilmer (1965) and

Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage and radio roles. He achieved recognition f ...

(1968) as Sherlock and Nigel Stock as Watson. Mycroft appeared twice, once in 1965 in "The Bruce-Partington Plans" and played by

Derek Francis Derek Francis (7 November 1923 – 27 March 1984) was an English comedy and character actor. Biography Francis was a regular in the Carry On film players, appearing in six of the films in the 1960s and 1970s. He appeared in '' The Tomb of Lig ...

and in 1968 in "The Greek Interpreter" and played by Ronald Adam. *

Boris Klyuyev Boris Vladimirovich Klyuyev (; 13 July 1944 — 1 September 2020) was a Soviet and Russian actor and theatre teacher. He served as one of the lead actors of the Maly Theatre from 1969 to 2020 and taught acting technique in Shchepkin Higher Thea ...

played Mycroft Holmes in '' The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson'', a Soviet television film series. Klyuyev was nine years younger than

Vasily Livanov Vasily Borisovich Livanov (; born 19 July 1935), MBE, is a Soviet and Russian film actor, animation and film director, screenwriter and writer most famous for portraying Sherlock Holmes in the Soviet TV series. He was named People's Artist of ...

, who played Sherlock Holmes. According to Sherlock, Mycroft is married and has a son. * Charles Gray, who played Mycroft in the film ''

'', also played the character in four episodes of

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

's ''

'' series in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Gray's first two television appearances were adaptations of the two stories in which Mycroft actually appears ("The Greek Interpreter" and "The Bruce-Partington Plans"). In the two other appearances, the character was used to replace another for various reasons. In "The Golden Pince-Nez", Mycroft was used in place of Watson, since Edward Hardwicke was unavailable due to a prior commitment to appear in '' Shadowlands''. In "The Mazarin Stone", Mycroft was used in place of Sherlock owing to

Jeremy Brett Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes from 1984 to 1994 in 41 episodes of a Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV ...

's ill health. * A direct female descendant named Mycroft Holmes is introduced in the ''

BraveStarr ''BraveStarr'' is an American Space Western animated television series that aired 65 episodes from September 1987 to February 1988 in syndication. The show was created a year after Mattel had released a line of action figures. ''BraveStarr'' wa ...

'' episode "Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century" as an agent of Scotland Yard and an ally of her ancestor. * Jerome Willis played Mycroft in '' Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady'', a 1991 made-for-TV film which starred

as Holmes and

Patrick Macnee Daniel Patrick Macnee (6 February 1922 – 25 June 2015) was a British-American actor best known for his breakthrough role as secret agent John Steed in the television series ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'' (1961–1969). Starting out ...

as Watson. * R. H. Thomson played Mycroft in the 2001 made-for-TV film '' The Royal Scandal'' opposite

Matt Frewer Matthew George Frewer (born January 4, 1958) is an American-Canadian actor and comedian. He portrayed the 1980s icon Max Headroom in the 1985 TV film and 1987 Max Headroom (TV series), television series of the same name. He became prominent when ...

's Sherlock. * Richard E. Grant played Mycroft in '' Sherlock: Case of Evil'' (2002). In the television film, Mycroft was injected with an unidentified substance by Moriarty many years before the film takes place, which left Mycroft disabled and dependent on leg braces and walking sticks. It is not explained further in the film why or how this occurred. * In the 2010 BBC television series '' Sherlock'', Mycroft is portrayed by series co-creator

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. Best known for his acting work on stage and screen as well as for co-creating television shows with Steven Moffat, he has received ...

. In this contemporary version, Sherlock and Mycroft exhibit smouldering animosity towards each other (which Dr. Watson characterises as "sibling rivalry" and Mycroft himself refers to as a "childish feud"). Mycroft is part of the

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for supporting the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister and Cabinet ...

and is so powerful that he can use

mass surveillance Mass surveillance is the intricate surveillance of an entire or a substantial fraction of a population in order to monitor that group of citizens. The surveillance is often carried out by Local government, local and federal governments or intell ...

to track Sherlock. In keeping with the books, Mycroft describes himself as "occupying a small position in the British government", but more accurately, "he ''is'' the British government". While Sherlock goes so far as to suggest that they would both be willing to arrange the death of the other, Mycroft gradually reveals a well-hidden deep familial love for his brother, something Sherlock, in time, begins to reciprocate. In the 2015 Christmas Special " The Abominable Bride", he is portrayed by Gatiss in heavy makeup as morbidly obese, more in keeping with the original stories. *

Rhys Ifans Rhys Owain Evans (; born 22 July 1967), known as Rhys Ifans, is a Welsh actor. He has portrayed roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), '' Kevin & Perry Go Large'' (2000), and '' Enduring Love'' (2004), in addition to Xenophilius Lovegood in ''Harry ...

played Mycroft Holmes in another modern adaptation, '' Elementary''. In this series, Mycroft is introduced as a London

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

who later turns out to work for

MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...

as a source due to his restaurants being used as a front for various crime organisations. Mycroft goes into hiding at the end of the second season when he exposed his ties to MI6 to help Sherlock with a case, which Holmes feels reflected a lack of trust in him to find another solution. In the sixth-season episode " Nobody Lives Forever", it is revealed that Mycroft died ten months prior to the events of that episode of a

brain haemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...

, which Sherlock was never informed about until he started digging. * Vincent Gale played Mycroft Holmes in '' Watson'', a modern adaptation focusing on

after Sherlock's presumed death. Watson alludes to previously crossing paths with Mycroft and reveals that Mycroft is extremely reclusive due to secret government activities.

Shinwell Johnson This article describes minor characters from the ''Sherlock Holmes'' stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and from non-canonical derived works. The list excludes the titular character as well as Dr. Watson, Professor Moriarty, Inspector Lestrade, ...

is tasked with contacting Mycroft at the Diogenes Club in England in order to obtain a sample of Sherlock's DNA in order to determine whether

Irene Adler Irene Adler is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A former opera singer and actress, she was featured in the short story " A Scandal in Bohemia", published in July 1891. Adler is one of the ...

's son is biologically related to Sherlock. Mycroft provides the sample to Shinwell, adding if Irene is lying, he wishes to know in order to make her life very difficult.

Novels and short stories

The character has been used many times in works that are not adaptations of Holmes stories: * American former basketball player

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

and Anna Waterhouse authored ''

Mycroft Holmes Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective Sherlock Holmes, he is a government official and a founding me ...

'', released September 2015, as well as two sequels entitled '' Mycroft and Sherlock'' released in 2018 and '' Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage'' released in 2019. * He was the main character in a series of mystery novels by the author Quinn Fawcett beginning with ''Against the Brotherhood: A Mycroft Holmes Novel'' * A young Mycroft Holmes is the protagonist of a mystery-adventure "edited" by Michael P. Hodel and Sean M. Wright, ''Enter the Lion: A Posthumous Memoir of Mycroft Holmes'' (published in hardcover by Hawthorn Books in 1979 in the U.S. and by JM Dent & Sons Ltd. in 1980 in London and in paperback by Playboy Press in 1980). The action takes place in 1875, ten years after the end of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, at the time when Mycroft Holmes was a minor official in the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

. Mycroft is aided by his younger brother Sherlock, Victor Trevor (who appears in Doyle's tale " The Adventure of the Gloria Scott"), and an adventurer known as "Captain Jericho", a mysterious former slave. They band together in an effort to prevent an attempt by former Confederate officers to involve the British government in a scheme to overthrow the United States government. The story also provides an explanation as to the antagonism between Sherlock Holmes and

. * Mycroft has a small but important role in Ray Walsh's novel ''The Mycroft Memoranda'', published in London by Andre Deutsch, 1984 (), in which Sherlock Holmes, at the request of Major Henry Smith, Acting Commissioner for the City of London, becomes involved in the hunt for

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...

. * ''The Dorking Gap Affair'' by Glen Petrie published February 1, 1990 by Bantam (first published 1989) * ''The Monstrous Regiment'' by Glen Petrie published by Bantam. Glen Petrie was commissioned by Transworld to publish a series of 10 books on Mycroft Holmes. He was paid but Transworld was sold and the books were not finished. * Mycroft features in

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

's short story "The Case of Death and Honey", collected in ''Trigger Warning''. Dying, he summons his brother for a final meeting and presents him with an intriguing case to solve. * The protagonist of ''

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress ''The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress'' is a 1966 science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein about a lunar colony's revolt against absentee rule from planet Earth. The novel illustrates and discusses libertarian ideals. It is respe ...

'' by

Robert A. Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein ( ; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific acc ...

names his

self-aware In philosophy, self-awareness is the awareness and reflection of one's own personality or individuality, including traits, feelings, and behaviors. It is not to be confused with consciousness in the sense of qualia. While consciousness is b ...

computer "Mycroft Holmes".

Comics

* Mycroft is depicted as a violent

psychopath Psychopathy, or psychopathic personality, is a personality Construct (psychology), construct characterized by impaired empathy and remorse, along with boldness, bold, disinhibited, and egocentrism, egocentric traits. These traits are often ma ...

in '' 2000 AD'' ('' Canon Fodder'', issues #861–867) by

Mark Millar Mark Millar (; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series ''The Authority (comics), The Authority'', published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written ext ...

and Chris Weston. * In Issue #6, Volume 1 of

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

's ''

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (''LoEG'') is a multi-genre, cross-over comic book series co-created by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. The comic book spans four volumes, an original graphic novel, and ...

'', Mycroft Holmes becomes the leader of British intelligence and uses the code-name "M" – a nod to the fictional head of MI6 in

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...

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 ...

novels. It is hinted that he and his brother are not on the best of terms as a mention of Sherlock sending his regards are met by Mycroft with laughter and regarded as a joke. (Mycroft also appears as the Bond M in ''Son of Holmes'' and '' Anno Dracula''). * Mycroft Holmes is the head of "The Committee" in the comic book

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

, '' Predator: Nemesis'', by

Gordon Rennie Gordon Rennie is a Scottish comics writer, responsible for ''White Trash: Moronic Inferno'', as well as several comic strips for '' 2000 AD'' and novels for '' Warhammer Fantasy''. In May 2008, he announced he was leaving comics to concentrate ...

and Colin MacNeil and published by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

. He hires the main character, Captain Edward Soames, to hunt down

Spring-Heeled Jack Spring-heeled Jack was an entity in English folklore of the Victorian era. The first claimed sighting of Spring-heeled Jack was in 1837. Later sightings were reported all over the United Kingdom and were especially prevalent in suburban Lond ...

, a

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

hunting in the East End. * Mycroft Holmes appears at least twice in the Italian comic book ''

Martin Mystère ''Martin Mystère'' is an Italian comic book whose protagonist is Martin Mystère. Created by writer Alfredo Castelli and artist Giancarlo Alessandrini, it was first published in Italy by Sergio Bonelli Editore in 1982. Dark Horse Comics has ...

'' and spin-off series ''Storie di Altrove/Stories from Elsewhere''. * The comic book series '' Muppet Sherlock Holmes'' features Rowlf the Dog as Mycroft Holmes. * In the popular manga '' History's Strongest Disciple'', Mycroft is a fictional martial artist who has worked with Sakaki Shio and Christopher Eclair. * Mycroft is featured as the main character of the comic ''Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook'', published by Titan Comics and written by

and Raymon Obstfeld. * Mycroft is a character of the manga series '' Moriarty the Patriot'', of Ryosuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi, an adaptation of the original Sherlock's stories depicted from Professor Moriarty's point of view. In this series, he is a government agent who answers directly to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

Video games

*He appears in '' Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened'' and '' Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023 video game)'' as a government employee. *He is mentioned in '' Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring''. *Mycroft has a minor role in the 1987

Infocom Infocom, Inc., was an American software company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced a business application, a relational database called ''Cornerstone (software), Cornerston ...

game '' Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels''. *He plays a central role in the 1996 PC game '' The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo''. *In the 2009 PC and Xbox game '' Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper'', the younger Holmes receives assistance on a case from his brother. *Mycroft appears as a minor character, voiced by Jon Severity, in the 2014

Focus Home Interactive Focus Entertainment (formerly Focus Home Interactive) is a French video game publisher based in Paris. It is a subsidiary of PulluP Entertainment Group. Founded in 1996, Focus has published and distributed original titles such as ''Sherlock Holm ...

game '' Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments''. He primarily seeks his brother's help to combat a terrorist group known as The Merry Men, but also provides occasional assistance; in one case, Sherlock has the option to call on him to apprehend the suspects. *The relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft plays a key role in the story of the 2021 game, '' Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One''.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Mycroft America's Best Comics characters Literary characters introduced in 1893 Sherlock Holmes characters Crime film characters Fictional British detectives Fictional British spies Fictional English people Fictional gentleman detectives Male characters in film Male characters in literature Male characters in television