| Role/Occupation Doctor |
| Total Entries 45 |
| Representative Surgeon |
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Science created the atom bomb, it unleashes monsters, it angers the gods — “Science Is Bad”. As a corollary to this, intelligence in media is often used for evil, or belongs to the “Mad Scientist”. At least half of the characters in Comic Books whose names begin with “Doctor” are evil. Even the good Doctors are often weird, being prone to mad science, a blind pursuit of forbidden knowledge, or proving their critics wrong. Actual practicing medical doctors are usually exempt from the evil title, probably because it’s hard not to get behind a surgeon or doctor who actively works at saving people’s lives, even if they’re a jerk. Those who aren’t in a “Medical Drama” tend to get less slack on this, though. In a nutshell, it’s a mitigating factor, not an exception. (See “Mad Doctor”.) Interestingly, “Professors” aren’t evil nearly as often as doctors, though Professor Blackhearts are not unheard of; this can be explained by the fact that Professor is associated with teaching, wisdom and a scholarly lifestyle (attributes of “The Mentor”), whereas Doctor seems to imply hands-on experience. Notably enough, it’s actually possible to get a doctorate in the study of evil. The field is called Ponerology, although very few universities actually offer such a degree. Definitely issued by the “Academy of Evil”. Compare Mad Scientist, which is often synonymous with this, as is “Evil Genius”. Doctor characters of this sort are prone to diagnosing conditions on their patients to discredit or silence them. When they’re “Not That Kind of Doctor”, there’s overlap with “Aristocrats Are Evil”, in that the title is an indicator. The “Dr. Jerk” may or may not be this, but is almost always a medical doctor who is a “Jerkass”. If they had a medical license but lost it due to ethics violations, they had a “Doctor’s Disgraceful Demotion”. If they switch sides in a conflict for pragmatic reasons, they may become “Doctor von Turncoat”… ~ Morally Ambiguous Doctorate – TV Tropes
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