Doctor Mindbender
- Doctor Mindbender is a human member of Cobra from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Doctor Mindbender is Cobra's most prolific and despicable scientist. His specialty is the engineering and operation of mind-controlling devices, which should be fairly obvious, and one of his greatest achievements was helping create the Cobra emperor, Serpentor. He is not, however, so good at dressing himself. Often he eschews that formality entirely!
Though it doesn't really come up, he used to be a friendly orthodontist before something went wrong in his brain. Clearly the "good/evil" neurons are right next to the "fashion sense" neurons.
Fiction
Marvel comic continuity
G.I. Joe and the Transformers
Dr. Mindbender stood with the rest of the higher Cobra chain-of-command as they grew increasingly weary of Cobra Commander's leadership following the Dreadnoks' failure to capture Power Station Alpha. Blood on the Tracks Soon, after his creation, Serpentor, had taken command, Dr. Mindbender watched Power Station Alpha on his monitors. Witnessing it taking off on its own, presumably through remote control, Dr. Mindbender attempted to usurp the radio signal with his electronic helmet. Sure enough, he successfully detoured Power Station Alpha towards Cobra Island, but it was escorted by Dirge. As Dr. Mindbender proposed an alliance, he placed a listening device on the Decepticon. When Dirge returned to Decepticon headquarters, Dr. Mindbender learned through the device that the Decepticons planned to use Power Station Alpha to destroy Earth. Power Struggle
The Decepticons soon came to Cobra Island to further their alliance with Cobra. Dr. Mindbender shook the hand of their leader, Shockwave, though he harbored thoughts of subduing the Decepticons and harvesting them for their technological secrets. Ashes, Ashes... However, the Decepticons turned on them first. Bombshell cornered the Doctor, the Baroness saved his life. Ultimately, Dr. Mindbender turned his services over to G.I. Joe and the Autobots, and used his electronic helmet to maneuver Power Station Alpha into the atmosphere, where it would explode. ...All Fall Down!
G.I. Joe Featuring Snake-Eyes
At the time Megatron was forming his brief alliance with Cobra, Dr. Mindbender was dead, but Cobra was using Mindbender's own technology to clone a new doctor. Megatron's sensors detected Mindbender's heart had re-started. Upon his return to life, the doctor was shocked at the appearance of Michael Jackson and that a Democrat was President. He was also mildly disappointed that Cheers had ended, and who can blame him for that? Goin' South
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
Dr. Mindbender helped reprogram the Transformers to be used as vehicles for Cobra. When Hiss-14 exhibited resistance to Cobra's control, the Doctor took it upon himself to hack the robot's brain. However, the tables were turned when Hiss-14 tried to take over Cobra's computers and Mindbender was forced to shut down Cobra's network. He also possibly helped use Transformer technology in the development of the S.N.A.K.E.s. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2
When Wheeljack's applied genius broke Cobra's control, Mindbender was almost snapped in two by the Constructicons. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 3 Soundwave saved him in order to use his expertise to help the Decepticons process energon through the SPS Satellite. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4
Later, he grudgingly worked together with Mainframe and Wheeljack to use the satellite to destroy several nuclear missiles launched by the United States to contain the Transformer-Cobra menace. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6
Mindbender was part of a group of Joes and Cobras who were transported to Cybertron in an attempt to steal Teletran 3, but an explosive malfunction led to a catastrophe involving time travel and the mutual destruction of both Earth and Cybertron. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1 In order to save the planets, Mindbender traveled with Barbecue, Spirit, Tomax and Xamot into the future to fix the time stream by bringing Ratchet back to the present.
Unfortunately for them, Ratchet was the lone Autobot warrior in an apocalyptic future in which Decepticons and Cobra reigned. Despite this, Dr. Mindbender and his teammates took Ratchet back with them against his will G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #3, and after the time catastrophe was averted, Dr. Mindbender was taken into United States government custody. However, alleged agents from the National Security Association "relocated" Dr. Mindbender to an Arctic headquarters, where he was introduced to Cobra-La and their cult of Unicron. They had special plans for him and his genius... G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #4
When Hawk got ahold of the Matrix of Leadership, he had a vision of Doctor Mindbender, his Cobra-La allies and Unicron. The Art of War #5
Working with Cobra-La, Mindbender was able to activate their long dormant beacon that would summon Unicron to Earth. He later reported to Golobulus that intruders were on the way to the Cobra-La home in the Himalayas, but was certain that the Yeti or Nemesis Enforcer would effectively deal with them. Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2 Upon finding that the Yeti had captured Firewall, Mindbender was surprised that G.I. Joe were recruiting such young members. Shrugging off the girl's insults, he informed her that she was to be sacrificed in the honor of Unicron. Mindbender was present as the sacrifice was prepared, but when G.I. Joe interrupted, he tried to make a run for it. He didn't make it far before being punched out by Joe Colton and captured. Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2
Transformers/G.I. Joe
The director of Cobra's mind-control program, Doctor Mindbender supervised the Baroness's interrogation of captured G.I. Joe agent Nathaniel Faireborn in the Terrordrome. Trenches
