How Dr. Evil Killed Bond's Most Infamous Villain

[@roberttreacy8271]

Fun fact: Mike Myers originally wanted Jim Carrey to play Dr. Evil, but Carrey had to decline due to scheduling conflicts with Liar Liar. So Myers decided to play the role himself.

[@kenlieck7756]

If Carrey was in the "Liar Lair" I wouldn't believe a word he said...

[@arinc9]

@@kenlieck7756 I was confused by that typo too ;)

[@ironmaster6496]

Honestly it's a good thing for both of them, i love Jim but i don't see him as Dr Evil and also Liar Liar is one of my all time favorite comedies

[@clayjack9969]

@@ironmaster6496 yeah and the fact that the same actor plays the villain and hero and they end up being brothers is too perfect.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@ironmaster6496 Jim at that point in his career was mostly doing the high energy manic stuff. We likely would have wound up with Dr. Ventura Evil Veterinarian. Which now that I type that seems absolutely fantastic.

[@ashleytuchin7693]

My first girlfriend hated parody films, but loved Austin Powers, so for ages I tried to convince her that Austin Powers IS a parody, which she denied. Then we went away on holiday one time and as we were channel surfing one night, we landed on a classic Bond movie right in the middle of a Blofeld scene. I could practically hear her heart sink and her face went slack with disbelief as she muttered, "Why does that guy look like Dr. Evil?"

[@GuyOnAChair]

What happened to the first?

[@ConnorNotyerbidness]

How could she be so blind on it being a parody???

[@ashleytuchin7693]

@@ConnorNotyerbidness I think she just hated the idea of parodies so much that she refused to accept it.

[@pyropulseIXXI]

It isn't a parody film though. It goes beyond that, transcending mere parody to a higher level

[@daraghokane4236]

@@pyropulseIXXI a it works as a film on its own if you know nothing about James bond. There is a actual plot unlike the scary movies that's a bunch of family guy style sketches

[@knowledgeseeker4614]

The fact they kept changing Blofeld’s actor more often than 007 didn’t help.

[@alexanderguerrero347]

Nah it made him just like bond. They are truly connected

[@knowledgeseeker4614]

@@alexanderguerrero347 No it didn’t. The same Bond could face two different Blofleds of inconsistent looks. I remember a Blofeld who looked like Dr. Evil and another who looked nothing like him.

[@thesagaofdarrenshanfanchan793]

@@knowledgeseeker4614 you smell bitch

[@thesagaofdarrenshanfanchan793]

@@knowledgeseeker4614 you’re also wrong

[@knowledgeseeker4614]

@@thesagaofdarrenshanfanchan793 No I’m not. I remember one Blofed looked almost sickly and another looked like he could physically take on anyone.

[@glorygloryholeallelujah]

The Bond writers should’ve incorporated *sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads,* into the story! Would’ve been instantly beloved by all.

[@okankyoto]

Sadly apparently their takeaway was "We can never do that stuff again. Ever."

[@mrcritical6751]

@@okankyoto eh they kinda brought it back for No Time To Die

[@nathanhingson7048]

Only someone so EVIL could destroy that opportunity so successfully.

[@maybetomorrownewmaker]

I hope stuff like that is in the new Bond, I think rebooting it and bringing the series back to the retro era and filling it with the same gadgets and quirkiness would be great

[@joeavreg2254]

Honestly that probably would have worked out better for them. If they had made "Blofeld" a character that Felix Leiter invented for the purpose of running the organisation. Bizarre, fickle, unpredictable but brilliant. It's how Fleming originally wrote all his villains, high competency in some fashion but also physically or mentally peculiar. You can't straighten out parody, you have to break out from it.

[@Dreadjaws]

The thing that made Dr. Evil stand out so much in comparison to every other Blofeld parody out there is that his similarities are limited to just superficial looks, but overall he is a completely different character with his own personality quirks that aren't all just exaggerated forms of Blofeld's. The physical aspect made very clear what was he supposed to be, but it's his personality, lines, voice and mannerisms that make him iconic. Meanwhile, the actual Blofeld in the Bond films couldn't keep a straight look and personality for more than one film.

[@kenpachizaza1179]

I think a lot of what Dr. Evil says pretty much sums up most of the original plot and storyline of Blofeld. I mean Blofeld having a kill switch for everybody sitting at his table, then Dr. Evil actually shows that side of the character that demands such crazy things to be built and made, perfect parody not just cosmetic with a total different personality. Mike Myers is a legend actually.

[@KalCounty]

Yeah I think he's a more pointed parody of the typical Bond villain than people realize. Bond movies often employ ridiculous plot points and characters in them, they're just played totally straight. Dr. Evil plays into a lot of those ridiculous elements, with the difference that he's more silly than intimidating, so people don't play along as much, usually causing him to get frustrated or (like in the case of Scott) repeatedly shut them down til they give up and let him do his little villain theatrics.

[@SnowmanTF2]

Yeah, ironically Dr Evil is probably more a full character on his own, Blofeld was almost more a plot device. Some of this seems due to limiting screen time to keep him mysterious, but also keep him semi protect him as a credible threat since Bond is generally going to win against anyone directly in front of him. Ending up mainly presenting motivation of the antagonists which get most screen time in any of films the original was in, and the reboot versions was not exactly set up well.

[@KiwiSpartan01]

It's his quote ability that makes him stand out, I can't remember a single bond villan quote yet can and often uses dr evil quotes

[@Duothimir]

​@@KiwiSpartan01 "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die." "For England, James?" Admittedly I haven't seen very many 007 films but come on that first one at least is so iconic literally every spy parody does it.

[@markusszelbracikowski956]

Dr Evil is the most quotable character ever created. Every line is just gold!

[@kenlieck7756]

How *much* gold , though?

[@mateusssssss567]

I love gold

[@cupcakesandrose]

*Goldmember has entered the chat*

[@strikerbowls791]

Blofeld is better

[@MINKIN2]

@@cupcakesandrose Ooo, datsh a keeper!

[@petermj1098]

I think Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots overshadowing Antonio Banderas as Zorro applies now.

[@filanfyretracker]

the interesting thing is Shrek while kind of a parody of Disney fairytale movies did not destroy them. Compare to the film Airplane! which basically ended the disaster movie until Independence Day in the 1990s.

[@nsf001-3]

@@filanfyretracker and then Sept. 11th 2001 killed it again

[@RobertK1993]

Sad.

[@mrcritical6751]

@@filanfyretrackerto be fair, Airplane has completely eclipsed the Airport franchise and Zero Hour

[@RusticRonnie]

@@filanfyretrackeryou mean Zero Hour!

[@jamesmacleod9382]

Dr Evil telling his backstory at the group therapy is one of the greatest comic monologues ever.

[@NickTheGreatAndPowerful]

Absolute gold. "At the age of 14, a Zoroastrian named Wilma ritualistic shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum, it's breathtaking, I suggest you try it."

[@herbertmorales333]

My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims, like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. A sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament.

[@saryphx]

@@herbertmorales333 When I was insolent, I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard, really. At the age of twelve, I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen, a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I suggest you try it.

[@michaelsmith8107]

Always slightly amused me the way he says testicles at the end.

[@Anniebobanny]

When I was insolent, I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds.

[@afurinperil]

the thing that made Dr.Evil and why he's stuck around really has nothing to do with the spoof aspects of the character and everything to do with Mike Mires choice to use a Lorne Michaels impression as his voice. That voice made the character easily identifiable and is a voice that almost anyone can do which makes him extremely quotable.

[@PlebNC]

Along with holding your pinkie to your lip while saying something dramatic.

[@strikerbowls791]

Stuck around?

[@augustopaixao8911]

I'm sorry dear anonymous commenter, but your American pride blinds you to the fact that this film is known worldwide. I, Brazilian, watched it dubbed and I must say that the character made an impact on viewers here.

[@michaellee4276]

When Dr. Evil premiered not many people knew what Lorne Michaels sounded like or realized it was an imitation. The press around the movie told us. In the 90's Lorne was mostly a behind the scenes producer. The imitation was an inside joke. But the speech patterns were performed in an iconic way. But the fact that he was a Lorne imitation had no effect on Dr. Evil's popularity. the reverse was true. It enhanced Lorne's fame and recognizability. (as opposed to behind the scenes fame like a Shonda Rhimes or Aaron Sorkin)

[@Chrisfrrr]

@@augustopaixao8911 no one said that chill out, your brazilian pride has made you sound slow, did anybody said it was only popular in america ? no.

[@nintendold]

you gotta love the absolute scale of a franchise that allows you to say a movie "underperformed financially" and then present an image showing it sold almost 900 million dollars in tickets

[@Historyandlegends789]

Execs make money through creative accounting. They want movies to fail so they they don’t have to pay their backers. Think the Producers but it’s the norm rather than exception

[@nate6386]

Hollywood accounting at its finest. IIRC Return of the Jedi has never made a profit. Key word there is profit. It made money just there is enough shell games that all its money went else where.

[@dreamcanvas5321]

@@Historyandlegends789 The Producers in an exception because they failed in their scam.

[@joshuaashton1929]

You have to take advertising into account. Movies are only financially successful and worthwhile when they make several times what they cost to make.

[@bornanagaming3329]

mcu stans when the newest movie makes less than 1 billion dollars in box office

[@ironmaster6496]

Dr Evil is just the best, one of the most hilarious movie characters ever, and one reason i think he succeeds on being memorable while other one failed is because, the excentric bald and insane villain is such a ridiculous and oberused concept that it only works when you take it to the extreme

[@Paradox-es3bl]

I think Lex Luthor can still work without going to an extreme... but it's because of how often the writers properly thematically tie him in with Superman, and haven't ever made him Clark's brother lmao. Though, they did sort of make him the co-father of Clark's clone... mixing his DNA with Superman's to make Superboy... So close enough? Lol

[@realtalk6195]

How did the other "bald" one fail? It was popular for decades until the producers decided to brush it under the rug because they didn't want to pay royalties since they didn't own the rights to the character.

[@kail4997]

So is Dr Doom. Any quitky villains with a lair riddle with death traps have a hard time transition into live action properties. You have to fully embrace the ridiculous notion of it otherwise it wouldn’t work.

[@davidwuhrer6704]

Dr Evil has a very humanising back story. And that only makes him more monstrous. It's genius.

[@wesleywyndam-pryce5305]

@@realtalk6195 failed to stand the test of time, but bond as a franchise failed to do that.

[@JoeFiorelloFilms]

I remember watching Spectre in the theater and when the big twist reveal came that Bond and Blofeld were brothers, I burst out laughing. I had to explain to my wife (huge lifelong Bond fan) why I was cackling and she couldn’t believe they made such a blunder., like “How could they not have known?!”Completely ruined new Blofeld for her.

[@Theduckwebcomics]

It's a supremely stupid, soap opera idea anyway. Even without Mike Myers it would still have been just as stupid. The only place it makes sense is in parody.

[@TheB00tyWarrior]

Austin powers predicted the future of James bond

[@murray1978]

All my God! LOL. Were you the only one laughing? I never watched the Bond films except Casino Royale. People had to have known that they were ripping off Austin Powers making them brothers.

[@robertoclaux8654]

“Our early attempts at a tractor beam went through several preparations. Preparations A through G were a complete failure. But now, ladies and gentlemen, we finally have a working tractor beam, which we shall call… Preparation H.” ― Dr. Evil

[@RWDtech]

Preparation H does feel good on the whole.

[@kenlieck7756]

"Surely you did not think you could so easily grip victory from my snatch?" -- Not Dr. Evil

[@BmanTheChamp]

"Why don't you just call it 'Operation Ass cream', you ass?"

[@j.sanchez187]

Why don’t you just call it preparation ass cream, you ass?

[@maxherzog3287]

Why not just call it operation Ass cream you Ass

[@Aladelicous]

It's quite the accomplishment to have Christoph Waltz as a villain in a movie and make him boring.

[@ConnorNotyerbidness]

Sadly thats more often the case than not in his career. Hes a great actor but he needs a good director and script to make it work as a villain. He fully admitted he felt he never got a grasp on blofeld, unlike hans lambda for which he was given Tons to work with on characterization Mendes definately relied a lot on actors to do the heavy lifting on characterizing their characters. For mikkelsen and bardem that was fine, they are used to doing it. Not to mention mikkelsen could work off flemings works. I doubt waltz picked up a copy of the spectre trilogy by comparison

[@gregorsamsa2271]

It was worse than boring, it was horrible!

[@falconeshield]

@@gregorsamsa2271 Actor like him deserves a better role

[@aaronleverton4221]

@@ConnorNotyerbidness Mendes didn't direct Mikkelson, Martin Campbell did, the same guy who directed Sean Bean.

[@KevinWarburton-tv2iy]

I found him very mesmerising.

[@siljeff2708]

I watched Austin Powers years before I ever saw classic James Bond, so Dr. Evil will always be the original in my mind

[@forrestpenrod2294]

Basically, if Spectre played Blofeld straight and written him as a scary effective operator they could've sidestepped the Dr Evil connection entirely.

[@conradojavier7547]

It's like they watched Austin Powers, & Reboot Goldfinger to a Goldmember Ripoff, & Oddjob is a played by a Short Guy, & make a Goldeneye Joke.

[@BroadwayRonMexico]

They should have taken notes on Blofeld from On Her Majesty's Secret Service rather than You Only Live Twice

[@EddieB-ready]

"ok, sir, I've watched all the Austin Power movies, I'm sure I can write the Blofeld backstory without making him seem like Dr. Evil" "Great, got any ideas to start with" *Script writer proceeds to name every concept that appeared in Austin Powers* "Put it in the script, this is going to work wonderfully"

[@francescotonini6268]

​@@EddieB-ready Oh my god you are 100% right 🤦🤣

[@ChimpingBulldog]

They should've used the books.

[@ukaszmozejko9984]

I think that Dr. Evil ain't only more popular than original, he also served as inspiration for other "Memnetic Supervillains" in 2000's. I doubt that without him we would have Megamind, Doofenshmirtz or Drakken without this oconic character.

[@gerardsotxoa]

I really doubt Dr. Evil was an inspiration, that villian cliché has been around too long for not been known by anyone.

[@orimoreau3138]

100% agree he is the reason we got so many fun characters

[@HankseyHill]

Mike Meyers didn't base the voice on the old villain though. He based it on his old boss. Lorne Michaels.

[@kenlieck7756]

Imagine if he had been working under Michael O'Donoghue instead...

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Strictly speaking, he based it on Dana Carvey's impression of Lorne Michaels, but close enough.

[@jscan4442]

​​@@SmallSpoonBrigade You mean Dana Carvey's impression of Lorne Michaels' impression of Blofeld. 🤪

[@ChimpingBulldog]

One of many claims made by this video that is completely wrong.

[@jinpei05]

Making Blofeld the evil mastermind behind all of Craig's 007 tenure was a terrible idea that really lowered the films as a whole.

[@kenlieck7756]

Who are you calling an a-whole?

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Honestly, I think Blofeld was used far too often in the Bond films. This is especially the case given how much the world and the franchise changed over all those decades.

[@christianwise637]

The thing is that making Blofeld the overarching mastermind behind Craig's entire tenure probably could've worked, if they'd planned it from the start. Eon didn't get the rights to use Blofeld and SPECTRE again until 2013, by which point we were three films into the Craig era, which already had a mysterious shadowy organisation acting as an overarching threat (Quantum). Rather than hold off and leave Blofeld until the next Bond's tenure, they just blew their load straight away and crammed him into a story in which he had no real place, meaning that Spectre had to jump through loads of hoops to connect him to the previous films, resulting in the overarching story for the Craig era becoming a contrived mess

[@gregorsamsa2271]

Honestly, yes! They should have kept QUANTUM, instead bringing SPECTRE back. And Blofeld just didn't fit into the modern era. Up until Skyfall they had original ideas, and I wish they would have kept them. There were so many possibilities...

[@BambiTrout]

@@gregorsamsa2271 They could have even kept much of Spectre the same, but just keep Quantum as Quantum, and keep Oberhauser as Oberhauser. Imo it's the forced references that make the film feel so hacky and overly expository - because they have to explain and justify it so much in order to force a reference that means nothing to the characters, and that the audience all saw coming a mile off. They could have made his fake name "Zebediah Scrunch" and called the organisation behind Quantum "Phantom" and it has the exact same impact on the story and character. It's fanservice of the most boring kind because it means NOTHING. That being said, I think Blofeld in No Time To Die was far more compelling even with his limited screen time - because he actually had the proper setup and emotional importance to the characters that felt lacking in Spectre.

[@ok-tchau]

Austin Powers outperformed 007 by knowing exactly when to stop. This is how we create legacy, this is why Dr. Evil is still iconic (and hilarious).

[@N0TYALC]

This. If Austin Powers was made in 2012, there’d be a dozen videos on this website criticizing the newly-released Austin Powers 8

[@RaikoTechnologies]

@@N0TYALC endless sequels are still better than one reboot 😏

[@fredbloggs8072]

I think Myers wanted to make another AP movie, but couldn't get the funding or some other logistical problem. I'd loved to have seen a forth movie, but it was probably for the best that it was never made.

[@Darkslayer289]

​@@fredbloggs8072That and Verne Troyer passing away.

[@Crow_Rising]

Dr. Evil is great because he's simple. He is a parody of a trope cranked up to 11, and that's all he is. While many authors might feel temped to put some deeper meaning into such a character, there's none of that to be seen within Dr. Evil. The writers knew not only what they wanted him to be but also exactly what he needed to be within the genre, and they nailed it perfectly and created an icon.

[@The_RedVIII]

Honestly, even if Dr. Evil didn't exist, Blofeld is such a weird character to put in a Daniel Craig Bond movie, they just don't fit together.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Yes, he made sense in the campier 007 movies of the '60s and '70s, but not so much in the grittier versions of the last 20 years.

[@ConnorNotyerbidness]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade eh i disagree. Its just a question of What do you adapt Book blofeld is a lot more serious than Film blofeld For example OHMSS adapted book blofeld flawlessly and he doesnt come off as weird or silly. He comes off as threatening and charismatic at the same time. "Such a keen conversationalist- til he left us" (about torturing a man for information) Mendes wanted to clearly adapt the Pleasance blofeld, which is the one everybody now parodies. That was the problem.

[@gregorsamsa2271]

​​@@ConnorNotyerbidness Actually, you're not wrong. Savallas Was also the best Blofeld to me, because he actually felt like a real gangster. He was threatening, and charismatic at the same time. And accurate to the book version. His version could have definitely worked today. But I still wish they would have kept Blofeld in the Craig era out, and be more original.

[@BroadwayRonMexico]

@@gregorsamsa2271 fun fact: Savalas' portrayal of Blofeld is who the Superman TAS/Justice League version of Lex Luthor was based on

[@imfsresidentotaku9699]

⁠@@SmallSpoonBrigadeHe does make sense. He’s mysterious threat looming in the background, pulling the strings and making it clear to those below him that he is not one to be taken lightly, with the scenes in which he disposes of them being particularly chilling. Even in the 60’s, he was presented as a formidable, larger than life opponent for 007 who will go out of his way to embarrass and destroy him. Not to mention, the Bond films of the 60’s may have had the occasional humor, but they were largely grounded spy thrillers that faithfully adapted Ian Fleming’s books. The series didn’t really go camp until 1971’s Diamonds are Forever, which was Blofeld’s final named appearance until Spectre, so you’re making a pretty flimsy distinction between the old Bond and the new Bond in regards to tone.

[@RombieNZ]

The bigger issue with Blofeld in Spectre is the name means nothing to Bond, only to the audience watching. He could have given himself any name it it wouldn't matter - and so the writers want and expect you to have that connective reaction to what it actually means but it falls flat when either you don't know or you pull it apart like in this video. The writers from Star Trek Into Darkness also went this way with the fakeout Khan thing. Just a dumb 'twist'' that has zero impact on narrative.

[@changer_of_ways_999]

Yeah. They just want their nostalgic hooks without earning them.

[@olartio2185]

Exactly . In ST into darkness Benedict says the name of Khan like Kirk has already seen the shows lol

[@saryphx]

@@olartio2185 I remember how sinister he sounded when he said that, and I was like "lol ok, is that supposed to mean anything to them?"

[@haukionkannel]

In startteja the character Arille is the same… it is the Chan, just different actor. In spectre they did make a new villiin with the same name…

[@jonnnnniej]

I'm 32 and I only learned a few months ago that Dr Evil was inspired by a bond villain :') but I watched Austin Powers a lot as a kid. The sentence "mini me, you complete me" still randomly pops up in my mind haha

[@johnburns9634]

And when Mike Myers is doing that he's impersonating a Humphrey Bogart Character from The Island of Doctor Moreau

[@professorbaxtercarelessdre1075]

its fun to think about these movies from time to time, the best pick me up is remembering things that always made you laugh i think, its why i'm constantly quoting Roger from American Dad or Mugatu in Zoolander etc.

[@falconeshield]

You're 32 and you never saw a Bond movie in your life?

[@jonathandixon1305]

Austin powers being a parody, never surprised me because it felt like one. I just never made the full connection to bond until about a few years ago. Seeing this video only confirms it even more.

[@johnburns9634]

@@jonathandixon1305 Mike might have been influenced by those who made the Airplane movies. Why? Well, Leslie Neilson was also a Canadian actor and I wouldn't be surprised if there was admiration for Leslie. Leslie played dramatic characters who just happened to be in a comedic movie. Mike borrowed from James Bond, but he didn't ignore other things, lie Marlon Brando's performance in the Isle of Dr. Moreau, that I cited above.

[@cfctech6774]

James Bond is my favorite film franchise of all time. Christoph Waltz is one of the greatest actors of our generation. That said, Eon dropped the ball with Spectre and Blofeld.

[@daRiddler32]

Many of Weird Al's parodies have outlived the original artists and most people now (myself included) grew up hearing Al that we didn't even hear the originals until many years after they had been parodied

[@DoctorInk20]

I was just about to say this is the strangest case of _the Weird Al Effect_ I've ever seen. 😆

[@sovietunion7643]

hell i just watched als 'dare to be stuipid'' song from the 80s and have 0 idea what is being parodied

[@daRiddler32]

@soviet union Dare to Be Stupid isn't a parody of 1 particular song, but instead a parody of an entire band's sound. In this case it is a style parody of Devo

[@DoctorInk20]

@David Jensen Yup. Somehow it's more Devo than Devo ever was. 😆 His style parodies are wonderful.

[@stapler942]

​​@@sovietunion7643 To name some of the DEVO references in "Dare to be Stupid" (the song and the video): The song itself is (imo) largely in the style of their 1982 album Oh, No! It's DEVO, with aspects of "Time Out For Fun", "Big Mess", "Out of Sync", and "Deep Sleep". The part where he yells "yes!" with a bit of a speaker effect is reminiscent of "Explosions" (where they go "yes!"..."oh yeah!"). There's a little bit of "Whip It" from 1980 somewhere in there. The video references quite a lot of DEVO's output: the yellow jumpsuits are based on DEVO's classic Tyvek suits around 1978. Those shots are largely based on the "Satisfaction" video. There's a shot of Al and the others standing in a row and putting ice cream on their heads; that's similar to the salute they do in "Devo Corporate Anthem" (a short video they showed at the end of concerts). There's a Mr. Potato Head shot that, of all things, might be a reference to another film from their concerts where General Boy tells the audience how to behave. The guy doing flips and other random movements is a reference to Spazz Attack, a dancer who shows up in a couple of DEVO videos (see "Satisfaction" again). The cowboy playing guitar is sort of a nod to the "Whip It" video with its cowboy setting. Al's head emerging from a pile of something (toys?) is a lot like Wall of Voodoo's "Mexican Radio" where Stan Ridgway's head is in a dish of beans. Not DEVO technically, but DEVO-adjacent. The band floating through some flashy bluescreen effect is a reference to "The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprize" where DEVO used some kind of Atari video effect toy with a bluescreen. Some black-and-white stock footage cutaways reference how "Beautiful World" uses stock footage. The creepy baby masks when they're squeezing the Charmin is probably a reference to Booji Boy (pronounced "Boogie Boy"), a character DEVO uses in videos and promo materials which is Mark Mothersbaugh in a baby mask. DEVO's aesthetic often involved novelty rubber masks. The ancient Romans playing board games is a reference to the "Freedom of Choice" video. The shot of guys wearing traffic cones is probably a nod to the red hats DEVO wore ("energy domes") starting in 1980. I think there are other references, but this is all off of my memory so I have probably missed them. (EDIT:) A few more remembered upon rewatch.... "I can't hear you! (Dare to be stupid!)" - the call and response with cutaways to band members with hose on their heads is from "Jocko Homo" (song segment from the short film The Truth About De-evolution). "Are we not men?" (cut to guys with hose on their head) "...we are DEVO!" The woman doing sign language interpretation at the bottom of the screen mimicks a similar shot in the aforementioned General Boy concert video. Guy trying to decide between a banana and an accordion: similar shots happen in "Freedom of Choice".

[@django7783]

I read a Daniel Craig's Interview in Playboy in the end of 2006, during the world releasing of Cassino Royale, and he said there was an "Austín Powers Alarm" in his mind, when many scenes were shot, because they reminded many scenes of franchise and he asked to reshoot differently because of this.

[@Cyril29a]

1:06 The cat freaking out is fantastic. They got that cat high as a kite for this movie

[@GoFidoGo]

Highly memable

[@thesagaofdarrenshanfanchan793]

Highly memeable

[@Cyril29a]

@@thesagaofdarrenshanfanchan793 Highly

[@giovannidonofrio7474]

@@Cyril29a memable

[@Cyril29a]

@@giovannidonofrio7474 Memeable...

[@darkowl9]

The whole "oh SPECTRE was behind it all along!" was just as poorly revealed as "Emperor Palpatine reincarnated in a secret base was behind it all along!", because neither had properly been planned ahead of time.

[@michaelbaker8284]

I think they planned it for the most part but everything with those films was a case of having all the right ingredients but no recipe. Nothing comes together, pacing is bad in particular, except for maybe Skyfall.

[@AlmostEthical]

Dr Evil is arguably the greatest comedy villain in cinema history. How do you compete with that?

[@doctoraep]

I would like to throw in Tim Curry as Mr. Jigsaw in Loaded Weapon 1. Probably not as iconic but definitely as funny.

[@ChimpingBulldog]

Rainbow Randolph in Death to Smoochy.

[@SotonSam]

Austin Powers are some of my favourite films. And I knew about Dr Evil as a kid but didn't know he was a parody untill I was older haha I still to this day haven't seen many of the James Bond films, but it's making me laugh so much because I know the AP scenes by heart so seeing the James Bond scenes... It's so funny

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Great video. Your observation that Spectre felt "out of step" with Craigs other films was spot on. Once Spectre and Blofeld arrived, the Craig films took an implausible nosedive.

[@NIDELLANEUM]

I love it when a parody becomes so famous and widespread that not only the thing it was making fun of disappears, but people don't even know it's a parody because of it. It's similar to how airplane disaster movies were a thing back in the day, but then "Airplane!" came out and demolished it as a genre

[@anonUK]

It took years for the Western to come back from Blazing Saddles- although the straight Western flop Heaven's Gate in 1980 didn't help.

[@NIDELLANEUM]

@@anonUK yeah it's absurd how that movie demolished a genre that had dominated Hollywood for decades. Imagine if someone were to make a superhero parody movie now and all of a sudden MCU, DCEU and others just stop being produces for years and years

[@anonUK]

@@NIDELLANEUM I'm not saying they stopped making them altogether- just that Mel Brooks' Looney Toons-style parody of the Western, followed a few years later by the largest turkey of the 70s and 80s, which had been intended to relaunch the artistic Western but in an authentic American setting, meant that the days of Gary Cooper and John Wayne, and their successors, were well and truly over. Of course, Vietnam didn't help, as the outlook of the US itself obviously took quite a hit and the peak of the Western had been during the optimism of that time. The point where the Western did come back was really during the second Gulf War, the turn towards what became Trumpian populism; and the revival of the popularity of "Spaghetti Westerns".

[@bulbakingdoot3514]

Like with Foghorn Leghorn and Senator Claghorn

[@VidelxSpopovich]

A hero once said “There’s no rule that states that a fake can’t surpass the original.”

[@paulfranklin5416]

The Energizer Bunny was a parody of "the Duracell Bunny" which has all but disappeared from the United States (while Energizer keeps going and going :P). I remember I explained this to my mom (born in the 60's) and she was flabbergasted. The Duracell Bunny had been around for like 15 years beforehand, but she had no memory of this mascot coup taking place. To this day, in the U.K. the battery company most associated with their pink bunny mascot is Duracell.

[@terryhiggins5077]

I feel as if You've revealed some great forbidden truth, and yet all I can think is "no, no way, that can't be true!" Memory is a funny thing ain't it?

[@davidwuhrer6704]

Wait, the energizer bunny is not the Duracell bunny? I thought they were the same thing. What is the energizer bunny, then?

[@tbird81]

From Wikipedia: When Energizer's 1988 parody became an advertising success and Energizer trademarked its bunny, Duracell decided to revive the Duracell Bunny campaign and filed for a new United States trademark of its own, referencing the original use of the character more than a decade earlier.[7] The resulting dispute resulted in a confidential January 10, 1992, out-of-court settlement,[8] where Energizer (and its bunny) took exclusive trademark rights in the United States and Canada, and Duracell (and its bunny) took exclusive rights in all other places in the world.[9]

[@positivetakes5592]

"The mongoose to my snake. Or is it snake to my mongoose? I don't know animals."

[@doomgod314]

Doctor Evil needs to come back

[@BmanTheChamp]

I think they've been trying to make a fourth Austin Powers movie for years but for some reason it just hasn't happened yet.

[@BertoxolusThePuzzled]

​@@BmanTheChamp It is simply impossible in today's world. Austin Powers would be called ALL the "ists"...

[@idikm]

​@@BertoxolusThePuzzled don't forget about the "phobics"

[@mrcritical6751]

@@BertoxolusThePuzzled I mean…that would be the joke most likely

[@joejo4549]

No he really isn't that offensive, stop reaching ​@@BertoxolusThePuzzled

[@Fisher_Films]

I think a small but hard to ignore factor is just how inconsistent Blofeld’s appearance is in those original Bond films. I remember being so confused the first time I watched them that they were all the same character. Also Christoph Waltz is such inspired casting it’s a real shame they dropped the ball so hard with him.

[@tristandunn4628]

Big time. Donald Pleasence's portrayal was by far the most visually memorable. They should have stuck with him. Maybe they tried and there were just scheduling conflicts or something. Shame, though. It would have given a much better continuity to the series

[@ArchOfWinter]

If they wanted connections between Bond and Blofeld, they should have made them partners in their early career. Both working in spec ops. Both saved each other's life, both friends outside of work, making them brothers symbolically. But when Bond have to choose England or Blofeld, he had to complete the mission and choose England. It makes the motivation to form Spectre much more believable than family grudge. Edit: This idea is literally Golden Eye, but so what, that works. It won't the be first time Bond rehashed an idea.

[@Olderaccount17]

Had me in the first half, not gonna lie.

[@PolarisBanks]

That’s basically the same thing as 006 in GoldenEye. The jilted ex-partner is just as tired a trope as the long lost evil brother

[@ArchOfWinter]

@@PolarisBanks It is, but still less silly than childhood grudge.

[@TheLastSane1]

@@PolarisBanks Easy way to fix that. Have them jilted with the work, their bosses, but not their partner. "I forgave you long ago for the choice you made. But I cannot forgive them for making that choice a necessity. We are both disposable to them. And that won't do." have the villain still respect and care for their partner and both sides lament that they are an at impasse. Also explains them maybe half-assing the death traps, the reluctance there in actually killing them.

[@SorowFame]

That just reminds me of Spies are Forever

[@steverempel8584]

The original Austin powers wasn't just a James Bond parody, it specifically was about taking Sean Connery's 1960s bond, and bringing him to the 90s. Most of the parodies are from that era. It is also a spiritual successor to the 1967 version of Casino Royale, another Bond Parody.

[@ChimpingBulldog]

It's more Jason King than ' connery's Bond' Jeez....

[@thecrimsonpool]

it still is baffling to me that for Craigs harder edged re imagining of 007 the writers didn't think of doing the same for Blofeld. Imagine a Dave Bautista sized Blofeld who snaps the neck of his Specter members like a wild man then goes back to being all calm and sophisticated during the meeting

[@CHR1SZ7]

Hard to say whether that would have worked, part of what makes blofeld menacing is he has all these henchmen and subordinates that are physically much stronger but still don’t dare cross him

[@thecrimsonpool]

@@CHR1SZ7 Maybe, i guess i just want to see a version of him that was from the original Thunderball novel. He was a large man in that version very Kingpin in description

[@Professor_Fate]

Which would have been much closer to Fleming's original vision of the character. Not a creepy little bald guy in a Mao suit, but a massively built international gangster.

[@ChimpingBulldog]

That wouldn't have been Blofeld.

[@ChimpingBulldog]

​@@Professor_Fate in some books. He is very slim in You Only Live Twice.

[@dr_evil8686]

That was because he was not quite evil enough. Quasi-evil. Semi-evil. He was the margarine of evil. The Diet Coke of evil. Just one calorie, not evil enough!

[@ffwast]

Having not seen Bond films since the Pierce Brosnan films it came as a real shock to me that they had Christoph Waltz as their villain mastermind and still managed to screw it up. That's like starting a fistfight with an armless man and _losing._

[@NA1c158]

Wow, I was looking for some flaw in your argument, because I thought the premise surely couldn't be true. But man, you really laid out an airtight case. I've seen all of the films in the this video and there really is no way around it. Dr. Evil in Austin Powers forever affected the Bond franchise. Incredible.

[@Ivotas]

Dr. Evil trascendents being a Bond villain parody. This guy is so hilarious that I always have him in the back of my mind when a movie villain goes to far down the ridiculous route.

[@Lizzie-ve7kt]

I always thought the evil guy stroking a cat trope came from The Godfather so it’s cool to find out it even predates those films and how even an iconic classic from the 70s was, however unconsciously, still influenced by this Bond villain.

[@System_Sega]

So Donald Pleasance stared next to the character Michael Myers in a series of films. Then Mike Myers parodies a Donald Pleasance character in a completely different series of films.

[@naruteoh123]

They should just made Blofeld and Bond dynamic similar to Sherlock Holmes and James Moriaty in Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows. Both admired and respected each others abilities and intellect, but will not hesitate to kill each others when both are in each other's way. That might be more interesting to watch.

[@DabbyDom]

1:06 that cat wasn't having none of it

[@handsdowntoo7150]

Haha I bet Donald Pleasance was a cat owner because he held onto that angry little bastard like it was just another Tuesday for him. 😂

[@quiddity131]

The issue with Blofeld is that due to the legal issues I’m he hadn’t appeared on screen in an official Bond movie since the early 70s, sans a brief sequence in one of the Roger Moore movies where an unnamed unseen villain with a cat in a helicopter got killed. He was in the unofficial McClory Bond film but lacked the iconic bald look. So by the time EON gets the rights back it’s been like 40 years since he’s been a presence in the films. Younger people are all gonna think Dr. Evil came first and think to him first since to them he is the big example of that trope instead.

[@ChimpingBulldog]

Blofeld wasn't bald in the books.

[@RobertK1993]

​@@ChimpingBulldogHe had grey hair

[@TheHuntermj]

Strangely, When Donald Pleasance died in 1995, a movie was dedicated to him: Halloween-The curse of Michael Myers!

[@LegionIscariot]

Making Bond and Blofeld brothers feels like a parody 😂

[@TheDeathmail]

The fact that Blofeld probably created more villain tropes than most infamous villains... yet he himself is more forgotten and not as famous is kinda funny.... Like, he's literally the stereotypical villain... but he's also one that's forgotten by a lot of people....

[@mesektet5776]

Dr. Evil: “No, Mr. Blowfeld, I expect your popularity to die?”

[@davidwuhrer6704]

Back in our day you stood for everything villainous and evil, but in this new era, your schemes and machinations no longer impress anyone, they have become commonplace and … good?

[@SCP-Dr_Bright]

6:02 so to make their Blofeld different from Dr Evil they gave him the exact origin of Dr Evil, no it makes total sense.

[@jamesburke2759]

I really love the chimney drop. one of my favourite bond openings.

[@deebugger]

Brings to mind another related couple: "I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate!"

[@mehlover]

TIL Dr. Evil was a parody of a bond villain I never knew, and inspired the unseen villain with cat archetype

[@mattm8870]

Actually the unseen villain stroking a cat is how we first see Blofeld in his first two films (mainly because he hasn't been casted).

[@N13J]

It took kid me a really long time to realize that Dr. Evil was also played by Mike Myers himself.😂

[@ironmaster6496]

Same hahaha i felt like an idiot

[@Stephanie-uk8be]

Goldmember was the one who got me XD the makeup in these is really good!

[@TheAssirra]

I didn't realize it till this video lol.

[@Gettinsketchyonbourbon]

Fat bastard as well

[@kenlieck7756]

So who wants to tell this kid about Fat Bastard?

[@rubinmaballs9055]

At least Donald pleasence maintained the iconic role of dr. Loomis from the Halloween franchise, which ironically also has somebody named Michael Myers in it.

[@anyderrosek9272]

Dr. Evil: well I didn't take over the world, but at least I killed my predecessor by simply existing

[@thepikminbrawler1746]

As someone who got into James Bond because of Austin Powers and went out of my way to watch You Only Live Twice first to compare Blofeld to Dr. Evil as well as their respective volcano lairs, this video could not have come at a better time.

[@caoimhedee]

reminder that dr evil is canonically austin powers’ brother

[@trotzkii]

Airplane! was an almost shot-for-shot parody of Zero Hour!

[@SmittyDealio]

How could the Bond writers let this happen? I can't believe I never realized the brother connection. Insane

[@michaelbaker8284]

They wanted to work in part of the plot of the Fleming short story Octopussy and took it too far.

[@MrDuncanBelfast]

The "Weird Al Effect" in action.

[@burnslee1164]

Deadpool. People don't even realize he's a parody of Deathstroke anymore.

[@Nugundamsisntforshow]

That's because Deadpool wasn't a parody he was a rip-off go read his first appearance it's played completely straight

[@sonictoast]

TMNT's Splinter was a parody of Daredevil's mentor, Stick. I'd argue Splinter is the more popular character. Same case with Bumblebee Man from the Simpsons who is a parody of El Chapulín Colorado (The Red Grasshopper).

[@metalmonkey0026]

Nerdstalgic: Dr Evil killed Blofeld! Dr Evil: Mwuhahahaha Mwuhahahahaha!

[@DParkerNunya]

As a casual Bond fan, I have no idea this villain is. As someone who has seen all the Austin Powers films exactly once, Dr. Evil lives free in my mind and has since the first time I saw him.

[@mergettheborgerhrunter3386]

I’m convinced Mike Myers is a genius

[@billvolk4236]

I love how he simultaneously works as a spot-on parody of both Blofeld and Lorne Michaels. Blofeld will never live down the existence of Dr. Evil, but neither will Lorne, and Lorne is a real person.

[@MisterAnonymous1000]

1:05 That poor cat must clawing the hell out of poor Donald.

[@WilAdams]

The largest mistake of the Bond franchise was not using Donald Pleasence as Blofeld in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and later in Diamonds are Forever. By doing that they did not establish Donald Pleasence's look enough like Myers did in his series of films. Had all the incarnations up to Diamonds been Donald's then Dr. Evil--while funny--would not have taken over the concept.

[@dogpd3]

Bingo

[@WhiteJarrah]

The Craig era is something of a mixed bag. Once they secured the rights to _Casino Royale,_ it got off to a promising start. But after they finally secured the rights to _Thunderball_ from McClory's estate, it ended up as something of a retroactive extravaganza. _Spectre_ tried to retcon the three previous films and _No Time To Die_ tries to retcon parts of _Spectre._ It's like they painted themselves into a corner because they couldn't do what they wanted to do, and now they had the rights to everything they had to hastily shoehorn it into the narrative.

[@GeorgeWiman]

This feels a lot like Captain Kirk and his popular replacement, Zapp Brannigan.

[@MyBenjamin73]

The fact that the recent James Bond films honestly tried to redo Blofeld without a shred of irony is hilarious

[@nsf001-3]

Yeah. Dumbest thing they could've done tbh

[@awcindy]

They could have done it had they just gone back to the books. He doesn’t even have a cat in the books.

[@StephenLeGresley]

Loved the video and exploration of two iconic characters. You should do another one for Rick Sanchez and Kang The Conqueror.

[@WildNorWester]

"Over the first five Bond films." Immediately shows a shot of him from the sixth Bond film.

[@Parrisnights]

Deadpool is my favorite parody, although I’m not sure if he is more popular than Deathstroke. What I do know is he has truly become a hero in his own right and that Ryan Reynolds did a wonderful job bringing Wade Wilson to life in a major motion picture.

[@Barely_Edited]

Deadpool is definitely more well known than deathstroke in the public consciousness - most non-comic readers have never even heard of deathstroke

[@ShadowAraun]

@@Barely_Edited though many people may be familiar with Deathstrokes other name, Slade, as Teen Titans was incredibly popular.

[@cameronjosephvideos5942]

Deadpool certainly is now after his movie debut. Any casual moviegoer knows of him. Deathstroke meanwhile, the only people outside of comic fans that know of him are people who have watched Arrow and that isn't half as popular as those Fox movies were.

[@mattm.2591]

Today I learned that Dr. Evil was based on a specific James Bond character.

[@ivane5110]

Cool video. I never considered this. I'd love to see a video about other characters that grew to overshadow the original ones that they were based on.

[@HandsomeLongshanks]

Dr. Evil is awesome

[@nameless5512]

0:39 *“Next time Gadget… next time.”*

[@secretscarlet8249]

That chimney drop is just like throwing trash in a dumpster and made me laugh more than I should.

[@quinncroft7037]

Quick correction: Bond isn’t “the oldest movie franchise”, if I’m not mistaken that’s Godzilla.

[@kenlieck7756]

Pretty sure they said "longest", but still...

[@christopherg2347]

Blofeld: "You took everything from me." Dr. Evil: "I ... have even no idea who you are."

[@bhirawamaylana466]

Another reason why Austin Power is the best spy movie, follow by Johnny English.

[@davidwuhrer6704]

They should make a Danger Mouse film.

[@KibblezanBitz]

I still sometimes pepper in a "throw me a frickin bone here" into conversations.

[@TheRafaelRamos]

When Dr.Evil uses his pinky that's actually a reference to The Twilight Zone episode "Number 12 Looks Just Like You" where the doctor uses the same gesture.

[@mann3ify]

Great job! I can't think of a better parody character that killed the original other Dr. Evil than OG Blofeld. I hope the next James Bond movie doesn't do a not-so-subtle parody of Austin Powers.

[@JayTemple]

This isn't quite one character being a parody of the other, but the villains on Batman '66 became the best-known versions of those characters.

[@davidwuhrer6704]

That series gave us the definitive version of Catwoman.

[@Nehfarius]

In roughly the same vein as Batman TAS' version of Mr. Freeze becoming THE definitive version of him.

[@Macho_Man_Randy_Savage]

Love those movies and the humor, they just outdid themselves with every new released. I think it's good they ended it at 3 and not turned the franchise into a literal joke.

[@MegaThunberg]

Ernst Stavro Blofeld is awesome!

[@nsf001-3]

Killed? No. Gave just another reason to love both the character itself as well as the stock character it generated? Absolutely

[@bryanparkhurst17]

I don't know about matching the parody for Dr. Evil but I'll say that Charlie Sheen really hit all of the stereotypical action heroes in Hot Shots and Hot Shots part Deux

[@tigeranimations4519]

Breathtaking a shall call it a Nerdstalgic video

[@njyankeesfan]

I wish we got a 4th Austin Powers movie like Mike Myers wanted, but it’s probably not going to happen since Myers isn’t in the spotlight anymore after some total bombs and him taking on selective minor roles.

[@ComXDude]

Every couple years it's in the news that they're still working on Austin Powers 4, but that they're being very particular in order to make sure that it lives up to the standard set by the previous three; after all, no sequel is better than a bad sequel.

[@richardarcher7177]

@@ComXDudeI remember once not long after Goldmember came out that rumours of AP 4 was in the works and not only was Michael Caine reprising his role as Nigel Powers he was apparently trying to convince his old friends Sean Connery and Roger Moore to appear in cameos with the three of them as retired agents in a retirement home for former gentleman spies. At the time I knew it was a wild rumour but the thought of Moore and Connery joining the cast sending up their old Bond personas would have been gold if it had been handled right.

[@waldyeti3744]

I’ve never watched any of the new bond movies but the fact that they made him his brother is hilarious

[@stonedhope]

Small correction. The longest and oldest running movie franchise is the GODZILLA franchise. 68 years with 38 films (depends on how you count)