Filename: Unknown
Primary Specialty: Mindcontrol
Secondary Specialty: Orthodontics
Other Alias: Dr Brain-Wave
Originally a gentle and honest man, Mindbender was a highly acclaimed orthodontist. In the process of developing a method for relieving dental pain, he experimented with electronic brainwave stimulation. Performing one of the experiments on himself, something went dreadfully wrong and good doctor was transformed into the cruel and deceitful Dr Mindbender.
He immediately began to develop various forms of mind control technology. One such development was the creeper bomb, a plant which grew incredibly fast when detonated, sprouting pods that would burst open with sleeping gas. The creeper bomb became Mindbender's ticket into Cobra. When he used it as a demonstration on the Joes Lady Jaye, Airtight, Bazooka, Crank Case, and Heavy Metal.
One of Mindbender's first commissions was to build his torpedo transports, small single-manned, jet ski-like sea skimmers capable of transporting and delivering high ordnance. These were first used against the Joes during one of their operations off the coast of Cobra Island. During the battle, the Baroness shot, and apparently killed Storm Shadow, whereupon Dr Mindbender curiously ordered his body preserved and stored.
Following this, Mindbender set about stealing the remains of the ten greatest warriors of all time - men such as Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, Napoleon etc. After the grave robbing, Mindbender stored the bodies with the addition of Storm Shadow, for "fresh meat" in tanks in the museum of Cobra first base town, Springfield. There, the genetic material was used to generate nerve tissue - and create a working brain.
When the brain was completed, Mindbender put it into a simulacrum body, adding his own knowledge and allegiance to the mix. At that time, the Joes were enroute to Springfield with a massive invasion force. As the Joes closed in, Mindbender's simulacrum rose to life, proclaiming himself Serpentor, and rallied the Cobra troops into a holding action which permitted the Cobra hierarchy time to escape.
As Cobra withdrew to Cobra Island, Serpentor's popularity with the troops threatened to overcome Cobra Commander's weakened leadership. When Cobra Commander set up an assassination attempt on Serpentor, the plot failed, and Serpentor made a deal with Cobra Commander to co-lead Cobra.
Soon after, Serpentor set about Cobra's most ambitious plot ever, the mass production and sale of the dreaded Terror-Dromes, developed by Doctor Mindbender. The first of these was set up in Sierra Gordo and Snake-Eyes was sent in on recon to check it out. He was captured, and Mindbender used him to experiment with an updated version of Cobra's old Brain-Wave scanner.
In a later experiment, Mindbender created the Star Viper, a reflex enhanced pilot, capable of piloting Cobra's Stiletto rocket plane. Mindbender sent the Star Viper to infiltrate the Pit III, and the Star Viper managed to steal a top secret high-tech black box and elude capture by the Joes. When the Star Viper returned to Cobra Island, he found Serpentor and Cobra Commander II embroiled in the argument that would kick off the Cobra civil war. Mindbender took possession of the black box.
During the civil war, Mindbender aided Serpentor. He convinced Serpentor to allow him to take the black box to Washington, D.C., to convince the U.S. government to back Serpentor with military support during the civil war, thereby securing victory. Cobra Commander II found this plot out, and sent a Mamba to shoot Mindbender's helicopter down. However, the Joes were approaching to insert a recon team on Cobra Island, and they shot down the Mamba, and Mindbender escaped.
When Mindbender returned, he brought a massive Joe assault force ready to fight on behalf of Serpentor. During the ensuing battle, Serpentor was cut down by an arrow, fired by Zartan. This prompted Mindbender to cut another deal -- this one with Cobra Commander II. The Joes were then asked to leave.
Mindbender then proceeded to have Serpentor's body packed in ice and placed in cold storage. Cobra Commander II questioned him as to the whereabouts of Serpentor's body, not wanting Serpentor to "recover." Dr Mindbender then revealed he had surmised that Cobra Commander II was not the original and made a deal to keep possession of the body.
Later, Mindbender led an assault on Pit III, based on the knowledge gained by his Star Viper when he infiltrated it. However the Joes were tipped off in advance, and moved their top buildings away from the Pit to decoy the attackers. As a result, the Cobra attackers found nothing but earth beneath the three huts that marked the Pits locations, and Mindbender was humiliated.
Still looking for a means of redemption, Mindbender was approached by Raptor, who had been present when Cobra Commander II shot the original and took his place. Raptor convinced Mindbender that he should exhume Cobra Commander and clone his genetic material to bring him back. Furthermore, Raptor could lead Mindbender to the exact spot where Cobra Commander was buried.
When they got to the gravesite, they were ambushed by Cobra Commander and some of his loyal Crimson Guard. He revealed that he had not been quite dead, and one of the guard had uncovered him and saved his life. Upon his immediate return to power, Cobra Commander had Mindbender, Cobra Commander II, Serpentor's body, and several other "traitors" buried in a freighter under a volcano. The freighter was later opened, and the bodies for all but two or three were found dead of food poisoning from contaminated C-rations. Among the identified dead was Dr Mindbender.
Mindbender's story does not end there. Some years later Cobra Commander had the freighter set alight, but not before taking Mindbender's remains. With them they followed plans left behind by Mindbender to revive him via the cloning process he pioneered years ago with Serpentor. Arriving in Cobra's zombified town, Milleville, along with a large Cobra force and the Transformer Megatron, Mindbender was rudely awakened when his pod was dropped and smashed on the streets by accident. There, Cobra Commander apologised for his past mistake of throwing Mindbender in with the "traitors" and promised to make it back up to him.
Mindbender spent a day in a bath tub packed with ice while his metabolism stabilised, and used the time to catch up with the current events and things that had transpired since he died. Not long after, Milleville was liberated from Cobra and they were forced to withdraw. Following this, the side Cobra had been backing in the Borovian civil war, won. President Metz became their puppet governor, while they pulled the strings.
Cobra Commander was shocked when Mindbender revealed that he had surgically implanted devices in both Destro and Zartan that when activated would bring them to Cobra's will. The Commander immediately activated them by paying a housecall to Destro across Borovia's border, in Trans-Carpathia. Cobra took control of the Silent Castle and Mindbender used his new improved Brain-Wave scanner to bring the Baroness, Billy and Storm Shadow under their control once again.
Learning of his friends capture, Snake-Eyes went to rescue Storm Shadow himself, but Cobra Commander was prepared thanks to Mindbender's Cyberspace Matrix, an environment designed to befuddle and confound the heightened senses of a ninja. Cobra Commander battled Snake-Eyes personally thanks to the new powered body armor suit, designed by Dr Mindbender. Snake-Eyes managed to overcome the Commander however when the body armor suit caught fire. Mindbender rushed to the rescue with a fire extinguisher and the brainwashed Billy, Baroness and Storm Shadow. Causing Snake-Eyes to flee.
Dr Mindbender hatched some of Cobra's most twisted and diabolical plans. Among his numerous accomplishments were the design and construction of the B.A.T.s and the invention of the "Pythonizing" process, which made vehicles invisible to infrared and radar detection. His constant wheeling and dealing, not to mention bootlicking, saved his hide on many occasions, and combined with his inventive skills made Cobra bundles of money. It is unclear whether Mindbender shaved his head or went bald of natural reasons. But then, who really cares.
Dr Mindbender's remains with Cobra as their chief scientist and right hand man to Cobra Commander. But what evil plans has he cooking within that chromed head of his.
Compiled by Rod Hannah
Filename: Unknown
