Doctor Claw
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Dr. George Claw[1] (in the movie, Sanford Scolex[2]) is a partially-seen character who is the main villain in the animated television series Inspector Gadget and the films that followed.
Bio
He runs a criminal syndicate called "M.A.D.", whose mascot is an evil cat named "MAD Cat" (which he keeps by his side). His hideout is usually in an old castle in some unknown place of the world, as good as always with darkness and a thunderstorm brewing outside. Dr. Claw's plans would be foiled in every episode, forcing him to flee in his versatile black and red vehicle called the Clawmobile - also known as the MADmobile (which could fire missiles and change into a car, jet or submarine). While escaping he would yell his catch phrase: "I'll get you next time, Gadget!... Next time!" —, or some variation, which was followed by MAD Cat's signature yowl and hiss.
Face
Though Dr. Claw's metallic hands and arms are often seen, his face is always just out of shot in the series. The device frequently used to block his face was the back of a chair with the M.A.D. logo on it. This spoofs the cat-stroking James Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who was initially only portrayed as forearms and hands, with the rest of the body obscured. (M.A.D. is also a play upon Blofeld's SPECTRE.)
Dr. Claw's face was ultimately revealed in non-canon sources such as licensed action figures and a Nintendo video game, which depicted him as resembling a deranged European nobleman. In the 1999 live-action movie remake, Dr. Claw was fully visible with the appearance of a middle-aged businessman, and portrayed by Rupert Everett, although for a significant portion of the film's opening scenes his face is out of shot in a reference to the cartoon series. He gets his nickname after he lost his left hand and rebuilt it as a mechanical claw. In a magazine at Scolex Industries, he was shown to be originally fat. The direct-to-video sequel released in 2003 portrayed Dr. Claw with a few traits more like his cartoon counterpart: His face was never shown (still, it was obvious that he made no attempt in the film to hide it from anybody), and he escaped in the end of the movie with the words "I'll get you next time, Gadget!" (flying off in a rocket not too dissimilar from his first transport vehicle in the original cartoon series' pilot episode, "Gadget in Winterland"). In the 2003 movie he was played by Tony Martin. The 1999 movie reveals that Dr. Claw's cat is named Sniffy.
Voice
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In the original series, Frank Welker supplied Dr. Claw's low, ominous voice (and the MAD Cat's). Claw's voice is actually the unmodulated voice of Soundwave from The Transformers; this was revealed in a few episodes of Transformers when mistakes were made in the voice editing. It was also the same voice that Frank Welker used for Darkseid on Super Friends, the Cave of Wonders in Disney's Aladdin, and the voice of the devil in The Golden Child. The same voice was used in the live action movie Spawn from 1997 for The Devil Malebolgia. According to Frank Welker in the commentary for the Robot Chicken episode "Adoption's An Option," the voice originated from an impersonation of Barry White. Usually, Dr. Claw's voice would be given reverb effects for a dramatic effect. This is not present in some early episodes and in the second season.
Most of the dubbed, localized versions of the cartoon used voices similar to the original Claw's (sometimes, e.g. in the Polish version, even deeper), but in some countries, the Doctor's voice was quite different; in at least one dubbed version, he was actually speaking in a rather high pitched tone, much like a comical impotent villain.
In the episodes "Mad Trap", Basic Training, "Gadget Goes West" and "The Coo-Coo Clock Caper", Frank Welker wasn't available to voice Doctor Claw, and was instead voiced by Don Francks.
Brian Drummond was Dr. Claw's voice actor in Gadget and the Gadgetinis, Inspector Gadget's Last Case and Inspector Gadget's Biggest Caper Ever. M.A.D. Cat was voiced by Lee Tockar in these productions.
Personal life
In the 2000s follow-up cartoon series Gadget and the Gadgetinis, more of Dr. Claw's past was revealed (such as his first name being revealed as George) and the villain was given an extended family, including an equally evil brother, Dr. Thaw, and career-criminal parents - mother Marilyn and father Gordon Claw. As tradition dictated, the faces of Gordon and Thaw were kept hidden. Claw also has a nephew, William "Billy" Thaw, who befriends and has a crush on Penny (to which his Uncle George would not allow).
Henchmen
In the series, Claw's henchmen are the MAD agents.
In Inspector Gadget, Claw's henchmen are Sikes and Kramer.
In Inspector Gadget 2, Claw's henchmen are McKibble and Brick. Claw's other minions are Jungle Bob, Squint, and the Ninja.
MAD Cat
Since the viewers never saw Dr. Claw's face (or his body) in the cartoon series, MAD Cat was another way to reinforce Dr. Claw's emotions. When Dr. Claw was happy, MAD Cat would laugh and snicker along with him, or for him. When Dr. Claw was angry, MAD Cat would follow through with his terrible yowl.
Dr. Claw showed great affection for MAD Cat, stroking the sinister feline often. This became a trademark of his on the show (other than his "hands" shtick, though the two are often indistinguishable). However, Dr. Claw was also sometimes an abusive pet owner, and would bully MAD Cat when he perceived the feline as annoying. In an episode that took place in the first season, Dr. Claw was depicted laughing over a triumph, and MAD Cat, in typical "copycat" manner, laughed along with him. Dr. Claw then demanded what the cat was laughing about, adding furiously, "I did all the work!" An episode or two later, Dr. Claw was engaged in tongue-lashing his minions. MAD Cat did the same. Dr. Claw again abused the cat and angrily growled out that he was that one who gave the orders. Sometimes MAD Cat didn't have to do anything at all to inspire punishment, and Dr. Claw's maltreatment was almost casual or even unnoticed and reckless on some level. In more than one episode Dr. Claw would simply slam down his fist, not caring where the cat was in his anger or if his pet would escape in time. (However, in one episode, MAD Cat was ready for him and glued his fist to the desk) Dr. Claw once broke MAD Cat's Inspector Gadget toy bank after Gadget foiled one of Dr. Claw's plots, and MAD Cat cried uncontrollably. In another, he simply caressed the feline's head until it hurt, with MAD Cat's expression betraying discomfort. MAD Cat always forgave Dr. Claw (often by the next scene).
MAD Cat seems to understand English well: in Launch Time, MAD Cat takes instructions from Dr. Claw and operates the controls of the Mad Jet (firing a missile).
Other media
Non-Traditional Appearances
Frank Welker reprises his role of Doctor Claw in the Robot Chicken episode "Adoption's an Option." He uses Skynet to take over Inspector Gadget in order to eliminate Penny. At the same time, MAD Cat comes down with the feline leukemia virus (when Doctor Claw gets a call from the vet) and dies. While at MAD Cat's funeral in the post credits, Doctor Claw says to the mourners that he wants to say a few words which happened to be "Next time, Gadget. Next time."
Toys
The original Inspector Gadget action figure line included a Dr. Claw toy. But there was a sticker covering his face and the only way to see it was to buy the figurine. It was ultimately the same as the depiction used in the video games.
External links
