Austin Powers (character)

This article is about the film character. For the film series, see Austin Powers series.

Austin Powers
Austin Powers series character
First appearance	Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Last appearance	Austin Powers in Goldmember
Created by	Mike Myers
Portrayed by	Mike Myers
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Title	Sir Austin Danger Powers, KBE
Occupation	Spy for the Ministry of Defence
Family	Nigel Powers (father) Dr. Evil (brother) Unnamed mother
Spouse	Vanessa Kensington
Nationality	English

Austin Powers is a fictional character from the Austin Powers series. He first appeared in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) and is portrayed by Mike Myers.

Character

kinda stupid

Apart from being a satire of James Bond Austin Powers also represents the archetypal 1960s mod, with his constant advocacy for free love, his use of obscure expressions and his clothing style (including crushed velvet suits and Beatle boots), though the womanizing side of him could be said to neatly combine his 1960s side with his James Bond template in itself. With his flamboyant ways and never-changing dress-sense, he is deliberately made to stick out from his surroundings -- though invariably escaping detection when disguised -- particularly when he talks about things that would have had no place in the 1990s.

In the many instances he takes off his clothes, he is revealed to have a very hairy chest. Much of his attitude toward relationships could be a parody of Bond's lack of reflection with regard to the loss of a woman. For example, after Vanessa explodes on their honeymoon, Austin mourns at first, then joyously exclaims, "Wait a tick ... that means I'm single again! Oh, behave!" and proceeds to dance through the hotel they were staying at naked. Some of his abilities include a kind of hypnosis he learned in India from Guru Shastri, "a chaste man, who died from a disease that had all the hallmarks of syphilis." He also has the ability to use his "Mojo" at will to seduce women.

Appearances

Austin Powers series

Powers was born on November 12, 1939, son of Nigel Powers (Michael Caine), and brother of Doug "Dougie" Powers, also known as Dr. Evil. Austin and Dougie's mother died in an assassination attempt when they were babies, separating them in the process. Austin grew up with his father, and went on to attend an espionage boarding school with Dougie (now known as Dr. Evil), his roommate and unbeknownst to him, his brother. While at boarding school, he was awarded the title of International Man of Mystery, much to the dismay of Dougie. This event would destroy the relationship between the two and cause them to become enemies.

Following his schooling, Powers went on to join the Ministry of Defense and became a famous spy. After exiling Dr. Evil to space, Austin was cryopreserved in 1967 in case Dr. Evil should return from space. Eventually, Dr. Evil returned and Austin was unfrozen and partnered with Miss Kensington, who was the daughter of Austin's former partner Mrs. Kensington. Once he had been unfrozen, they started their adversarial relationship while he attempted to adjust to the culture shock of losing 30 years' worth of time.

In popular culture

• When registering for hotel stays, Rubén Sierra used the alias "Austin Powers" to avoid unwanted fan attention.
• Austin Powers appears in the music video for Beautiful Stranger by Madonna, which was released alongside the second film.
• In the movie Never Been Kissed, during the costume party a person can be seen in the background dressed as Powers.
• Austin Powers appears in the "Boys" music video by Britney Spears.
• TLC sings "Thinkin' you got powers like Austin, but you're more like minime" in their track Girl Talk from the 3D album.
• In the British television comedy The Office, David Brent wears an Austin Powers costume while participating in a dating game.
• In the movie Dhoom, one of the members of the gang introduces himself as an IT specialist named "Austin Powers" to create a diversion.
• Moe Szyslak impersonates Austin Powers in The Simpsons episode "Gump Roast".
• Roger Ebert, in a review of the film Beowulf, argued that it was a satire of the poem, stating that, "This leads to a great deal of well-timed "Austinpowerism", which translates as 'putting things in the foreground to keep us from seeing the family jewels.'"
• In the song "Buy U A Drank" by T-pain, Powers' sayings are referenced in the line "Shawty's got class, Oh Behave".
• Ludacris uses the Austin Powers gimmick in his single #1 Spot
• On the song Blueprint 2 Jay-Z makes reference to Austin Powers.
• The band Gnarls Barkley dresses up as Austin Powers & Dr. Evil during an appearance on the popular British talk show Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.

External links

• Template:Imdb character