| Brain donor criminal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Brain donor criminal | |
| Aliases: | Frankenstein Monster |
| Continuity: | Universal Monsters |
| Notability: | Antagonist |
| Type: | Criminal |
| Gender: | Male |
| Location: | Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany |
| Relatives: | None |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Born: | Unknown |
| Died: | 1930s [1] |
| Introduction: | Universal Monsters: Frankenstein #2 |
| Final: | Universal Monsters: Frankenstein #3 |
The brain donor criminal is a fictional, well... uh, criminal, and a minor antagonist featured in the greater "Universal Monsters" shared continuity presented by Universal Pictures. He is associated with the Frankenstein branch of the franchise and made a single appearance in the beginning of Universal Monsters: Frankenstein #2 by Image Comics & Skywald Publications in September, 2024 in a story called "Chapter Two: The Brain of a Killer". He also made an appearance in a flashback scene from Universal Monsters: Frankenstein #3 titled "Chapter Three: The Heart of a Lover".
Biography[]
A monster in both life and death.
This unidentified adult male was a criminal who lived in or around Ingolstadt in the early 20th century. Skulking about the back alleys of the village, accosted an elderly man named Robert by bashing him across the head with a wine bottle, killing him. He then rifled through his victim's pockets, stealing his billfold. He was caught in the act by a patrolling police constable, who found him lumbering over the body of his victim.
The constable pursued the criminal around a corner and up a flight of steps into a set of living quarters, but the madman ambushed him, stabbing the constable in the abdomen. The constable whispered "Paul, forgive me" to himself before hurling his lantern at the murderer and then tackled him. The lantern oil caused both men to catch on fire and they plummeted through an upstairs window onto the ground, causing the deaths of both men.
The brain of this criminal was later donated to science and used as a test object at the nearby University of Ingolstadt. One evening, a grave-robber named Fritz, under orders from his employer Henry Frankenstein, broke into the University lab with the intent of stealing a healthy brain for Frankenstein's experiments. He accidentally dropped the glass container holding the healthy brain, so instead, he took the murderer's brain as a substitute. It was this brain that was placed inside of Henry's creation, which later became known as the Frankenstein Monster. [2]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Brain donor criminal was created by writer & artist Michael Walsh based on concepts developed by director James Whale and writer John L. Balderston, which were adapted from original concepts by author Mary Shelley.
- The brain donor criminal is unique to the continuity of the continuity of the Universal Monsters: Frankenstein comic book series. He does not have a direct counterpart in the original "Universal Monsters" film series.
- Another version of this character is the Ingolstadt murderer seen in the 1994 film adaptation of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, who was played by actor Robert De Niro. De Niro played the role of both the criminal and the Frankenstein Monster.
- A pastiche of the brain donor criminal is featured in the 1974 comedy spoof Young Frankenstein. Colloquially known as "Abby Normal" (abnormal), the character of Eye-Gor repeated the bumbling foolery of Fritz and stole the wrong brain to use in Frederick Frankenstein's experiment.
- The criminal being set on fire moments before he died offers forth some explanation as to why the Frankenstein Monster had an innate fear of fire upon first encountering Fritz with his torch, even though he had no previous exposure to fire by which to develop such a phobia. It could be argued that some lingering element of the criminal's memory was retained in the Frankenstein Monster.
Appearances[]
- Universal Monsters: Frankenstein #2 (Sep, 2024). "Chapter Two: The Brain of a Killer"
- Universal Monsters: Frankenstein #3 (Oct, 2024). "Chapter Three: The Heart of a Lover"
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Speculative. It is difficult to pin down a timeline for the Universal Monsters film, but Elizabeth's style of dress implies that the events of the film take place in the same year in which it was released.
- ↑ Universal Monsters: Frankenstein 2