The Tragical History of The Life and Death of Doctor Richtofen

[RadZakpak]

Doctor Edward Richtofen: A man of many talents, many stories, and many alignments. A deeply troubled individual for which the fate of an entire multiverse belongs to; From the beginning until the foreseeable future. Often we see him as the goofy, very disturbed doctor with a love for murder and a tendency for lies. However, looking deeper into his history through many different timelines, we can paint the portrait of a man with a troubled past living in a very unfortunate time for the world, and let down by those around him. Today, I will highlight the events of Doctor Richtofen's many lives which stand out to me most in making him a sympathetic character.

 

Before Group 935

Eddie was an orphaned child, surrounded by children from similar backgrounds. He was teased and bullied by the others; They scrawled out on the walls, "Teddy is a liar." He claims to have had a sister as well, whom he released his anger towards by smashing her dolls. He admired science, even claiming his father was a famous scientist, though, in truth, he did not know their true identities. Without the attention of a parental figure or his peers he developed many anxieties, feeling a desperate need for attention and appreciation. To cope, he slept with a stuffed teddy bear at night, even into adulthood. As he grew, it became apparent he was a truly special, bright boy. He had a knack for science, making a name for himself in the community and even publishing his own book. In 1925, he joined the Illuminati; Who is to say why? But if you ask me, I think he saw the problems in the world following the Great War. Imperialism and greed had taken precedence over discovery and wonder. Richtofen saw an opportunity to have a hand in a new order for mankind, one brighter than the status quo. In 1931, science would change forever as Doctor Ludvig Maxis discovered Element 115 in Germany, and formed a scientific organization known as Group 935. In 1936, Richtofen accepted an invitation into the organization, with the intent of advancing the Illuminati's interest; Perhaps some of his only friends in this cruel world.

 

Richtofen's Downfall

With a bright future ahead, Edward Richtofen threw himself into his research under Doctor Maxis, a man he held a deep respect for. With his help, Richtofen managed to achieve a great many advancements. Together they initiated testing on teleportation, accidentally creating the first undead. Richtofen, however held no interest in the undead. Instead focusing his attention on the MTD, and a pet project he hoped to dazzle Maxis with, the Wunderwaffe DG-2. In a stroke of genius, Doctor Richtofen and peer Doctor Schuster teleport a walnut; The first ever teleportation. The sheer magnitude of this breakthrough was palpable, or so they thought. Unfortunately, Doctor Maxis had become corporate and, as Eddie puts it, obtuse. In need of funding, Maxis swept the rug out from under his scientists and diverted all resources into work for the Nazi German war effort, effectively alienating his non-German scientists, and curbing Richtofen's achievement for the time being. Disheartened and still passionate about the project, Richtofen continued, truly believing in 935's maxim, "To improve the human condition."  Volunteering himself to be the first human test subject, Richtofen took the plunge and in a botched experiment, was sent to the Moon. Here he uncovered a long lost artifact of an ancient civilization: the MPD. Fascinated and awe-stricken, Richtofen touched the pyramid, forever damning himself as a slave to the Apothicons. It began as a hushed voice, but within less than a month, he returned to Doctor Schuster crazed and manic. The Richtofen that had entered the MTD did not return to Der Riese.

 

Lies, Deception, Murder

Over the next few years, Richtofen's mind slowly deteriorated. He had left the Illuminati, now performing the bidding of the voices inside his head who promised him power. Perhaps he felt with all of that power he could make the world a better place, or at least that is what he told himself. Behind Maxis' back, he experimented on his daughter and stole Group 935 assets to build a secret moon base to attempt to control the mysterious pyramid device for himself. His paranoia worsened, and Richtofen saw no others as friends, only pawns in his game whom he was desperate for admiration from. In one last attempt at garnering respect from Doctor Maxis, Richtofen perfected the Wunderwaffe DG-2, a weapon with incredible potential, and yet, it was not put into production despite Maxis' promises. Richtofen had made his decision: Doctor Maxis would pay dearly for his actions. Taking the opportunity, Richtofen attempted to murder Maxis and his daughter, locking them in with a hound corrupted by the Aether. Enacting the next phase of his plan, on October 14th, 1945, he releases his three test subjects as temporary allies in his scheme, also unleashing hordes of undead upon Der Riese, killing many of its members. Richtofen and his unconventional allies traveled across the globe, through space and time, and all the while he kept up the lie that there was hope of returning home in the end. In reality, Richtofen's plan was to take control of the MPD from Samantha, which he did. Maxis, however, had survived, and lusted for revenge against Richtofen. The two waged an impersonal war upon each other; With humans of Earth suffering the wrath of both sides' actions. War broken out between factions on Earth, and four special survivors, later known as Victis, were the most successful, following the orders of Maxis in the end despite Samuel Stuhlinger's corruption by Richtofen. Now in control of the Aether, Maxis punished Richtofen for his actions, damning him to eternally live the life of a zombie, die, and repeat. Richtofen's actions had caught up to him, and it seemed he would be damned to an eternal hell for the atrocities he had committed, and the damage he had caused to space and time.

 

Redemption?

At some point, Edward was contacted by a voice, not like those he had heard in his head, but that of himself. Another Edward Richtofen. This Edward was different. He came from a different era, he was young and still hopeful; He wanted to do the right thing. Why should he help this other version of himself? There was no way to take revenge on Maxis any further. With his daughter gone, the Maxis he had known had lost all purpose and had nothing to lose. This other Richtofen did not offer him any power, or really any type of reward. He only needed help in his plan to set things right in his own strange way. I think, truthfully, that without the voices in his head and the power of the MPD corrupting him any further, Richtofen had seen what his actions had done to his world. He felt regret and wanted to atone for his actions, and so he agreed to help the other Richtofen. He was given a zombified body like his own, and followed his instructions to guide Victis along their way to retrieve the Kronorium at Zero Base. In the end, Victis completed their mission, and our Richtofen collected their blood, giving it to his other self upon arrival. The young Richtofen did not seem to feel any sympathy for zombie Richtofen, though he thanked him for his work. Young Richtofen blamed him for taking advantage of Samuel before leaving forever. What happened to Richtofen then, you may ask? With his actions complete, potentially saving the future of the universe via the blood vials, Richtofen was now alone in his zombie body at Zero Base. But as stated in the last two issues, this world would not last now that it had had human contact. This small pocket of the universe would soon disappear, and Richtofen would finally be given peace, and the assurance that he may have redeemed himself for his past sins.

 

It's my firm belief that Richtofen, in his many iterations, is a brilliant man who begins with good intentions. But through forces outside of his control, he is taken advantage of, and he inevitably creates chaos everywhere he goes. He wants to be the hero, but he is flawed, and burdened with knowledge. He is the universe's destructor and savior all at the same time, and he never asked for that. He's a lonely, deprived child in a man's body with a need for respect from those he admires. Doctor Edward Richtofen is a tragic character.

[anonymous]

Wonderful thread, Rad! Not only the content, but also the way it is written. A way only a good writer can.

 

About the content, man, it almost gave me a tear in my eyes. Truly, I knew about the MPD corruption of Richthofen but I have never looked to the other things like that: His parent's death, bullied on school, no appreciation and no acceptance. This post made me feel symphatic for the bad guy, which is really well done. And I've never really noticed about how cruel Maxis' punishment was, and about how important the peace Zombie Richthofen got in the end of the comic series actually is. I would like to say more things concerning Richthofen's character, but I have to go now. Once again, awesome work and I surely will look different to Richthofen when playing his character again in BO1!