"I haven't laughed that hard since I was a little girl. Thank you." - Dr. Evil

Douglas Powers, more commonly known as Dr. Evil, is the main antagonist of the Austin Powers franchise. He is Austin Powers' arch-nemesis and twin brother, Scott's father, Number 2 and Frau Farbissina's leader and boss, and Mini-Me's former leader and boss.  

Early Life

Baby Douglas

In his infancy, Douglas Powers was taken on a trip to Belgium with his family. When his father stopped to urinate, the car was blown up. Douglas managed to survive the explosion and was found by a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner and his French prostitute with webbed feet.

They adopted Douglas, giving him the last name Evil. At the age of 12, he received his first scribe. At the age of 14, a Zorastrian ritualistically shaved his testicles.

Prior to age 18, Douglas Evil entered the British Intelligence Academy to become an International Man of Mystery. Unknown to Douglas, his roommate, Austin Powers, was actually his long lost brother. It was during his time at the academy that he would meet the man that would eventually become the number two in his organization, Number 2. It was also during this time that he got his pet cat, Mr. Bigglesworth.

Douglas Evil had the highest marks in the class, but Austin Powers was chosen to be that year's International Man of Mystery. Douglas did get the last laugh, however, when he got to join with the others laughing at Austin when his father no-showed the event. Despite this, Douglas Evil was furious that he had the best grades in the class and didn't get diddly-squat, so he dropped out of the Academy and instead went to Evil Medical School for six years, attaining a doctorate and henceforth going by the name "Doctor Evil."

1967 (International Man of Mystery)

Having started a new career in Evil, Doctor Evil hired a number of the world's greatest assassins to kill his arch-nemesis, Austin Powers. However, not one of them succeeded, and Dr. Evil angrily executed all of them except Mustafa and Frau Farbissina. He set a trap for Austin Powers at the Electric Psychadelic Pussycat Swinger's Club, but his attempt to kill Austin failed. He managed to escape by cryogenically freezing himself and launching himself into space in a Big Boy rocket, planning to return at a time when free love no longer reigned and greed and corruption ruled again.

1997 (International Man of Mystery)

Dr. Evil's lair

Thirty years later, the Big Boy rocket broke orbit and returned to Earth, travelling to his underground lair in Nevada. However, due to a complication in the unfreezing process, his cat, Mr. Bigglesworth, lost all his fur, and Dr. Evil executed Mustafa for his mistake. He then began to plot evil, much to the chagrin of his associate, Number Two, who had spent the past thirty years turning Dr. Evil's front company, Virtucon, into a multi-billion dollar corporation.

Showing how disconnected he is after missing thirty years of history, Dr. Evil proposes plans to make it look like Prince Charles had an affair and therefore would have to divorce, and to punch a hole in the O-Zone layer. However, Number Two informs him both those events have already happened, and Dr. Evil comes up with a plan to hijack a warhead from a breakaway Russian republic and hold the world hostage for one million dollars (corrected to one hundred billion dollars at Number Two's suggestion.)

It is also during this time that Dr. Evil is introduced to his "test tube baby" son, Scott Evil. Despite Dr. Evil's best efforts, Scott wants nothing to do with him, and it would take a long time for them to develop any kind of meaningful relationship.

Having successfully hijacked the warhead, he proceeds to go through with his plan of launching the warhead, via a subterranean drill, to the Earth's core, causing a detonation that would cause every volcano on Earth to erupt simultaneously. Unfortunately, his arch-nemesis, Austin Powers, having also frozen himself thirty years ago, returns. Dr. Evil successfully captures him, but makes the mistake of leaving him in an easily escapable situation. Austin manages to escape and foils Dr. Evil's plan, but Dr. Evil escapes into space once again.

1999 (The Spy Who Shagged Me)

Two years later, Dr. Evil returned from space again, and is introduced to his new "child," an exact clone of him that he names "Mini-Me." He reveals his new plan: To use a "time machine" to go back in time and steal Austin Power's Mojo while he's helplessly frozen, in the hopes that him losing his mojo would make him a less competent spy.

1969 (The Spy Who Shagged Me)

Doctor Evil travels back in time and, using an undercover agent in the Ministry of Defense named Fat Bastard, successfully steals Austin's mojo.

After stealing it, Doctor Evil samples of it, and his enhanced libido results in him having a one-night stand with Frau Farbissna, which would change history in that Scott Evil would be Frau's love child with Doctor Evil instead of a test tube baby. In the past, he puts his new plan, the Alan Parsons Project, to work, planting a giant "laser" on the moon and turning it into what he calls a "Death Star."

However, Austin Powers, who had followed Dr. Evil into the past, arrives to foil his plan. Dr. Evil manages to capture his assistant and new lover, Felicity Shagwell, and leaves him with a choice: Either save the world, or save his girlfriend. Austin reluctantly chooses to save the world, and Dr. Evil nearly escapes, but is shot. Dr. Evil then tells Austin Powers about the time machine and how he can go back in time to save Felicity. Austin does so, and in the new timeline, Dr. Evil is encountered by two Austins.

The two Austins manage to save both Felicity and the World, but Dr. Evil manages to escape by distracting the Austins by throwing the vial with his mojo into the air. Dr. Evil escapes into space with his rocket, and recovers Mini-Me, who was ejected into space earlier thanks to Austin.

2002 (Goldmember)

After spending thirty three years in space, Doctor Evil finally returns to his new lair, which was set up behind the Hollywood Sign. He reveals his new plan: to go back in time and make contact with Johann van der Smut, AKA Goldmember, to use his Preparation H tractor beam to pull in a giant golden asteroid to destroy the Earth. However, he is captured by Austin Powers at last and sent to prison.

While in maximum security, Dr. Evil is visited by Austin, who needs information about Goldmember. After reminding Austin of their academy days, Dr. Evil gives Austin information on when Goldmember is in exchange for a transfer to a regular prison. While Austin is busy in 1975, Dr. Evil does a rendition of "Hard Knock Life" along with Mini-Me in order to convince the other inmates to create a distraction so he can escape prison.

After his escape, Dr. Evil makes contact with Goldmember, who has come to the future with Austin Power's father, Nigel Powers, and they worked together on the Preparation H Project. It is during this time that his son Scott embraces becoming evil to the point that he starts losing his hair, and he is won over by Scott presenting him with what he always wanted: "Frickin' sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads." The now-shunned Mini-Me leaves, and later defects to Austin's side.

During the climax of the film, Nigel Powers steps in to protect Dr. Evil from Austin Powers, and finally reveals the truth that Doctor Evil is also his son, and Austin and Douglas are brothers. Touched by this, Doctor Evil decides to abandon the plan and turn good, much to Scott's dismay and anger ("First I'm not evil enough for you, and now you're going to turn good?!") Austin and Dr. Evil work together to stop Goldmember from using the Preparation H tractor beam to destroy the world, and Goldmember is arrested.

Later, Dr. Evil attends the premiere of "Austinpussy" along with his reunited family.


Dr. Evil is unquestionably a genius. Inventing numerous "evil" devices to further his goals which tend to shift between global domination and global destruction fairly frequently. He has, however, described himself as a "hands off" type of genius meaning he prefers others to do the manual work for him. Those others, he would like, are deaf and blind so they cannot see the good guys coming. He feels he doesn't need an adversary; he could be better off just winning. Therefore, he is his own worst enemy.

Though he has a high degree of intelligence he is prone to absent mindedness, childishness and has a tendency to do things counter productive to his plots. Such as leaving Austin in easily escapable death traps even when his son points out that he could just shoot him. He can be extremely immature, speaking over Scott when his son is trying reason with his fathers line of thinking, or bullying Number 2 when he also points out fault in Dr. Evil's plans. He lists the key elements to a good world domination plan:

1. Thermonuclear device

2. Exotic delivery system

3. Closed circuit TV to talk to the President / UN

4. Sense of self

5. There is no fifth

Due to his suspended animation, Dr. Evil is very behind the times and will often say name his plans or projects as things that exist past 1969 when he was frozen. The best example of this is when he threatened the 90's government for $1,000,000 since he was not aware that the amount of money was not as valuable as it had been 30 years ago. Similarly, he threatened the US Government for $100,000,000,000 during the 1960s, but was apparently unaware that such an amount of money did not even exist during that time.



  • Whenever Dr. Evil gets a plan he would gently put his finger to his bottom lip and do a dramatic stare.
  • Despite his apparent lack of respect for his son, Scott, he seems to care for his son's well being. This is especially evident when Dr. Evil says "no one talks to his son like that" tries to comfort Scott, and then attacks a Ku Klux Klan member on the Jerry Springer show shortly after the latter made a very insulting remark towards Scott.
  • The most common word Dr. Evil uses is 'frickin'.
  • Dr. Evil’s catchphrase, “Throw me a frickin’ bone” refers to his confusion when someone speaks and he does not quite catch the idea what they say are saying.
  • In the first film, Dr. Evil admitted to designing Vanessa Kensington's and Austin's futuristic outfits. This may indicate he has an evil forte for fashion design.
  • As a cover-up for his world domination, he once owned the multi-billion dollar franchise, Starbucks.
  • Throughout the series Dr. Evil's respect shifted from Scott to Mini-Me and then back again.
  • Dr. Evil wants nothing more than to bond with Scott.
  • Dr. Evil has a close relationship with Mr. Bigglesworth and Mini-Me.
  • In the third film, Dr. Evil reveals he has three testicles when a meteor globe hits him in the crotch, Mike Myers did not wear protection during this scene in order to get a genuine reaction . His flinching is noticeable
  • He usually comes up with the names of his project that usually already is taken (ex. Preparation H, the "Death Star", The Alan Parsons Project).
  • Dr. Evil's eye color changes in Goldmember. His eyes are a normal blue in the first two films, but are a very noticeable brighter blue in Goldmember. While the reason behind this decision is unknown, Mike Myers has stated that the contacts he wore in Goldmember were extremely uncomfortable.
  • Jim Carrey was considered for the role of Dr. Evil, but had to drop out, due to scheduling conflicts with Liar Liar.

