History Main / MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate

* Doc Magnus, creator of the ComicBook/MetalMen. Good, although he spent a DorkAge brainwashed into a would-be world conqueror and is definitely a MadScientist as a group of less scrupulous doctors learned when they tried shanghaiing him to work for them in ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo''.

* ''Series/{{UFO}}'': The vaguely sinister Dr. Doug Jackson appears to fill a number of roles in SHADO, ranging from psychiatrist and medical doctor to prosecuting officer. In one episode Commander Straker calls him "the eyes of the International Astrophysical Committee", implying that Dr. Jackson's role is to spy on him for his superiors (which would explain his wide-ranging brief). This is only enhanced by his noticeable Eastern European accent, which would automatically make the 1970's audience think of UsefulNotes/ColdWar EspionageTropes.

** Dr. Emmerich, Hal's father, was similar. Although a good guy, he did work with nuclear weapons and was involved in a project to create a perfect deterrent. Although he was initially willing to work on the project, it was only because he legitimately believed Coldman when he said that it wouldn't be used even once. Unfortunately, Coldman proved his lying/insane nature when he intended to launch a live nuke to test its retaliation abilities.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'':

* In the afterword of her novel, ''Literature/EvilGenius'', Catherine Jinks said that she got the idea from watching her son playing with figurines of "Action Man" and "Dr. X," which got her wondering where and how supervillains get their degrees.

** Doctor Hugo Strange: Sane enough to hold a doctorate in psychiatry; too insane to perform surgery. (Monstrous enough to try anyway). Though subverted in that despite holding a doctorate, he's never actually called Doctor Strange (possibly due to the below), rather, he's always called ''Professor''.
** Before becoming The Scarecrow, Jonathan Crane held a doctorate in psychology.

** The Bat also finds himself fighting a number of other inversions who hold doctorates but don't include their title in their supervillain names including Dr. Isley ([[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]]), Dr. Quinzell (ComicBook/HarleyQuinn), Dr. Crane (The Scarecrow), and Dr. Elliot (Hush).

* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': Doctor Alchemy: at least [[SuperpoweredEvilSide 50%]] evil.
* Dr. Mid-Nite of the ComicBook/{{JSA}} is a (super)heroic physician. An aversion, since he's definitely Good and not even a jerk.
** When they first meet, ComicBook/BlackCanary is surprised to realize Mid-Nite really is a doctor. "Let's just say I've met a few Doctor Fill-in-the-blank types who didn't come close to the Hippocratic Oath."

* Characters/DoctorDoom: Evil? Yeah. You have to be pretty evil for your father to make his servant promise to always protect ''the world'' from ''you'', ''when you're a little boy''.
** He's closer to a WellIntentionedExtremist and NobleDemon if anything, also not a real doctor.
** At best, while he's certainly done enough original work to deserve several doctorates, he's got a degree from the University of Latveria after he took over the country. Remember, he was disfigured when still a student at "State U." and expelled for causing the explosion. Oddly enough, he goes by doctor, while the legitimately multi-doctorate-degreed Reed Richards goes by mister in his super-id.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Doctor Octopus]]: Ambiguously evil. [[RedemptionEqualsDeath Does the right thing]] in the [[Film/SpiderMan2 movie]]. (Actually, he does hold an actual doctorate, although [[NotThatKindOfDoctor it isn't in medicine.]])

--> '''Dr. Nick:''' Well, if isn't my old friend, Mister [=McGreg=]! With a leg for an arm and an arm for a leg!
** Dr. Julius Hibbert, post-{{Flanderization}}, can also qualify as being weaselly, up to the point where you may argue he's sort of evil. Originally, Hibbert was one of the few competent people in Springfield and often played the role of OnlySaneMan, but Hibbert eventually became a doctor who seems to spend more time finding ways to have his patients sign away their right to sue before the inevitable malpractice issue than actually being a quality doctor. And he also profited heavily when all companies in Springfield eliminated their health care programs, forcing people to pay at a premium. Likely his most immoral action (by the standards of RealLife medicine) was approving of an obviously unhealthy eating contest (as it was in a restaurant he held half-ownership of) where one contestant actually died of beef poisoning and then claiming it [[BlatantLies was caused by another restaurant]]. A BaitAndSwitch gag implies that he's been practicing medicine without a license, as he's shown gulping nervously when Bart and Lisa start putting out the town's secrets over the radio but ultimately finger Homer.

Science created [[DeusExNukina the atom bomb]], it [[NuclearNasty unleashes monsters]], it [[GaiasVengeance angers the gods]] -- ScienceIsBad. As a corollary to this, intelligence in media is often used for evil, or belongs to the MadScientist.

* One of the villains in ''Mystery Trackers 12: Queen of Hearts'' calls himself Doctor Cyanide.

* Dr. Corvine from ''Phantasmat 7: Reign of Shadows'' created a monster that only exists in the dark and can destroy ''ghosts''.

* ''Machinima/TheGmodIdiotBox'' has Dr. Hax, an ArtificialHuman clone of [[VideoGame/HalfLife Dr. Breen]], who ruthlessly destroys all cheaters and hackers by launching monitors and applying the banhammer.

%%* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'': The Director of Project Freelancer, Doctor [[spoiler:[[MeaningfulName Leonard Church]].]]

* Dr. Shuu Iwamine from ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'' is often described as creepy by other characters, and with good reason. It turns out that his crimes vary from [[spoiler:murdering various students, to forcing [[IllGirl Nageki]] to murder innocent humans against his will, to ''[[KillAllHumans plotting the extinction of the human race]]''.]] He very nearly succeeds at that last one, too...

* In ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'', Buzz and Woody witness the sadistic Sid play doctor, sewing a plastic pterodactyl head onto his sister's doll's neck.

* ''VideoGame/BrainDead13'': Dr. Neurosis. Evil, but most certainly not [[BerserkButton "average"]].
* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'': Doctor Richtofen. Would make [[ThoseWackyNazis Mengele]] cringe.
* The titular doctor in ''VideoGame/TheCastlesOfDoctorCreep'', if [[MadScientist his]] [[NintendoHard castles]] are anything to go by.

** The Engineer's backstory says he has [[UpToEleven 11 Ph.D.s]], and he ''seems'' to be a much more stable guy, although that's not saying much considering that the flavor text for ''The Gunslinger'' is that he chopped his own hand off and replaced it with a robot replacement ForScience.

* If you're a doctor in a ''Franchise/KamenRider'' series, you're probably not a nice guy.

Compare MadScientist, which is often synonymous with this, as is EvilGenius. When they're NotThatKindOfDoctor, there's overlap with AristocratsAreEvil, in that the ''title'' is an indicator.[[note]]Given that UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates eschewed the title system, this may well ''be'' their replacement trope.[[/note]] If they had a medical license but lost it due to ethics violations, they had a DoctorsDisgracefulDemotion.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{TREVOR}}'', Dr. Maddison bitterly refers to the other members of the medical team as "sadists with medical licenses" because of [[ColdBloodedTorture the experiments]] they’ve been doing, although he’s [[UnwittingPawn only somewhat right]] about some of them.

'''Sheldon:''' Yes, the Characters/DoctorDoom to my [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Mr. Fantastic.]] The [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Doctor Octopus]] to my Franchise/SpiderMan. The Dr. Sivana to my [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]]... You know, it's amazing how many supervillains have advanced degrees. Graduate schools should do a better job of screening those people out.

* Lampshaded in ''ComicBook/{{Pafman}}'', when a [[OurCentaursAreDifferent centaur]] villain presents himself as "Professor Sagittarius" and the main character complains "(All villains) are either professors or doctors".

** Dr. J.W. Müller, who first appeared in [[Recap/TintinTheBlackIsland "The Black Island"]] as a PsychoPsychologist and member of a gang of forgers who tries to have Tintin admitted to his private sanitorium... after undergoing some "special treatment, of course. He later returns in [[Recap/TintinLandOfBlackGold "Land of Black Gold"]] as Professor Smith, and in [[Recap/TintinTheRedSeaSharks "The Red Sea Sharks"]] as Mull Pasha.

* Averted with Dr. Sawbones from ''Fanfic/TheRiseOfDarthVulcan''. Yeah, he works for Vulcan and the Diamond Dogs, but only because he is a very dedicated doctor, with the compulsion to treat any injured creature that appears before him, no matter their allegiance, and is clearly disgusted by other quack medical theories, like the ones that encourage thestrals (batponies) to be malnourished, by preventing them getting the meat and blood they need to ''survive''.
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has ComicBook/DoctorStrange, as per canon -- except that this version is a {{Chessmaster}} who manipulates the heck out of everyone [[WellIntentionedExtremist in order to make the best possible future come about]]. While he's unambiguously on the side of good, he's also most definitely not sweetness and light, and he isn't afraid to get his hands dirty if necessary (remember, his main job is beating up/scamming {{Eldritch Abomination}}s).

--> ''Lieutenant Doyle:''' Every single one of them is convinced he's got a God-given right to anything he wants and nobody should even ask questions.

* Given ''TabletopGame/{{RocketAge}}''[='=]s setting there are many scientists who act... questionably, the Nazis in particular.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'':

* ''VideoGame/EarthBound'': Dr. Saturn. Appears to be well-meaning if eccentric. [[http://morganchan.deviantart.com/art/Dr-Saturn-fix-you-up-ding-20827736 Even so...]]

%%** ''Film/DrNo'': Very evil and a MadScientist to boot.

** ''Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman'' had ''five'' villains who qualified as this, with the BigBad being named Great Professor Bias and his human students named Dr. Kemp, Dr. Mazenda, Dr. Obular, and Dr. Ashura; all of the students were once regular human students but have augmented themselves biologically or mechanically as a show of their detatchment from their humanity in their selfish pursuit of power and knowledge. Also, while it isn't in their names, the aliens [[spoiler:actually robots]] Guildos and Butchy probably count, as well. [[spoiler:While Bias proves to be irredeemable, Kemp goes insane, and Guildos just dies too early, all of them make {{Heel Face Turn}}s at some point when they find out what Bias is actually up to; even Kemp at the end is able to rebel against Bias after Megumi's words lead him to a HeelRealization about what he has done and how he regrets everthing.]]

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': Doctor Yatsubiyashi is introduced at a medical clinic treating Akira's injuries while trying to sell him medicine with a SicklyGreenGlow. He later sets up a MadScientistLaboratory looking clinic [[WrongSideOfTheTracks in the slums of Kugamayama]], where he offers the poor residents two choices: pay, or be subject to PlayingWithSyringes in exchange, in order to circumvent having to go through official trials. Even later, Yatsubiyashi sets up a field clinic in a warzone where he gives seriously injured hunters three options: Pay way more than what the treatment should cost, do favors for him, or hobble through the warzone to the nearest base. And then there's [[spoiler:striking ADealWithTheDevil to make and plant EvilKnockoff hunters to act as AgentProvocateur during the assault on Tsubaki's sanctum, in exchange for data on LostTechnology.]]

** ''Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman'' had ''five'' villains who qualified as this, with the BigBad being named Great Professor Bias and his human students named Dr. Kemp, Dr. Mazenda, Dr. Obular, and Dr. Ashura; all of the students were once. Also, while it isn't in their names, the aliens [[spoiler:actually robots]] Guildos and Butchy probably count, as well. [[spoiler:While Bias proves to be irredeemable, Kemp goes insane, and Guildos just dies too early, all of them make {{Heel Face Turn}}s at some point when they find out what Bias is actually up to.]]

** Also earlier in ''Series/ChoudenshiBioman'', you don't get much more morally ambiguous when you're a BigBad named ''[[WasOnceAMan Doctor Man]]''.
** ''Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman'' had ''five'' villains who qualified as this, with the BigBad being named Great Professor Bias and his human students named Dr. Kemp, Dr. Mazenda, Dr. Obular, and Dr. Ashura. Also, while it isn't in their names, the aliens Guildos and Butchy probably count, as well. [[spoiler:While Bias proves to be irredeemable, Kemp goes insane, and Guildos just dies too early, all of them make Heel Face Turns at some point.]]
** ''Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger'': Dr. Mikoto Nakadai[=/=][=AbareKiller=]: DrJerk and a White Ranger... but [[{{Jerkass}} NO heart of gold]], and [[LightIsNotGood Evil]]. [[spoiler:He did a HeelFaceTurn in the end though, just in time to [[RedemptionEqualsDeath die]] but does get a lot better in future appearances.]]