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Psycho Prototype: Difference between revisions
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Of course, the first test subject, AI, or robot off the assembly line isn't just a [[Super Prototype]], it's ''[[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity|insane.]]''
Maybe [[Ghostbusters|the streams crossed]], the [[Super Serum]] is actually of the [[Psycho Serum|Psycho]] or [[Toxic Phlebotinum|Toxic]] flavors, the janitor [[Bullying a Dragon|tossed rotten tomatoes at it]], the psych evaluations weren't [[Critical Psychoanalysis Failure|as rigorous]] as they should have been, or an honest to goodness [[Didn't See That Coming|unforeseen complication]] happened during Alpha Testing (if there was any, that is). Whatever the case, the experiment has [[Gone Horribly Wrong]] and the first and eldest of a nascent [[The Chosen Many|Chosen Many]] has gone rogue [[Phlebotinum Rebel|(and not in the good way)]], is evil, and likely wants to kill its makers ''and'' younger siblings.
Or, more chillingly, it is the result of an experiment that has [[Gone Horribly Right]].
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== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* In the ''[[Zone of the Enders]]'' [[Prequel]] ''Idolo'', the Metatron used to power the [[Humongous Mecha|Orbital Frame]] is a slow acting, [[Artifact of Doom|sentient]] [[Psycho Serum]]. It turns the pilot, Radium Levans, into a hateful and destructive force, while enabling him to use Idolo's powers to their destructive apex.
* Hidan from ''[[Naruto]]''; his inability to die resulted from a religious experiment. Only problem is, the god of said religion praises the slaughter of one's neighbors, which didn't bode well for Hidan's village (or anyone else for that matter).
* Some incarnations of Atlas from ''[[Astro Boy]]''.
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== [[Comic Books]] ==
* [[Captain America (comics)]] originally inverted this trope, with a number of his villains created by attempts to duplicate his Super Soldier Serum. Eventually, Protocide was introduced via [[Retcon]], thereby playing this trope straight.
* Obviously, Norman Osborn, ''[[Spider-Man]]'' foe.
* Pretty much everyone in the [[Marvel|Weapon Plus]] programme except [[Wolverine Publicity|Wolverine]] and [[Captain America (comics)]] qualifies. Almost without fail they were super-villains, and each was the first, and often only, in their generation of the programme.
* Valentine Romanov, eldest brother of ''[[Nikolai Dante]]'', was the first Romanov to be bonded with a weapons crest. Unfortunately, his was a prototype which caused [[Body Horror|massive scarring, making him resemble a metallic skeleton]] along with some ''major'' [[Sanity Slippage]].
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== [[Literature]] ==
* This is the case with {{spoiler|Mercutio}} in ''Idlewild'' by Nick Sagan. While he's not the alpha himself, the prototype's bitterness and jealousy bled into him and he goes insane. Eventually he kills several of his supposed friends as his grip on reality (such as it is in this [[Mind Screw]] of a book) slackens.
** In the third book in the series, "Everfree", one of the {{spoiler|thawed-out Gedaechtnis employees admits to tampering with Mercutio's DNA to make him more dominant, because he was the only pure white subject.}}
* In [[Tad Williams]]' ''[[Otherland]]'' series, Mr. Sellars' backstory involves a secret military program to develop [[Powered Armor]] - one of the soldiers being trained for the program was mentally unstable and went on a psychotic rampage in a prototype suit, destroying billions of dollars of equipment and killing nearly all of his fellow personnel. Sellars himself barely survived, with horribly disfiguring injuries. The project was supposedly scrapped as a result of this incident, though Sellars notes that modern combat gear incorporates similar technology, albeit in a less [[One-Man Army]] form.
* A textbook example of this trope occurs in the [[Dean Koontz]] novel Mr. Murder, even having the superhuman clone assassin named Alpha. It is explained that their attempts to make him asexual just resulted in him being extremely sexually frustrated, as well as homicidal.
* The [[Doctor Who Expanded Universe|Faction Paradox]] novel ''Of the City of the Saved'' features Antipathy, the [[Ax Crazy]] firstborn son of the humanoid TARDIS Compassion. A psychotic TARDIS is a scary, scary thing.
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{{quote|'''Vyvyan''': It's basically a ''cure''! For not being an ax-wielding homicidal maniac.}}
* ''[[Firefly]]'s'' River Tam is the most advanced and successful version of the psychic assassins produced by the Academy, and while it isn't stated outright, both River and the methods used to create her have all the trappings of a prototype, including uncertain technology, unpredictable side effects, and crippling flaws. Naturally, River is also insane.
* Adam from [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]], an almost perfect version of this trope in fact. Very first thing he does when he awakes is to kill his creator.
* In ''[[NCIS]]'' it was revealed that {{spoiler|1=the Port-to-Port Killer was the first and last product of an experimental CIA training program, intended to transform servicemen into assassins. After his only sanctioned kill, he promptly went serial-killer using his spook/military training and a handy folder of fake passports}}.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' LOVES villains with this backstory.
** In ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'', talking to an NPC in the Empire's capital city will reveal that Kefka was the first [[Magitek]] [[Super Soldier|knight]] created by [[The Empire]], and he was driven insane by the process. (Luckily, they got it right with Celes.)
** Kuja from ''[[Final Fantasy IX]]'' is this in addition to a [[Flawed Prototype]] (albeit, ''intentionally'' flawed).
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** [[Crisis Core]] has {{spoiler|Genesis Raphsodos}} who also qualifies as a [[Flawed Prototype]]. Unlike Sephiroth, he was nuts to begin with, and only gets worse when he discovers {{spoiler|that he was not only a failure from the project ''before'' the one that spawned Sephiroth, but also [[Power Degeneration|deteorating at a high rate.]]}}
* ''[[First Encounter Assault Recon|F.E.A.R.]]'' Series:
** ''FEAR'' oddly messes with this, the first prototype ({{spoiler|the pointman}}) is considered a failure, the second prototype ({{spoiler|Paxton Fettel}}) is the one who cause problems, but only with a little help from his mum.
* {{spoiler|Nebilim}} from ''[[Tales of the Abyss]]'': The first {{spoiler|human replica}}, and [[Came Back Wrong|utterly insane]]. Then again, its creator wasn't [[Necromantic|entirely stable-minded]] when he created it either.
* {{spoiler|Xion}} in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' qualifies, as {{spoiler|the "No. I" of Xemnas' Replica project, a duplicate of Sora.}} The Riku Replica also arguably qualifies.
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