The Igor: Difference between revisions

[[File:ygorlikee_9296.jpg|link=Son of Frankenstein|frame|You had him at [[Grave Robbing]].]]

Igor is the [[Sidekick]] and manservant to a [[Mad Scientist]]. He's an absolute toady, loyal to a fault, and has no problem doing unsanitary scut-work (such as [[Grave Robbing]]) for his genius master, who is always addressed as "[[The Master|Master]]," sometimes with an impressive lisp. He'll typically be a hunchback, dwarf, or even some small variety of monster. [[Evil Sorcerer|Evil Sorcerers]] can substitute a tiny imp or demon. A vague European accent and/or a Peter Lorre impression (despite Lorre's not having played that sort of role until late in his dotage) round out the vocal category.

* Literary example: Terry Pratchett's [[Discworld]] distills the trope by featuring an entire clan of these types, all named Igor (except female Igors, who are named Igora or Igorina). They all have their own unique pattern of scars and deformities (except for the female Igors, who are oddly enough [[Cute Monster Girl|very attractive]], although they usually keep a stitch somewhere as a sign), and all of them incredibly skilled surgeons, chemists and inventors. When they work for [[Our Vampires Are Different|Vampires]], [[Our Werewolves Are Different|Werewolves]] and [[Mad Scientist|Mad Scientists]], they often double as a butler. They also have a tendency to replace parts of their own bodies with bits from other people which are no longer in use by their former owners. Often an Igor will accept as payment for a surgery a promise that they can help themselves to the patient's body (for themselves and other patients) when they eventually die -- a promise they take very seriously. They also hand down useful organs; when an Igor says "I have my grandfather's hands", he is NOT being metaphorical.

** Furthermore, they rarely have any qualms about who they work for -- they don't work for Vampires and Werewolves and [[Mad Scientist|Mad Scientists]] because [[Evil Feels Good]], but because "Insanity gets the job done." An Igor would never do to another living person something that they wouldn't be willing to try first on themselves, though that doesn't necessarily narrow it down much. Even (relatively) sane and non-evil organisations (such as the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, The Free Hospital and a bank) recognise the value of an Igor and employ one or more.

*** [[The Medic|Surgery]] -- in particular, they can re-attach lost limbs and perform transplants using only needle and thread, and also possess the ability to completely suppress the patient's immune system incompatibility with the donor organ through means unexplained. They also have the ability to bring back people who have actually died, if it's recent enough (and if they're allowed to -- dwarves in particular will not allow Igors to bring them back. Igors are said to be "naturally disappointed" by this). As of ''[[Discworld/Unseen Academicals|Unseen Academicals]]'', Lord Vetinari has been compelled to make a law about this, because murder trials have a tendency to go wrong when the (formerly) deceased walks through the door: "If it takes an Igor to bring you back, you were dead. Briefly dead, it's true, which is why the murderer will be briefly hanged."

** Interestingly, the Barman at Biers ''is'' named Igor, but is ''not'' a member of the clan -- it's just a coincidence, which is odd as Biers is frequented mostly by the undead. He apparently finds [[Never Heard That One Before|comments about the incongruity of this]] rather irritating.

* ''[[Good Eats]]'' recently introduced the dungeon under AB's kitchen, wherein his toadying Dungeon Master ([[The Igor]] in all but name) supplies him with painful kitchen appliances, such as a steak cuber and tortilla press. Yes, it's a cooking show; it's just not a normal cooking show.

* [[The Igor]] appears in a few ''[[The Far Side|Far Side]]'' cartoons. In one of them, the Doctor is scowling at him for having brought the wrong size wrench.

** Fan made game ''[[Hunchback the Lurching]]'' is also designed with [[The Igor]] in mind.

* Another webcomic treatment: In the current ''[[Girl Genius]]'' storyline, Agatha finally makes it to her ancestral keep, only to find {{spoiler|the entire TOWN surrounding it is populated with [[The Igor|Igors]] subconsciously pining for their masters the Heterodynes... and woe betide pretenders that hang around instead of getting eaten by the Castle}}.

* In the ''[[Beast Wars]]'' episode "Feral Scream", Waspinator fills in the role of [[The Igor]] while Megatron is creating {{spoiler|Transmetal 2 Dinobot}}. Waspinator even speaks lines such as "Yes, Master" in a creepy sort of voice.