History Main / ReluctantMadScientist

* Dr. Gerald Robotnik of ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' was contracted by the former president of the [[FantasyCounterpartCulture United Federation]] to assist with their project to develop eternal life. Gerald initially refused believing NoManShouldHaveThisPower but changed his mind after seeing it as an opportunity to help his IllGirl granddaughter Maria, eventually creating the UltimateLifeForm VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog in the process after making a DealWithTheDevil with the alien EvilOverlord Black Doom. Despite him actively working with the government, a later administration turned on him ironically believing NoManShouldHaveThisPower themselves and attacked his space station, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero killing Maria and turning Gerald]] into an OmnicidalManiac.

* Otacon in the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series, who created the Metal Gear Rex under the impression that it wouldn't be used offensively. "I just wanted to make robots!"

* Milton in ''Series/TheWalkingDead''. He has a better insight into the Governor's true nature than most Woodbury residents -- even enabling several of them as the resident SmartGuy -- and reluctantly turns a blind eye due to interest in the experiments on communicating with zombies to curb their aggressiveness he is able to perform under The Governor's patronage.

* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice,'' Serling Roquette was captured by the League of Shadows to make the Fog, a cloud of {{Nanomachines}} that could [[GreyGoo destroy anything in their path]] as well as download any information that the villains needed. She was actually rescued at the beginning of the episode she appears in, but spent the rest trying to create a virus to destroy the Fog while the Team protected her from League assassins.

-->'''Oppenheimer:''' Seeing that for the first time, I was moved to remember the ''Literature/BhagavadGita'', the classic Indian poem... [[GodInHumanForm Vishnu]] is telling the King [[ForScience to do his duty]], he appears in his [[MultiArmedAndDangerous multi-armed form]] and says: '''''[[AGodAmI I am become]] {{Death}}, [[MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds Destroyer of Worlds]]'''''[[note]]As an aside, don't bother looking for the translation that contains this exact unusual wording; he'd [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist read it in the original Sanskrit]] and translated on the fly.[[/note]]... I think we all felt like that.

* While the whole point of ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' is that "[[MadScientist Mad Scientists rule the world. Badly]]," most of the main characters are ''Reluctant'' Mad Scientists. While they are still afflicted by "TheMadnessPlace," they work very hard to control it and are defined by their ability to actually use their Sparkiness to make the world a better place. [[IDidWhatIHadToDo Klaus]] [[AntiVillain Wulfenbach]] does this by being a MagnificentBastard; Othar Tryggvassen (GentlemanAdventurer!) tries to make the world better by ridding it of all Sparks (including, once his "job" is done, himself); the others are just trying to do their best in a world pounded into submission and littered with wandering monsters.
** Ironically, this may involve pounding the world into submission and/or creating armies of monsters.
*** Sometimes you have to [[InternalReformist work inside the system]].

* Sheegor from ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' is a twist on this trope, a Reluctant [[TheIgor Igor]] (and a girl one; note pun in name). She is completely opposed to her boss [[MadScientist Dr.]] [[BigBad Loboto's]] plans, but has a childlike mind and fears for her beloved pet turtle who Loboto has taken hostage. She instantly switches sides when Raz rescues him---indeed, using Clairvoyance reveals that she sees him as a shining, angelic savior.

* Dr Tenenbaum in ''VideoGame/BioShock'' technically fills this role by the end of the series (barring the exploding arena, as the final boss area does not explode, but she does provide the means of defeating the final boss), going back over the audio diaries leaves it a bit ambiguous how reluctant or willing she was, how much of it was s desire for survival, how much was for science, and how much was just Rapture spiraling out of control. It doesn't help her boss is a murderous crime boss who probably would kill her if she protested too much.
* ''VideoGame/FatalFrame'' has Dr. Kunihiko Asou, whose inventions included various types of [[MagicalCamera Camera Obscura]]. While his inventions originated from his curiosity regarding the afterlife and were never meant to actively hurt anyone, the fact that those who become exposed to extended use of such items could become [[GoMadFromTheRevelation mad upon seeing spirits -- especially if said users hadn't seen one before]] -- and possibly DrivenToSuicide caused many of his inventions to be considered dangerous or even cursed.

* Dr. Schroeder in ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'' was brought in by the Eruseans to collect flight data from one of their top aces, Mihaly, to improve upon the drone army. At first he was will to go through with it, [[spoiler: to avenge his homeland of Belka]], but he became increasingly disillusioned with the project as the war dragged on, and Mihaly’s granddaughters began to resent him for putting their grandfather through increasingly risky sorties. [[spoiler: Its not until the end of the war when his motivations are discovered does he finally relent, and tries to stop the project after it resulted in two [=UAVs=] [[AIIsACrapshoot that try to start]] a RobotWar.]]

** Ponder Stibbons, in his quiet methodical way, comes up with concepts for the Wizards of Unseen University which have many unintended consequences. His less careful and more bellicose colleagues tend to grasp misuse them or exploit the consequences in a way that horrifies Ponder. These include a ''seriously'' [[Literature/TheScienceOfDiscworld Big Bang]].

** It should also be noted that her part in this trope is taken to WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds levels, as the reason why she even felt as though she had to solve problems no matter the cost is because [[spoiler:Wilhuff Tarkin, after taking her from her family, had to go through an intense high-risks mathematics/science course taught by him and his underlings. And by "high-risks", we mean "if one of the students failed to answer a question correctly, Tarkin will force said student to watch as his/her home village is destroyed from orbit, and then executed shortly thereafter" kind of "high-risks". The fact that she, not to mention her home village, were the only ones that literally survived that harsh course makes matters a lot worse.]]

** Dr. Vanetti in "The Assassin" is a somewhat easily flustered atomic scientist being pressured to invent the bomb for the Nazi's, when he'd prefer to defect and ride out the war, feeling such a weapon would be "far too noisy".

** Karl Svenson in "How to Win Friends and Influence Nazi's" is the inventor of a new steel alloy but is reluctant to give it to the German government unless they can prove that their prison camps are humane, and is only willing to consider it due to a desire to bring a quick end to the war.

* ''Film/ResidentEvilApocalypse": Charles Ashford only made the cell-regenarating virus to cure his paralyzed daughter and it's largely the fault of the sleazy pharmaceutical company he worked for that it got out of control and started a zombie apocalypse.

* "Seiketsu no Hagurama" had a literally blue-blooded prince construct SteamPunk looking machines called Kirin for his father who, unbeknownst to him, was using them to eradicate the remaining red-blooded refugees in a war between the red-blood and blue-blood groups.

* Dr. Serizawa from ''Film/{{Gojira}}''. He invents a weapon called the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Oxygen Destroyer]], but refuses to make his findings public and fears what'll happen if it gets into the wrong hands. It's only after [[GodzilleThreshold he sees the destruction Godzilla has caused]] that he decides to use it... [[HeroicSacrifice but only once.]]

* In ''Film/DangerDeathRay'', a film bad enough to get the treatment on [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]], the scientist who invented the titular DeathRay exclaimed that he only wanted his invention to be used for peaceful purposes. Just like the above example, what those peaceful purposes ''are'' exactly is anyone's guess.

* ''Film/SpyKids2IslandOfLostDreams:''' Romero spliced animal DNA and created a lot of monsters, but he was just making small ones for a zoo before they accidentally were made to grow big (and they aren't that dangerous in the end), with Romero being more afraid of them than eager to exploit them.

* Dr. Onishi, the scientist, in Manga/{{Akira}}. He ignores an order to kill Tetsuo if Tetsuo's [[AGodAmI vital signs]] get out of hand. You have two guesses why, and the first guess (deeply cares about saving Tetsuo's life?) doesn't count. Tellingly, nobody ever blames him for the [[PersonOfMassDestruction outcome]].

* ''Film/SpyKids2IslandOfLostDreams:''' Romero spliced animal DNA and created a lot of monsters, but he was just making small ones for a zoo before they accidentally were made to grow big (and they aren't that dangerous in the end), with Remoero being more afraid of them than eager to exploit them.
* ''Film/{{Daybreakers}}'': Edward is working at a company in the vampire-dominated world harvesting humans to try and make an artificial blood substitute, although he is ionic doing so to try and stop humans being slaughtered for blood like cattle and is quick to jump onboard with a faction instead working to try and ''cure'' vampirism.

** Karl Svenson in "How to Win Friends and Influence Nazi's" is the inventor of a new steel alloy but is reluctant to give it to the German government unless they can prove that their prison camps are humane, and is only willing to consider it due to desire to bring a quick end to the war.

* An episode of ''Series/HogansHeroes'' has this several times with people the Heroes help defect.

** Karl Svenson in "How to Win Friends and Influence Nazi's" Karl Svenson is the inventor of a new steel alloy but is reluctant to give it to the German government unless they can prove that their prison camps are humane, and is only willing to consider it due to desire to bring a quick end to the war.

* An episode of ''Series/HogansHeroes'' has a Russian Von Braun stand-in working for the Nazi rocketry program. He built the rocket just to test his theory [[spoiler: and then programmed it so it would turn right around and kill everyone at its launch point, including himself in order to keep his rocket design from being used for the war effort.]] Fortunately, his plan was thwarted.

* The former members of Unit 11 in ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'' (2004) are classic examples, forced to conduct experiments to save the man race from extinction from a war that ultimately didn't escalate to the depths they'd thought.

%%* Dr. Manhattan in ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'', as mentioned in Comics above. Even moreso in the film. Of course it's a justified trope in his case, as he really has no reason to care about what happens.

* Dr. Kokintz, the inventor of the Q-Bomb in ''Literature/TheMouseThatRoared''.

* ''Literature/StarWarsCatalyst'': Galen Erso was hired to design an energy source based on the Kyber crystals and wasn't told it would be used as a weapon: the Death Star.
* ''Literature/TheGirlWithAllTheGifts'': Dr. Selkirk clearly dislikes helping Caldwell's vivisections. Eventually she can barely look at the kids. Caldwell notices this, but sees it just as a testimony to her own triumph and talent, accomplishing so much with just a single, weak-stomached assistant.

* An episode of ''Series/HogansHeroes'' has a Russian Von Braun stand-in working for the Nazi rocketry program. He built the rocket just to test his theory [[spoiler: and then programmed it so it would turn right around and kill everyone at its launch point, including himself.]] Fortunately, his plan was thwarted.

* The town {{Series/Eureka}} exists in part to keep these people from falling into the wrong hands.

* Milton in ''Series/TheWalkingDead''. He has a better insight into the Governor's true nature than most Woodbury residents -- even enabling several of them as the resident SmartGuy -- and turns a blind eye due to interest in the experiments he is able to perform under his patronage.

* [[Literature/{{Discworld}} Leonard of Quirm]] from the Discworld series (loosely based on Creator/LeonardoDaVinci) is a subversion; he never envisions [[JustThinkOfThePotential violent uses for his ideas]], and immediately becomes horrified and angry if anyone else suggests such uses for them. When one of his inventions ''is'' used for ignoble means, he tries to have it -- and all of his plans and diagrams -- destroyed out of shame. [[spoiler:A later books suggests that he ''does'' realize the destructive potential, but tries to sell it as being used for peaceful purposes. When he designs an obvious weapon that he can't possibly spin into something else, he sighs and burns the plans.]]
** [[Franchise/JamesBond Q]], the gadgets and weaponry man for the History Monks, is another example of the type. Only he makes no evasions about his gadgetry being weaponised. it doesn't always work as intended, but that doesn't stop him.
** And Ponder Stibbons, in his quiet methodical way, comes up with concepts for the Wizards of Unseen University which have many unintended consequences. His less careful and more bellicose colleagues tend to grasp misuse them or exploit the consequences in a way that horrifies Ponder. These include a ''seriously'' [[Literature/TheScienceOfDiscworld Big Bang]].

* ''Series/TheAvengers'': The episode "Return of the Cybernauts" has a couple of these being hired/coerced (with varying levels of enthusiasm) into assisting with [[Creator/PeterCushing the villain's]] revenge scheme against Steed and Emma.

%%* The former members of Unit 11 in ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'' (2004) are classic examples.

%%* Dr. Jumba Jookiba from ''Disney/LiloAndStitch''. (Although he doesn't like to ''[[EvilGenius think of himself]]'' as such...)

[[folder: Radio]]

* Professor Deemer in ''Film/{{Tarantula}}'' wants to use the nutrient he has invented to end world hunger. Unfortunately its side effects include deformity and death in humans and [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever gigantism in animals.]] Deemer is smart enough to not release the nutrient public until he has fixed these problems. It's not his fault that his assistants kill themselves by taking the nutrient before its ready. Or that before one of them dies he accidentally releases a giant tarantula that they had created while testing the nutrient. Really, the only thing Deemer is guilty of is not thinking to [[FridgeLogic only test the giantism causing nutrient on herbivorous animals.]]
* In ''Film/DangerDeathRay'', a film bad enough to get the treatment on [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]], the scientist who invented the titular DeathRay exclaimed that he only wanted his invention to be used for peaceful purposes.
* Dr. Serizawa from ''Film/{{Gojira}}''. He invents a weapon called the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Oxygen Destroyer]], but refuses to make his findings public and fears what'll happen if it gets into the wrong hands. It's only until after he sees the destruction Godzilla has caused that he decides to use it...[[HeroicSacrifice but only once.]]

* Galen Erso in ''Franchise/StarWars'': ''Film/RogueOne'' is a research scientist that get forcibly recruited to construct a super-weapon for the Galactic Empire. That super-weapon turns out to be the original Death Star of ''Film/ANewHope''. Resenting the fact that he has been taken from his family, [[spoiler:he secretly plants a weak spot, a thermal exhaust port leading directly to the main reactor, which would easily be destroyed by even a small starfighter]].

** And Ponder Stibbons, in his quiet methodical way, comes up with concepts for the Wizards of Unseen University which have many unintended consequences. His less careful and more bellicose colleagues tend to grasp misuse them or exploit the consequences in a way that horrifies Ponder. These include a ''seriously'' [[Discworld/TheScienceOfDiscworld Big Bang]].