The Igor - Television Tropes & Idioms

"It'th a pleathure to be commanded in a clear, firm, authoritative voithe, mithtreth."

— Igor, Carpe Jugulum

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 for his genius master, who is always addressed as "Master", sometimes with an impressive lisp. He'll typically be a hunchback, dwarf, or even some small variety of monster. Evil wizards 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.

Igor can't fight, usually, and if encountered by the hero in a combat situation, will high-tail it out along with his master, unless the master tries to sacrifice him to enhance his own chances. Abduction of young screaming ladies, however, is within Igor's power.

This character is completely defined by Fritz, a character added for the 1931 Universal Pictures adaptation of Frankenstein. The name "Igor" comes from a similar character named Ygor (played by Bela Lugosi) who appeared in the second sequel, Son of Frankenstein. Most modern uses and references include at least a subtle twist.

A very stylized, specialized, and specific variant on The Renfield. Can overlap with Satellite Character. Compare to Battle Butler, Crusty Caretaker and Professional Butt Kisser.

Examples:

Anime and Manga

Jaken, Sesshomaru's servant in Inu Yasha.

Comic Books

The Toad plays the Igor role to Magneto in early X-Men comics.
In Little Gloomy, Mad Scientist and jilted boyfriend Simon von Simon employs the hunchback Boris as his assistant. Boris, however, bears no real allegiance to Simon and only works for him because, as a hunchback, he doesn't have any other job opportunities. Boris is also somewhat explicitly much more sensible if not in fact smarter than Simon.
Grimer from Sonic The Comic is the Igor to Big Bad Dr. Robotnik, incorporating shades of the Hypercompetent Sidekick (when everyone thought Robotnik was dead and Grimer was jailed, he proved he was a manipulative Chess Master and managed to manipulate the heroes easily from his prison).

Film

The trope makers were Fritz, Frankenstein's sidekick in Universal's Frankenstein and Ygor, the broken-necked character from the sequel, Son of Frankenstein.
- Considering the absence of such a character in the novel, both were likely inspired by Rotwang's nameless hunchbacked dwarf assistant in Metropolis. After all, it certainly wouldn't be the first thing they borrowed.
  - The dwarf manservant is not yet an Igor, though; he's never shown helping Rotwang in the lab.
Parodied by Marty Feldman as "Igor" (pronounced "Eye-gore") in Young Frankenstein.
Riff-Raff of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a parody Igor.
- Considering his odd manner of talking, frequent references to "The Master", and insistence that his house does not have a telephone, he also looks like a parody of Torgo, who was originally going to be named "Igor".
In Flesh Gordon and the Cosmic Cheerleaders, Emperor Wang has an Igor-like Mad Scientist henchman named Bator.
- Bator actually has his own underlings, but doesn't like them to address him as "Master"; "That's Mister Bator!"
  - For obvious reasons.
The Igor was actually named Igor in the movie Van Helsing (a film not long on subtlety).
- Well, come on. Van Helsing also featured Dr. Frankenstein, the Monster, and Dracula. This would clearly be the original Igor.
- Igor, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, Dracula... it's a wonder they didn't find room for a mummy.
  - They made up for that by squeezing Jekyll And Hyde in.
Count Rugen's assistant the Albino in The Princess Bride.
The 2008 movie Igor not only has every Mad Scientist have their own Igor...but one Igor (played by John Cusack) decides to become a Mad Scientist himself and win the Evil Science Fair.
Also parodied in Return Of The Killer Tomatoes, sequel to Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes. Dr. Putrid T. Gangrene the Mad Scientist (portrayed most lovingly by John Astin) is annoyed by the mere presence of his assistant Igor, who is a blond, buff, and tanned surfer-dude who wants to be a TV News Anchor.
Dr. Gangrene: It's insulting for a misanthrope of my stature to have an assistant as good-looking as you!
Igor: Sorry, Doc. Maybe if I walked with a hunch?
Mad Scientist Doctor Finkelstein has one of these in The Nightmare Before Christmas. He likes doggy treats.
Both films of Count Yorga had Brudah, a deformed shambling man who serves as the Count extremely tough servant. He has been showed to defy his master once though in the first movie. Where he rapes the damsel after Yorga controls her to come to his mansion during the day time. He later seen shameful of the act and begs Yorga to forgive him.

Literature

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), all with their own unique pattern of scars and deformities (except for the female Igors, who are oddly enough 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 Vampires, Werewolves and 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.
- Igors of Discworld are eerily good at:
  - Turning up behind you when you need them but don't expect them.
  - Opening the door exactly as you're raising your hand to knock.
  - Turning up at the moment of death.
  - Lisping (although this is done deliberately; "modern" Igors sometimes "Forget to lisp." On one occasion, before delivering a somewhat longwinded explanation, the Igor in question asked if he could drop the lisp, to make it easier to understand)
  - Knowing exactly which Igor it is you're talking about.
  - Knowing when a lightning storm is coming.
  - Surgery- in particular, they can re-attach lost limbs and perform transplants using only needle and thread, and also completely suppress the patient's immune system incompatibility with the donor organ through means unexplained.
  - "Acquiring" materials for their master's latest deranged scheme.
  - Quietly exiting before the angry mob arrives.
- Furthermore, they rarely have any qualms about who they work for - they don't work for Vampires and Werewolves and 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.
  - And 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.
  - In Going Postal an Igor did have qualms about working for Reacher Gilt and quit as soon as he could.
  - More like he realized that the midden was about to hit the windmill, if you know what I mean...
- The Barman at Biers is named Igor, but not a member of the clan - it's just a coincidence, which is odd as the bar is frequented mostly by the undead. He apparently finds comments about the incongruity of this rather irritating.

Live Action TV

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.
Amusingly parodied on SCTV with actor Woody Tobias, Jr., who actually was an ugly hunchback and thus was pretty much confined to this role (named "Bruno") as sidekick to 3-D filmmaker Dr. Tongue, who usually played Mad Scientist roles. Both were "serious" actors, to the point they attempted a remake of Midnight Cowboy in 3-D, but they didn't have much range...
TV's Frank was one of these to Dr. Forrester, on Mystery Science Theater 3000.
- In the first season, it was Dr. Ehrhardt (despite being nominally a Mad Scientist himself).
On Black Books, Bill Bailey turned into an Igor briefly. Complete with lisp and hunch.
Despite being Topher's assistant on Dollhouse Ivy is a complete subversion of this trope being female, quite attractive and anything but slavish in her attitude towards him.

Newspaper Comics

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

Tabletop Games

The Tabletop Role Playing Game My Life With Master casts all the players as Igors.
In the fan-made World Of Darkness gameline Genius: The Transgression, Beholden fill this role. Beholden are otherwise ordinary people who see the world exactly as the Genius sees it and thus can handle Wonders without wrecking them, help build them, and do all sorts of dirty work for their masters. In fact, "Igor" is a slang term for a Beholden.
- It's not exactly pleasant being one, mind you. Beholden lose their ability to form any beliefs or meaningful opinions beyond copying those of a Genius, and if they're without a master for too long, they either go mad or die. They also have a tendency to experience a Breakthrough in certain conditions and become a Genius themselves.
- It's variable, with the right Genius an Igor can basically have the same role as The Doctor's companions.

Video Games

In the game Psychonauts, the character Shegor is met near the end of the game working for the mad dentist Dr. Loboto. But she's not loyal at all - she only fetches brains for him because he keeps her pet turtle hostage and threatens to make soup out of him.
The game Brain Dead 13 has Fritz (most likely named as a Shout Out to Universal's Frankenstein), an imp with hooks for both hands who pursues the protagonist throughout the game.
There is a character named Igor in the Persona games, a hunched man with a rather... striking nose that seems to fit the Igor physical profile. However, this Igor, while theoretically there to serve you, usually feels like far more of a highly independent Trickster Mentor or ally who keeps helping the main characters of the games because they are the only ones who can resolve the incidents satisfactorily - and due to his own curiosity. Unfortunately, his creepy nature and creepy stuff he does has caused him to be labeled a Memetic Molester by the fan base.
- Amusingly, Igor keeps his own assistants. Elizabeth and Margaret are somewhat perkier than the norm, but probably qualify; Belladonna, Nameless, and Demon Artist probably don't.
Dr. N. Gin in the newer Crash Bandicoot games

Webcomics

Webcomic example: Doctor Germahn of El Goonish Shive has an Igor of identical function but vastly different flavor. Her name is Amanda, and she's quite blonde.
Another webcomic treatment: In the current Girl Genius storyline, Agatha finally makes it to her ancestral keep, only to find the entire TOWN surrounding it is populated with Igors subconsciously pining for their masters the Heterodynes... and woe betide pretenders that hang around instead of getting eaten by the Castle.
Order Of The Stick has Giro as assistant to a Mad Scientist type wizard who makes Frankensteins Monster-style flesh golems here. Giro isn't even a real hunchback; he wore a fake hump to get the job.
The Webcomic Pokemon-X (Better Than It Sounds, honest) parodies this with Professor Birch's assistant, named Igor, who is a perfectly normal lab assistant aside from the name and all the jokes he is subject to because of it.

Western Animation

Reboot: In later seasons, Mad Scientist "Herr Doktor" is Megabyte's top man. The doc has an unnamed assistant who is a heavily disfigured "one" binome.
In the Timon And Pumbaa series, the local Mad Scientist instead has "Shegor" because he's an equal opportunity employer.
In the Beast Wars episode "Feral Scream", Waspinator fills in the role of The Igor while Megatron is creating Transmetal 2 Dinobot. Waspinator even speaks lines such as "Yes, Master" in a creepy sort of voice.
Aladdin: the Series: Aside from being a magical flying eel, the evil sorcerer Mozenrath's sidekick Xerxes fits this trope to a T.
Lugnut in Transformers Animated.
Toonsylvania has its Igor as one of the main characters of the show.