Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, often called "Doof" or "Dr. D" for short, is a fictional character from the American animated television series Phineas and Ferb and Milo Murphy's Law. He was created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, and is voiced by Povenmire. Doofenshmirtz is a purportedly "evil" scientist intent on conquering the "entire Tri-state Area" by creating obscure but nefarious inventions. Much of the humor associated with Doofenshmirtz comes from the combination of his archetypical megalomania juxtaposed with his affable personality. Doofenshmirtz speaks with a caricature of a German accent and is from the fictional European country Drusselstein.
Doofenshmirtz appears in several merchandise pieces, including a book series[1][2] and a video game.[3] After first appearing in Milo Murphy's Law in a guest role in the first-season finale,[4] subsequently he becomes in a major supporting character throughout the rest of the series, moving into the Murphys' house after his building is destroyed.[5]
Role in Phineas and Ferb
Doofenshmirtz in the show is a bumbling, dimwitted evil genius. His goal throughout most of the show is to take over the "entire tri-state area".[6]
A typical episode features Doofenshmirtz hatching a mischievous scheme or invention that he often links to a "back story" from his youth in the fictional village of Gimmelshtump, Drusselstein. Drusselstein is loosely based on countries in Western-Central Europe like Germany, Austria, Hungary and Switzerland, evidenced by buildings with Fachwerkhäuser architecture, the citizens speaking German in grammatical form or how the food, dresses and carnivals are similar to that of Fasching or even Oktoberfest. As a child, his parents were abusive and neglectful to him in many ways, including forcing him to be a lawn gnome,[7] forcing him to dress as a girl, favoring his brother Roger over him, and both failing to attend his birth. Doofenshmirtz monologues[8] often and displays acts of "cartoonish" physical violence[epnote 1] towards Perry the Platypus. Often his inventions achieve a single successful shot before being destroyed. This shot usually serves to get rid of Phineas and Ferb's invention for that episode, preventing their sister, Candace, from "busting" them by showing their creations to their mother. According to his own life story, he was a bratwurst salesman, before being ruined by the hot dog industry; only then did he become an evil scientist.[9]
Despite nearly failing in almost all of his schemes, there are a few times when Doofenshmirtz actually succeeds. For example, in the made-for-TV film Across the 2nd Dimension, when he built an Other-Dimension-Inator that involves traveling to alternate dimensions; this is done with help from Phineas and Ferb, much to Perry's distress.[10] A more intelligent and successful version of Dr. Doofenshmirtz (from an alternate reality) appears as the film's main antagonist, with the regular Dr. Doofenshmirtz serving as a supporting character.[10] In the 2014 special "Phineas and Ferb Save Summer", when Doofenshmirtz builds an -inator that uses the mass of the planet Jupiter to move the Earth away from the Sun into an early autumn.[11] Despite being beaten by Perry with a mop, Doofenshmirtz manages to succeed in moving the Earth anyway, much to Perry's dismay. It also may have allowed him to briefly take over the Tri-State Area, as the change in weather caused civil unrest and allowed Doofenshmirtz and his fellow villains to take over City Hall.
In the fourth season finale "Last Day of Summer", Doofenshmirtz built an -inator that involves building a Tri-Governor's Mansion in Danville so that he can be elected as the first Tri-Governor of the Tri-State Area. Through a series of time loops (caused by his Do-Over-Inator, which was activated by Candace), Doofenshmirtz anticipates Perry's every move and defeats him in a series of traps before proceeding with his scheme, which became a complete success. He even took the opportunity to write up a law forbidding Perry and his agents from thwarting him until his term is over, which left Perry very depressed and admitting defeat. Despite succeeding in his lifelong goal, Doofenshmirtz learns that Vanessa wants to have an internship at O.W.C.A. and that his job as Tri-Governor is preventing her from joining the internship, leaving her depressed as well. Deciding that her happiness is more important than his evil ways, Doofenshmirtz decides to give them up, change for the better and allow Vanessa to have the internship. Following this, Doofenshmirtz also becomes a member of O.W.C.A. Though he later on becomes evil again the following summer in the fifth season premiere "Summer Block Buster".
Role in Milo Murphy's Law
Dr. Doofenshmirtz makes a cameo appearance in the ending cliffhanger of the first-season finale of Milo Murphy's Law, and becomes a regular character throughout the second season. In the episode "The Phineas and Ferb Effect", he and the other characters had a mission to stop the Pistachions. After all turns back to normal, the Murphy's Law causes Doofenshmirtz's building to collapse, leaving Doofenshmirtz to become Milo's houseguest, as he is somehow no longer a member of O.W.C.A., living ever since in the shed in the Murphys' garden.
Leaving his evil days behind, he often tries to be a good guy, but usually causing trouble, mainly with his Inators. After "Sick Day", when he discovers that the O.W.C.A. paid Perry to watch over him, Doofenshmirtz felt hurt, saying occasionally that he is angry with him, and losing his relationship with Perry, he searches for a new adventure buddy, bonding with Dakota in "Look at This Ship" after he too lost his partner Cavendish, and investigating his disappearance together ever since. Cavendish thinks that Lucca Farberoff is a very influential figure and admirers his work, but Dr. Doofenshmirtz doesn't agree with that view until the season ends.
Other spin-offs and crossovers
In January 2013, Disney launched the webseries Doof's Daily Dirt on YouTube. In it, the character comments on various Internet memes and pop culture trends, usually long after the subject is no longer of interest or relevance. Subjects have included Facebook, internet acronyms, Lolcatz, bacon-infused products, Psy's "Gangnam Style", One Direction, Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe", Honey Boo Boo, the Kardashians and the Mayan apocalypse. The webisode series had an original run of 13 episodes[12] and was renewed for a second season, but ultimately ended along with the end of the original run of the main series.[13] Disney also started a Twitter account that posts frequently in the character's voice.[14]
Creation and design
Doofenshmirtz is voiced by Phineas and Ferb co-creator Dan Povenmire.
When Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and Dan Povenmire worked on the Nickelodeon animated series Rocko's Modern Life, they always included a song/musical number and an action/chase scene. They wanted to incorporate this trait in Phineas and Ferb,[15] and used a platypus secret agent,[16] due to its interesting appearance[17] and role as a continuous nemesis that viewers could become familiar with.[18] "Dr. Meddleshmirtz", which later changed to Doofenshmirtz,[19] was created in the same vein.
Every main character of the series was designed using the geometric shapes of Tex Avery's Looney Tunes graphic style in mind — Doofenshmirtz appears to be an oval.[15] The simplicity of the drawings were intended to allow child viewers to copy them easily. Each one was designed to be recognizable from a distance or, as Povenmire notes as a reference to Matt Groening and The Simpsons, by silhouette.[20]
Voice
Co-creator and executive producer Dan Povenmire voices Doofenshmirtz. He describes the voice he uses as "Eastern European" and is one he used at the age of fifteen while having pillow fights with his five-year-old sister. To this day, his sister recognizes the voice and asks him to do it frequently. During recording sessions, Povenmire is easily able to ad lib and improvise; the writers can change his lines without throwing him off. Povenmire is usually asked to perform the voice in interviews.[8]
Reception
Dr. Doofenshmirtz received positive reviews from critics. In 2009, Josh Jackson, editor-in-chief for Paste magazine, wrote in a blog that Phineas and Ferb was "the best kids show on TV" and gave Doofenshmirtz a large amount of praise. Jackson calls his inventions "awesomely designated devices of pure evil" and his complex relationship with his nemesis Perry the Platypus as "pitch-perfect."[21]
Despite a negative review of Phineas and Ferb on Toon Zone, Maxie Zeus notes that Povenmire's performance as Doofenshmirtz is a strong point of the series. Zeus writes, "Dan Povenmire voices him with such energy, and with such perfect timing, that you'll laugh out loud even at the stuff that isn't even supposed to be funny." Zeus also says that the Doofenshmirtz subplot would have made a "fine bit of sketch writing" if trimmed down.[22]
In 2022, Austin Allison of Collider called Doofenshmirtz "TV's most human villain", citing his attempts at being a good father to his daughter Vanessa and his "many-times-over tragic childhood" as nuances which make him a "likable 'not-so-bad' villain".[23]
References
Episode references
↑ Writer and Director: Dan Povenmire. "It's About Time!". Phineas and Ferb. Season 1. Episode 21. Disney Channel.
↑ "This Is Your Backstory". Phineas and Ferb. Season 3. 2012-11-02. Disney Channel. Doofenshmirtz: The stress of running a family weighed heavily on him. We were so poor that one day our beloved lawn gnome was repossessed. Who would protect our zatzenfruit garden from witches' spells and wood trolls? From a tender age, my father decided that it would be me... While the other children played Kick-the-Schtumpel and eat Doonkelberries, I would stand for hours. All through the cold night as the Spitzenhound howled.... My only companion was the moon. And my neighbor Kenny.
↑ "Backyard Aquarium". Phineas and Ferb. Season 2. 2009-05-01. Disney Channel. Doofenshmirtz: Say hello to the Platypus Secret Agent Arrival In Order To Foil My Evil Plot Capture-inator! Or as I like to call it: my P.S.A.A.I.O.T.F.M.E.P.C.-inator. I made it up myself. Enough chit-chat! Let me tell you my latest evil scheme. You see, back before I was evil, I was something a little less than evil. I was a bratwurst street vendor. What? They have those. See? Nobody remembers them. You know why? Because of the hot dog vendors! Oh, how I hated them! They had it all! They had chrome-plated carts and endorsement deals, fancy blimps! And what did we have? Only superior workmanship, finer meats, and exotic spices. I was sure that it was just a matter of time before the public would recognize our superior quality. Then and there, I swore, I would get my revenge.
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