Dr. Evil: The Austin Powers Villain, Played by Mike Myers

Dr. Evil is the main antagonist of the Austin Powers series, played by Mike Myers in every film. He comes with a lair, a rocket escape and a $100 billion ransom demand. Fans of spy films can also see our guide to the James Bond franchise, the series these films parody.

The character first appears in Austin Powers International Man of Mystery (1997), directed by Jay Roach. Austin Powers beats him in 1967, and he freezes himself so he can return once free love has faded and greed has come back. Myers is billed first in the film as "Austin Powers / Dr. Evil", so one actor carries both sides of the rivalry. In the sequels the same billing grows to include Fat Bastard and Goldmember.

The credited name is Dr. Evil, and Goldmember reveals his real name to be Doug. In Austin Powers in Goldmember a younger version of the character, credited as Young Evil, is played by Josh Zuckerman. For the full list of players, see the Austin Powers cast and the wider set of Austin Powers characters.

Dr. Evil is defined by the people around him: a son who rejects him, a clone who adores him, a lieutenant who outgrows him and a rival who turns out to be family. The reveal in the third film is the biggest.

Austin Powers. The rivalry is the spine of the series, and Mike Myers plays both sides. In Goldmember, Nigel Powers reveals that Austin and Dr. Evil are brothers and that Dr. Evil's real name is Doug. The two then work together to reverse the polarity of the tractor beam, which destroys the meteor. The Austin Powers character page covers the other half of that story.

Scott Evil. Scott Evil, played by Seth Green, is Dr. Evil's son. He is a teenager who rejects his father in the first film, is reunited with him in the second, and in the third kills one of the villain's associates. By the end of Goldmember he is bald and vowing revenge, so the family tension is still unresolved.

Mini-Me. Verne Troyer plays Mini-Me, the small clone who joins Dr. Evil in the second film. In Goldmember he switches sides and helps Austin and Foxxy Cleopatra sneak onto Dr. Evil's submarine.

Number Two and Frau Farbissina. Robert Wagner plays Number Two in all three films, the lieutenant who builds Virtucon into a legitimate business while his boss is on ice. Mindy Sterling plays Frau Farbissina. Other villains who orbit him include Random Task, Fat Bastard and Goldmember.

The best Dr. Evil moments are the ones where Myers lets the character be a bad planner who is completely sure of himself, and in my opinion the first film is where that lands hardest. The thaw scene works as a set piece because he walks into 1997 and learns that several of his schemes have already happened without him, and that Number Two has built Virtucon into a major corporation. It comes down to Myers and a villain who cannot believe his own plan is outdated. The film cost $16.5 million, and the effects look it.

The $100 billion ransom is the other moment people remember from that film. Dr. Evil names the figure and threatens nuclear weapons, and Jay Roach has said Myers improvised as Dr. Evil, which in my view shows in how the ransom scene breathes.

In the second film I would pick the Moon base finale, because the time machine trick lets Austin jump ten minutes back and rescue Felicity from the gas chamber before Dr. Evil starts the self destruct countdown and escapes. It is a clean plot mechanism that sets up and pays off in one scene. The Spy Who Shagged Me grossed about $314 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, the best of the three.

For the third film, the brother reveal wins. It could be argued that it gives the Austin and Doug rivalry an ending that is both silly and oddly tidy. If you are new to the series, watch the first film for the character and the third for the payoff.