Baron Klaus Wulfenbach
From Girl Genius
| Baron Klaus Wulfenbach | |
 | |
| Name | Klaus Wulfenbach |
| Age | 50s? |
| Occupation | Enlightened Dictator |
| Residence | Castle Wulfenbach currently; formerly, the family lands in Transylvania |
| First Appearance | Volume I, page 16 |
| Death | |
| Parents | Deceased |
| Relatives | |
| Children | Gilgamesh Wulfenbach |
| Marital Status | Married, wife absent[1] |
- "So I stopped it. And I did it my way this time. No more negotiating. No more promises. No more second chances. And I did it alone. Because I had to. And it worked."[2]
Contents |
[edit] The Baron
Baron Wulfenbach is reluctant[3] tyrant [4] of Europa. While he has functioned as the primary antagonist throughout the series and has been Agatha's foil, his character is more complex.[5]
From all evidence so far, his only surviving family members are his very talented adult son, Gilgamesh, and a wife about whom he is quite closemouthed. The Baron himself is a construct, which according to the rules of succession of the Fifty Families should make him ineligible to inherit his title... but he's ruling anyway. The circumstances leading to Klaus's reassembly have not been revealed at this time.
The Baron is one of the most powerful Sparks of his generation. He would much prefer to be off exercising his gift by studying the nature of the Spark instead of engaging in politics, but he sees it as his duty to maintain the peace because he's the only one who can. However, his methods are slightly different than those his best friends, Bill and Barry Heterodyne, used to establish peace prior to their disappearance. While they (as Klaus himself perceived) aimed for more mutually cooperative politics based on diplomacy and second chances, Klaus has had far less patience for those who show themselves to be hostile or uncooperative.[6] He maintains this "overgrown kindergarten situation" with a stern and exasperated hand.[7]
[edit] Personal History
In earlier years, he studied with Dr. Tarsus Beetle at Transylvania Polygnostic University. He joined with the Heterodyne Boys and their constructs, Punch and Judy, for adventures — killing monsters, stopping out-of-control Sparks — and generally bringing an end to the chaos running rampant over the land which was ruining the lives of peasants and merchants defenseless against (e.g.) giant carnivorous pea-plants. At some point in this period, he started an affair with Lucrezia Mongfish, the Beautiful Daughter of one of their opponents, The Evil Dr. Mongfish. Although he likely knew she had romantic interest in Bill Heterodyne, he was shocked at Lucrezia's acceptance of Bill's proposal. Vowing to stop her from ruining his best friend's life, he found instead that she had drugged him and was about to ship him off to parts unknown.
The Other showed up within a few years of Klaus's disappearance, leading to the inevitable rumours that he was behind the attacks. Some time later, the Baron reappeared in Europa with a toddler boy in tow, finding all the work he had done with the Heterodynes to be undone, and things even worse than before.[8]
His family lands were ravaged during the aftermath of the Other War and his ancestral castle destroyed. He rebuilt his schloss into a massive airship, a slow-moving floating city in itself, reasonably named the Castle Wulfenbach. He started retaking Europa away from chaos by drawing a circle on the map around his ruined barony and declaring it his. Each year, bit by bit, the circle expanded until he maintained an iron-fisted peace over just about all of the eastern part of Europa.
[edit] Klaus's Spark
Every spark has a recognizable, somewhat hereditary style. Klaus's spark is more abstract than most. His preferred application of his ability is the study of the Spark itself, which he does, in part, through brain coring. However, his comments to Othar indicate that he would prefer to simply provide a spark with the tools they need and observe them over a long period of time.[9] We have at least one example of his intention to sponsor a spark. He has also shown interest in the work of the spark children he fosters and at least one student was sent to live aboard Castle Wulfenbach simply for the experience.
As a man of science and education, the Baron not only maintains his studies, but occasionally contributes to the body of literature in the areas of his specialties. According to his son, the Baron wrote a monograph on how to communicate in the workplace. It was received with a great amount of... excitement.[10]
[edit] Current Events
To date in the publication of the histories, the Baron is dealing with the possiblity of a mass Jägermonster desertion when they find out they have a Mistress again; being tainted by a special Slaver Wasp designed to affect Sparks; and healing from massive injuries and subsequent burns when a chicken wagon dropped on him during his attempt to kill The Other (while she was in Agatha's body) once and for all. In spite of all this, his current goal appears to be the destruction of Castle Heterodyne with Agatha in it, because he believes her to be The Other. He's not exactly wrong.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ↑ "I haven't see my wife in years."
- ↑ "I did it my way."
- ↑ "No. It gives me no pleasure."
- ↑ "Tyrant" here should be understood in its original value-neutral sense
- ↑ See the MAD version of this article for more in-depth analysis.
- ↑ Klaus explains how he stopped the fighting.
- ↑ "I swear, it's like running a kindergarten."
- ↑ The story timeline may help understand the spacing of events.
- ↑ "Now normally there would be a lot more tests."
- ↑ "My father once wrote..."
