Doctor Mindbender

Dr. Mindbender is an associate of Cobra Commander and a minor antagonist of the G.I. Joe franchise. The appearance featured in the villains wars is that of the series's 2000s reboot, G.I. Joe: Renegades. Impetuous and immature, Doctor Mindbender is a brilliant but self-centered scientist who is a secondary player in the second Disney Vs Non Disney Villains War.

Disney Vs Non Disney Villains - Part Two

Beginnings

Brian Bender's birth wasn't a pleasant one. Complications with his birth caused his mother to die in the midst of the delivery. After trying to raise the child for about a month, Brian's father cracked under the combined stress of raising a child alone and grief of his wife's death, causing him to shoot himself.

Brian became the responsibility of his grandmother, who lived in a rather cramped house in Boston. Brian ultimately endured years of his grandmother's nagging and rambling in Yiddish about her 'lazy, good for nothing grandson.'

His lack of real parents and subconscious self blame for their deaths gave Brian an extremely anti-social attitude. He spent most of his days studying rather than making any attempt to socialize. Many of his teachers were concerned he perhaps had a mental disorder, albeit they were quickly dismissed when they tried to reason with Brian's grandmother.

Brian was immensely smart and knew it. He loved to remind anyone of his superiority, especially his grandmother. His years of hard, academic work allowed him an early graduation from High School, as well as a scholarship to Evile Academy (which he refused because he highly disapproved of Vlad Masters and his methods).

Brian got a start with an internship at COBRA Industries, hoping to work his way up. Adam DeCobray dismissed Brian to buy a few coffees for himself and Anastasia. Brian returned with the coffee, but Adam and his colleagues were nowhere to be found. Brian wandered into a lab, where he found Cobra Commander and the Baroness executing a scientist that failed to perfect the Bio Viper initiative.Serpentor was just finishing gobbling up the doctor when Brian was noticed. Realizing the mere intern had seen far too much, the Commander ordered Brian be eaten as well.

Brian, however, managed to insist he could fix the Bio Vipers. Cobra Commander decided to give Brian a chance. If he could fix the Bio Vipers, as he said, he would have a future.

All of those years of studying finally paid off. In a matter of hours, Brian had not only brought the Bio Vipers to life, but improved them.

Many of the fellow COBRA members were shocked by the feat. Zartan commented that seeing a young intern do all this really 'bent his mind', a moniker that the once intern, now doctor, Brian took a liking to.

Doctor Mindbender took the position as top scientist of COBRA. But just as Mindbender replaced his predecessor, he soon learned he could be replaced as well.

A First Test - Vs DNAmy

Mindbender is silent throughout the opening stages of the war, only to be thrust into battle against DNAmy. Cobra Commander and the Baroness seek to destroy the enemy scientist's Gene Splicer: a dangerous device used to create animal hybrids dubbed "Cuddle Buddies." Mindbender is given clearance from the Baroness to use the Bio-Vipers, top secret monsters used to destroy anyone in their path. Using a massive electrical prod, Mindbender leads a small army of Bio-Vipers to DNAmy's lair. Her Cuddle Buddies prove formidable, but since the Bio-Vipers are smart enough to use weapons, the hybrids are overwhelmed. Mindbender then uses his prod to overpower the core, causing it to self-destruct. Mindbender escapes the room before it explodes, but bars the door, leaving DNAmy to die in the explosion.

Pressured

The Baroness destroys the remaining Bio-Vipers to eliminate evidence of the project, but Cobra Commander eventually demands more. Though Mindbender complains of a setback, Cobra Commander reminds him that he will be rushed. Fearing for his life, Mindbender quickly assembles a new batch of Bio-Vipers.

Battle of the Scientists

Doctor Mindbender tracks down the scientist who hired DNAmy in the first place: Anton Sevarius. He interrupts the doctor in a meeting with Negaduck; Mindbender has a horde of Bio-Vipers at his beck and call. Negaduck leaves Sevarius to fend for himself, but the battle's difficulty does not significantly decrease. Sevarius almost shoots Mindbender and lifts him up with a massive crane. He even slams Mindbender into a wall. But Mindbender uses his mind control helmet to control the Bio-Vipers remotely; the monsters effortlessly kill Sevarius's guards and disarm the scientist. As Sevarius tries to kill Mindbender in a last ditch charge, Mindbender telekinetically sends Sevarius into a tank of electric eels. Sevarius seemingly dies.

Tricked

But Sevarius does not die. In fact, the scientist fakes his death and joins Cobra Industries, working as Mindbender's equal. Fearing a loss in position as well as Cobra Commander's dwindling sanity, Doctor Mindbender forges a hasty alliance with Karai. An assassin named Fang interrupts their meeting, but Karai beats him back.

New Technology

Doctor Mindbender designs a new type of camouflage capable of making any person appear identical to any other. Mindbender and the Baroness give Zartan the camouflage, though he quickly squanders it as soon as he is captured. Compounding this failure is the fact that Sevarius has completed the Bio-Viper project ahead of schedule.

The Battle of New York

During the Battle of New York against the forces of the Shredder, Doctor Mindbender and the Baroness team up once more. This time, however, the Baroness is authorized to kill Doctor Mindbender after the fight is over. However, the Baroness never gets a chance, as Demona attacks the pair, having unraveled her disguise as "Dominique Destine." The gargoyle takes out the Baroness. Meanwhile, Doctor Mindbender hacks into the systems of the cyborg gargoyle, Coldstone, siccing the being onto Macbeth. He then turns his attention to Sevarius, whom he promptly pummels offscreen.

New Boss, New Discoveries

After the battle is over, with the death of the Shredder and the alleged death of Cobra Commander, Mindbender finds himself in a powerful position. He joins up with Xanatos's faction, having helped the criminal mastermind recover after his bout with the Shredder. He also works with Karai, ensuring that the new Shredder is actually a human. But Mindbender finds out much more: the Shredder is actually Karai's biological father.

Non Disney Villains Tournament

The Battle for Cobra Mansion

Doctor Mindbender is stationed within Cobra Mansion, per Cobra Commander's instructions. Matters take a turn for the worst when the Valentine brothers, Jan and Luke, attack. Mindbender hides with Cobra Commander in forming a final line of defense. This proves useful: when Jan Valentine enters Cobra Commander's secret bunker, Mindbender helps Cobra Commander and his allies put the vampire down.

Robot Trouble

The Baroness approaches Doctor Mindbender with a task: she needs to eliminate Suzaku Kururugi on behalf of Cobra Commander. Kurugi is a dangerous ally of Zero, Cobra's main rival. Unfazed, Mindbender presents her with Lugnut and Blitzwing, two robots he found and upgraded. The two transformers, however, prove to be little match for Suzaku's superior piloting.

Defeat

Doctor Mindbender's failures continue when Zero, Suzaku's commander and the leader of the Black Knights, infiltrates Cobra's base and proceeds to destroy it. During the fray, Doctor Mindbender electrocutes Zero's brother, Rolo, with an electrified wrench. Zero, enraged, shoots Doctor Mindbender and leaves him for dead.