Mandark | |
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Profile | |
Aliases | Mr. Astronomanov, Susan, Monarch of Darkness, Lovechild, Susie, Sue, Wave Master, Executive Mandark, Overlord Mandark, Braindark |
Gender | Male |
Species | Human |
Family | Oceanbird (Mother) Windbear (Father) Lalavava (Sister) |
Occupation | Student, Evil Genius |
Interests | Science, Technology, Arcane Magic, School, Science-fiction, Surfing |
First Appearance | "Dexter's Rival" |
Voiced By | Eddie Deezen |
“Please Sir, call me... Mandark!”
—Mandark, Dexter's Rival
Susan "Mandark" Astronomanov is the main antagonist in Dexter's Laboratory. He is Dexter's rival and later mortal nemesis who often seeks to destroy both Dexter and his lab to prove once and for all that he is the superior genius. He is voiced by Eddie Deezen.
Appearance
Mandark is a tall boy who has a black bowl-cut hairstyle that lays around the top of his head like a helmet. It has a white shiny glare on it and an M shaped opening at the bottom. This hairstyle was passed down to him by his father Windbear which was also passed down to his little sister Lalavava. Mandark has a head that is big at the top and gets skinnier at the bottom near his neck. He has nerdy glasses which look exactly like Dexter's and he wears a white dress shirt, a yellow tie with black stripes, blue shorts, and brown shoes.
Personality
Mandark is an evil boy genius who is bent on the destruction of Dexter's Laboratory and ruling the world. He is an incredibly intelligent individual who, when first introduced, was leagues ahead of Dexter in terms of knowledge and accomplishments, but after having his lab and heart destroyed by Dexter and Dee Dee, his scientific skills became far less impressive than Dexter's, likely due to the mental trauma of seeing his greatest works completely destroyed and having his first love be used against him. Ever since, Mandark has always been one step behind Dexter and has done all he can to get the better of his rival and prove once and for all that he is the superior boy genius, but every time he tries to, he always ends up failing horribly. After Mandark's laboratory was destroyed, he eventually built a new one to resemble the old, but eventually he remodeled his lab and gave it a darker and more gothic-look, with many of the machines being replaced with bio-mechanical equipment; apparently meant to represent Mandark's growing evil nature, which was a result of his ever growing hatred for Dexter and his constant failures. His dark desires and evil ego continued to grow throughout his life, and by the time he reached adulthood, he became a full-blown supervillain who desired the complete take over and enslavement of the planet. It is implied that Mandark's dark nature is due to living a lonely life, as mentioned in "Mandarker", where he states that he has no friends or hobbies and the only thing he had in life was his lab and experiments. Eventually though, Mandark would gain an interest in surfing after "Sun, Surf, and Science" and gained his first real friend in the form of the Surfer Boy. In seasons 3 and 4, Mandark's motives and personality were drastically changed, with the story implying that he had always been evil even since his birth and always had the gothic motif he had in said seasons.
However, there is another side to Mandark's personality, which is his intense love for Dee Dee. Ever since he first laid eyes on her, Mandark has been completely enamored with her to the point of obsession and whenever he is not focusing on his evil plans or hatred towards Dexter, he only thinks of his beloved Dee Dee and dreams of what kind of relationship they would have. Despite this, Dee Dee has shown no interest in Mandark and at times seems to outright hate him or look down on him, and barely ever shows any non-hostile feelings towards him, but regardless, Mandark's love for her remained unchanged throughout the series and he continued to love her unconditionally. In fact, even when Mandark was completely corrupted and became the evil and heartless Overlord Mandark in the future, the one thing that remained unchanged about him was his eternal love for Dee Dee which is without a doubt a permanent trait of his personality that would stay with him even in his later years. It was this love that would eventually lead to his own defeat in the future. Regardless, Mandark continues to love Dee Dee above all else; caring more about her well-being than even Dexter at times, with Mandark continuing to love her even when she destroyed his future empire while Dexter instead wanted her destroyed for taking the glory from him.
Biography
The following events are only referenced in seasons 3 and 4, and posses inconsistencies that contradict events and characters from seasons 1 and 2. Along with the fact that following events are not the work of series creator Genndy Tartakovsky, their canonicity is uncertain and possibly apocryphal.
Birth and Early Childhood

"I Mandark, Monarch of Darkness, came to be!" - A newborn Mandark
Mandark was born the son of the hippie pacifists known as Windbear and Oceanbird in the annoyingly peace loving hippie community of Flowertopia and was birthed by his mother while in a small wooden pool of water. Upon being born, Mandark was already tainted with a dark and evil disposition, almost as though a dark presence had zapped him with unspeakable evil, however his parents were completely unaware of this.
As his parents thought up a name for their child, they expressed that they wanted a name that was beyond the conforms of society, beyond the preconceived gender connotations, a name that is whispered softly through the canyon winds, and so they named him Susan, which immediately made the infant Mandark cry with grief.

Mandark discovers his first piece of tech.
One day, an infant Susan was wallowing about his shameful habitat of life when he came across a strangely placed piece of technology that had found its way into the middle of Flowertopia with no explanation as to why. Susan loved everything about this device, he loved the way it looked, the way it felt, the way it worked. When he turned it on, it created a bright light that inspired Susan to learn more about technology and science. He knew that if he could only master this thing called science he would be able to control the world. Oceanbird and Windbear however did not approve of this. They believed in living on earth the way it was created, back when it was pure and not overrun by technology, and so they took it from and him and instead did many activities together with him such as loving nature and meditation, but none of this pleased Susan as he hated all of it because they all had nothing to do with technology, science or evil.

Mandark and his family begin their journey around the world.
When a young Susan let out his frustration and rejected his hippie lifestyle on his birthday, his parents decided to venture out into the world in hopes of potentially helping Susan find what he was looking for. As they traveled the world, Susan still felt discontent with his life and lack of technology, no matter how beautiful the places they went to were.

Susan realizing that it was time for him to change.

Mandark with his first invention.
Inconsistencies end here.
In seasons 1 and 2, it is known that Mandark was born to parents of presumably Russian descent who bore the family name Astronomanov before the characters were developed into Oceanbird and Windbear, who lacked last names. His parents later gave birth to his younger and overbearing sister Olga Astronomanov aka Lalavava. Depending on what events from seasons 3 and 4 fit in with the continuity of seasons 1 and 2, not much is known about Mandark's past.
Dark Past

"The Magic of Science", the result of Mandark dabbling in the dark arts.
Mandark was apparently a lonely child who had no friends and had no talent with sports. The only thing Mandark excelled at was his scientific and technological skills. Later on, Mandark created his highly advanced and gigantic laboratory in his backyard and since he lacked friends or sports skills, his lab became his whole life and his sole reason for being. At an unknown point, Mandark, in his pursuit of advancing his research and knowledge, discovered the very secrets of magic and dark arts after having somehow come in contact with an inter-dimensional being known as JoJo who helped him to understand and even write a book on the subject titled "The Magic of Science", and Mandark then formed a sinister pact with Dark Forces, which likely began his eventual corruption over time.
Meeting Dexter

Mandark and Dexter meet for the first time and thus begins their rivalry.
When Mandark started going to Huber Elementary School on the first day of the school year, he would end up meeting his future rival Dexter and as soon as they came face to face, Mandark proved that he was the far superior intellect. Upon their first meeting, Mandark proved that he was far smarter than Dexter and even won over the affections of Dexter's beloved teachers. To try and prove that he was still superior, Dexter showed Mandark his laboratory thinking it would mean that he was smarter than him, but then Mandark revealed that he had an even bigger and better laboratory. Mandark then forced Dexter to shut down his lab, or else become Mandark's lackey, and Dexter, unable to let go of his pride, shut down his laboratory.

Mandark meets his beloved Dee Dee for the first time.

Mandark and Dee Dee share their first dance... of doom.
Return of Mandark

Mandark is haunted by the destruction of his lab.

Mandark prepares to summon JoJo.

Mandark and Dexter fight over the Blue Ribbon.
Rushmore Rumble

Mandark in control of President Washington.
One day at school while watching a documentary on Mount Rushmore, Dexter discussed the possibility of bringing to life the presidential sculptures (after the subject was brought up by Timothy) with the technology of Tripolar Frankensteinian Electrodes which could then be used to cause havoc and destruction, and this thorough explanation did not go unnoticed by Mandark, who grew a keen interest in Dexter's explanation, writing down everything as he spoke.

George and Lincoln face off.

George and Abe make peace.
Surfer Dude Mandark
One day while at the beach, Mandark was relaxing and researching the social and cultural aspects of the beach and its visitors until he saw his dear Dee Dee. Mandark is immediately lovestruck by her but after seeing her hanging out with a Surfer Boy, he tries to do everything he can to impress her in order make sure she does not fall in love with the Surfer Boy, however all his attempts prove futile. After apparently seeing the Surfer Boy sign up for a surfing contest, Mandark decides to enter as well in hopes of beating him and winning Dee Dee's love.
Mandark then tries his hand at surfing but proves to be terrible at it. Just when he is about to give up, he suddenly appears before a mighty Tiki God who gives Mandark's the encouragement he needs and reminds him that he must rely on his own talents. Now knowing what to do, Mandark goes to his (now rebuilt) laboratory and begins honing his surfing skills using his Indoor Wave Pool and builds a surfboard called Tiki Brand that is modified to fit his tactics. He also rigs the surfing area with booby traps so that the other surfers (especially Surfer Boy) would lose and be out of the way for good.
The next day as the contest starts up, Mandark discovers that the Surfer Boy did not enter the contest and it was in fact Dee Dee whom the Surfer Boy had entered. Realizing that Dee Dee could become a victim of his traps, Mandark does his best to protect her, all the while having to activate and suffer from his own traps. Eventually Mandark is able to destroy all the traps and Dee Dee is able to win the contest. As an unconscious Mandark begins sinking into the sea, he is saved at the last minute by the Surfer Boy who compliments his surfing skills. Having realized that the Surfer Boy was no rival and almost ended up harming him because of it, Mandark decides to invite the Surfer Boy over to his lab so they can practice their surfing on his wave pool. The Surfer Boy happily agrees and Mandark gains his first real friend.
Race Down Volcano Mountain
Rivals Unite
Sister vs Sister
Mandark getting abused by his sister.
Mandark's little sister, named Olga Astronomonov, who goes by the name of "Lalavava", got into a rivalry with Dee Dee the same way Dexter did with Mandark after the two girls competed to get the solo role in their Dance School's recital. After the solo was changed into a duet, the two girls sought out the aid of their brothers so they could build a device that would allow them to beat the other. However while Dexter was asked nicely by Dee Dee, Mandark was tormented and threatened by his sister. On the night of the recital, Dee Dee used the Dexo-Transformer while Lalavava used the Mandark-Transformer and each formed a deadly and destructive dance that destroyed the dance theater. Both then agreed that their brothers were stupid and that science stinks, and the two happily became friends and went to the mall.
Rise of Badaxtra

Mandark "attacks" Badaxtra.
After Dexter accidentally unleashed the unstoppable monster Badaxtra which threatened to destroy humanity, Mandark saw this as an opportunity to outdo Dexter and take down Badaxtra himself using his Monster Blasting Ampliphonic Atomic Ray Cannon. However, blinded by his overconfidence, Mandark did not realize that his weapon was actually strengthening Badaxtra and the mighty beast proceeded to eat Mandark and his cannon. Later after Dexter and his family destroyed Badaxtra with the aid of Monkey empowering the Multi-Formic Megabot, Mandark was freed from the beast's stomach, and since Monkey had used a memory erasing ray on Dexter, no one remembered who stopped the monster and Mandark assumed that it was his cannon which caused it to explode, and thus he took all the credit for Badaxtra's defeat and crowned himself the hero who saved the world.
Ego Trip

Rivals become mortal enemies.
For the next many years of his childhood, Mandark continued to try and outdo Dexter while obsessing over his beloved Dee Dee. This would all change however with the creation of Dexter's greatest and most powerful invention ever, the Neurotomic Protocore, a device so powerful that it could revolutionize the world forever. The creation of this device caused Mandark to be consumed by his own dark corruption due to realizing that with this device he could become the ruler of the world. He then became determined to steal Dexter's greatest creation and completely crush him in order to achieve his goal of total supremacy, turning their once comedic and destructive rivalry into one of pure hatred and deadly force. Despite his many attempts, Mandark was never able to obtain the core during his childhood, however at one point the young Mandark would be summoned into the future for an important confrontation.
Adulthood

A young adult Mandark and Dexter begin their first day of work.

Mandark begins his takeover of The Corporation.

Mandark reduces his once formidable rival into a bumbling coward.
The World of Overlord Mandark

Mandark harnesses the power of the Protocore.

Mandark becomes Overlord Mandark, the evil ruler of the world.
After returning, Mandark used his new found power to live the ultimate life of luxury, spending the majority of his time lounging in hot tubs and became quite obese, so much so that he needed a grappling hook just to move about. At an unknown point, his old foe Dexter resurfaced as Action Dexter and Mandark devoted his time to stopping his mortal enemy from ruining his dark paradise.

The Mandarks unite across time.

The Mandarks prepare to battle the Dexters.
The One who saved the Future

Despite being briefly subdued, the Mandarks regain their footing and prepare to defeat the Dexters once and for all.

With Dee Dee's arrival, the Mandarks become overwhelmed by their love for her, leaving them powerless.

Overlord Mandark is defeated once and for all.
Later Years

A disembodied elderly Mandark discontent with his life.
After his defeat and the loss of his body, Action Dexter apparently decided to spare his former rival and kept his brain alive in a special jar where he would remain imprisoned for his crimes against the world. At an unknown point, Mandark's brain, now dubbed "Braindark", would be placed inside of the Dexter Museum for all to see and serve as a reminder of the once mighty overlord and his fall at the hands of Dexter. Braindark spent his miserable days constantly swearing vengeance against Dexter and would briefly get his chance when summoned by his past self to fight Old Man Dexter, although in the end he was still defeated and was likely placed back in the museum to wallow in his anger and swearing to someday get back on his feet.
Relationships
- Dexter - Dexter is Mandark's worst enemy. He hates him because he is so much smarter than him and he is always trying to destroy him so that he can be the smartest genius around.
- Dee Dee - Dee Dee is Mandark's love interest, and is obsessed by her, and if he looks at her he would say, "Dee Dee..." but it hasn't been shown that Dee Dee pays attention.
- Lalavava - Also known as Olga, Lalavava is Mandark's sister. She is way younger and smaller than him, but she takes total control over him because she is stronger and more intimidating than him. She always scares and abuses him to make him do whatever she wants.
- Oceanbird - Oceanbird is Mandark's mom. She does not understand his craving for evil and she wants him to always be nice the same way she is.
- Windbear - Mandark's father, Windbear is always trying to quench Mandark's craving for fighting and evil.
- Ducky - Ducky is Mandark's pet lab duck. Ducky has a supervillain identity known as Quackor that Mandark is unaware of and she always goes out to do evil whenever there is a full moon and Mandark's not around. In the episode "A Quackor Cartoon", Quackor fell in love with Monkey who was Dexter's pet lab monkey. Mandark was in shock to see this and he fainted along with Dexter.
Episode Appearances
- Dexter's Rival
- Mandarker
- Rushmore Rumble
- Sun, Surf, and Science
- Quackor the Fowl
- Mock 5
- Let's Save the World You Jerk!
- Dexter and Computress Get Mandark!
- Dee Dee's Rival
- Framed (Cameo)
- Repairanoid (Mentioned)
- Last But Not Beast
- Momdark
- If Memory Serves
- School Girl Crushed
- Dos Boot
- A Boy Named Sue
- Comic Stripper
- Mountain Mandark
- Babe Sitter
- 2 Geniuses 2 Gether 4 Ever
- Garage Sale
- A Mandark Cartoon
- My Dad vs Your Dad
- Sis-Tem Error (Mentioned)
- Used Ink
- A Quackor Cartoon
- The Lab of Tomorrow (Non-Speaking)
- Dexter's Wacky Races
- Ego Trip
Quotes
- "HA HA HA! HA HA HA HA HA!" - Various Episodes
- "Please sir, call me Mandark." - "Dexter's Rival"
- "Mr. Luzinski, may I please be seated in the front of you classroom so that I can obtain the full capacity of your educationally intended teachings." - "Dexter's Rival"
- "Yes Dexter, I can read your thoughts and I am smarter than you." - "Dexter's Rival"
- "Oh Dexter, it feels as if forever has passed since the day you destroyed my lab." - "Mandarker"
- "After countless experiments, all testing proves negative, no enhanced features, no physical mutations, NO NOTHING! It seems you shall never become anything more than a mere ducky. Oh well, I guess you're special trick will have to do the job." - "Quackor the Fowl"
- "It's bedtime Dexter. PERMANANTLY!" - "Momdark"
- "Chew chew chew, chew chew chew chew chew." - "A Mandark Cartoon"
Gallery
Mandark's gallery can be viewed here
Trivia
- Mandark's voice actor is Eddie Deezen in the series, but in Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion, it is Keith Ferguson, who did the voice of Danny Phantom in Nicktoons MLB.
- The surname Astronomonov would imply that he is Russian. Mandark may also be Japanese, as his mother is based on Yoko Ono and he resembles a stereotypical Asian boy.
- Mandark's age is never mentioned in the series, however it is implied that he is 2 years older than Dexter according to a reference from the Ego Trip concept art (unlockable in the Dexter’s Lab PSX Game) where Executive Mandark’s reference sheet reads “Age 24?” while Number 12 is credited as “D22”.
- In the song "Love According to Dexter", Dexter is said to be 8 years old, which would mean that Mandark is 10 years old.
- In earlier episodes, Mandark's laboratory has a high-tech and more advanced appearance. In later episodes, his lab starts to have a more gothic and crude look.
- In the first two seasons, Mandark did not wear a tie and his head was shaped like a light bulb. In the next two seasons, he did wear a tie and his head was more square shaped.
- In the episode "Dexter's Rival" Mandark had the ability to read minds; this ability was not used or mentioned again throughout the rest of the series.
- In Punch Time Explosion XL, he synergizes with Toilenator.
- It is implied that Mandark's Parents are not married because in the episodes "A Boy Named Sue" and "My Dad vs Your Dad", Mandark was referred to as a lovechild.
- Mandark is the same age as Dee Dee who is in the grade above Dexter and is not in any of his classes. However, he is still seen sitting next to Dexter in his class in "Dexter's Rival".
- In Japanese, Mandark's voice actor is Katsumi Suzuki, who also voices the Red Guy from Cow and Chicken, a fellow Cartoon Network cartoon.
- Mandark seems to speak rather politely and softly in Japanese; this could be to either make him sound more sophisticated, or to make him sound more traditionally Japanese.
- Eddie Deezen has stated that Mandark looks like a caricature of himself, and may be based on Malvin from WarGames.
- Mandark shares many similarities with Mojo Jojo Both are evil geniuses, who take pride in their intelligence, and have a laboratory in their lair. They also both possibly japanese and speak with japanese accents. They both have a personal grudge against the main protagonist, and are their biggest enemies. Mandark becames more similar to Mojo in later seasons, with the sharp eyes and cape, and desire to rule the world.