# Name the first five female Mad Scientists that come to mind... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 24, 2013, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067 "2013-12-24T05:45:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/1 "2013-12-24T05:45:55Z")
I’ve got kind of an odd survey/quiz/timekiller, if anyone’d care to partake: Name the first five female “[Mad Scientist](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_scientist)” characters that you can think of. “Hero” or “villain” doesn’t matter, as long as they’re fictional, and at least broadly qualify as a Mad Scientist. (I actually _do_ have a reason for asking; if and when this quiz pans out, I’ll share.) ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/2 "2013-12-24T06:09:25Z")
Nora Wakeman, “My Life As A Teenage Robot”. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/3 "2013-12-24T06:27:37Z")
Agatha Heterodyne of _Girl Genius_ Lucrezia Mongfish of _Girl Genius_ Sieglinde of the Island Worlds novels. Genevieve Lefoux of the Parasol Protectorate books. Doctor Beatriz Juruna of the webcomic _A Miracle of Science_. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/4 "2013-12-24T06:40:13Z")
Some kid wrote, “Radium was discovered by Madman Curry.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/5 "2013-12-24T07:15:22Z")
Without viewing the other replies, and after I admit a few minutes’ thought, I came up with these, all from comic books: 1. [Georgia Sivana](http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Georgia_Sivana_(New_Earth)) 2. [Gilded Lily](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_Lily) 3. [Poison Ivy](http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Pamela_Isley_(New_Earth)) 4. [Killer Frost](http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Crystal_Frost) (aka Crystal Frost) 5. [The Ultra-Humanite, after his brain was transplanted into a female body,](http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Delores_Winters) which probably doesn’t count, since he still self-identified as male. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/6 "2013-12-24T07:23:59Z")
Nina Sharp from \*Fringe \*- while more an executive than an actual inventor, she was no slouch in the science department herself. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/7 "2013-12-24T07:31:54Z")
Temperance “Bones” Brennan of _Bones_. Her colleague Angela Montenegro also strikes me as pretty whacky, and, despite her hotness, gives me the creeps (supposedly she is an artist rather than a scientist, but most of what she does on the show is far more sciency). Of course, several of the male scientists on the show are also quite loopy, Zack the would-be serial killer being only the most extreme case. I can’t think of five off the top of my head, though. I suppose that’s the point. It is TEH SEXISM!! Women are excluded from the mad scientist old-boy club. Affirmative action for female mad scientists now!! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/8 "2013-12-24T11:45:16Z")
Before I read the “fictional” part I was going to go with Marie Curie. According to Facebook meme her notebooks are going to be radioactive well into the 36th Century. I know she didn’t know but that’s still insane. I’ll add Abby Sciuto to the list of other mentioned, if only because she’s science-y and extremely eccentric. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/9 "2013-12-24T13:43:25Z")
[Princess Bubblegum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Bubblegum)? Other than that, I got nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/10 "2013-12-24T13:51:23Z")
Minerva Paradizo from the _Artemis Fowl_ books. I admit I had to double-check her name with Google, as it’s been a while since I read the series. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/11 "2013-12-24T13:56:42Z")
Do killer nurses count as mad scientists? If yes, then “Nurse Ratchet” in _One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest_ … and lots of similar characters in horror movies. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/12 "2013-12-24T14:11:26Z")
The Rani. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/13 "2013-12-24T14:32:13Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Agatha Heterodyne of _Girl Genius_ > > Lucrezia Mongfish of _Girl Genius_ I always get beaten to the punch!:mad: 😃 And I thought of those two in that order as well! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/14 "2013-12-24T14:52:21Z")
1: Agatha Heterodyne 2: Gadget Hackwrench 3: …um… Dr. Susan Calvin, maybe? And there I’m stuck. OK, sure, I could have listed Lucrezia Mongfish and Sleipnir O’Hara, as well, but I don’t think you wanted multiple from the same source. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/15 "2013-12-24T14:53:56Z")
And of course as soon as I post that I can’t think of any more, I realized that I do have one more: Para Ventura, from _Schlock Mercenary_. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/16 "2013-12-24T15:05:01Z")
[Evil Genius Twilight](http://askevilgeniustwilight.tumblr.com/) Alice from [Dilbert](http://www.dilbert.com/fast) Abigail from [Original Life](http://jaynaylor.com/originallife/archives/2013/11/467.html) Damn, this is harder than I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/17 "2013-12-24T16:15:27Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Agatha Heterodyne of _Girl Genius_ The only one I could think of off the top of my head. > [@Trion](#): > > The Rani. Wish I’d remembered her! ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/18 "2013-12-24T16:31:29Z")
Dr. Claire Saunders and Bennet Halverson from _Dollhouse_. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/19 "2013-12-24T16:49:21Z")
[Franken Fran](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franken_Fran). [Dr. Vahlen](http://xcom.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Vahlen), of X-COM: Enemy Unknown. ---
**Author:** ![Nuveena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@Nuveena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuveena)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067/20 "2013-12-24T16:50:28Z")
Pearl from MST3K and “I’m in insurance” from 12 Monkeys. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-first-five-female-mad-scientists-that-come-to-mind/677067.md?page=2)