(Warning: This blog contains spoilers for those who have not read Master Mind of Mars.)
So, what exactly is a villain? According to the dictionary, it’s either a wicked or evil person (cue the dramatic music) or a scoundrel who just can’t seem to play nice with our beloved hero. During our recent Zoom chat about Edgar Rice Burroughs’ "The Master Mind of Mars," Ras Thavas really stood out, to me, as a prime example of this trope.
Some Calots had a different take, believing that Ras wasn't really a bad guy at heart. Instead, they saw him as more of a neutral or even benign character whose choices might raise eyebrows but aren't driven by any ill will. This of course is the Victor Frankenstein vision of the mad scientist, a sympathetic character, conducting experiments that cross "boundaries that ought not to be crossed”, but not intentionally hurting anyone. Edgar Rice Burroughs, through the story’s hero, Vad Varo, really portrays Ras Thavas as a genuinely benevolent figure.
“The money he makes permits him to maintain this wonderful establishment where he constantly carries on countless experiments. Many of his operations are beneficent. Yesterday a warrior was brought in whose arm was crushed beyond repair. Ras Thavas gave him a new arm. A demented child was brought. Ras Thavas gave her a new brain. The arm and the brain were taken from two who had met violent deaths. Through Ras Thavas they were permitted, after death, to give life and happiness to others.” – Chapter 3
However, as the tale unfolds, Burroughs illustrates how Ras Thavas, similar to H.G. Wells' insane Doctor Moreau, has completely distanced himself from the rest of humanity. Living in isolation on an island that's surrounded by marshes and guarded by white apes, he’s free to carry out his experiments on both humans and animals without a second thought for the suffering he causes, all in the pursuit of perfecting his techniques.
Vad Varo, while narrating this tale, emphasizes that Ras approaches everything with a strictly scientific perspective, devoid of any emotional attachments. This chilling lack of empathy is especially evident during a particularly dark moment when, after promising Vad that he would reconnect (Vad’s love interest) a beautiful woman named Valla’s brain with her body, he instead devises a sinister plan to eliminate our hero and obliterate the woman along with the body she currently occupies.
The Master Mind of Mars is a wild ride, almost like a quirky fairy tale straight out of the Brothers Grimm, where the devious antics of Ras Thavas really drive the story and shape the hero's adventure. Even after the scientist breaks his agreement with the Earthman and the body that Valla occupies mysteriously vanishes, the scientist remains cold and unfeeling. True to the classic paranoid villain trope, he resorts to sending his minions to keep a close watch on Vad's every move. Our protagonist finds himself shifting roles from a welcomed guest and lab assistant to a captive, trying to escape Ras’s web to rescue his love interest.
Before the story wraps up, Burroughs can give Ras Thavas one last shot at redemption, but the author instead showcases the madman’s horrible nature. The scientist has got to be pretty sure that Vad has escaped the island to go after Valla’s original body, and deep down, he must realize that the chances of success are practically zero, even with Vad’s crew of fighters in the mix. Yet, in a move that really cements his status as a villain, Ras chooses to feed information to the heroes' enemies, aiming to sabotage their mission and have him killed. If Ras had just held back from this final betrayal, he might have salvaged a bit of his character, but instead, in my view, he ends up firmly planted in camp with the story's other antagonist, right up to the novel’s end.
We don’t see Ras Thavas again in this story. It feels like a missed opportunity to resolve the Vad and Ras relationship that began in the first chapter. On the flip side, we do get a final glimpse at what might be the by-product of the villain’s sinister nature. To restore everyone with their correct bodies and brains our hero returns to the mad scientist’s lab.
To secure access to the island castle, they strike a deal with the white apes in the surrounding woods. The apes have only one request: “All they ask is that when we are through we shall leave the gate open that leads to the inner court.” This raises an intriguing question—what could the apes possibly want with that gate left ajar? I believe they seek revenge on Ras Thavas and the experiments that he perpetrated on their species. It is only a theory, but I think it certainly speaks volumes to the situation.
This idea becomes even more compelling when you think about the ending of the 1977 film adaptation of The Island of Dr. Moreau. In that scene, the man-beasts turn against Moreau, driven by their raw instincts, they unleash chaos as the Sayer of the Law declares, "There is no law." It’s a powerful moment, and while Burroughs doesn’t expand on the event, it makes you wonder if the apes are on a similar path of rebellion.
We get another opportunity to witness Ras in action when he makes a comeback in the 1939 novel Synthetic Men of Mars, where his latest experiment threatens the entire planet of Barsoom. I'm curious about how he acts and interacts with John Carter, as that's a story I haven't explored yet. I really hope that over time, Ras has shed some of his villainous traits and evolved into a more honorable character.
For now, I’m leaving the Red Planet with the strong impression that Ras is still a wicked individual, and I can’t help but wish that Vad had taken him down in an epic showdown reminiscent of the legendary clash between Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham, even if the battle had ended like that 1979 animated Flash Gordon duel with Ming turning out to be an android imposter and the real Ming (Ras Thavas) escapes.
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