| “ | Well, Mystery Incorporated, it appears you made an enemy. Fortunately for you, I still require you alive. | ” |
—Professor Pericles, Pawn of Shadows | ||
Professor Pericles[1] is a parrot and the former mascot of the original Mystery Incorporated of Crystal Cove. He was a friend of Ricky Owens. By the start of the second season, Pericles becomes the main antagonist in the series, only second to the Evil Entity. He is one of the few characters in the series that murdered (and attempted to kill) people, as he murdered Ed Machine, caused the death of Angel Dynamite, tried to kill Mystery Incorporated by ordering Brad Chiles and Judy Reeves to fire a missile to the helicopter where they're located, and ordered a genocide of all the inhabitants of Crystal Cove during the events in Gates of Gloom (which, however, failed to materialize due to the intervention of Mystery Inc.).
Physical appearance
Pericles's shadowy figure costume.
Pericles apparently has a cashew-sized brain, but his forehead is extremely huge and broad to make up for it, suggesting he is intelligent even though brain size doesn't matter. His feathers are powder gray, with a tinge of smokey purple, but he appears dark grey in dim light. He has a small, floppy white plumage on his head and tufts of white fur-like feathers a bit above the level of his eyes, which gives him the appearance of a balding elderly man with a stringy toupee, and he wears a purple scarf. On his first appearance, he's wearing a straitjacket to keep from trying anything. When he's seeking for former Mayor Jones's piece of the disk, he wears a long, tattered brownish-black hooded cape (the hood is pointed).
Personality
| “ | Cassidy is bitter. Angry. Brad and Judy are enigmas. Both of them. That leaves only you Ricky. My sweet Ricky. | ” |
—Professor Pericles | ||
Professor Pericles is a genius; sinister, maniacal, cold and calculating, and sadistic. Since his brain is no bigger than a cashew nut, this makes him, by comparison, uncannily intelligent and he prides himself as "The Smartest Criminal Parrot in the World". He is shown to be deranged and slightly insane, given his appearance and demeanor.
A master escape artist, Professor Pericles was able to escape the Animal Asylum which he was confined in, despite the fact that his detention cell was a glass dome and that he had a strait-jacket on. He appears to have a liking for sunflower seeds like most parrots and speaks with a distinct German accent. Often when upset or agitated, Pericles will curse or simply shout in German.
It may be possible he suffered from an inferiority complex. When the last Darrow attacked the new Mystery Inc, he referred to one of them as a 'big, fat, insecure know-it-all.' Most likely, he was referring to Pericles. This trait may have originated from being the animal mascot despite being the smartest one of the group and may have been what allowed Mayor Jones to turn him against his friends.
Pericles is cold-hearted and apathetic to a fault. No matter who is in his way, he will not hesitate to remove them. Examples are Hot Dog Water,[2] Cassidy Williams,[3] and Officer Johnson.[4] However, a few times he is seen showing affection to Ricky, a sign that he wishes to rekindle their old relationship. He and Mr. E started working together again,[5] but true to form, Pericles could not suppress his violent, malicious nature; he started controlling Mr. E,[6] and began lashing out against his owner, striking him when Ricky locked Pericles out of the system and Pericles got back at Ricky Owens for trying to kick him out of the group by poisoning him with venom to his spine.
Professor Pericles has shown great physical strength in slapping and knocking down Ricky Owens during an argument.
Powers and abilities
- Able to do magic tricks, sleight of hand, the skills of a stage magician:
- Capable of making inanimate objects appear alive through clever trickery, props and technological know-how.
- Duct-taped the stun gun on Officer Johnson without appearing to move.
- Escaped the Animal Asylum without breaking his glass cage.
- Brilliant chemist and machinist.
- Able to hack into Fred's computer and control all of Fred's traps which were installed at Fred's house.
- Very intelligent, expert at manipulating people to do his will, as shown when he had manipulated Scooby into fixing up a cure for Aphrodite's love potion.
- Did something offscreen to Ed Machine that made him scream. Later confirmed by Tony Cervone that he killed him.
- Infiltrated his house with ease.
History
Early life
He was once an associate of Abigail Gluck in Bavaria in the 1930's.
When Ricky Owens was just a boy, Professor Pericles met him. He had crashed into a tree in Ricky's front yard. Despite initial mistrust, Ricky was trusted and nursed Pericles back to health until he was healthy enough to fly again. Initially sad, Ricky was then pleasantly surprised to see Pericles fly back and the two became friends ever since.
He visited the buried Darrow Mansion along with the rest of the old Mystery Incorporated. (Escape From Mystery Manor)
He helped investigate the old Spanish church where a monster had been sighted, and speculated the monster might have led them there on purpose. He was very interested when the drawing of the Planispheric Disk was discovered.
Professor Pericles went to the Crystal Cove Caves with the original Mystery Incorporated and led them to a site where the first Planispheric Disk piece was found. He teamed up with Fred Jones, Sr. to betray the original Mystery Incorporated and find the treasure of the conquistadors. His left eye was injured when (the yet to be) Mayor Jones betrayed him. He was wrongly accused of a crime and sent to Crystal Cove's Animal Asylum. (All Fear the Freak)
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated
Season one
Imprisoned at the Crystal Cove Animal Asylum for the Criminally Insane
The gang discovered that he was the mascot of the original Mystery Inc. in a Crystal Cove High School yearbook.
After Gill Littlefoot was taken to jail, Velma Dinkley picked up a box she found from Mr. E. She opened it and saw a picture of the original Mystery Inc. with Professor Pericles circled. The message said, "Don't give up, this has happened before."
Pericles was found in a glass cage in the animal asylum. He was depicted as a crazy bird who had the smartest brain in the world. When Daphne Blake opened the locket she had found in the Crystal Cove Caves, music played; Professor Pericles said, "Mystery Incorporated to the rescue." He warned the Mystery Inc. gang: "Beware of those closest to you." Especially Fred Jones, Jr. from Fred Jones SR. In the end, the parrot broke out during the Fright Hound's attack on the Animal Asylum. The real reason was that he knew the gang was coming to the rescue. Sheriff Bronson Stone was contacted by Officer Johnson that all the inmates were rounded up except for Professor Pericles. Mr. E told Scooby and the gang to "follow the parrot."
Pericles secretly gave Aphrodite her love potion formula, then helped with the antidote, so that he could get the help of Scooby-Doo to obtain things he needed to find the lost treasure of the conquistadors. He sent a mocking message to the gang and Mr. E through his henchman telling them this.
Unmasked as the "Shadowy Figure"
He haunted Mayor Jones in his home by taking over his son's traps, and managed to steal his piece of the Planispheric Disk.
He watched using video monitors when the gang was attacked by the Obliteratrix, and thought about helping them because he still needed them alive.
He went to Ed Machine's house and told Ed that he wanted to deliver a message to Ricky (or Mr. E). But Pericles didn't want to use words and attacked Ed Machine. He later showed up when the gang was down in the Crystal Cove Caves. He had used a tracker to see where the Mystery Machine was and said there was nothing to fear. The Freak of Crystal Cove appeared and swiped Pericles, knocking him to the ground. He managed to get a piece of the Planispheric Disk away from the Freak, and mocked Scooby about it before flying away. In anger, Scooby vowed to stop Pericles.
Season two
He summoned the former members of the original Mystery Inc. when the kids gathered the next two pieces, tying with his own amount.
Mr. E then invited them into a partnership, though this may be more than a mere partnership and they may miss each other's friendship.
He told the gang that he lived for more than 80 years as he recalled being a friend of Abigal Gluck in the 1930s. He took over her underwater robot factory after her death.
He created a mutant cattle herd to destroy Crystal Cove and give the gang nowhere to hide.
He implanted mutated cobra larvae in Mr. E's spinal column in his sleep, and assumed effective control of Destroido Corp..
He had recovered the Planispheric Disk from Fred after threatening to harm Daphne. He returned to Destroido to make the preparations needed to free his master. It's revealed that he knew about the cosmological event called Nibiru the entire time.
Using slave labor from Crystal Cove he found the underground gate leading to the cursed treasure.
He led his group through the elemental dimensions to the sarcophagus of the Evil Entity, and freed it.
He asked to be the host of the Evil Entity instead of Scooby-Doo, but instead of gaining power as he hoped, the possession killed him (from the inside) and used his body as a vessel.
Post-Nibiru
Pericles, now happy and without a scar, had become the mascot for a now-married Ricky Owens and Cassidy Williams at their company, Creationex Corp.
Appearances
- Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated
- 106. The Legend of Alice May (photo)
- 108. The Grasp of the Gnome (photo)
- 110. Howl Of The Fright Hound
- 116. Where Walks Aphrodite
- 117. Escape From Mystery Manor (flashback, no lines)
- 123. A Haunting In Crystal Cove
- 125. Pawn Of Shadows (cameo)
- 126. All Fear The Freak
- 205. The Hodag of Horror
- 207. The Gathering Gloom
- 211. The Midnight Zone
- 212. Scarebear
- 213. Wrath of the Krampus
- 215. Theater of Doom
- 217. The Horrible Herd
- 219. The Devouring
- 221. The Man in the Mirror
- 222. Nightmare in Red (dream, no lines)
- 224. Gates of Gloom
- 225. Through the Curtain
- 226. Come Undone
Notes/trivia
- In Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated Crystal Cove Online, the player is rewarded a trophy of Professor Pericles when two treasure maps are completed.
- Professor Pericles is somewhat similar to Professor James Moriarty.
- Pericles may be named for the renowned ancient Greek orator (c. 495 – 429 BC), as it fits his intricate schemes and erudite nature.
In other languages
| Actor | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Enrico Di Troia | Italian | Season 1 |
| Gianni Giuliano | Season 2 | |
| Γιάννης Στεφόπουλος (Giannis Stefopoulos) Θανάσης Κουρλαμπάς (Thanasis Kourlabas) |
Greek | Season 1 Episode 10 Season 1 Episodes 13-26 |
| Βασίλης Μήλιος (Vasilis Milios) Χρήστος Συριώτης (Christos Syriotis) |
Season 2 Episodes 1-13 Season 2 Episodes 14-26 | |
| Denis Boileau | French |