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Dr Cornélius Kramm is the arch-villain in Gustave Le Rouge's 18 issues long pulp-epic, Le Mysterieux Docteur Cornelius (1912-1913). In the series, Dr Cornélius is a renowned scientist and surgeon nicknamed The Sculptor of Human Flesh for his ability to completely alter a person's likeness.
However, unbeknownst to the general public, Dr Cornélius is actually the master of a worldwide criminal organisation known as The Red Hand, an organisation that also includes the doctor's younger brother, Fritz Kramm and sociopath Baruch Jorgell.
Throughout the series, Dr. Cornélius's evil schemes are opposed by a band of heroes from various nations, led by the aging scientist Prosper Bondonat.
Eventually, these heroes manages to thwart the doctor's evil plans and bring down The Red Hand for good. After having killed Fritz, who had tried to assassinate him in order to take control of The Red Hand himself and Baruch, who had become a liability, Cornélius seemingly perishes, along with his servant, Leonello, in an explosion that completely destroys the doctor's laboratory. Le Rouge, however leaves the heroes (and the reader) uncertain regarding Cornélius's final fate.
Personality and Abilities[]
Cornélius is an evil genius, possessing immense knowledge and expertise in various sciences. However, he is most famous as the inventor of the carnoplastique, a technique that enables the doctor to replace a person's face with that of another, without anyone knowing the difference. He's also a very cunning, criminal mastermind, coming up with elaborate and dangerous schemes that serves to enrich himself and humiliate his enemies.
Personality-wise, Cornélius is almost always calm and collected; confident that he will always be able to beat whatever obstacle the forces of good sends his way. However, at rare moments, the doctor's calm facade crumbles and he becomes raving lunatic.
Cornélius is also extremely cold-blooded and while he rewards those who are loyal to him, he's completely merciless towards his enemies or those who betray him.
Goal[]
Dr. Cornélius's main goal, as he himself states at one point in the series is to become the master of the World, to achieve this goal he plans on using The Red Hand to collect vast amounts of wealth, which will serve to fund his scientific research.