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Dr. X is the primary antagonist of American heavy metal band Queensrÿche's concept albums Operation: Mindcrime and Operation: Mindcrime II, serving as the main antagonist in the previous and as the overarching antagonist in the latter.

He was voiced by the late Anthony Valentine in the previous album and by the late Ronnie James Dio in the latter album.

Biography[]

Nikki is lying in a near catatonic state in a hospital, able to remember mere snippets from his past. Suddenly, his memories come flooding in a torrent. He remember how, as a heroin-addicted would-be political radical, he was manipulated into joining a supposed secret organization dedicated to a revolution led by a mysterious political and religious demagogue known only as Dr. X who uses a combination of brainwashing techniques and Nikki's addiction to turn him into an assassin. Whenever Dr. X uses the word "mindcrime", Nikki becomes his docile puppet, a state which X uses to make Nikki carry out any murder that the doctor wishes.

As time goes on, Nikki's position within the organization, ego and adherence to his master's vision of the future all grow. Through one of X's associates, the corrupt priest Father William, Nikki is offered the services of prostitute-turned-nun Sister Mary. Through his growing friendship and affection for her, Nikki begins to question the nature of what he is doing, recognizing Dr. X's own nefarious agenda. The latter takes notice and orders Nikki to kill both Mary and William because he sees a threat in her to his cult of personality. Although he goes to the church and successfully kills the priest, Nikki finds himself unable to kill Mary upon confronting her due to his feelings for her. As a result, he decides to leave the organization with her so he goes to Dr. X to tell him that they are out. The latter, however, responds by saying that the alternative is returning to his bleak life as a self-loathing but helpless addict. The conflicted and uncertain Nikki leaves and returns to Mary only to find her dead.

Unable to cope with the loss and the possibility that he himself may have killed her without knowing it, Nikki begins to succumb to insanity and starts running through the streets calling her name, unaware that she had actually killed herself after Dr. X threatened him. The police then arrive and attempt to subdue him. After finding a gun on him, they take him under custody charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and carrying a concealed weapon without a license. Since he is suffering from an almost complete memory loss, Nikki is put to a mental hospital where he retraces his last moments with Mary and where Dr. X can be seen a few times in a doctor's outfit in one of the music videos. Back in the present in the hospital in the beginning of the story, Nikki has regained his memory but is now looking at his reflection in the mirror, unable to recognize himself and what he has become.

18 years later during the events of Operation: Mindcrime II, Nikki is finally released from prison. He has been unable to let go of his hatred of Dr. X who has by now become rich and powerful within the massively corrupt, materialistic and hypocritical mass society around them. Dr. X's training to kill and brainwashing still have a strong hold over Nikki, with his sanity still in doubt but he feels conflicted nonetheless. X doesn't appear in person for most of the album, instead being referenced several times by a vengeful Nikki and seen in a flashback and a photo in the music video for "The Hands". He is eventually tracked down by Nikki, beginning a dramatic chase during which he attempts to talk the man out of killing him. Despite this, he is eventually killed when the seminal moment comes. However, the murder seems to fail to bring Nikki the solace that he so wants. Wondering if killing really has made anything better, Nikki is further consumed by doubt and despair. Mary's ghost then appears again and confronts Nikki. He starts to believe that he has crossed the line into pure insanity, with the world holding no escape for his sadness, and kills himself. Nikki and Mary's spirits are reunited in the afterlife where they they reflect that the only times they were happy before were in the fleeting moments that they were together.

Personality[]

Dr. X is a manipulative, nefarious brainwasher who is willing to do anything to keep up his cult of personality, even if it means having close associates killed. He is delusional as well, believing that he is going to right the world through violent means. However, despite his claims of being dedicated to a revolution targeting the rich and powerful, he has himself become such by the time the events of Operation: Mindcrime II take place, hinting that he either is a hypocrite or has abandoned these ideals.

Trivia[]

• Dr. X is the only character whose actor changed between albums. The actors of the other two returning characters, Nikki and Sister Mary, remained the same.

External Links[]

• Dr. X on the Pure Evil Wiki.