Dr. Claw

Sanford Scolex (better known as Dr. Claw) is the main antagonist of the Inspector Gadget films.
An evil genius, Claw initially only sought to improve his wealth through stealing any new technology. After his fortune was taken following his arrest, his primary goal was to rebuild his empire. He holds a seething hatred of Inspector Gadget, whom he blames for losing his left hand and was responsible for his arrest.
==Background==
===Developmental origins===
Dr. Claw was created by Andy Heyward, Jean Chalopin, and Bruno Bianchi for DIC Entertainment. He is only depicted in the series as just an outreached metallic hand from a chair. He was inspired by the character of Ernst Stavro Blofeld from the James Bond film series, particularly the earlier ones where his face was hidden and only his hand stroking his cat is seen.
Frank Welker is usually tied to the character and was the original voice. Due to circumstances however, he was only able to voice him for the first half of season one. The role was soon taken over by Don Francks. Later adaptations featured Brian Drummond and Martin Roach voicing the character.
==Role in the films==
===Inspector Gadget===
It is revealed that Scolex used to be overweight and the world's youngest billionaire. He was a schoolmate of Brenda Bradford's and lost some weight a few years later.
One night he sends electronic tanks and other miniature devices to break into Bradford Robotics Laboratory and steal components of the latest cyborg technology known as the Gadget program.
He kills the lead scientist Artemus Bradford, Brenda's father, and makes off with most of the equipment including a cybernetic foot and a mind-controlling helmet, but left behind an NSA chip.
Just as he is celebrating and makes his escape in his limousine, he is chased by Security Officer John Brown who had promised Brenda that he would bring Artemus' murderer to justice.
He activates the oil slick and sends John's car skidding until it turns upside down on the road, telling one of his henchmen, Sykes, who is driving the limousine to stop and enjoy the overturned car crashing into a Yahoo! billboard, causing it to land on the limousine.
John orders Scolex to surrender, but he lights an exploding cigar and throws it at John's car, causing it to explode and leave John severely injured with bad tissue damage. However, the explosion also causes a bowling ball to fly up from John's car and crush Scolex's left hand while he is closing the sunroof. He returns to his main hideout at Scolex Industries where his other henchman, Kramer, replaces his damaged hand with a large mechanical claw.
Scolex, now going by the appropriate moniker "Claw", then precedes to use the equipment he stole and get on with his plan, to make a cyborg of his own, but after several failed attempts to get it to function, he realizes that he needs the Neuron Synapse Amplifier (NSA) Chip - the main power source of the body to function - in order to complete the cyborg. He later discovers via the news that John has resurrected as Inspector Gadget, the first-ever cyborg at the Riverton Police, and infiltrates a party held in Gadget's honor, hiring Brenda to work for Scolex Industries.
Claw later gets hold of the NSA chip that he found out about by hacking into Brenda's computer files and uses it to program his earlier robot, this time made as an exact duplicate of Inspector Gadget except for the large fake white teeth. He calls him RoboGadget and orders him to terrorize Riverton.
Gadget finds out that Claw killed Artemus and goes to Scolex Industries to find him, but as he is trying to reclaim the foot that is under high security, he gets captured and taken to Claw.
Claw shows Gadget his robotic imposter and tells him that he plans to make many more obedient deadly cyborgs to be sold around the world for profit that would then help him rule the world. He orders RoboGadget to destroy the city (and have fun) and Kramer to remove his chip, but when he can't, Claw removes it and destroys it himself. Gadget is then left on a rubbish heap while Claw carries on with his plan.
But he finds that Gadget is still functional without the chip (thanks to his strong human will) and is chasing him once again with Brenda. He tries to elude him, but Gadget keeps on going, so RoboGadget goes to get rid of him once and for all while he goes back to Scolex Industries while still being chased by Gadget's Gadgetmobile and Brenda.
Brenda finally catches up with him and attacks Claw after finding out that he killed her father. He takes her hostage to his helicopter and prepares to make his escape. He handcuffs her hand to the joystick and precedes to leave when he is interrupted once again by Gadget who defeated his robotic impostor and attempts to arrest his archenemy again. Claw responds by destroying Gadget's helicopter and picks him up by one of the skids on his helicopter, preceding to drop him.
Gadget quickly activates the spring from a pen to ricochet onto the button that controls Claw's claw which makes him destroy the joystick and release Brenda. Gadget and Brenda land safely on the ground, but Claw and MAD Cat jump out with their parachutes and land in the Gadgetmobile where Claw is knocked out and caged in.
The police arrive to arrest Gadget for all the destruction in the city made by his robotic imposter, but his niece, Penny, made Sykes turn over a new leaf and confesses about RoboGadget and that Gadget was innocent of all crimes. Claw is shocked that his henchman has turned against him. He is finally arrested and as Gadget leaves as a hero, he shouts: "Arrivederci, Gadget! This is not goodbye. I'll get you next time, Gadget! I'll get you!"
===Inspector Gadget 2===
Seeking revenge for his imprisonment, Claw breaks out with two minions - Brick and McKibble, by tunneling out of the ground. He reveals to them that after Gadget arrested him in the previous film, Scolex Industries was shut down, and all his assets were confiscated by the police. Because of this, he read up on Quantum Physics for Dimwits, planning to build a ray gun that will freeze Riverton in time, allowing him to rob the Federal Reserve to rebuild his fortune. This time he has his headquarters in an old-abandoned bowling factory.
He recruits more minions and thanks to Gadget's repeated bumbling (due to glitches from being a prototype Gadget), Claw becomes amused about his demotion to a toilet cleaner. To get part of his device, Claw uses an override control on Gadget to cause chaos at the science fair; the distraction allows Brick and McKibble to steal the device. Much to his further amusement, Claw finds Gadget got fired because of this and orders his minions to steal the rest of the components for the ray gun since it is smooth sailing for them. However, Penny got ahold of one of their shoes - a clue.
He then attends the mayor's fundraiser at the museum and steals a ruby needed to amplify his ray's beam. He meets G2, Gadget's replacement, and easily keeps her busy with a magnet.
Upon returning to his hideout, Claw finds Penny eavesdropping and takes her hostage. By morning, a week after he broke out, Claw fires the beam at a satellite above Riverton and freezes time in the city. Going to the Federal Reserve, Claw begins plotting where to rob next, but finds both Gadget and G2 managed to avoid the ray.
Fleeing, Claw eventually has Penny strapped into a cart filled with explosives to get Gadget off his trail. Much to his growing anger, Claw is cut off from leaving Riverton with the small amount of gold he stole and has his truck stuck in bubble gum. Allowing his minions to get caught, Claw flies away in a rocket saying his famous quote: "I'll get you next time, Gadget!"
==Trivia==
*In the original 1980s TV series, Claw is hardly seen apart from his arms and gloved hands with a gold M.A.D. signet ring on one of the right middle fingers (which do not, actually, include a mechanical claw, the origin of the name remains unknown); he speaks in a very deep, unnatural voice, provided by Frank Welker. With a few exceptions, he stays hidden in his headquarters, never directly attempting to harm Gadget but instead sending various minions, with whom he communicates through a video system. Invariably, at the end of the episode, Claw's base's location would be revealed, but he would escape in time before Gadget or the police get there.
**Claw acts more like his cartoon counterpart in the sequel, having a deep voice, his face half unseen, sitting in a chair most scenes, and escaping in a flying object at the end.
*Rupert Everett, who portrayed Claw in the first film, was originally considered for the voice of Gaston.
*In the sequel, Claw is never addressed by his real name from the first film, but his communicator is labeled as property of Scolex Industries.
*In his 2003 outfit, Claw bears a physical resemblance to Negaduck.
**Where he got it is unknown. It is possible that his minions sneaked it in.
*Tim Curry, James Earl Jones, Willem Dafoe, Jack Nicholson, John Lithgow, Christopher Walken, Jon Voight, Tommy Lee Jones, and Dennis Hopper were considered for the role.
==Gallery==
Inspector-gadget-animationscreencaps.com-633.jpg|Scolex spying on Brenda
Inspector-gadget-animationscreencaps.com-1302.jpg|Scolex screaming in pain after a falling bowling ball crushes his hand
Ig8.jpg|Dr. Claw explaining his plans
Dr. Claw in Inspector Gadget 2.jpg|Dr. Claw in Inspector Gadget 2
Dr Claw.jpg|Dr. Claw briefing his henchmen
Inspectorgadget205.jpg|Dr. Claw sitting in his herst with MAD Cat
File:Tony Martin as Claw.png
File:Dr. Claw Original Cartoon.jpg|Dr. Claw in the original 1980s cartoon
==External links==
*Dr. Claw at the Inspector Gadget Wiki
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