Hollander

Hollander is a character in the Final Fantasy VII series, serving as a supporting antagonist in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and making a cameo appearance in the Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier opening. He is a scientist employed by the Shinra Electric Power Company and the chief scientist of "Project G". He holds a grudge against Hojo due to a power struggle involving the leadership of Shinra's Research and Development department.
Bitter about his position in Shinra, a vengeful Hollander manipulates Genesis Rhapsodos into allying with him, claiming he can cure his degradation. Together, they establish an army of deserting Second and Third Class SOLDIER members, transforming them into copies, and starts a rebellion against Shinra. 
==History==
===Early history and Project G===
At some point in his life, Hollander was hired by the Shinra Electric Power Company as a scientist. He was involved in the failed First Soldier project and, along with Hojo and Gast Faremis, formed the core of the studies of Ancients.
Hollander eventually started work on "Project G", named after lead test subject Gillian Hewley. The two formed a relationship, which led to the birth of Angeal Hewley. Angeal was born with Jenova cells and deemed a "perfect creation", while Genesis was born soon after, having been infused with Gillian's cells while a fetus, and eventually deemed a "failure". Both were eclipsed by Hojo's "Project S" and its main test subject, Sephiroth, which frustrated Hollander. With Gast's disappearance and losing his opportunity to head Shinra's Research and Development department to Hojo, Hollander was demoted and became bitter and resentful toward Hojo and the company. At different points, he complained about wanting to leave Shinra and even threatened to bomb the Shinra Building.
A disgraced Hollander remained with the company, but his resentment strengthened. At some point, Hollander treated a badly injured and newly-degrading Genesis after his duel with Sephiroth, suggested a transfusion, denied Sephiroth's offering of blood, and had Angeal donate his instead, thus discovering Angeal's true potential. He manipulated Genesis into an alliance, lying and claiming he could cure his degradation, and set up a laboratory in Banora, where he started injecting many people, both SOLDIER operatives and civilians, with Genesis's cells to create an army of copies.
Since he stole classified documents and was suspected of being connected to the mass desertion of Second and Third Class SOLDIERs led by Genesis, Hollander went into hiding and set up another cloning laboratory in Midgar, under the Sector 4 plate, where he started experimenting on monsters to create Angeal copies, secretly funded by Lazard Deusericus using embezzled Shinra money.
===The Genesis War===
In chapter 3, Zack Fair, Sephiroth, and the Turks were tasked with defending Sector 8 from Genesis's forces and detaining Hollander, who was hiding in a secret lab. A shocked Hollander entered his lab to find Zack and Sephiroth poring over his classified research documents. He stated only he could stop the degradation process and Genesis appeared to protect him from Sephiroth. Hollander attempted a get away through the maze-like plate interior as Zack followed. Before he could be detained, Angeal halted Zack's pursuit and Genesis escaped with Hollander to Modeoheim, where another cloning laboratory was located.
Genesis held Hollander at sword-point in chapter 5, reminding him he was still needed. Zack arrived and lunged at Genesis, blocking his attack at the scientist, and the two SOLDIERs fought as Hollander fled to the Modeoheim Bathhouse. Tseng and Cloud Strife pursued Hollander, but were incapacitated by an intervening Angeal. Hollander told Angeal it was time to exact their family's revenge. Angeal denied him and said his father was dead. Hollander revealed the truth behind "Project G" and angered Angeal upon insulting his mother, Gillian. Angeal asserted she committed suicide out of shame. A pleased Hollander praised Angeal and said Jenova's powers were fully passed on to him, much to his despair. As Angeal fused with monstrous copies and transformed into Angeal Penance, Hollander tried to stop him but was knocked away.
After Angeal's death, Hollander was apprehended and taken to Junon for interrogating. Thanks to Lazard, he escaped and was chased down by Zack, but Genesis copies helped him escape by air. In the aftermath of the Junon raid, Hollander was formally declared "killed in action" by Shinra.
Sometime later, Genesis nearly killed Hollander who was forced to "borrow" his cells to survive, gaining small wings and degradation as a result. He traveled to Gongaga with Genesis in chapter 9 and both confronted Zack. Zack acknowledged Hollander was degrading, Genesis informed him they required pure S cells to be cured and only Zack and Cloud possessed them. As Genesis briefly restrained Zack, Hollander and some copies went to capture Cloud at the abandoned mako reactor, but were intercepted by Zack and an Angeal copy revealed to be Lazard. Hollander chose to fight Zack and was ultimately cut down.
==Characteristics==
===Appearance===
Hollander is a older man with a heavyset build. He has tan skin, medium-length graying black hair with a widow's peak, a beard, and dark grayish brown eyes. He wears a white lab coat over an orange tee-shirt with a red Banora White juice logo, brown trousers, and black open-toed sandals. As a Genesis copy, he gains small black wings and is affected by degradation, causing his skin, eyes, hair, and now tattered clothes to pale in color.
===Personality===
Hollander is a scheming and uncaring man with the utmost confidence in his scientific pursuits. He takes pride in his creations and is dedicated to his work. He has no problem conducting inhumane experiments to achieve glory, coldly dismissing failed creations, finding twisted satisfaction in his successes. He manipulates Genesis into forming an army rebelling against Shinra with a false promise to cure his degradation. However, Hollander struggles to find solutions when his projects or plans deteriorate and takes it personally. He is also a coward, running away and fretting in the face of danger. Despite being ruthless, Hollander seems fond of his hometown in Banora, wearing a t-shirt with the logo of his favorite local drink, Banora White juice.
Hollander despises his rival Hojo and resents the Shinra Electric Power Company. His bitterness stems from a power struggle involving the leadership of Shinra's Research and Development department, specifically the Jenova projects, where his "Project G" was proven inferior to Hojo's "Project S", leading to his demotion. He continued working for the company, but his feelings of disgrace only strengthened, eventually leading him to manipulate Genesis into an alliance that led to the creation of an army of copies and the start of a rebellion against Shinra, the goal to kill Hojo and destroy Shinra. His plans would ultimately fall apart.
===Abilities===
Hollander was considered a "hack scientist" by many, but was intelligent enough to have a high position in Shinra and receive allotted funding for his research projects. He was responsible for "Project G" with his main test subject Gillian, involving the injection of Jenova cells into her, and then her cells naturally passing onto Angeal, who was deemed "perfect". Gillian's cells were also fused into Genesis, who was labeled a "failure". However, as products of Project G, "Project Gillian", both gained superhuman abilities and traits.
As a Genesis copy, Hollander's body was considered too weak to manifest Genesis's powers properly, giving him smaller black wings and accelerating the degradation inherited from Genesis to a grotesque state. He showed limited combat abilities, such as swinging his satchel or breathing deadly breath. His satchel is also capable of storing great quantities of objects of various sizes, such as healing and protective potions, large live worms, and even a giant missile.
==Gameplay==
Hollander is fought at the abandoned mako reactor in Gongaga. He constantly heals himself, calls forth monsters, and often poisons Zack during the battle.
Hollander-ccvii-degraded.png|Model of a degraded Hollander.
==Behind the scenes==
Hollander is a fan of Banora White juice, developed by Genesis as a child. Cans of it are scattered around his lab in Banora, and his shirt bears the juice's logo. In an email to Zack, Kunsel speculates if Hollander is simply a fan of the drink, or if he has some other connection to Banora.
While the English localization of Crisis Core never explicitly states it, in-game dialogue implies Hollander is Angeal's biological father: when Hollander confronts Angeal in Modeoheim, he talks about avenging "[their] family", prompting Angeal to angrily shout that his father is dead. In the original Japanese script, Hollander outright calls himself Angeal's father, and the Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania confirms their relationship.
The Crisis Core Complete Guide includes a developer interview where the interviewer calls Angeal as Hollander's son, making Hollander and Gillian's relationship similar to the one between Hojo and Lucrecia. The interviewer asks how close Hollander and Gillian were, if they were married or simply coworkers, and whom Gillian considers Angeal's father. The developers reply that the only person Gillian considers to be Angeal's father is her late husband, whom she met in Banora after Angeal was born, and that the truth of a marital relationship between Hollander and Gillian is a secret.
===Voice===
In the English releases of Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, Hollander is voiced by Sterling Young in the original and Jason Marnocha in the remaster. He is voiced by Shin'ya Ohwada in the Japanese releases. 
==Other appearances==
===Final Fantasy Brave Exvius===
==Etymology==
==Notes==
===Citations===
===References===
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de:Dr. Hollander
ru:Холландер
Category:Characters in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
Category:Antagonists