Gilgamesh Wulfenbach

Gilgamesh "Gil" Wulfenbach is a deuteragonist in the print-and-web comic series Girl Genius by Phil & Kaja Foglio. Being the son of Baron Klaus Wulfenbach, Gil is a major figure in his father's pan-European empire as it's second-in-command. However over the course of the comic he falls in love with a certain Agatha Heterodyne, whom his father thinks is a threat to stability. A powerful and ingenious Spark in his own right, Gil plays a major role in Agatha's story. After Volume XIII, he inherits his father's title and becomes known as Baron Gilgamesh Wulfenbach from that point on.
==Biography==
===Early Life===
Gilgamesh appears to have been born in Skifander, but had to escape. This is hinted at by Klaus himself (Vol. 7 p. 061) and by flashbacks showing Klaus returning from his exile with a young Gil (Vol. 3 p. 097). Gil spent his childhood raised on the Castle Wulfenbach, where both he and his fellow students were kept ignorant of the fact that he was Klaus' son (being raised with the fake surname "Holzfäller"). Klaus had actually planted false records in his archives so that, if Gil searched through them, he would think he was the son of either a rural minor Spark (Vol. 9 p. 90) or a terrorist named Petrus Teufel (ibid. p. 92). In that time he had become close childhood friends with a young Sparky prince named Tarvek Sturmvoraus. Gil would first 'break through' as a Spark at the age of eight years old (Vol. 3 p. 015) by making a construct-creature named Zoing.
Gil, still using the "Holzfäller" surname, went to university in Paris with Tarvek. He evidently learned his true parentage at some point, but exactly when is unclear. It was in Paris that he met Zola Malfeazium (also hiding her true last name) who was working as a waitress; Zola often found herself kidnapped and in need of rescue on Gil's part to the point that he even found it annoying. He also had gained a reputation as a ladies' man in the city. After he graduated, his father Klaus had made it clear to the world that the Baron Wulfenbach indeed had a son and heir.
===Gil meets Agatha===
Gil first meets Agatha Clay (or, unknown to both herself and Gil, Agatha Heterodyne) when visiting the town of Beetleburg with his father (in early Volume 1). When investigaging the university he briefly introduces himself to Agatha. However his father uncovers a Hive Engine secretly held in the university, which prompts the professor Dr. Beetle to try and kill Gil with a bomb, to which Gil responds by tossing the bomb back and accidentally killing the professor. Agatha leaves the university and winds up lost in a warehouse. She passes out from exhaustion, while the the Baron and his son find a strange clank they try to find the origins of. They find Agatha passed out, and Gil makes the decision to take her to their airship so they can get more information about what happened in the town.
Agatha wakes up on the Castle Wulfenbach (in Volumes 2 and 3) where she is introduced to the other students living there. One of the first people she meets is Gil, who introduces himself to Agatha more properly this time. Gil shows her many of his inventions and other belongings to get to know her a bit more, all but openly falling in love with her. While Agatha at first doesn't want it, over time she warms up to Gil. One day, Agatha wakes up to see several little Clanks, and Gil informs her that she made them, meaning she 'broke through' as a Spark.
The two find each other gettin along better when (in Volume 3) a Hive Engine aboard Castle Wulfenbach is activated in the same area Agatha and Gil are staying. The two fight side-by-side against the Slaver Wasps where they both save each others lives. Gil even gives the "worst proposal" (Vol. 3 p. 85) to Agatha. Soon after, following a fight with Othar Tryggvassen, Agatha and Gil are parted as Agatha's foster parents return to take her home and she escapes the airship.
===Following Agatha to Mechanicsburg===
After Agatha escaped, Gil devoted much of his time to finding her (in Volumes 4 and 5). At first he was under the impression that Agatha had died (Vol. 4 p. 44/49), but that was a ruse, and he later gets wind that she's still alive (Vol. 5 p. 99). Meanwhile Gil worked to resurrect the fatally wounded Punch and Judy (Agatha's foster parents), which he succeeded in doing.
While visiting his father in the Mechanicsburg Hospital (in Volumes 7 and 8), he spent much of his time defending Klaus from assasinaiton attempt after assasinaiton attempt. Meanwhile he got a message that Agatha was in a nearby coffee shop, and sent Jäger Captain Vole to retrieve her. However Vole (against Gil's order) instead tries to kill her, which fails. When war clanks of the Knights of Jove clashed with Wulfenbach troops, Gil created a lightning staff that called down thunder to destroy the clanks. Klaus was very proud of his son, but Gil was injured from this risky machine of his and had to be healed at Mamma Gkika's. He made friends with Zeetha, Krosp, Higgs, and others while at Mamma Gkika's, and also recieved a "magnificent hat" as a gift from the Jägers.
After being healed up (in late Volume 8), he entered the Castle Heterodyne with the intent of aiding Agatha. Shortly after entering (in Volume 9), he meets Zola again after many years. Zola still doesn't know Gil's identity, so he pretends to be a pirate under arrest to keep the disguise. Agatha meanwhile looked for Gil in the castle too. Agatha caught him with Zola, trapping them both with her FunMADD clank and unknowingly exposing Gil's true identity to Zola. Gil finally reunites with Agatha and helps her in the castle, such as saving her from an unexpected attack by Silas Merlot.
He also reunited with Tarvek to both of their dismays, but their quarrel was interrupted by the two of them getting a case of "Hogfarb's Resplendent Immolation" disease. Agatha and the two work to perform a modified Si Vales Valeo procedure on themselves, in which they all narrowly avoid certain death at the hands of the risky cure. Following this, Gil continues to aid Agatha in the repair of the castle and fighting their enemies (including Lucrezia/Agatha, some malfunctioning FunMADDs, Zola Malfeazium, and a mutinous Captain Vole).
During these fights (in Volume 11), he heard news that his father Klaus had died, and thus left the castle with Tarvek to go find him while Agatha stayed behind, getting a kiss from Agatha (Vol. 11 p. 122) before going. He boarded the Castle Wulfenbach where the Baron's underlings confirmed that he had died. Gil then (in Volume 12) was declared Baron in his father's place (Vol. 12 p. 32). During his time as Baron, Gil works with Tarvek on finding a way to overcome Lucrezia's mind-control, and also briefly fighting Othar Tryggvassen. He also hears a fairytale from a storyteller sent by his father (Vol. 12 p. 42), which was really an allegory. Not long after, news gets out that Baron Klaus Wulfenbach was alive.
As Klaus returned to Castle Wulfenbach (Volume 12), he was a different man. He tested Gil with a wasp eater weasel (almost certainly rigged), and then takes his son captive. Klaus forced Gil to make a choice between submitting to his will and Agatha being imprisoned, or Agatha being destroyed with Mechanicaburg. Gil chose to obey and spare Agatha, and thus he underwent a form of mind-control that his father described as "less elegant than Lucrezia's" (Vol. 13 p. 34) (see also, Baron Klaus Wulfenbach#Gil). The Wulfenbach armed forces withdrew from Mechanicsburg under the Baron's orders, with Gil aboard the Castle Wulfenbach included, as Klaus prepared to land in the city with his Take-Five Bomb.
===Gil as Baron===
: See also, Baron Klaus Wulfenbach#Gil.
After the Siege of Mechanicsburg, Gilgamesh was declared the new Baron Wulfenbach and head of the empire. Mechanicsburg was frozen in a time-bubble thanks to Klaus, and in his absence the empire began to crumble in the face of countless revolts to the point that it more or less dissolved. Baron Gil, though he tried to hold the empire together, also became obsessed with the now-lost Lady Heterodyne, that being his crush Agatha - he even built giant statues of her to guard Mechanicsburg, and devoted much of the empire's resources to freeing the city. Gil also, thanks to his father's behavior modification, had a copy of his father's personality in his mind. The Klaus-in-Gil copy was a more mild form of Lucrezia's mind copies in that it didn't override Gil's personality but rather assisted him in combatting The Other's creations.
Though after around two years, things started to look better for the young Baron. Some territories requested to re-join the Wulfenbach dominion. The 'Storm King conspiracy' that planned to overthrow the Baron, ironically, decided to make Gil himself their "Storm King" (Vol. 13 p. 83) in lieu of both Martellus and Tarvek.
Then (in Volume 13) after two years of complete silence, Gil learned that Agatha Heterodyne had begun showing up again after the "timeskip", and he even recieved a message from her (Vol. 13 p. 152). While Gil himself was glad, the Klaus overlay in him began to worry. Thus Gil - divided between helping her and imprisoning her - began searching for Agatha and ordered his forces to do the same. He eventually (in Volume 15) learned she was in the St. Szpac Corbettite Depot Fortress. He visits Agatha in person there, with his core personality and the overlay going back-and-forth, but they are quickly parted.
Afterwards, Gil continued his ongoing project of freeing Mechanicsburg, where he was able to get Tarvek, Vole, and Othar out of the time-bubble. He also learned news of a mysterious "Queen of the Dawn" rising to power in northern Europa, who he suspects to be Lucrezia/The Other or someone working for her.
===England and Paris===
Wulfenbach forces led by Gil later (in Volume 18) rescue Tarvek aboard an airship called the Mopey Tortoise, aboard which he is taken to England. The young Baron negotiated with Queen Albia to let him stay in England for a while, and while Agatha and Tarvek went to the Queen's Society dome, Gil goes with Albia and Trelawney Thorpe to look at the artifacts they have to offer.
A discussion that Gil and Albia had (in Volume 19) prompted Albia to realize just how much a threat Lucrezia Mongfish really is, and thus to declare that the Lucrezia/Agatha copy is to be removed at once. Gil then goes to the Queen's Society dome, where the Klaus-copy agrees to be erased from Gil's mind as long as Lucrezia is erased from Agatha's mind in the way the Queen desires. Agatha and her friends agree, and Klaus-in-Gil is erased (in Volume 20). The Lucrezia-copy, however, takes over Agatha for one last fight against Agatha's comrades (including Gil). Lucrezia is vanquished with their help, and while leaving the dome, the group is briefly stuck with the Deepdwellers before returning to England again. Gil spent some more time in England with Agatha and even danced with her at a party. Soon after (in Volume 21), Albia summoned the group to an audience where she explained that the Polar Lords were invading Europa. Gil was ordered to go back to the continent with Tarvek and lead a combined Anglo-Wulfenbach army to defend Europa from what appears to be The Other's plan. He kissed Agatha goodbye (Vol. 21 p. 109) and went off to Paris.
When the young Baron Wulfenbach's flight landed in Paris, he met up with Master Colette Voltaire. He, Tarvek, Colette, and later Othar Tryggvassen discussed the military situation in Europa. What happens next is yet to be shown.
==Appearance==
Gil appears to be slightly older than Agatha. The novelization Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess states that he was 22 years old during the events at Sturmhalten, and therefore was that age throughout "Act 1" of the comic more genererally. This would make him around 24-25 post-timeskip. He's shown to be rather physically fit, though not to the extent of his father. He has messy brown hair and a less rugged face than Klaus. However after the timeskip he does look slightly more like his father, but not by much.
==Personality==
Gil's personality can be hard to pin down. In public, he presents himself in a similar way to Klaus: stern, stoic, and composed. In private places, however, he's shown to be less stern, acting either laid-back or (in some instances) hot-headed. In many ways, he behaves like what someone would expect a younger Klaus had behaved - after a fig of rage, he even says to himself "this must be how my father feels all the time!" (Vol. 8 p. 014).
While sometimes he is shown to be wrathful when dealing with enemies, generally speaking he is a benevolent person. He worked tirelessly to rescue Agatha entirely out of his love for her, and when Agatha asked what kind of "evil overlord" in waiting would have no deadly weapons lying around, Gil replied "a better one than I'd thought" (Vol. 3 p. 059).
Gil showed many of his hobbies to Agatha while she was aboard the Castle Wulfenbach for the first time; these include fencing, reading adventure novels, building aircraft, and even music. He's apparently a big fan of the (in-universe) book series Trelawney Thorpe, Spark of the Realm. In his younger teens, namely when in Paris, he was apparently quite promiscuous; since we never really see this side of him during the comic's events it's likely a phase he grew out of.
==Relationships==
===Agatha Heterodyne===
When he starts to meet her properly on Castle Wulfenbach, Gil almost instantly falls in love with Agatha. Their relationship was frequently interrupted, meaning that he often didn't have the chance to show his affection for her. However even with these interruptions, Gil has shown himself to be a friend, ally, or perhaps even more to Agatha in times of need. When the Baron searched for Agatha to take her captive, Gil searched for her in an earnest attempt to help the young lady. 
During the timeskip when Agatha 'disappeared' for two years, Gil's love turned into a sort of obsession with the Lady. However when the two reunited, Gil started to have a more healthy approach to their romance again.
===Baron Klaus Wulfenbach===
Gil has an odd relationship with his father Klaus. The two really do love each other like family, but this love doesn't often show itself in conventional ways. For example: Klaus often would test new poisons or diseases on both his son and himself together to the point that Gil is "probably proof against almost anything" (Vol. 9 p. 077). The Baron often gave covert tests of his son's character, which Gil found quite "tiresome" (Vol. 1 p. 023).
As Gil fell in love with Agatha, the relationship between father and son became much more strained. By the time of the Siege of Mechanicsburg, the two were borderline enemies, only held back by the fact that neither of them wanted to fight each other.
===Tarvek Sturmvoraus===
:Gil: "You're up to something."Tarvek: "What makes ou think I'm —"Gil: "You're breathing."(Vol. 11 p. 46)
Gil and Tarvek Sturmvoraus have a history that pre-dates the comic's events with plenty of ups and downs. The two were best childhood friends when they attended school aboard the Castle Wulfenbach. However, Klaus warned Gil about the Sturmvoraus family's penchant for backstabbing, which coloured his view of Tarvek for the rest of his life. The two would reunite when attending university in Paris, with a mutual dislike for each other.
When they met again in the comic, they couldn't stand each other, and mutually considered each other a threat to Agatha. This gave them an chance to get along better, as Gil had the time to hear Tarvek's side of the story. Gil even appealed to the times he saved Tarvek's life (Vol. 12 p. 43) to get him to listen. By the time of the comic's Second Journey, the hatred between the two is more or less gone, with Gil and Tarvek mostly on the same page.
==Powers and Abilities==
Much like his father, Gil is a powerful Spark as well as a capable person in general.
* The Spark - Gil is evidently an impressive Spark. He first 'broke through' (that is, first invented something) at the age of eight years old (Vol. 3 p. 015), which is very young even for a Spark. His speciality as a Spark seems to be all over the place. His creations include aircraft, clanks (robots), electricity-based weapons, and at least one living construct (the aforementioned Zoing). His main focus appears to be clanks, but it is far from his only notable talent.
* Physical ability - While not as physically strong as his father (in all fairness very few people are), Gil is still shown to be very fit. He's managed to best even some Jägers (such as Vole) in hand-to-hand combat, and is able to throw heavy, large metal objects across a whole room (Vol. 9 p. 055).
** Swordsmanship - Gil is evidently skilled in using swords, as shown in both his fencing practice and his use of swords in combat.
==Gallery==
Gil-v3p19.png|Gil and Agatha dance.
Gil-v12p31.png|Gil and Boris.
Gil-v7p106.png|
GilTarvek-v10p58.jpg|Gil and Tarvek.
Ggmain20080507b.jpg|Paper doll art (1/2).
Ggmain20080509b.jpg|Paper doll art (2/2).
Ggmain20150105a.jpg|Cinderella-themed paper doll art.
==Trivia==
*A scene in Volume IX (p. 55), where Gil throws a massive battle-clank with his bare hands, has been a point of debate among fans as to how exactly he could be so strong. The novelization Agatha H. and the Voice of the Castle gives a semi-canonical answer: Gil was physically modified as a child by Klaus.
*According to the GURPS "Girl Genius Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game" released in 2021, Gil is a direct descendant of the Storm King Andronicus Valois, but through a different branch of the Storm King's family than either the Sturmvoraus or Blitzengaard lines are.
*On the girlgeniusonline.com website page for the "Original Heterodyne Boys" short story, the Foglios (likely Kaja) mention how the original Girl Genius story morphed before publication. It mentions in passing that "Gil used to be sooo evil...", implying that Gil was originally going to have a villainous role in the old draft.
*In the official card game Girl Genius: The Works, Gilgamesh Wulfenbach is curiously labeled as both "Hero" and as "Villain" on his card.
==External Links==
*Gilgamesh Wulfenbach on the Girl Genius Wiki.
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