- Rotwang
C. A. Rotwang is a
fictional character inFritz Lang 's 1927science fiction film "Metropolis". Rotwang was played byRudolf Klein-Rogge .Character overview
He is a brilliant inventor, whose greatest achievement is the creation of a
robot made in the form of a woman. He intended the robot to be a replacement for his wife, Hel, who left him for the now master of the city, Joh Frederson, and who died while giving birth to Frederson's son, Freder. Rotwang then uses the robot to get revenge against Frederson and Freder, while pretending that he is using the robot for Joh Frederson's benefit.Name
The name "Rotwang" is derived from a series of German words. "Rot" is German for red, "Wang(e)" for cheek, "rotwangig" for rosy-cheeked. "Rotwang" therefore means "red-cheek" or "rosy-cheek".
Cultural influence
Rotwang was very influential in the
iconography of themad scientist archetype . Hislaboratory , with its profusion ofTesla coil s and towering switch panels, baroque chemical equipment and pipework, became a stock feature of many later films, including many in the "Frankenstein " series. LikeVictor Frankenstein , he attempts to "play God" by creating life, only to be defeated and destroyed in the end.Other appearances
Rotwang (along with Maria, his robot) appears as a member of The Twilight Heroes, a German analogue to
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen , in thegraphic novel "".Rotwang also appears as part of the German forces attempting to create the
Red Baron , along with silent film charactersDoctor Mabuse , Doctor Caligari andCount Orlok , inKim Newman 'salternate history novel "The Bloody Red Baron ".Rotwang existed at some point in the
DC Universe , where his robot creation became the time traveling villainessMekanique . Mekanique claims to have traveled to the era of theAll-Star Squadron to alter history for her master, and that she succeeded; whether this is true is unknown. Rotwang himself did not appear in the comic.In the novel
Superman's Metropolis ,Lex Luthor is cast in Rotwang's role.In
Osamu Tezuka 's Metropolis manga & the later anime film based upon it, Rotwang is replaced by a character named Laughton (though their names are pronounced similarily in Japanese). The manga version bears little resemblance to Rotwang, but the film's Laughton has, like many aspects of the story been redesigned to more closely echo the original silent film, including having various mechanical body parts.
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