Dr. Ignatio Mobius (also known as Dr. R. H. Mobius and Dr. Moebius in publications) is a minor character in the 1995 video game Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn, a major character in the 2002 video game Command & Conquer: Renegade, a mentioned character in the 2007 video game Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, and a minor character in its spin-off novel.
He was a scientist and leading expert on Tiberium around the First Tiberium War.
In Tiberian Dawn, he was portrayed by Richard Smith. In Renegade, he was voiced by René Auberjonois
Personality[]
Although a scientific genius and child prodigy, Ignatio Mobius is notoriously absent-minded, as he focuses on his scientific research so much that he ignores his surroundings or even basic rules of safety. This trait has given him the doubtful honour of having risked his life more times than the average GDI commando without actually stepping on the front. He is fascinated with tiberium and its mutagenic properties. However, his enthusiasm and almost gleeful fascination turn to horror as he realizes the ramifications of Tiberium's properties halfway through GDI's campaign. He then dedicates himself to finding a cure for Tiberium-affected humans.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Born in Germany, Mobius was hailed as a scientific genius and prodigy. He entered college at 11 and received a gentleman's education in Vienna and Paris before pursuing hard sciences like physics, chemistry and genetics. Eventually, he became one of the key directors of the Human Genome Project and received a Nobel prize.
Discovery of Tiberium[]
Mobius is credited with the discovery of Tiberium near the Tiber River, from which the alien element took its name (Kane also claims to have discovered Tiberium, naming it after Emperor Tiberius Drusus. Considering that Nod pioneered Tiberium harvesting and weaponization early, Kane's claim might be true). He quickly became fascinated with the alien resource, recognizing it as a force of change and dedicating his life to understanding it. Shortly afterwards, he left the Human Genome Project amidst controversy, as he chose to pursue research into the gene-altering properties of Tiberium.
Condemned for this choice by the international scientific community, most notably the influential Global Science Consortium, Mobius had to conduct his research underground, funded by private donors under the protection of the Global Defense Initiative, his main employer. Although officially censured by scientific circles, he was nonetheless regarded as a sort of folk hero and the foremost authority on Tiberium. As such, he was invited as a speaker on many occasions, including the Science Talk talk show (where his jargon confused the host considerably) and the Hong Kong 2nd Global Tiberium Economic Impact Summit, where he was supposed to review charges that Tiberium might be dangerous.
First Tiberium War[]
During the First Tiberium War, he continued his research, which included setting up a field hospital to treat humans who contracted Tiberium poisoning. It was then that he learned of the disastrous effect Tiberium had on plants and animals and changed his approach entirely, warning that Tiberium was potentially the greatest threat to humanity ever. This discovery wrecked him mentally and physically - he was no longer the enthusiast he was, and he aged rapidly over the months.
His expertise with Tiberium made him a valuable target for the Brotherhood of Nod, even though Kane was once quoted as referring to Mobius as "An obvious lunatic.". He was eventually captured by the Black Hand in a GDI Research and Development base in Guatemala following a previous operation's failure to apprehend him. From there, he was relocated to the Nod airbase in Peru for processing and transportation. Eventually, he and his daughter were sent to a Black Hand research facility in a European Nod fortress. Conducting research for Project ReGenesis, they were forced to aid Nod's augmentation project.
He was nearly saved with the arrival of Captain Parker on-site but was separated by the explosion caused by Carlos Mendoza and relocated along with doctor Elena Petrova to another research facility located in Egypt. With Captain Parker storming the facility, he was forced to witness his daughter being injected with a sedative and taken away by the Black Hand, all under the lead of his former colleague, doctor Elena Petrova.
Upon being saved by Captain Parker, Mobius reclaimed the Mobius Suit and aided Parker during their escape from the research facility full of rioting mutants. When they both regrouped on board General Locke's carrier, he explained the nature of the ReGenesis project and the Black Hand aims. Eventually, he was reunited with his daughter and continued a successful scientific career.
Death[]
According to Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, Dr. Mobius and his research staff were killed when a lightning bolt from an ion storm hit their shelter, a fact that sparked the development of proper ion storm shelters. The Command & Conquer: Tiberium Wars novel by Keith R. A. DeCandido, on the other hand, states that he was killed in Philadelphia when it was destroyed by Nod.
Trivia[]
- Doctor Mobius's name is a reference to the real-world scientist, mathematician, and astronomer August Ferdinand Möbius.
- In the original Tiberian Dawn, Dr. Mobius's name was always spelled as "Moebius" in-game; "oe" is a valid alternate spelling of the German "ö". The only exception to this is in the game's credits (in both the manuals and the end credits videos), where the name is spelled as "Mobius".
- The German voice credits in Tiberian Dawn call him "Dr. Ignatio Moebius", again switching to the "oe" spelling, and probably giving the earliest source of his first name.