Courage the Cowardly Dog
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Courage the Cowardly Dog

The Cruel Veterinarian is the overarching antagonist of Courage the Cowardly Dog, serving as the main antagonist of the penultimate episode "Remembrance of Courage Past".

This unusual doctor, who runs his Pets of Tomorrow veterinary hospital, was the man who is responsible for taking away Courage's parents and launching them into space when he was an infant for an experiment (which later failed) and making the latter an orphan, until he was adopted by the kind Muriel Bagge. He is considered to be the very first enemy that Courage faces in his life, as well as the penultimate antagonist that Courage must face in the series.

Physical Appearance[]

He is elderly and monstrous in appearance, wearing an ordinary lab coat with a stethoscope attached, and wearing boots. He is half-bald and somewhat obese, and also has a scary beard, mustache, some eyeglasses, scary eyebrows, scary nose and ears, and monstrous crooked teeth.

Personality[]

The Cruel Veterinarian portrays himself as a calm and reasonable old man, as evidenced by giving an infant Courage some candy and talking to his parents in a kind voice, but this is merely a persona to mask his true nature: in reality he is a sadistic, sinister, cruel, cold, antisocial, greedy, immoral, and ambitious mad scientist/schemer, as he prioritizes the well-being of space dogs over normal dogs and is willing to launch them without any regard for the dogs. He also believed that sending dogs into outer space would breed space dogs.

Using his secret knowledge of rocket science and aerospace engineering (and based on 2 posters he saw), this has led him to send many dogs into space against their will. He has no loyalty to Courage's parents, besides sending them to space for his space breeding experiment. He is also manipulative, as evidenced when he persuades Courage's parents into talking with him alone, only to get nabbed by him with a net. When people tell him of "what he's doing with the dogs" (i.e. "What are you doing to my Courage?!"), his mask of sanity slips at the slightest sign of others' doubting his plans, revealing his true, maniacal personality, leading to him trapping them in his rocket to be sent into space and to prevent them from interfering in his ambitions. This means that he is also very selfish and ruthless, showing only interest about his own space dog breeding goals and doesn't care about the consequences of his actions. He is willing to sacrifice anyone who stands in his way, even innocent people like Muriel and Eustace, who have nothing to do with his experiment. He has no remorse or regret for what he did to the people or the dogs, so he had no chance of redemption. This makes him a very evil and very cruel character.

His cruel and sociopathic behavior over his insane experiments soon led to his ultimate downfall, when he tried to send Muriel and Eustace into space as well as to prevent them from revealing his research and his true ambitious plans (and to avoid both of them from being exposed and compromised to the public), resulting in him suffering the same fate as his victims after Courage pushed him into his own rocket, and getting mauled offscreen by the dogs that he sent into space, who were extremely angry at him for what he did to them. In other words, he got the consequences when he was mauled by the dogs as revenge, and the Cruel Veterinarian got what he deserved for his cruelty and madness. And so, he learned his lesson the hard way, and that he had to face the consequences of his actions and pay for his crimes.

History[]

Early Days[]

Courage_The_Cowardly_Dog_Remembrance_of_Courage_Past_Cartoon_Network

Courage The Cowardly Dog Remembrance of Courage Past Cartoon Network

The Veterinarian was the one who was responsible for separating Courage from his parents as a puppy. He manipulated Courage's parents into talking with them alone, which was revealed to be a trick as he captured them. Courage followed the veterinarian to his secret lab as it was revealed that he was a mad scientist, as he was shoving and locking them in a rocket ship. This was as part of his secret breeding experiment, to see that normal dogs (in space) would breed space dogs. However, Courage attempted to save his parents, but is spotted by the vet, who then chases Courage around the lab. Courage eventually uses a garbage chute to escape the evil veterinarian, and sadly watches as his parents were sent into space. He was later adopted by Muriel.

Remembrance of Courage Past[]

In a twisted turn of fate, Courage finds himself facing the Cruel Veterinarian once again years later. Muriel and Eustace unknowingly take Courage to the same veterinarian who had previously kidnapped and launched Courage's parents into space. Recognizing the veterinarian, they agree to speak with him alone, only to fall victim to the veterinarian's nefarious plan once more.

Fearing the same fate as his parents, Courage tries to escape but is ensnared in a net by the Cruel Veterinarian. The veterinarian, reveling in his malevolence, taunts Courage, making it clear that he remembers the dog from the past. He drags Courage towards the familiar rocket control room, setting the stage for a repeat of the traumatic events.

As the countdown begins, Muriel and Eustace discover the veterinarian's cruel breeding experiment and attempt to rescue Courage. However, the veterinarian deems them threats to his secret operation and throws them into the rocket, locking the door to ensure they're sent into space.

Courage, however, manages to escape and races around the lab, creating chaos. Using his wits, he causes the veterinarian to slip on spilled bolts and screws. Seizing the opportunity, Courage tries to open the rocket door to save his owners but faces resistance.

In a final confrontation, Courage screams into the veterinarian's stethoscope, distracting him long enough to snatch the key from his pocket. Courage unlocks the rocket door and frees Muriel and Eustace just seconds before launch. The veterinarian, desperate to regain control, attempts to trap Courage in the rocket once more but fails as Courage bangs on the door, weakening the veterinarian.

As the countdown reaches zero, the rocket launches, sending the Cruel Veterinarian into space instead of Muriel and Eustace. The episode concludes with the veterinarian crash-landing on an unnamed planet, discovering that his breeding experiment failed. The angered dogs, including Courage's parents, exact revenge on the veterinarian, dragging him off in a net and mauling him offscreen. The veterinarian's screams echo as the episode concludes, serving as a fitting end to his cruelty and madness.

Trivia[]

  • It's ironic, but in a way, fitting, that the first monster that Courage ever faced in his life is an ordinary human, especially a veterinarian.
  • He was responsible for the series starting, as his actions led Muriel to find Courage.
  • He was somewhat based on Sergei Korolev, a Russian rocket engineer, who, like the Cruel Veterinarian, sent dogs into space on his prototypes. And unlike him, who believes that they'll breed space dogs, Korolev believes these tests may help pave the way for manned spaceflights on Soyuz and Vostok. He is also presumably based on animal testing during the Cold War and the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union (e.g Laika).
  • He is one of the most evil Courage the Cowardly Dog villains, being beaten only by Katz, Black Puddle Queen, and Fusilli, and also arguably one of the most evil Cartoon Network villains, due to the fact he is willing to launch the dogs without hesitation and attempted to launch people from exposing him just for his space-breeding experiment.

Gallery[]

See: Cruel Veterinarian/Gallery

Quotes[]

  • "May I talk with the two of you for a moment? In private?"
  • "I know just what to do with the dog. But I'd like to have a moment with him, alone."
  • "Ready for the trip? Hehehehehe! It's your turn now!"
  • "You've seen too much! You'll be the first humans to see my secret experiment at work. Breeding dogs in space IS THE FUTURE!"
  • "It's time for your trip, little dog!"
  • "Hey!"
  • "Yah!"
  • "Hehehehehe, hmm!"
  • "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
  • "Well, hehe!"
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