Baron Klaus Wulfenbach

Character Analysis
Baron Klaus Wulfenbach is reluctant tyrant of Europa ("tyrant" here should be understood in its original value-neutral sense). While he has functioned as the primary antagonist throughout the series and has been Agatha's foil, his character is more complex. TV Tropes aptly lists him among other classic examples of the Anti-Villain, an uncommon role in fiction best summed up as "a villain with noble goals". While he is feared for his ruthless methods, and he can be extremely dangerous when provoked, his motives are political stability and his love for his son, Gilgamesh. It's his personality and his willingness to commit morally questionable acts in the pursuit of his goals that causes him to conflict with the protagonists. However, his nobler qualities, along with an extremely dry sense of humor and a subtle romantic bent, have earned him a loyal cadre among the fans of Girl Genius.

In Heterodyne shows within the Girl Genius universe, Klaus is usually portrayed as cowardly or traitorous and functions as the much-abused comic relief. He has also been subject to rumors that he was really The Other or that he fled Europe after being rejected by Lucrezia. The real Baron Wulfenbach seems to tolerate these portrayals, making no attempt to censor them. This comic role is occassionally echoed within the series itself, such as his foiling by Othar or manhandling by Bang. To paraphrase the actor who played him in Master Payne's Circus, he's funny because he tries to maintain his dignity. However, it is the more tragic elements of his character that make him compelling.

Personal History
From all evidence so far, his only surviving family members are his very talented adult son, Gilgamesh, and a wife about whom he is quite closemouthed (some suspect it is for her continued safety). The Baron himself is a construct, which according to the rules of succession of the Fifty Families should make him ineligible to inherit his title... but he's ruling anyway. The circumstances leading to Klaus's reassembly have not been revealed at this time. The Wulfenbachs themselves are of the Transylvanian ethnic group called "Saxons", Germans hired in the 1100s as mercenaries to guard borders and as miners to improve the local economy, who settled and flourished in their new lands.

The Baron has been acclaimed as being the most talented Spark of his generation. He would much prefer to be off exercising his gift by studying the nature of the Spark (to quote the Professors Foglio, the Spark is "whatever it is that makes Mad Scientists what they are. A poorly understood concept that identifies and incorporates a batch of personality traits shared by those who have it.") instead of ruling, but he sees his duty as maintaining the peace his best friends, Bill and Barry Heterodyne, originally established before their disappearance. From the inside, it appears that he hopes Gilgamesh will someday be able to guide the people of Europa into a more mutually-cooperative peace than the overgrown kindergarten situation he maintains with a stern and exasperated hand.

In earlier years, he studied with Dr. Tarsus Beetle at Transylvania Polygnostic University. He joined with the 'Heterodyne Boys' and their constructs, Punch and Judy, for adventures -- killing monsters, putting paid to out-of-control Sparks -- and generally bringing an end to the chaos running rampant over the land and ruining the lives of the peasants and merchants defenseless against giant carnivorous pea-plants. At some point in this period, he started an affair with Lucrezia, the Beautiful Daughter of one of their opponents, Dr. Mongfish. Although he likely knew she had also taken up with Bill Heterodyne, he was shocked at Lucrezia's acceptance of Bill's proposal. Vowing to stop her from ruining his best friend's life, he found instead that she had drugged him and was about to ship him off to parts unknown.

Her timing was vile, as The Other showed up in short order after Klaus's disappearance, leading to the inevitable rumours. Some time later (best estimate is between 2-5 years as of this update), the Baron reappeared in Europa with a toddler boy in tow, finding all the work the Heterodynes had done to be undone, and worse than before.

His family lands were in Central Transylvania until they were ravaged during the aftermath of the Other War. He rebuilt his schloss into a massive airship, a slow-moving floating city in itself, reasonably named the Castle Wulfenbach. He started retaking Europa away from chaos by drawing a circle on the map around his ruined barony and declaring it his. Each year, bit by bit, the circle expanded until he maintained an iron-fisted peace over just about all of the eastern part of Europa.

To date in the publication of the histories, the Baron is dealing with the possiblity of a mass J&auml;germonster desertion when they find out they have a Mistress again; being tainted by a special Slaver Wasp designed to affect Sparks; and healing from massive injuries and subsequent burns when a chicken wagon dropped on him during his attempt to kill The Other (while she was in Agatha's body) once and for all.

The Baron has his own fan club, the Klaus Defense League (KDL). He has also established consular missions to several gaslamp/steampunk lands in the otherdimensional realm called "Second Life".