The Unstoppable Higgs/Mad

So just WHO is Higgs?
Given that Higgs has been by the Castle/Otilia as a somebody, just which somebody is it?


 * Barry Heterodyne


 * Barry didn't witness Igneous's ignition.
 * Alas, it isn't to be. We have indirect WoG (soon to be direct when the interview is posted) that . Argadi 16:59, June 3, 2010 (UTC). Copied from the forum by Agge.se 20:58, June 17, 2010 (UTC)


 * Bill Heterodyne


 * Same for Bill.


 * Klaus Barry Heterodyne? He appears to be about the right age... (except Higgs has worked for the Baron for ten years)


 * Klaus Barry barely witnessed anything.


 * Ogglespoon


 * Andronicus Valois


 * Faustus Heterodyne


 * Lucifer Mongfish


 * Probably not privy to Heterodyne secret initiations.


 * A Wulfenbach brother


 * Ditto.


 * A Von Mekkhan
 * - specifically, a distant ancestor of Carson von Mekkhan, specifically, the owner of Mechanicsburg at the time it was taken over by the Ht'rok-din.
 * The Girl Genius incarnation of the Wandering Jew.
 * - or... he can be Carson's son who miraculously survived the attack on the Castle Heterodyne (or was brought back to life later).

Or just answer the poll: Who is Higgs?

Higgs and Zeetha
So the question is can Zeetha get the Unstoppable Higgs Started?

And when she does so how long will the festivities last?

This is definitely on my scenes-worth-waiting-for or at least thinking about list.

Rej Maddog 19:28, 30 March 2009 (UTC)

Mea v4 13:55, October 19, 2010 (UTC)
 * Considering this strip that just dropped, I'd say you have at least part of your answer.

Spark?
Hmm. I noticed how in the current comic (Wednesday, Feb 17 2010), Higgs casually ignored the full-on blow from the Castle Muse, whilst commenting on it's workings.

Possibly Spark? Must remember to investigate further...

On funny side, imagine Higgs-style clanks: Nigh-indestrutible, with the most casual demeaner. Made of Win. Jäger Major 22:52, 17 Febuary 2010 (GMT -8)

Although being unstoppable has nothing to do we being a Spark, only being around Sparks. He might be a construct. That he knows so much about the muse, however...Baby Rorschach 03:08, April 18, 2010 (UTC)

The Storm King?
Given his familiarity with(and by) the muse and his deference to the storm king, he might be connected to that family. The 'them' he mentions... Pinkhair3d 13:38, February 22, 2010 (UTC)

If Embi's claims of longevity can be trusted, then Higgs could be Andronicus Valois - he did swear to search for Euphrosynia forever... Captain Airstrip-1 22:11, February 22

Consider also, what is the meaning of Higg's hat? It says. The story centers on a young boy that finds himself indebted to a living doll. In the series there are eventually seven dolls. The muses were made for the king. Possibly for his protection and education. So the role of storm king might fit.

Similar reasoning might also connect him with Van Rijn. --Rej¿ ¤¤ ? 02:28, June 20, 2010 (UTC)

Van Rijn?
Vat if Higgs iz Van Rijn, who hez made clenk for/ov himzelf? Dis vould hexplain hiz knowledzh ov Otilia, hiz interest in her vell-beink, in Tarvek, lotz ov tings. Vould not hexplain hiz rezcue ov Der Baron, who iz on wrong side perhaps. Altgorl 11:02, February 23, 2010 (UTC) Strategic/political move: lesser of two evils, that kind of thing. --Marcus Langley 23:45, February 25, 2010 (UTC)

Or sometimes among gifted sparks, the spark is more important that political loyalties. Van Rijn and Faustus could have been good friends who learned a lot from each other. Rej¿ ¤¤ ? 02:32, June 20, 2010 (UTC)

Klaus Barry Heterodyne?
My brother and I strongly suspect Higgs is Klaus Heterodyne. He was supposedly killed along with the new Seneschal, but what if the Seneschal was in fact successful? The castle recognized him, and he shut it up as quickly as he could -- presumably because he's in hiding from whatever caused the castle to explode in the first place. (And possibly because he prefers being an anonymous nobody.) He went to extreme lengths to rescue the Baron, which might just be because he's the Baron, but it might also be a sense of familial responsibility. After all, the guy would be his father's best friend, his own godfather, and his namesake. --Aubri 13:58, April 23, 2010 (UTC)

Position
Higgs is an Airman Third Class, which covers a lot of possible positions. I am fairly well convinced that he is a Boatswain. -- Rev Miss Lunatic, 2010 February 27

I belive he's a Mechanic's Mate, and thus a grease monkey rather than a deck ape, but I wouldn't put it past Prof. Foglio to promote him to Boson, I mean Bosun, in the future. -- Aubri 23:57, June 1, 2010 (UTC)

I checked the cast list and he's listed as "Machinist Mate third Class Higgs" which makes him a Bosun now -- Astro5 08:13, August 11, 2010 (UTC)

NEW
As of 4/19/10, Higgs remembers, along with the castle, a Heterodyne from hundreds of years ago. That puts his age significantly over most of the speculated possibilities, and makes it more likely that he may be a clank or construct.

Although, strictly speaking, it only means he's very well educated about Hetordynes, and not necessarily old. But he's dfeinately not just an Airman.Baby Rorschach 20:30, April 19, 2010 (UTC)

I had the thought that Higgs might be a Jagermonster that didn't suffer any appearance changes, and is perhaps from the earliest experiments with the Jagerbrau. It was mentioned very specifically that he was injured greatly while rescuing the Baron, and his injuries were examined by doctors, eliminating the construct idea in my eyes unless he was made to be a perfect fake human on the inside as well. Aslo he was up and fully recovered way too quickly for a human, but since he was at the jager bar he could have gotten hold of the jager healing brew and cured himself. Being a jager would explain his longevity, and the castle's familiarity with him and his willingness to follow the castle's suggestion in giving Agatha the Dyne water. Perhaps he is a Heterodyne spy, who, after the family disappeared, installed himself in various part of the Baron's Army, quietly watching and waiting and trying to look out for the best interests of the family in the long run, a very good reason for him to save the Baron.

Skinnier Malcontent---4/20/10

The question is did the doctors have time to lock att him before he got to Madame Ginka's

Agge.se 080510 Jagers are constructs. And Jagers, even wild Jagers, don't like doctors looking at them. Baby Rorschach 01:47, April 22, 2010 (UTC)

Jaegers are not constructs, but instead normal people that were strong enough to survive the effects of the Jaegerdraught. Very little is known about them other than their ability to live forever and be super strong and stuff, correct? Jaegers take an oath of fealty to the Heterodynes, however, which is the reason that they will typically not allow anyone but a Heterodyne work on them. In their point of view, it is the same as if they were a diary or something, and allowed themselves to be read by someone other than the owner. They only trust the Heterodynes to work on them. And of course, the doctors did have time to look at Higgs, at the very least I' say an hour or more, considering the time it would take for an infection to become visible. I'd say he probably dropped Baron Wulfenbach off at the hospital, and while watching over him before Gil arrived, was fussed over by Sun. He, if he was one of the earlier and smarter Jaegers, that possibly were not held to the same constraints (or are intelligent to know how to work around them) would have known to not break cover by rejecting a doctor over something a human would typically be incapable to cope with. That doesn't mean he was treated, though. He probably ditched the hospital and skipped over to Mamma Gkika's ASAP.

On another note, when Higgs first flips out over Zeetha, he displays traces of "de typikel Jaeger eksent, vit de fonny 'w's." Will more be displayed, possibly..? --Pbvishka 20:24, October 18, 2010

His unarmed combat training, piloting skills, and technical knowledge clearly are abouve his station in life--i.e. a common airman. However, his knowledge of the Heterodynes may simply be from an excellent education. Could he be a nobleman, or nobleman's son, in disguise? In the old British Empire, bastard offspring of noblemen would sometimes enter the military. Something similar?--Bosda Di&#39;Chi 12:42, April 23, 2010 (UTC)

He knows Otilla, and she's been chained up in the Castle H. Dungeon since around the time Agatha was born. And Otilla defers to HIM, so that puts him high up on the Heterodyne food chain. And he can't be an actual Heterodyne... the Jagers haven't caught a whiff of Heterodyne scent for all Agatha's lifetime... look how crazy they went for HER, and Higgs was at Madame Ginka's.

So... super strong, really old, his comments to Otilla seem Sparky. But NOT a Heterodyne? Maybe he's another splinter of Castle that Lucrezia transplanted into a Jagerlike body? Schmott Guy(?) 14:03, April 23, 2010 (UTC)

Age doesn't necessarily matter -- not with Higgs, not with Klaus Barry Heterodyne, not with anyone. Apparent age doesn't matter either. Time travel exists in this universe. So do alternate timelines, if you've been following Othar's tweets. Therefore, characters from earlier epochs could be operating now (and vice-versa), gestation periods don't have to synch up with the known timeline of the story, et cetera and so forth. Higgs could be almost anyone. For that matter, so could Zola.

T. Nielsen Hayden, 08:42 EST, June 4, 2010

Addendum to my earlier comment: While Higgs could be almost anyone, what he can't be is fully human, or an unaugmented human. Klaus is a construct, and pretty darned hard to stop, but Higgs is the one who had to rescue Klaus from the wrecked airship. He also didn't pick up any noticeable injuries when Otilia slammed him into a wall with so much force that he broke the stone behind him. So what is he -- construct? Clank? Jaeger? Something else? We don't know.

We also don't know who he is. But in the time since I observed that in a universe that has time travel and alternate universes, Higgs could be almost anyone, we've learned that personality transfers are possible, including clank/human, construct/human, and animal/human transfers. This makes the list of characters Higgs could be even longer. TNH 16:51, September 2, 2010 (UTC)TNH, 02 September 2010


 * Higgs cannot be a Heterodyne. If he was a living Heterodyne, he would have inherited Castle Heterodyne, & would not have been working as a low-ranked airship crewman. Agatha would not be the Heir. Neither Bill nor Barry could have been the Lord of the Castle, as a better claimant would exist.

--Bosda Di&#39;Chi 13:06, June 4, 2010 (UTC)


 * actually he could be a old Heterodyne that abdicated or dedent inherited the castle and subsequently began to serve the primary Heterodyne branch (like the Smoke Knights and Tarvek. Later in history he vent into hiding for his own reason. Or he could be Bill or Barry returned but wanting to test Agatha before he reveal himself. Hoewer he terns out to be he obviously want to test Agatha before revealing who he is.
 * Agge.se 15:15, June 4, 2010 (UTC)


 * Of course, he could be a Heterodyne spur, depending on how primo- is the -geniture that the Castle uses to determine which Heterodyne gets the keys. I doubt that the issue comes up all that often...previous brothers or sisters ala Bill & Barry probably decided which one inherited long before the inheritance became an issue (imagine mad diabolical Sparks like the Heterodynes used to be...now imagine them in puberty!). Der Kassel could've been about to say "your...cousin" when . CaptMorgan 17:04, June 4, 2010 (UTC)
 * Higgs can not be a Heterodyne, or the castle would not have had that abrupt and violent a reaction to Agatha temporarily dying. More likely, He is a family 'friend' of the Old or New Heterodynes, possibly modified (immortality, strength, etc) at his own request. Or he could be a construct. If he was a simple reanimation, modified at some point during revivification, or a very well made/repaired/regenerated patchwork, he could have passed any of the Doctor's exams or treatments with flying colors, assuming they didnt zoom in on the cellular level. He could very well be a combination of any of the above, or something completely different.
 * -00:15, 2010 June 8 Anonymous


 * Way cant he be a heterodyne the episode when was at-least an hour (or three months) before the  recognised Higgs. I only want to point out that he can be however.
 * Agge.se 23:51, June 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * @ Agge.se: my primary concern is that if Higgs was old enough to personally know several of the Old Heterodynes, as he implies, and if he himself was a Heterodyne, then The Castle would have known about him BEFORE it splintered, and it would have kept tabs on him because he was a Heterodyne. If The Castle suspected there to be another living Heterodyne, a suitable heir, I dont believe It would be as relentless in ensuring her survival. relentless, but slightly less so. Besides, it wouldnt be good for the storyline for there to be any remaining besides Agatha and The Boys.
 * -03:08, 2010 June 8 Anonymous


 * Actually it isn't implies that he "personally know several of the Old Heterodynes" I believe that you are referring to the passage when he Igneous Heterodyne from what I can remember that is the only time he talks about any old Heterodyne or show that he know more then he should know about the Heterodynes secrets I can be wrong abaut this but if I am please tell me and link to appropriate page. I concur that the circumstances around Igneous Heterodyne death shouldn't be known to the public they may know that he exploded in an lab accident but not the details around it so Higgs is unusually well informed when abaut the old hetrodynes but it isent sure that he was there when it happen but he could haw been.
 * It is posible that he changed his appearances to go unnoticed and that that is the reasan that the castle didn't recognize him until he was fighting I still believe that however he turns out to be he want test Agatha before he reveal himself.
 * @ Anonymous please register and sign your post whit four ~ so it is possible to know who presented different theories and to make it easier to know when one contribution end and the next began offset your text one extra space to left white a extra : and please do not use the same colour as the person above you unless he was using the standard colour and please link to pages of the comic or adder sources whit information that support your theories. I will post this in your talk page but I do not know if you are reeding it so I post it hear also.
 * Agge.se 11:40, June 8, 2010 (UTC)\
 * Could Higgs be Von Pin. The REAL Von Pin. I doubt if all constructs are easily identified as such, even in medicel conditions, ill give you most, but some are probably damn near perfect. So. Lu takes the castles mind, or a part of it, and puts it into Otila, than puts Otilas brain in Von Pinn, What happens to Von Pins brain? Von Pinn was charged with raising the young heterodyne and would be well versed in the past adventures of the heterodynes, would know the castle inside and out, and .. if in a newly constructed body provided to her by Lu, have a perfect disguise.
 * My personal theory: Higgs is a type 5 construct made by Vlad the Blasphemous when he was trying to create the first Jagermonsters. Higgs is a prototype of sorts- he has the longevity and resilience of a Jager, but without the fighting spirit, loyalty to House Heterodyne, and strength of one. Before Vlad perfected the Jagerbrau, he obviously had to find someone to test it on, and he used Higgs. There might be others like him, too- who knows how extensively the Jagerbrau was tested before the recipe was perfected?
 * >> New Theory : Is there a possibility that he is another Muse? I think one of them was 'male' - (in green, third in from the right.) Since the Muses don't quite correspond to the Greek versions, and the clank appears to be holding something that looks like a navigational device, it would make sense with his talk of 'remembering maps' (08/11/10) SpaceAnJL
 * Following above: It's been established that the Other could transfer the artificial minds of muses into other constructs (see Von Pinn) so it is very possible that he could have been a muse, female or otherwise, at some point. Mea v4 15:57, August 11, 2010 (UTC)
 * >> New Theory : Is there a possibility that he is another Muse? I think one of them was 'male' - (in green, third in from the right.) Since the Muses don't quite correspond to the Greek versions, and the clank appears to be holding something that looks like a navigational device, it would make sense with his talk of 'remembering maps' (08/11/10) SpaceAnJL
 * Following above: It's been established that the Other could transfer the artificial minds of muses into other constructs (see Von Pinn) so it is very possible that he could have been a muse, female or otherwise, at some point. Mea v4 15:57, August 11, 2010 (UTC)
 * >> New Theory : Is there a possibility that he is another Muse? I think one of them was 'male' - (in green, third in from the right.) Since the Muses don't quite correspond to the Greek versions, and the clank appears to be holding something that looks like a navigational device, it would make sense with his talk of 'remembering maps' (08/11/10) SpaceAnJL
 * Following above: It's been established that the Other could transfer the artificial minds of muses into other constructs (see Von Pinn) so it is very possible that he could have been a muse, female or otherwise, at some point. Mea v4 15:57, August 11, 2010 (UTC)
 * Following above: It's been established that the Other could transfer the artificial minds of muses into other constructs (see Von Pinn) so it is very possible that he could have been a muse, female or otherwise, at some point. Mea v4 15:57, August 11, 2010 (UTC)

Airman Higgs and Old Man Death
There is, to my eyes at least, a strong family resemblance between Higgs and Old Man Death, especially when you compare Higgs to OMD's granddaughter. Higgs' nose is nearly an exact duplicate with that of the Princess Old Man Death claims took more than a passing fancy to him. And both Higgs's nose and the Princess's nose are almost an exact match with OMD's granddaughter's nose. Also, we met Old Man Death when Maxim, no spring chicken by any estimation, sought out the Old Man Death and challenged him for his hat. Higgs may also be unacknowledged kin to Tarvek. That would explain the nature of Tarvek's interaction with Higgs. Higgs would also be yet another well-placed agent for the House of Vallois. Billy Catringer 01:48, August 2, 2010 (UTC)
 * More likely, Higgs is a local boy, native to Mechanicsburg, and related to several local families. After all, he seems very much at home in Mechanicsburg, and knows something of the Heterodynes, & Mamma Gkika's secret level. Much of his Heterodyne knowledge could come from his being a loyal minion of the family.--Bosda Di&#39;Chi 13:34, August 2, 2010 (UTC)

Carson's Son?

 * He about Heterodynes (including historical characters).
 * He the Castle very well.
 * He was admitted into Jäger's secret bar and inside.
 * Is it just my eyes or there really is some resemblance between him and Carson von Mekkhan?

So... can Higgs be, in fact, Carson's son - reported dead in the attack on the Castle Heterodyne, but survived or was brought back to life later? -- Muzzafar 09:59, August 11, 2010 (UTC)


 * If Higgs is the long lost son of Carson von Mekkhan, how do we explain Higgs's willingness to cooperate with Tarvek Sturmvarous? More importantly, how do we explain Tarvek's sudden and silent recognition of Higgs? I thought about this before I made my previous post on this subject, but could not answer these two questions in an economical way that did not violate verisimilitude. Having said that, allow me to present a counter arguement. This is an unknown version of Europe we are talking about known to us as "Europa". Also, when we look at the ruling classes of our own Europe, we can see that there is a great deal of physical resemblance in the upper echelons of European society. All of the royal families were interrelated. Their genes occasionally got mixed in with families of priviliged minions and vice-versa. Billy Catringer 21:17, August 22, 2010 (UTC)


 * Tarvek recognized Higgs as someone who must be treated with respect and caution after Higgs dealt with the Castle in Otilia's body . (As you might remember, before that Tarvek had difficulties .)
 * On the other hand, Higgs might have accepted Tarvek as someone who helps his lady and who is favored by his lady.
 * Actually, the more I think about it and re-read the comic the more I get convinced that Higgs has very close, almost intimate relationship with Mechanicsburg, the Castle and Heterodynes. Apart from what I have already mentioned above:
 * In conversation with Agatha The Castle as "your... Higgs". The Castle "attributes" Higgs to Agatha. "Your" means that Higgs "belongs" to Agatha in some way. What word describing that relationship was so inconvenient that the Castle chose to avoid using it? Friend, companion, minion? I don't think so. Perhaps, "servant" or "seneschal"?
 * In the same conversation, Agatha refers to Higgs as "your lackey". To which the Castle retorts that Higgs is not "my lackey" stressing the word "my". Whose lackey is Higgs then? Does the Castle means that Higgs is Gil's lackey? Or perhaps Agatha's?
 * In the very same strip we learn that the Castle persuaded (or offered) - "had", in Agatha's words - Higgs to give Agatha water from the Dyne. Higgs probably knows about its effects - in fact, he is of what happened to one of Agatha's (potential) ancestors in similar circumstances, so he probably knows about its effects on common people. Nevertheless, he chooses to give Agatha the drink although Gil charged him with helping Agatha. First of all, he cooperates with the Castle. Secondly, he is ready for Agatha to face the nasty consequences should she prove not to be a Heterodyne.
 * All this (plus the above) makes me think that Higgs is either a Heterodyne (unlikely) or somebody from Heterodynes' servants (very likely). I cannot think of anyone else who would be on with the Castle. (Perhaps, Higgs falls into some other category that we don't know of, I at the moment I cannot think of any.)
 * Of Heterodynes' servants we know of, Carson's son fits in. (I also think it is significant that the authors have mentioned him in passing, but did not give his name.) -- Muzzafar 04:31, August 26, 2010 (UTC)
 * Okay, Muzzafar. You make a fairly solid case. Von Mekkan even during his youth, so you could argue that "Higgs," aka Axel von Mekkan, came by his toughness and cool head during a fight fair and square. That leaves us with a soft spot in the story, but no gaping hole in the plot. If it turns out that Axel Higgs is in some way kin to Old Man Death, then there is no soft spot to worry about. Either one of us could easily be "right". More likely is that we are both wrong. Billy Catringer 08:51, August 26, 2010 (UTC)
 * Sure, it is very likely. The authors have been very good at coming with unexpected twists in the story.
 * One more point: when the Castle in Otilia's body it says that seeing Higgs is "non possible". "Impossible" may mean that it is not reasonable to expect the person in question to be present in the current location. Exclamations of this sort are also reserved for situations when the person in question is supposed to be dead. -- Muzzafar 11:17, August 26, 2010 (UTC)
 * One more point: when the Castle in Otilia's body it says that seeing Higgs is "non possible". "Impossible" may mean that it is not reasonable to expect the person in question to be present in the current location. Exclamations of this sort are also reserved for situations when the person in question is supposed to be dead. -- Muzzafar 11:17, August 26, 2010 (UTC)

Who Is Gil Staring At?
Look here http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20081017

He is either staring at Krosp, or Higgs. But Gil is a Wulfenbach. A little thing like a talking cat, wearing a frock coat wouldn't phase him. He's staring at Higgs. He at least half-recognises him. If Gil wasn't liquored-up, he might have full recognised him. So, whoever Higgs actually is, he was important to both the Wulfenbachs and the Heterodynes. Who fits that description?--Bosda Di&#39;Chi 18:58, September 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * I would say Gil is staring at the fact that the Amasone he was fighting was right in front of him a second ago but now she seems to be gone.
 * On an adder note Higgs did convince Sturmvoraus whit a lock and one word that he should keep quiet about the little fact that he incapacitated the Muse of protection/The castle whit one blow. Agge.se 22:38, September 10, 2010 (UTC)

"I vas starting..."
Oh yeah. Jaeger Jaeger Jaeger. That's my guess from his right here.
 * &mdash;Jon 00:24, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * Hrmm. Generally, I agree. Speech pattern is of Jäger, but no skin discoloration or any other sign. What happened to the Heterodyne that made the first Jägerdraught?
 * -Jäger Major 18:36, Octorber 19th, 2010
 * -Jäger Major 18:36, Octorber 19th, 2010


 * Ooo, being a Heterodyne might be going a bit far, there were already theories that the other Jägers would smell one and go nuts ...
 * &mdash;Jon 06:47, October 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * &mdash;Jon 06:47, October 20, 2010 (UTC)