The story of the crazed scientist creating something terrible in their Lab has become a staple of the sci fiction and horror genre for centuries. Whilst it has always been a storyline or “trope” to have the “bad guy” hidden away in a castle or decaying stately home the emphasis has changed from an ungodly Baron or member of the aristocracy to a brilliant, but quite mad genius. In regards to Science Fiction the castle or stately home has been replaced by the space ship or station. Two modern examples would be Doctor Rheinhart in Diseny’s “The Black Hole” and Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars, Return of the Jedi. Even so, the recent reboot of DC’s Titans reverted to type and featured the creator of the Doom Patrol, Doctor Niles Caulder, in an abandoned grand house.
At least when the locals turn up, pitchforks and lighted torches at the ready, the Doctor could call https://www.aportglobal.com/relocation/ for some help with Laboratory Relocation. Why do so many stories use this trope and what caused the change from the religious aspect to the scientific?
The answer is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Written in the early 1800’s Shelley describes the mad genius Frankenstein creating life and a monster. This was a time when the existence of God was being questioned with the coming Enlightenment. Not all were keen to turn to science for answers and this was a fear that Shelley’s hugely influential tale plays on.