"Inventor of the infamous 'Plan Zed', taken advantage of by Director Phobos and used to provoke the creation of a zombie armageddon. But that's okay, because it was for science." - M:PN Character Description
Dr. Crackpot, also known as "Fence," is an overarching and secondary antagonist in MADNESS: Project Nexus' Story Mode, appearing as the final boss of the level Chasms. He is a former lead scientist of the Nexus Core who worked for Director Phobos, and the developer of Plan Zed. The results of this plan led to the destruction of Nexus City, which caused Dr. Crackpot to flee into the city's Mining Sector and start a cult that worships his creations.
He also appears as a side-character and item vendor during the events of Arena Mode, first seen in Contract 3: Fickle Friends.
Appearance
During the flashbacks seen in PN2 and the Arena Mode, Crackpot wears an "Anti-dissonance helmet", leaving his real face a mystery. He wears the same white labcoat as his colleagues in the Science Tower, but has a yellow tie.
During PN2, his mask changes to a plague doctor mask with neon green eyes. His clothes have changed to a brown, ripped-up coat and wears what appears to be spikes on his back resembling wings with red and green lights tangled into them.
Personality
Described by Krinkels as "A pretty intense individual", Dr. Crackpot comes off as very confident and stuck-up, especially towards Dr. Christoff, his rival during both their time working for Nexus Core, where he criticizes and laughs at Christoff any chance he gets (Especially after Crackpot had taken Christoff's place as lead scientist). He comes off as very manipulative and pushy as seen in the email exchanges with the MERC faction, which can be found throughout the mining sector's levels and detail Crackpot's idea of enmeshing oneself to a body, choosing to only highlight the positive aspects of it and omitting the dangers that Christoff highlights.
Dr. Crackpot, after prolonged exposure to Dissonance, lost his mind completely. He developed a god complex, labeling himself as "The Buoyant One" and viewing himself very highly along with the praise from his followers, the Fanatics. He seems to care deeply about them, referring to the Fanatics as 'children', with himself being their 'father'.
Story Mode
Before M:PNC
Dr. Crackpot was one of the lead Nexus Core scientists, working closely with Dr. Hofnarr and Dr. Jebediah Christoff.
Many scientists on his team were exposed to Dissonance when working on the Divergence engine with his colleagues Dr. Hofnarr and Dr. Christoff, and as a result the scientists went mad and were locked in the Seeking Asylum. Dr. Crackpot made many petitions to free the scientists, his point being that they didn't go mad, they became "Otherworldly prophets of The Other Place", but to no success. Seeing as making petitions didn't work, he decided to sneak some scientists out through a secret passage connecting the asylum with the Mining Sector.
He was working on a project called Plan Zed (which was actually originally coined by Dr. Christoff out of spite for Crackpot's work). The purpose of that project was to find a way to achieve immortality. It worked by permanently binding a S3LF to dead bodies instead of living ones. Unfortunately, it resulted in the creation of Zeds.
He and Dr. Christoff were bitter rivals during Project Nexus, with Christoff disapproving of Crackpot's use of enmeshment on corpses for Plan Zed, and Crackpot disliking Christoff for both being a stuck-up and for getting in his way. During "Chasms" and "Flood Control", you can find several notes by Crackpot, going into depth how much Crackpot loathed Christoff, as the Fanatics were not just created as a way to channel the Other Place, but also to spite Christoff himself. You can also find a series of emails by Crackpot and Christoff, giving conflicting orders on what to do with the Mining Sector and Plan Zed. During a Flashback, right after Phobos fires Christoff and promotes Crackpot as Lead Scientist, Crackpot openly gloats in Christoff's face. Once the elevator stops, you can either simply leave the elevator (to which Crackpot calls you a coward), or punch him in the face, after which Christoff chides Crackpot for his lack of reason.
Madness: Project Nexus (Classic)
The infection quickly spread and the residents of Nexus City started panicking. The Nexus Core spread propaganda saying that no Zed apocalypse is happening, and that there's no need for panicking. It's unclear where Crackpot was during this time, but it's safe to assume he escaped during Christoff's rampage on the Science Tower.
MADNESS: Project Nexus
Dr. Crackpot, under the pseudonym of "Fence," is first met in Arena Mode in the mission "Fickle Friends," waiting to talk to the VendeVice, calling the player over to talk about Enmeshment once Doc heads in to talk with the syndicate, asking if he could see the player's tech once they're done with it. When they refuse, he adds in a promise to give the player some useful tools later on. The arrival of the Vampires and Night Toughs prevents them from talking any further.
"Fence" later appears outside of HQ, selling the special weapons Stop Sign, Binary Sword, and Nexus Blade, alongside augments that boost your stats without costing any Encumbrance, the Director's Cape and special colors for armor, using Boon Tokens as his main currency of trade. He also offers the player the chance to commit a heist on a bank for easy money.
Sanford and Deimos, on their way to the last water pump, meet Dr. Crackpot right next to the mine carts they were going to use. Dr. Crackpot fights them, and after destroying his 3rd corpus block, he floats onto the platform he was standing on earlier, and taunts Sanford and Deimos, saying no-one can sink the buoyant. Right after he finishes that line, Gestalt falls on him from the ceiling, crushing him and killing him. Deimos and Sanford escape on the mine carts.
During the credits, Dr. Crackpot is seen as a Zed at a celebration party, with many Fanatics cheering.
Arena Mode
Contract 3
During Contract 3: Fickle Friends, the player meets a younger version of Dr. Crackpot while waiting for Doc to finish a meeting with the VendeVice. Crackpot tells you what he knows about Enmeshment and hopes that the player can show him their enmeshment technology after they're done with it.
H.Q.
After completing Fickle Friends, Crackpot shows up in a van behind a fence next to the Headquarters' entrance. He sells you Augments (special items that boost your stats) and color swatches, as well as unique items such as the Director's Cloak, the Binary Sword, the Stop Sign, and the Nexus Blade.
Gallery
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Dr. Crackpot as he appears in the Story Mode flashbacks
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Dr. Crackpot as a he appears during Arena Mode
Trivia
- Dr. Crackpot's name makes an appearance in the Madness: Project Nexus (Classic) trailers.
- Due to the item's description for both parts of the mask Crackpot uses in the flashbacks, it can be assumed his insanity came from exposure to Dissonance.
- It is possible that Crackpot used to wield the Nexus Blade. In Arena Mode, he sells the Binary Sword, Stop Sign, and Nexus Blade. The Binary Sword belonged to Jebus, the Stop Sign belonged to Tricky, and since the three are usually seen together, Crackpot could have wielded the Nexus Blade.
- Since the Nexus Blade radiates Dissonance, and Crackpot wears working Dissonance gear, they could be connected.