When analyzing the 1996 Hollywood movie, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Dr. Moreau seems to be a “mad” scientist and a complete outcast from society who performs illegal and immoral genetic operation on animals, transforming them into “man-beasts”. Eventually, these humanlike creatures rebel against Dr. Moreau leading to his death.
When studying the comic The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol II (set in 1898), we realize that much like Quartermain, Nemo and Hyde, Dr. Moreau is also engrossed in helping Britain while still having villainous characteristics like the others. In this comic, Dr. Moreau is characterized as Britain’s savior as he is the one who invented the deadly biological weapon H-142. Even though everyone recognized how insane Dr. Moreau is, Britain is using his maniacal traits common in the rest of the league to completely kill the enemies.
When comparing the character of Dr. Moreau in both mediums, we realize that Dr. Moreau is the same character throughout his different appearances, yet has different traits and personalities. The character of Dr. Moreau imitates the British Empire’s colonialism history.
In the comic, which is based in the late 19th century, Dr. Moreau seems to be a villain, helping the British Empire protect itself and rise to become one of the world’s top nations. In fact, the 19th century corresponds to the heart of Britain’s imperial century, where colonization was a “trend”.
In the 1996 film, Dr. Moreau seems to be the same mad scientist he is knows as, yet he is a complete outcast from society and at the end of the film, he is killed by his own army of “man-beasts”. As a matter of fact, the end of the 20th century corresponds to the end of British colonialism.
