Dr. Wilhelm

"It took jumping a few hoops to get to this point, but now...I am in control of the Cyborgs, the former Martians, and will help take back what is theirs and finally claim what is mine! This is my finest hour! I have made it! I CAN'T BE TOUCHED!!!"

- Dr. Wilhelm, upon snatching the Soul Stone and activating the Death Ray Dr. Wilhelm (full name Dr. Michael Wilhelm) is the primary antagonist of the Soul of the Machine saga. He makes his only appearance on the map M.A.R.S., where it is revealed that he helped Dr. Van Lucker gain control of the Martians and convert them into Cyborg Zombies, allowing Wilhelm to construct what was originally a Terra-formation Ray until Dr. Van Lucker converted it into a Death Ray.

Soul of the Machine
Michael Wilhelm was born on March 1, 1980. He was inspired by many of the science fiction films he saw during his childhood to become and scientist, with the hopes of one day colonizing Mars and finding life on the planet. He joined NASA sometime around the late 2010s/early 2020s. He presented them with ideas for manned missions to Mars but they were often shot down by higher powers within the company, leaving Wilhelm a constant subject of ridicule until he was eventually fired. Frustrated, he joined the CODOL Institute during the late 2020s and eventually worked his way up to work alongside Dr. Van Lucker himself. Van Lucker also had plans to colonize Mars and build a research station there for more personal, vengeful reasons. After arriving on Mars and constructing the Martian Aerospace Research Station, they discovered the Martian population and began kidnapping and experimenting on them by converting the Martians into Cybernetic Beings. They sent most of the beings to Earth and claimed that they were CODOL's "own unique cyborg helpers of humanity". Around this time, Wilhelm began construction on the Terra-formation Ray. He planned on using it to shoot into Mars' atmosphere and transforming Mars into another Earth. Dr. Van Lucker got a hold of these plans and converted the "Terra Ray" into the "Death Ray" with plans to power it by using the combined energy of the Soul Stone, the Power Core, and "The Angel" to destroy the Earth and rule it as his own. Frustrated by Van Lucker's change in plans, Wilhelm decided to change with it and convince Van Lucker to turn the Cyborgs against humanity.

When The War Against The Machines began and Dr. Van Lucker being focused on getting revenge on Cortex and his hired guns, The Mercs, Dr. Wilhelm stayed on Mars, hiding in the shadows and secretly pulling strings to make sure that his own plans for the destruction of Earth and revenge on humanity came to fruition. After Dr. Van Lucker was brutally murdered by "The Angel", Dr. Wilhelm grabbed the Soul Stone and proclaimed himself the destroyer of Earth and the supreme ruler of Mars. He puts the Soul Stone into the Death Ray and charges it up to destroy Earth. His plans, however, are hindered after Cortex informs him and the Mercs that the ray is pointed at his direction and location, The International Space Station, and that the ray will not destroy the world, but open a portal to many others. Because of the ray being overpowered, it backfires and explodes after destroying Cortex, killing Dr. Wilhelm in the process.

Trivia

 * His age and date of birth was revealed in a small Easter Egg in the map M.A.R.S.. In the Research Station area of the map, there is a document containing Dr. Wilhelm's resume, featuring his D.O.B. and previous work with NASA.
 * His D.O.B. itself is a reference to the real-life Voyager 1 probe confirming the existence of one of Saturn's moons, Janus.
 * He is also one of only five characters to have known ages. The other four are the members of the S.O.D. Crew.