Coldly intelligent and utterly ruthless, Il Dottore stands apart from Genshin Impact’s rogues and heroes alike. His schemes ripple through Teyvat, manipulating gods and mortals with surgical precision. Yet behind his mask lies not mere ambition-but a vision so twisted it could reshape the game’s entire moral balance.
Il Dottore is one of the most menacing villains in Genshin Impact, and he may become the true villain in the end.
What Makes A True Villain?
A true villain is defined not just by their cruelty but by the conviction behind their actions. They believe their twisted logic serves a higher purpose, no matter the cost. Il Dottore embodies this perfectly-his pursuit of knowledge ignores morality, treating human life as a tool for experimentation. What makes him terrifying is not chaos but control; every act is planned, every outcome calculated, reflecting a mind that values intellect above empathy.
A story is incomplete without a good villain, but not every villain needs to be truly horrifying. The role of the villain is to simply be a deterrent for the protagonist. This has led to the modern-day villains who have their own morals that cannot be considered completely good or bad, but only appear in contrast to the main hero. When done correctly, we all enjoy such villains.
However, there is something innately attractive about having a purely evil villain. These villains fit more into the old-fashioned category, where a simple appearance of them can make your blood curdle. Villains like these are often more memorable, and Il Dottore appears to fit that category in Genshin Impact.
Although the Genshin Impact story is currently hinting at an eventual showdown between the Traveler and the Heavenly Principles or the Four Shades in Celestia, the story is not limited to one villainous figure. The Heavenly Principles control Teyvat for a ‘purpose’ yet unknown to us, while the Abyss appears as a wild, uncontrollable beast without any will behind it.
But then comes a figure like The Doctor, or Il Dottore, who isnot driven by instincts or trying to fulfill a grand purpose. He is only seeking to fulfill his selfish desires of gaining power to become a god of Teyvat. And for that, he is willing to sacrifice anything and everything without a moment’s thought. This, for me, is a more terrifying aspect of a villain.
Il Dottore is Teyvat’s True Nightmare in Genshin Impact
Il Dottore stands out as one of the most disturbing figures in Teyvat, driven not by loyalty or power but by pure obsession with scientific experimentation. His disregard for morality and human life makes him more terrifying than any foe the Traveler has faced. Unlike other Fatui Harbingers, Il Dottore’s ambitions reach beyond politics-he seeks to reshape existence itself, reducing both gods and mortals to tools of his research. His intelligence, charisma, and unpredictability make him a threat that lingers long after he leaves the screen, a reminder that true horror lies not in chaos, but in calculated cruelty.
The Doctor was born sometime after the cataclysm, named as Darshan, and was a student of the Sumeru Akademiya. From the very beginning, he only cared about his self-serving schemes and started making plans to create a god or elevate another human to a god. But that’s not where his foolish ambitions ended; instead, he also orchestrated various projects to gauge human reactions and emotions by sowing suspicion and betrayal among friends and families. The example of the murder and betrayal of Scaramouche at Tatarasuna is a clear indication of Il Dottore’s twisted mind.
He then used Scaramouche, now the Wanderer, to research puppets to split himself into different segments to prolong his life. By then, Scaramouche was already brainwashed by Il Dottore to believe everything he said as the truth. This eventually led to Scaramouche following his orders to become a living god by absorbing the Lesser Lord Kusanali, or Nahida. The Doctor completely disregarded the life of Scaramouche, giving him false promises based on a lie he created, to eventually toss him aside when he was finally defeated by the Traveler.
There are countless more examples of Il Dottore performing experiments with complete disregard for other beings all over Teyvat. He might be the only character in the game that is partaking in such evil deeds on a regular basis. Even among the Fatui Harbinger, The Doctor is hated by many, including Arlecchino and Sandrone. Arlecchino even considered killing The Doctor, which says a lot about his misdeeds.
Il Dottore May Become the Final Villain of Genshin Impact
Il Dottore isn’t merely a schemer in a lab; he’s a calculated force shaping the world from behind the scenes, and his methodical cruelty makes him the most dangerous villain Genshin Impact has yet to face.
Il Dottore is the 2nd-ranked Fatui Harbinger, which already makes him one of the strongest beings on Teyvat. Combined with his intellect and terrifying lack of moral compass, Il Dottore is more than capable of becoming the final challenge for the Traveller. He has already tried to grab the power of the three moons in the Nod-Krai archon quests, something that no one expected him to do.
With the power of all three moons, it wouldn’t be too far off to say that The Doctor would be equal to the Four Shades or become even stronger. Although Columbina’s last-minute escape prevented this from happening, it may only act as a delay for Il Dottore’s ascension. With him fooling three Fatui Harbingers, alongside Varka, the Grandmaster of Knights of the Favonius, and Alice, the founder of Hexenzirkel, Il Dottore may eventually become the final villain of Genshin Impact.
Alongside his cunningness and strength, it has also become a fact that Il Dottore is truly despised in the Genshin Impact community. With such strong emotions towards him, this may be the perfect opportunity to make him the final act for the Traveler, even after taking on Celestia and the Primordial One to free Teyvat from its control.
What specific experiments prove Dottore’s villainy
Il Dottore’s villainy in Genshin Impact is underscored by his ruthless, unethical experiments on humans, gods’ remains, and even his own body, treating all life as disposable data points.
Collei’s God Remains Tests
Dottore injected Collei with remains of a malevolent snake god to suppress her Eleazar disease, trapping the god’s spirit inside her and causing black fire outbursts that drove her to harm others. This traumatic process scarred her physically and psychologically, with symptoms only sealed later by Cyno.
Sumeru Akademiya Victims
As Zandik, he conducted lethal dissections and autopsies, like on Soreh, strangling her and falsifying records to study human limits, leading to his expulsion. He also tested Eleazar cures on patients like Abbas using parts from the deceased, leaving survivors blasphemously tormented and desperate.
Tatarasuna Puppet Experiment
Posing as Escher, Dottore poisoned Inazuma’s Mikage Furnace, murdered Niwa Hisahide, and framed the puppet Kabukimono (Scaramouche) to observe emotional responses to betrayal, deliberately engineering his descent into rage and Fatui recruitment.
Withering and Mondstadt Subjects
In Apam Woods, Subjects III and IV endured Withering experiments causing skin mutations, organ failure, and death from blood loss and stress. In Mondstadt, he lured vulnerable youths for arena combat tests and human enhancements, turning failures like Krupp into rogue Ruin Machines.
List Dottore’s experiments that involved humans or Aranara
Dottore’s experiments on humans and Aranara in Genshin Impact highlight his disregard for life, using both as tools for his twisted research into enhancement, disease, and supernatural forces.
Human Experiments
-
Collei and Eleazar Treatment: Injected with remains of a malevolent snake god to halt Eleazar progression, trapping its spirit inside her and causing violent black fire outbursts that traumatized her deeply.
-
Subjects III and IV (Apam Woods): Exposed to Withering effects, developing skin mutations, organ failure, and coma; both died from blood loss and stress-related complications.
-
Abbas Cure: Used remains from deceased Eleazar patients to treat him at Dar al-Shifa, leaving him psychologically scarred and viewing the process as blasphemous.
-
Sohreh Dissection: Strangled his research partner, performed a lethal autopsy, and falsified records during Akademiya studies on human limits.
-
House of the Hearth Rejects: Received injured children from Crucabena (and later Arlecchino) for undisclosed tests, proposing enhancements or “secret experiments.”
-
Mondstadt Enhancements: Lured vulnerable youths for arena combat trials and human augmentation, turning failures like Krupp into rogue Ruin Machines.
-
Tatarasuna Puppet (Scaramouche): Orchestrated Niwa Hisahide’s murder and framed the puppet to study betrayal’s emotional impact, aiding his Fatui radicalization.
Aranara-Related Experiments
-
Apam Woods Dream/Withering Study: Kidnapped children to lure Aranara for capture, aiming to weaponize their dream manipulation and elevate human intelligence beyond earthly limits after they interfered with his child subjects.
-
Ragged Records Research: Investigated Aranara’s links to dreams, Withering, and ley lines in Sumeru labs, suspecting their role in vanishing child test subjects.
