Professor Hamilton Kift
Professor Hamilton Kift | |||
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Biographical information | |||
AKA | The Professor Master of the occult (by self) | ||
Gender | Male | ||
Born | c. 1830 (aged 55 in 1886[1]) | ||
Behind the scenes information | |||
Appears in | MediEvil 2 MediEvil: The Game Prequel |
Trophies | |
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Bedside Secrets Read Professor Hamilton Kift's diary in full. |
Professor Hamilton Kift (born c. 1830), more commonly referred to as just the Professor, was a 19th-century researcher who ran a lab somewhere under London. After meeting Sir Daniel Fortesque in the midst of Lord Palethorn's plot to take over the city, he provided Sir Dan with information and crafted a number of weapons and devices from the soul energy Dan collected throughout London.
History
Early life
The Professor was a mad inventor, keen amateur magician and self-styled "master of the occult." He dedicated his life to science in the hope that he might help mankind achieve a better existence.[2] He was a member of the Magic Circle organisation through which he met Lord Palethorn.
Expedition of 1878
On January 10, 1878, the Professor was visited by Lord Palethorn, who had been expelled from the Magic Circle the previous month. Palethorn presented Kift with a map that supposedly led to the remnants of Zarok's spell book, a powerful book of Black Magic. Palethorn needed the Professor to accompany him on the journey to find the book due to not being able to translate the map himself. The Professor agreed and they set sail for the Hebrides soon after.
After finding the book inside the tomb where it was buried, Palethorn snatched it and shoved the Professor aside, leaving him behind in the now collapsing tomb. Kift's hands were crushed by the closing tomb door. He spent weeks crawling in the darkness until he finally managed to find his way out. He was found by the local fishermen and taken to Inverness to recover from his injuries. The Professor then spent some time inventing mechanical hands for himself. Once he fully recovered, he vowed to have his revenge against Palethorn.
The Autumn of Death
Palethorn wouldn't resurface until 1886, when he cast the Spell of Eternal Darkness. The Professor was quick to summon a helpful spirit, which he dispatched to the local museum in order to procure the help of the hero Sir Daniel Fortesque. The Professor feigned ignorance about who was behind the spell and sent Sir Dan to Kensington in order to find the perpetrator. Sir Dan managed to find a pocket watch that belonged to Palethorn, which the Professor pretended to analyse. Fortesque also brought back Princess Kiya, who joined them in the fight against Palethorn.
Kift would provide Sir Dan with new weapons by converting the power of the Chalice of Souls into them using his occult knowledge. He would also construct a monster to face Palethorn's Iron Slugger. Later, Kift sent Kiya on a dangerous mission to Whitechapel, only for her to end up being killed by the Ripper, a murderous creature active in the area. Insensitive to Dan's feelings about the loss of Kiya, the Professor urged him to press on with the mission. Sir Dan refused however and ran away into the sewers under London.
Dan later returned to the Professor's Lab where he confronted him about his time machine invention. Under pressure from Sir Dan, the Professor admitted to having known Palethorn all along and also revealed the location of his time machine.
Using time travel, Sir Dan rewrote time and managed to save Kiya before she was killed by the Ripper. Dan then proceeded to find and fight Palethorn as the Professor instructed. Once the battle was over, Sir Dan and Princess Kiya parted ways with the Professor.
Legacy
For many years after 1886, scholars would study the Professor's Chrono-chair blueprints. However, they never found the machine itself in his collection.[3]
Characteristics
Appearance
The Professor was a dimunitive older man. He had gray balding hair and a moustache with a goatee. He wore glasses which gave his green eyes an enlarged appearance. He had mechanical hands due to an incident in which his hands were crushed beyond repair. His outfit consisted of a white undershirt, a purple vest and a green striped suit. He also wore beige trousers and brown shoes. He was rarely seen without his smoking pipe.
Personality
The Professor was an old-fashioned figure; he believed in honour, gentlemanly conduct and respect for all. He could, however, be a little single-minded, focusing on the 'big picture' to the total exclusion of all other factors.[2] He seemed to be a fan of the Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha, as he displayed two of the painter's works in his lab - La Plume and Job.[a]
Abilities
As a scientist and inventor, the Professor was able to invent a variety of revolutionary devices, including a time machine, mechanical hands, and the Limb Creatures, a form of artificial life. As an occultist, he was able to summon spirits and to convert the energy of a Chalice of Souls into weaponry.
Gameplay
The Professor serves as a replacement for the Heroes of the Hall from the original MediEvil as he is the one to provide Sir Dan with weapons during his quest. He is also prominently featured in the game's story.
Behind the scenes
The Professor is a major supporting character in MediEvil 2.
Development
The Professor is named after one of the game's main programmers, Martin Hamilton Kift.[4] His design was slightly altered during development, as his concept art and early press screenshots featured him with a lighter green suit and with goggles on top of his head.
Portrayal
The Professor was described as sounding like a fast talking, slightly nervous, upper class English gentleman.[1]
Gallery
- Main article: Images of Professor Hamilton Kift
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Notes
- ↑ The real-life equivalents of the Mucha paintings displayed in the Professor's Lab were finished in 1897 (Job) and 1889 (La Plume), long after the events of the game. This means that Mucha must have painted them earlier in the MediEvil universe.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 PROFESSOR HAMILTON KIFT on MediEvil 2 Official EU Website (archived version at Internet Archive Wayback Machine).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 MediEvil 2 manual. Written by Jim Sangster. Designed by Steve O'Neill. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment America in May 2000. Download.
- ↑ MediEvil: The Game Prequel. Written by Chris Sorrell. Art by Jason Wilson. Published by Titan Comics in 2019.
- ↑ Tattersall, Steven, MediEvil 2 on Accreted Drivel. Published January 8, 2003.
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