Austin Powers International Man Of Mystery: Main Characters, Ranked By Intelligence

The characters in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery are often characterized by their lack of understanding. The movie presents a fish-out-of-water story. Personalities who live their lives in the 1960s are forced to quickly adjust to the vastly different time period of the 1990s.

As such, their misconception makes for foolish moments. Some of these conflicts give Austin Powers some of its funniest lines. Despite their follies, however, some characters are more intelligent than others. They show their smarts in the way they respond to conflict.

Dr. Evil

Mike Myers plays Dr. Evil. He is the antagonist in the film. Dr. Evil presents several funny quotes in Austin Powers. However, he often showcases foolish moments. Many of his silly actions come from his lack of critical thinking in regard to time.

Dr. Evil doesn’t use reasoning to realize how different things are in the 90s. He shows his lack of wits when he disregards inflation in asking for a weak ransom amount. He is foolish in the way he tries to kill Austin, leaving several avenues of escape for him. His lack of foresight leaves him defeated by Austin.

Scott Evil

Scott is Dr. Evil’s son, played by Seth Green. Some fans say Austin Powers is one of Seth Green’s best movies. He is a supporting character and appears in conflicts with his father in Dr. Evil’s lair and at group therapy. Scott shows his smarts in his arguments with his dad.

In group therapy, he deduces Dr. Evil is trying to kill him, which his father confirms. However, he shows his lack of wits sitting at Dr. Evil’s table. His chair can be upturned to send him to his death at any moment, yet he stays while knowing Dr. Evil is out for his life. However, Scott is smart enough to often point out the problems with Dr. Evil’s plans.

Alotta Fagina

Alotta is a secretary to Number 2 and a spy for Dr. Evil. She is played by Fabiana Udenio. As a supporting character, she is less showcased than others and it is harder to determine her intelligence.

However, she shows her smarts when she seduces Austin. She ignores his moments of buffoonery and missed marks of suave behavior. She outsmarts him and discovers he is not who he introduces himself as at the blackjack table where they meet.

Frau Farbissina

Mindy Sterling plays Frau. She is a right-hand woman to Dr. Evil. She is a supporting character but shows her smarts in her interactions with Dr. Evil and the development of his plans.

Frau proves her wits in relation to Dr. Evil’s son. She has the foresight to help bring Scott into the world after saving Dr. Evil’s DNA. The process of doing so underscores her smarts.

Austin Powers

Mike Myers plays Austin in Austin Powers, what some fans call one of his best movies. He presents several foolish moments in the film. When he’s playing blackjack, he stays on 5 despite the dealer’s advice to hit.

However, Austin shows his wits in moments of action. He showcases his brains and quick thinking when he uncovers Dr. Evil’s nuclear warhead plans. He presents foresight when he comes up with the plan to seduce the fembots, causing them to self-destruct.

Vanessa Kensington

Elizabeth Hurley’s Vanessa is Austin’s partner and romantic interest. She is level-headed and often gets Austin back on track when he is distracted. She sometimes shows a lack of emotional intelligence when she lashes out at Austin, despite knowing his behavior is often a consequence of the different time he comes from.

However, Vanessa shows her smarts in her work with Austin. When Dr. Evil imprisons Vanessa and Austin, she comes up with the plan of escape using dental floss as a swinging rope. She has a type-A personality and shows her foresight with the organization of her things, prompting Austin to call a “nerd alert.”

Basil Exposition

Michael York plays Basil. He provides instructions and intel to Austin during his missions. He is a supporting character and isn’t on display as much as some of the other personalities in the film. However, he showcases his smarts when he appears.

Basil is emotionally intelligent and almost always keeps his cool, except for when Austin attacks his mother. He is detailed in his instructions and speaks eloquently to Austin. He uses critical thinking in laying out details of Austin’s journey to the 90s to him. He knows he has to explain things and provide help in his adjustment, which he does with Vanessa’s inclusion in the assignment.

Number 2

Number 2 is Dr. Evil’s assistant. He is played by Robert Wagner. He shows his smarts in his position on Dr. Evil’s team, and the actions he takes within their enterprise. He tells Dr. Evil he spent 30 years developing Virtucon, the facade shadowing Dr. Evil’s plans.

He unpacks the development of Virtucon to Dr. Evil. It shows his foresight having developed a protective face for Dr. Evil’s plans, and shows excellent critical thinking in its success. He is emotionally intelligent and rarely lashes out. He only shows a temper in his final moments in turning on Dr. Evil after he realizes staying loyal to him is a foolish decision.

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