Professor Wisebottom
Vital Statistics
First Appearance: Professor Wisebottom (May 24, 1999)
Full Name: Otto Wisebottom
Known Aliases: Doctor Wisebottom, Professor Wisebottom, "Uncle Wise" (especially from Nick)
Status: Alive
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 9" (175.26 cm)
Weight: 200 lb (90.72 kg)
Hair: White
Distinguishing Characteristics: Wild "mad scientist" hair, bushy mustache, glasses, usually wears a lab coat
Marital Status: Uncertain, presumed single
Character Description
Dr. Wisebottom is Nick's eccentric, crack-pot inventor uncle, and his imagination is as untamed as his Einsteinian hair-do. This strange little man creates some of the most bizarre gadgets ever conceived; his time machine once sent Nick, Fooker, and Ki hurtling on a bizarre trip through the cosmos, while his virtual reality fractal explorer almost turned them into Mandelbrot dragon food. But deep down he's really a bit of a softy, and has been known to pull quite a bit of charm with the ladies. The wise doctor has tried to help Nick cope with the effects of the Inventor's Gene, and helped the U.G.A. combat C.R.U.D.E. at the Battle of Manhattan (see Surreptitious Machinations, Chapter 8: Wars and Confrontations). He also provided vital testimony during Fred's defense against Trent's lawsuit.
When Nick and Ki help Wisebottom clean out his lab upon his retirement, Wisebottom inadvertently reveals that he had help in designing his time machine when he happened to observe a "working model". He then recounts the tale of meeting Flavoura Filigree and Emily von Schnagel, time travelers from the year 2002. Filigree and von Schnagel were sent back in time to 1945 by von Schnagel's husband, Leo, in order to save their lives from events occurring in 2002. In an attempt to travel back to 2002 but before the point where they left, the pair tweak the settings of their time craft and end up traveling forward only three years to 1948, landing in an unspecified location in New Mexico. Their time machine is damaged by United States Army personnel and the pair narrowly escape, fearing they are now trapped in the past with little hope of returning.
When they procure lodging at a local boarding house, they run into a teenage Otto Wisebottom. Already beginning to manifest the Inventor's Gene, Wisebottom offers to help the women return to their own time by repairing their craft. He has already begun work on designing his own time machine, but for now it is purely theoretical. He is able to compare the two designs to see where both have apparently failed, combining both to repair the machine. Wisebottom returns the women to 2003, after which their remaining adventures are forever a mystery to him. By coincidence, the time machine (which resembles a large metallic saucer) is mistaken by locals in the small town of Roswell to be an alien space craft and the legend of the Roswell aliens is born.
Selected Milestones
- The good professor makes his first appearance
- Wisebottom unveils his infamous time machine
- "Behold the Virtual Reality Fractal Explorer."
- Wisebottom diagnoses Nick's Inventor's Gene
- Todd and Ki pay the professor an unexpected visit
- The professor arrives at the Wellingtons' for Christmas
- Fred and Nicole turn to Wisebottom to prove Fred's sapience and uniqueness
- Wisebottom reveals Fred's "remote control" ability
- Wisebottom retires, but not before telling Nick and Ki where he got the idea for his time machine...
Relationships
- William Wisebottom, father (deceased)
- Greta Wisebottom, mother (deceased)
- The Wellingtons; Otto is Nick's father's uncle
- Nick Wellington, Otto's great nephew
- Lori Wellington, Otto's great niece
Group Affiliations
- Newton Laboratories, South Campus