“There’s a hundred and four days of summer vacation ‘till school comes along just to end it.” If that sounds familiar, you may have watched Phineas and Ferb as a child, along with many current high school students. 

After speaking informally with people who shared the experience of watching this show in their younger years, I’ve noticed a trend. They all loved the character of Dr. Doofenshmirtz, myself included. But why? What drew all of us to this villain who can seem to do nothing right? Why not the titular characters, or even Perry, the agent who fought against Doofenshmirtz’s evil schemes? I needed to find out why this character was so beloved.

Phineas and Ferb, which ran from 2007 to 2015, was a Disney channel show about two brothers, whose names are in the title, as well as their friends as they invent unique machines and devices over their summer break. Examples of some of their creations include using a snow-cone machine to make a new season that’s a mix of summer and winter, and building an escalator to the moon. 

There’s also a side-plot in each episode detailing the secret life of the boys’ pet platypus, Perry, who is a special agent. Perry, also known as Agent P, is tasked with defeating the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz and his evil machines which he plans to use to take over the Tri-State Area. Each of these devices has a very specific purpose and ends in the suffix ‘inator.’ In the episode “It’s a Mud, Mud, Mud, Mud World,” Doofenshmirtz’s creation is the “Monster-Truck-Away-Inator, which he plans to use to get rid of all monster trucks in the Tri-State Area so that people will replace them with his own line of monster trucks, thus making him money.

Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, sometimes just abbreviated as Doof, has had a variety of tragic backstories throughout the show. When pieced together, viewers can gather that he lived in Gimmelshtump, a town in Drusselstein, where he was the least favorite child. His parents, especially his father, resented him in favor of their younger son, Roger. Even before Roger was part of the family, Doof was neglected. In the episode “Raging Bully,” it is revealed that both of Doof’s parents didn’t even show up to his own birth, as well as the fact that his closest friends were two wolf puppets, Betty the pig, a rat, and the lice twins Olga and Chicago Joe.

Even once Doof was kicked out of Drusselstein and sent on a ship to a land of golden opportunity where he “ended up in America instead,” this was not the end of his misfortune. He was married to a woman named Charlene and they had a daughter together, Vanessa. They ended up getting a divorce, however, and now Doof lives alone in the building of Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, where also  houses his evil schemes.

This sort of character is sympathetic to both children and adults alike. Children can understand the sadness that can be caused by not having friends or parents to celebrate your birthday, while older viewers can understand how Doof might have felt finding someone he loves, only to get a divorce. 

Despite being a self-proclaimed evil villain, as well as having a pretty tragic backstory, Doof still manages to be a good person throughout the show. We see this mainly during his interactions with his daughter, Vanessa. In the episode “Dude, We’re Getting the Band Back Together,” when Perry shows up to defeat Doofenshmirtz, he asks the platypus for help in decorating his house. It’s Vanessa’s birthday and he tells Perry, “I know we usually go about our daily battle of good versus evil, but instead, could you maybe help me set up the party for my little girl? Please?” Clearly, Doof cares for his daughter above all else, even when faced with his own nemesis. When, after the party, one of Vanessa’s friends comments on how good of a job her dad did with the party, she says, “Yeah. Yeah, I guess he did. Thanks, Dad. You finally got one right.” Despite his evil tendencies, Doof is still a great dad.

Heinz Doofenshmirtz may be an evil villain trying to take over a Tri-State area, but he’s still an important part of my childhood. Doof is a loveable and sympathetic villain that touched the hearts of many children. His goofy nature and interactions with characters like Perry and Vanessa were always my favorite parts of any Phineas and Ferb episode. I genuinely want to say thank you to Dan Povenmire for helping to create this wonderful show as well as voice-acting this unique villain.