Robur

Robur was a gifted and brilliant but insane inventor. An aeronautical enthusiast, he attended a meeting at the Weldon Institute in Philadelphia where Weldon's members were discussing light-than-air vessels. Robur announced that they were fools, and that the future of aircraft lie in heavier-than-air vehicles. He was laughed at and derisively called "Robur the Conqueror." In a fury, Robur vowed to prove himself, and departs. He does just that, creating a a massive airship he dubs the Albatross at his base on Island X and using it to abduct Weldon president Prudent and his assistant Phillip Evans using the Albatross.

Eventually the two sabotaged and destroy the airship and escape. However Robur and most of his crew survived. After building a second Albatross at Island X, Robur seeks revenge against the men, attacking them while they're out testing their balloon, the Go-Ahead. During the aerial skirmish which followed, the Go-Ahead suffered such damaged it would've crashed and killed the men aboard. However, Robur used the Albatross to save Prudent, Evans and the balloon driver. He deposited the three of them safely on the ground, and, declaring that mankind was not yet ready to conquer the skies, flew away in the Albatross.

Later, Robur has moved his base of operations to the top of the Great Eyrie in North Carolina. Only two members of his crew remained, his loyal first mate Tom Turner and a second man. Here, Robur designed and built the Terror, a vehicle capable of transforming into either a car, a submarine or an airship depending on Robur's needs. Declaring himself "master of the world," he used the Terror to terrorize the American states, prompting Washington to assign John Strock to track down and stop Robur and also discover his secrets, which the United States hoped to possess.

Strock, Arthur Wells and two federal policemen tracked the Terror, in submarine form, to Black Rock Creek where they ambushed Robur's party and attempted to arrest them. Instead, Robur escaped, capturing Strock and keeping him prisoner on board the Terror. Robur escaped pursuing warships by turning the Terror into its airship form and flying off of Niagara Falls. During the voyage, Robur said next to nothing to Strock. Following a stopover back at the Eyrie to replenish and repair, Robur set off again.

This time, for reasons best known to himself, he flew the Terror directly into a thunderstorm in an apparent defiance of nature, again declaring himself master of the world. A lightning bolt hit the Terror and it plunged down into the ocean. Only Strock survived. Robur and his crew were believed drowned.

Master of the World (1961 film)

Robur.

Robur was an independently wealthy aviation enthusiast and inventor. He was self-described as "a man unto himself," answerable to no existing government. His country of birth was shrouded in mystery. Even his loyal men did not know his true history, with different rumors circulating amongst them that he was deposed royalty or perhaps a former ambassador to a foreign country. For reasons never elaborated on, Robur despised war and the death and destruction it brought. He sought to end it forever.

For this he designed and built the Albatross using his own personal fortune. Robur intended to use the Albatross and its vast arsenal and unparalleled flight capabilities to force the governments of the world to capitulate to him and disarm their militaries. In this manner, he intended to become the self-proclaimed ruler of the planet and force peace on all nations. Those who didn't would be destroyed. Despite showing some early reluctance, he proved fully capable of making good on his threat when he used the Albatross to sink a US warship and later destroy the entire Royal Navy.

While stopping for repairs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Robur found himself under the scrutiny of federal agent John Strock and Philadelphia arms magnate Prudent. He kidnapped them, along with Prudent's daughter and her fiance, in the hopes of turning Strock and Prudent to his side. He failed, as neither man agreed that Robur's ends justified his barbaric means. Strock eventually sabotaged the Albatross following Robur's attempt to intervene in a civil war in Egypt whilst the ship was moored at an island following the battle. He and his fellow captives then escaped.

The ship critically damaged, Robur told his crew to evacuate. His men however were too loyal to him, especially his first mate, Turner, and they refused to obey. Robur was grateful. He and his faithful men perished when the Albatross crashed into the ocean.

Comments

• Robur has much in common with another of Jules Verne's characters, the equally reclusive Captain Nemo.