Dr. 0
Last but certainly not least, here’s 0! From what we got of 0’s characterization in OWB, I always pictured him as a dork who desperately wants to be much cooler than he actually is. Also a massive jerk given that he created the tortured soul of Muggy.
Runs on coffee and pure spite. 0 absolutely needs his coffee in the morning, afternoon, and evening and can’t really function without it. Likes his coffee black. Muggy’s sole existence was simply to pick up after all the coffee cups he leaves lying everywhere.
Comes from a very rich and prominent family. Both of his parents are Nobel laureates and his siblings are also incredibly accomplished (as literal brain surgeons and rocket scientists). While his family is supportive of his dreams, the pressure of trying to measure up to their success gives 0 quite a bit of anxiety. The fear that he might be the stupid one in the family keeps him up at night.
0's family had high expectations, so when he became a Big MT executive, they were all very proud of him. Klein in particular was happy to have 0 onboard because 1) it gave Big MT an air of legitimacy to have the son of such a prominent family working there and 2) MONEY. 0’s parents are very generous with their donations to the company’s coffers. To Klein, it doesn’t matter that 0 is incompetent and a terrible roboticist, his true purpose is that he remains at Big MT for his cash cow parents.
Wanting to change his name from “Oh” to “Zero” as a tank stems from the time 0 was human, when he wanted to go by a new last name to shake off the name he had inherited from his family. When 0 introduced himself, everyone would automatically associate him with his famous family, overshadowing the identity he so painstakingly tried to carve out for himself. So 0 made-up a new last name, one that was wholly his and his alone, so people could remember him for his own merits. When 0 was lobotomized by Mobius, he forgot both his family name and his new one, but the want for his own, unique identity was so strong that a fragment of it remained in his recursive loop.
Not stupid by any means. 0 does in fact have above average intelligence. However, although he is smarter than the average person, 0 is not quite at the level of genius like the rest of his colleagues. 0 is basically smart enough to understand that he doesn’t quite measure up and that realization also adds to the complex he already has about his intelligence.
0’s snark and sarcasm are often deployed to mask his own anxieties and deep seated insecurities. Well, and that he also genuinely thinks he has the most common sense out of the entire Think Tank. His sarcastic quips and snide remarks draws ire from his colleagues, who for the most part don’t appreciate it (except for 8, who finds it funny). It also drives 0 crazy that Borous doesn’t seem to understand sarcasm at all.
Although he has trouble concentrating, 0 flat out refuses to use Mentats like 8 and Mobius, because he’s paranoid that Mentats and other drugs will give him brain damage. Just coffee for him, thanks.
Is a night owl. Prefers working in the wee hours of the night and morning, when no one else is around (and can judge the quality of his work). Occasionally likes to take midnight runs to local dinners to grab some burgers and fries (the grease, it fuels him).
Knows how to play chess because that’s what smart people are into. So if he knows chess, obviously he’s smart. Obviously.
Out of everyone in the Think Tank, 0 butts heads with Borous the most. They both went to American High together but kept to different social circles. Borous had the reputation of being a teacher’s pet and for being an awkward and weird loner, while 0 was a tryhard in the “too cool for school” crowd and drove around in his brand new robin's egg blue Corvega that his parents bought him. Borous resented the fact that he worked incredibly hard in school to earn his A+ streak, while 0 barely skated by in his classes and was still able to earn scholarships and intern in places Borous could only dream of, all thanks to his parents’ connections. 0 on the other hand thought of Borous as a poor, lame, friendless loser, fearing that if he ever became too nerdy, he would end up exactly like him. Of course, this is a pot meet kettle situation since they’re both big dweebs.
When Borous and 0 do fight, they pick at each other’s insecurities. Borous focuses on 0’s incompetency with robotics and insults his intelligence, while 0 calls Borous’s creations stupid, and if he’s feeling particularly vicious, will call him a virgin loser. They occasionally will get into physical fights with one another, with 0 losing each and every time because he is a little weenie.
Is a coward when it comes to the more dangerous aspects of their work and drags his feet as much as he can to avoid anything potentially hazardous. Oddly enough however, 0 is really into horror films.
Has a dark sense of humor. Along with being sarcastic, 0 jokes about death and about wanting to off himself whenever the workload gets too intense, so not exactly the most sensitive person in the world. Whenever he’s feeling particularly low, 0 bullies Muggy by putting dirty cups juuuuust out of reach and the little robot’s expletives make 0 feel just a bit better about himself.
0 utters the most curse words out of anyone in the Think Tank, usually when he’s exasperated by something or pointing out the obvious (Fun fact: Mobius and 0 are the only Think Tank members that curse in OWB!).
A fan of Chet Baker and the cool jazz genre. On quiet nights, sometimes you can hear him humming along to songs while he’s working on his Securitrons.
A big dork that tries incredibly hard to be cooler than he really is. A performative smoker when other people are around, but as soon as their backs are turned, 0 will be hacking his lungs out. Drinks socially, but gets drunk easily and will, more often than not, make an ass of himself.
The biggest debate amongst Think Tank fans: Goatee or no goatee on 0? Personally, I do interpret 0’s canon appearance as having a little soul patch. 0 thinks that it makes him look so cool. I also like to think 0 has it as a way to try to compete with the facial hair of the other Think Tank members (alas, nothing will compare to Mobius’s bountiful beard). Klein remarked that the soul patch made 0 look like a “goddamn beatnik” and told him to get rid of it, but 0 stubbornly refused, in his own small act of defiance.
Not the best boss to have if you work at Big MT. 0 routinely claims credit for his employees’ work as his own and will outright steal ideas from his engineers. Also finds workplace accidents funny, which his employees don’t appreciate.
Enjoys stargazing. 0 is actually pretty good at identifying constellations and planets. Based on his “All those spectra… so soothing” line which I always thought was cute.
Used to be a part of American High’s AV club as the school news anchor, a role that he slips back into once in a blue moon, usually when Klein is pissing him off.
Doesn’t enjoy the human experimentation work at Big MT, not so much out of a sense of empathy, but because he freaks out that the test subjects will murder him first. If given a choice, 0 would rather avoid the human testing altogether.
Why does 0 hate Mr. House so much? I explained it a little here, but basically 0 was a huge fan of Mr. House when he was younger, and had sent him a holotape demonstrating modifications he made to RobCo robots, hoping to win his approval. About a week later, he received a cease and desist letter by RobCo lawyers to stop messing with House’s proprietary technology, threating him with a lawsuit. Ever since then, 0 has hated House with every fiber of his being.
Not so much of a headcanon as just a funny observation. But I do find it interesting that Muggy shares qualities with 0 (the cursing, the frustration that comes with the inability to do more, the parallels between Muggy’s hatred of 0 and 0’s hatred of House). It’s almost like 0 created Muggy as a form of catharsis, putting all the rage and frustration that he feels about himself and cramming it into the tiny little robot. And when he bullies Muggy, he’s essentially criticizing the worst qualities in himself. Muggy truly is 0’s child. 😂
THERE ARE SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH WORDS THAT CAN DESCRIBE HOW MUCH I LOVE DR. O. I COULD POUR THROUGH THOUSANDS OF DICTIONARIES AND STILL BE ABLE TO GO ON ABOUT HER.
