Dr. Henry Killinger
The Venture Bros. character
First appearance

I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills
Last appearance

All This and Gargantua-2
Voiced by

Christopher McCulloch
Species Investor
Gender Male
Occupation Villainous advisor, consultant, mentor, recruiter
Relatives The Investors (Deceased)

Advanced swordsmanship (with umbrella)
Flying umbrella (sometimes gets lodged in the ceiling)
Magic Murder Bag
Vast array of supernatural powers
Villainous and manipulative benevolence

The Guild of Calamitous Intent

Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture
Force Majeure (Deceased)
The Monarch
The Revenge Society

The Investors (Deceased)
The Sovereign (deceased)
Dr. Henry Killinger is a recurring character who first appears in the Season 2 episode I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills. While Dr. Killinger's exact nature and reason for existence remain a mystery, his actions indicate some degree of loyalty to or stewardship of The Guild of Calamitous Intent, but his motives and goals remain unclear, as does his degree of connection to The Guild. He seems to be a generally benevolent force to those he appears to, working with them (if they're willing) to help them become better villains. 



Killinger restoring Rusty's confidence by reenacting David and Goliath.


Although he is usually shown solving problems in ways that are generally benevolent (as when he cured Henchman 24s herpes to gain his trust, or trained the Revenge Society to use their powers), he uses whatever means he needs to achieve his goals (as seen when he murdered a group of obstinate union representatives that were thwarting his plan to re-start work at Venture Industries, or evicted Byron Orpheus. He at times uses references from The Bible, ancient proverbs, and moral stories to represent the situations his patients are going through and will often use his powers to create situations similar to these parables as symbolic challenges that his patients must overcome.







In the episode Hostile Makeover, Killinger has refused to be the new sovereign of the guild stating his work was now completed. He then disappeared but not before giving Watch and Ward the original Guild charter, which detailed the original organizational structure of the guild. The two give the council this book and they set out to get more members for their council.





Killinger was also the only character who was able to touch and kill The Investors who were proven to be troublesome to kill for other people. In that same confrontation, The Investors were revealed to be supernatural beings and for Killinger to be able to kill them confirms he too is supernatural as he himself stated the trio were his brothers. With the apparent revelation that they were four of the Greek deities of the wind, it is likely that Killinger may be Apeliotes or Eurus, the deity of the southeast wind.

Episode Appearances


  • In the episode The Doctor is Sin, Killinger plays a role similar to Mephistopheles (the Devil) in the German legend of Faust. Even Dr. Orpheus acknowledges this, stating "his is the way of the serpent and the apple!" Killinger's ultimate intention and motivation remains unknown.
  • It is revealed in All This and Gargantua-2 that The Investors are the brothers of Dr. Henry Killinger and are respectively named Lips, Caecius (Caecias/Caicias/Kaikias), and Skiron (aka Skeiron), which are references to the Greco-Roman gods of the southwest, northeast, and northwest winds, respectively. Which would make Killinger either Apeliotes or Eurus, the Greco-Roman god of the southeast wind.
  • Killinger appeared in a deleted scene in Bright Lights, Dean City introducing himself to The Revenge Society.


All This and Gargantua-2
