...And Now You Don't" in the November and December 1949 and January 1950 issues of Astounding.[1]
: 27–29
Description
The Mule is a powerful
mentalic and conqueror who uses his psychic abilities to manipulate people's emotions and bring planet after planet under his control.[2][3] He is a random element not foreseen by psychohistory, a science developed by Hari Seldon which uses sophisticated mathematics and statistical analysis to predict future trends on a galactic scale.[3] Posing as a clown named Magnifico Giganticus who is escaping the Mule, he is described by Asimov as "spindly", with a "long, lean limbs and spidery body" that seemed "thrown together at random."[4] John Folk-Williams called him a "strange, gangly creature" who speaks "in rather contorted, vaguely literary language."[5]
Ebling Mis dies, it seems like the Mule's conquest of the Foundation "wouldn't be so awful", but afterward "it hits home just how awful things are, just how terribly the Mule has disturbed the order of things."[6] Folk-Williams wrote, "The Mule, at least early on, comes across as a figure of some complexity, burdened by loneliness and self-doubt, as well as possessing deep insight into the people around him. But all that falls away as he pursues his plans of conquest and meets his match in the First Speaker."[5] Don Kaye of Den of Geek described the Mule as enigmatic, elusive and "obsessed with finding the Second Foundation, which he fears could defeat him."[3] Wimmer and Wilkins explained that in "Search by the Mule", "[The Mule] reigns in mild but constant paranoia, hiding, sure that the Second Foundation is maneuvering against him in secret, to knock him off his throne and restore Hari Seldon's plan for a Second Galactic Empire."[7]
Foundation and Empire
In "The Mule", a mysterious figure called the Mule has conquered the planet
Han Pritcher into a loyal agent, and to compel Mis to work himself to death. The Mule promises to find and destroy the Second Foundation, the only threat to his eventual reign over the entire galaxy, but Bayta asserts that it has already prepared for him, and will react before he has time to stop it.[6][7][8]
Second Foundation
"Part I: Search by the Mule" finds the Mule still searching for the elusive Second Foundation. He sends Pritcher on a sixth attempt, this time accompanied by
Bail Channis, the only one of the Mule's followers who is "Unconverted", or not influenced by the Mule's psychic powers to serve him. The Mule tells Pritcher this will be an advantage to their quest, but he actually believes that Channis is a Second Foundation agent who intends to lead the Mule into a trap. Secretly followed by the Mule and his fleet, Channis leads the search to the desolate planet Tazenda, a plausible location for the Second Foundation. Pritcher guesses correctly that Channis is a Second Foundation agent. Pritcher is correct, but Channis possesses a psychic ability similar to the Mule's, and uses it to free Pritcher from the Mule's control. The Mule appears, and reveals that his fleet has destroyed Tazenda. The Mule uses mental torture to extract the true location of the Second Foundation from Channis's mind, but the First Speaker of the Second Foundation arrives and informs the Mule that he has been defeated. While the Mule has been focused on Channis, Second Foundation agents have traveled to Kalgan and the Foundation worlds to undo the Mule's Conversions and orchestrate an insurrection, and his fleet is too far away to prevent it. When the Mule experiences a moment of despair, the First Speaker is able to seize control of and alter his mind: he will return to Kalgan and live out the rest of his life as a peaceful despot.[5][7]
Mikael Persbrandt portrays the Mule in season two of the 2021 TV series.
Pilou Asbæk will portray the Mule in season three of the 2021 TV series.
The Mule is portrayed by
Creation Myths", and the conflict of this with Dornick's previous vision, in which Hardin is killed by the Mule 152 years later, illustrates to Dornick and Hari Seldon that the future can be changed.[13] In the future, the Mule shouts "I must kill Gaal Dornick! I must kill her before she kills me!"[2]
Decider called the introduction of the character "one of the show's most long-awaited moments".[10] Speicher wrote that the Mule's appearances in season two "hinted at his barbaric nature and unpredictability, promising a more violent and raw antagonist" for season three.[2] Goyer said of the character, “Yes, he is super scary. He's magnitudes of order more powerful than Tellem. When Asimov created [the Mule], it was a character that flipped the whole table over. When the Mule enters the story properly in season three, that’s completely what he does".[15]
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