Off My Mind: Why Do Mad Scientists Turn to Crime?

In comic books, one stereotype for villains is the evil mad scientist. These evil geniuses make elaborate devices and plans when trying to come up with the perfect crime. They create brilliant machinery and gadgets that will assist in their schemes and help fight off any superheroes that might try to stop them.

I think it's usually that they're scorned and disgruntled and jut want to hurt the world.

Lex is certainly an evil criminal mastermind, and he definitely has the chrome dome for it.  But he doesn't have the labcoat or glasses.  No mad scientist is worth his (or her) NaCl without a labcoat!  ;)

Hell hath no fury like a scientist scorned :P

because they need to pay their bills ! take the lovely Ivana baiul

Because its fun and they are just nuts?

Society can't understand our genius

We're looking at you, Victor von Doom.

Bruce Banner didn't.

It's the "mad" part of the Mad Scientist.....

They believe only the smart should real the world! 

most do it out of social injustice, that others bully their way into power and from past experience don't address all of the problems.  Also for the control over others...so a mad scientist will see that, want to make everything fair so no one has an unfair advantage over another but always ends with them taking more personal freedoms away that could threaten another person's freedom.  Neverending cycle.  
 
If I were to be a mad scientist, I'd do it to get all the sexy nerdy women....not a harem...unless they wanted that

I love that you put Dr. Horrible in with this group of people.  These guys are already so messed up in the mind that trying to change their ways wouldn't work out for them.

Spider-man once asked Norman Osborn why he doesn't just cure cancer or help the world in some other way. Y'know what his answer was?
 

"BECAUSE I DON'T GIVE A DAMN."

Because the Super Science Game gets pretty boring.....

I think it was during the War Games of Batman but Robin joked about this idea once with the Trickster.  He either thought it or said it but he wondered why Trickster turned to crime when his shoes would have made him a millionaire.  

 
Most scientists turn to crime is because they need money for the resource and funding.

I think they start crazy and are driven by their insanity to be obsessed with their work and thus become geniuses.

" Because its fun and they are just nuts?

"

Some people sell their stuff like the hammers or ex luthor.

you need to be insane to make sense of this crazy world. 
 
 i mean i would develop a machine that would pick out peoples IQ and take those lesser ones and make them run the maze of doom. why? because im insane!
 
 another would make a chemical that would turn rain cloulds into raining peanuts, and id hold the world hostage. you know how many people are allergic to peanuts? the death toll could be off the charts. why? Insane...
 
 or my other device that would launch switzerland into orbit just by using Ionic particles and gum drops..just for the sole purpose of owning all the clocks in the world. and great chocolate and cheese. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA!

That's easy, because they're MAD!!!

A) Their nuts. 
B) They were severly bullied in school and want payback. 
C) Their projects costs too much and are without proper sponsors. 
D) They really arent that smart when it come down to it, bit like the people who are really good at something like math but fall way below the mark in most  other fields. 

Because they're MAD scientists….duh!

Maybe you get mad scientists b/c Christians are scared of science. When was the last mad scientist born in comics?

Lack of sex.

Well, if they made an honest living, they wouldn't be evil geniuses.

I’ve always thought that the term “mad” scientist was too much of a blanket assertion. I’ve always prefer’d when the “mad” scientist was paint’d along the lines of the mob doctor. Either using their skills to aid criminals and their organizations or having weak ethical natures as a result of a lack of morals or some kind of obsessive behavioral problem.

On the main page this article is titled "evil scientists" though here it's "mad scientists".
 
Either way, the key words here are "evil" and "mad". That's why they turn to crime, because they're evil and insane. You kind of answered your own question.

"

It's the "mad" part of the Mad Scientist.....

"

40 cakes how evil of Lex...

Most the time they can´t find an sponsor for their proyects(Doc ock), the ones they find are alredy criminals(thinkerer), they think they are superior to anyone else(Dr. Doom), they want revenge(wizard), they are insane(Dr. Sivana) or they are the weltiest man in the world an even that isn't enougth(Luthor).   

It is simply a matter of ego. Sure, they could fight cancer, and show that they are better than scientists and a disease. Or they could rob a highly secure bank or take over a nation and prove they are better than EVERYONE. I think they take into consideration the heroes, and they are just one more step to prove how awesome they are.

I think their just experimenting how an ordinary person can take control of the world.

I think it's just because most of them are like nerds and been made fun of so they just wanna get payback and get rid of some anger i guess if u know what i mean

" Because its fun and they are just nuts?

"

Perhaps we are a bunch of nihilistic misanthropes that just want to eff tthe world mwahahahahaha !!!! Also we hate the "heroes" bunch of hypocrates .....

BECAUSE PETTY LAWS AND MORALS STAND IN THE WAY OF PROGRESS!

Didn't they do something like this in Kingdom Come?  
I mean making the "evil geniuses" put their mind to something more beneficial for society. 

I'm Surprised that nobody has already quotes this webcomic considering the subject. 
 

I think they wake up one day and decide to take over or experiment on everyone.

I have some theories:

• Because they have another interest: sometimes there are things that they want to do that from their point of view is a noble cause, like change/conquer the world, but they can't do it by conventional means, for example: The Doctor Octopus, Norman Osborn, Lex Luthor, Hugo Strange, Doctor Doom, the Leader, etc.
  
• Because they were created: Long time ago they used to be good people, but by an accident or another unexpected event changed their life and they are criminals to reclaim their lives or revenge, for example: Ultimate Shocker, Tinkerer, Doctor Octopus, the Leader, Mister Freeze, etc.
  
• They work for someone else, that is evil: They get paid even more if they work for someone evil, or they share the same point of view as their boss, for example: Arnin Zola, Ultimate Doctor Octopus, etc.
  
• Lost hope for the humankind: These are the most interesting kind of scientist, because I actually share some of their points of view, these are good examples: The Mandarin, Doctor Doom, etc.