Who Is FOUNDATION’s the Mule? The Powerful and Mysterious Baddie, Explained

Season three of Foundation is here, and with it comes the long-awaited arrival of the Mule. The super-baddy has been a distant threat, slowly approaching in the background, much like Thanos over the second half of the Infinity Saga. When he arrives on the scene, the Mule has a similar cataclysmic impact on the story as the Mad Titan of Marvel, too. Everything inevitably bows before his supersized persona and otherworldly power. But who is the Mule in Foundation? Here’s what you need to know about him.

In the case of the Mule, the fearsome warlord element isn’t quite as pronounced. He doesn’t use a gigantic sword or don battle armor. Asimov’s great villain of the Foundation series wields a different kind of power. It is one that comes not from brawn but from a brain capable of cowing any individual and even entire planets when he wills it.

Before we get too far into the details of the man of mystery himself, I want to point out that Apple+ and showrunners David S. Goyer and Bill Bost have spent three seasons adapting what many have called “unadaptable” source material.

And despite a host of necessary shifts in the storylines, they’re killing it. Trust me. As someone who has read this series more than once, this isn’t an easy task. That said, the Mule is arguably the best part of the story, and the show is actually adapting his part closer to the source material than any other part of the show thus far.

What does this have to do with who the Mule is? Let’s ask the author himself…

The Mule: A Man of Mystery

Asimov cloaked the character of the Mule in intense mystery in his novels. This means it’s hard to know much about him, even as his part in the story expands. For some context, here’s how the guy is introduced in the book Foundation and Empire.

“The Mule …. Less is known of “The Mule” than of any character of comparable significance to Galactic history. Even the period of his greatest renown is known to us chiefly through the eyes of his antagonists and, principally, through those of a young bride… — Encyclopedia Galactica.”

The Mule is built to be an unknown. He doesn’t get a name, and most people never see him or know what he looks like.

Despite the facade, over the course of the original story, we do find out a few key factoids about the Mule. One is that he has fierce telepathic ability (something called a “mentalic” in Asimov’s world). He can mess with people’s minds and can suppress the thoughts and hopes of entire planets. This makes it easy to attack his enemies, as he can turn his fiercest adversaries into puppy-like followers in an instant. This is going to be important, as the warlord assaults Foundation and Empire alike in the show, upending Seldon’s plans in the process.

The Mule Is From a Very Important Place in Foundation

The Mule’s home world is also a key part of his story. He hails from Gaia, an utterly unique planet of mentalics founded and shaped by robot wisdom. (Its origin is altered a bit in the show.) Its people are raised to be telepathic and have learned to connect with the flora and fauna. This turns the planet into a super-organism that plays a critical role in the later stages of the Foundation story.

As far as the Mule is concerned, he leaves Gaia when he rejects the collective, turning his back on the “together we are better than apart” philosophy as groupthink mumbo jumbo and choosing to use his mental powers to cow and conquer others. Again, this is a very important point for later in the story.

But for now, suffice it to say that the Mule is an exiled mutant who is despised in his homeland. One other thing worth pointing out? He’s not who you think he is. In both the show and the books, the Mule is deceptive and clever. Keep an eye on this one (if you can) as Foundation season three plays out, or the Mule pull the wool over your eyes, along with everyone else’s.

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