Characterization
Dogbert is a megalomaniac; one of his dreams is to conquer the world and enslave all humans, and he has actually achieved this status several times through methods such as hypnosis and masquerading as a space alien or a prophet. Oftentimes, though, he quickly relinquishes his post, for instance due to boredom, someone foiling his chance, his conviction that people do not deserve to have him as leader, or his desire to go nap on a soft pillow. In both the strip and TV show he ended up the ruler of Elbonia, although he quickly relinquished the title. He has also run for President of the United States on at least two occasions as a third-party candidate, apparently losing. Dogbert appears to have sided with conservative politics, as implied during his brief tenure as a radio host. During his 2008 Presidential run, Dogbert seemed to espouse Republican political views, including a hardline on terrorism and skepticism towards global warming.
Despite his dislike for humans, Dogbert is known to protect and help Dilbert when he falls victim to sinister motives. Indeed he has no problem playing jokes on Dilbert or even being mean to Dilbert, but will not tolerate anyone else being mean to Dilbert but him. Dogbert often rescues Dilbert from others. He often gives Dilbert advice on how to solve his problems and is generally shown to have at least some level of respect for him. Adams writes in Seven Years of Highly Defective People that "There's no explanation of why Dogbert chooses to live with Dilbert, except that he finds him amusing. Once in a great while we'll see some glimpses of affection. And if Dilbert gets in deep trouble we can count on Dogbert to bail him out."
Dogbert has made many ventures into the business world, often as a consultant who hypes new trends to the Pointy-Haired Boss, which he enjoys because of the opportunities for conning and insulting people. In these positions, he typically takes advantage of stupidity and gullibility. For instance, when hired as a consultant to create a new company logo, Dogbert proposed using a piece of paper with a circular stain from his coffee cup as the Brown Ring of Quality. He has also been a tech support employee, a supermodel, a substitute teacher, a lawyer, a cult leader, a billionaire, a talk radio host, a United States Supreme Court nominee, the leader of the FBI, and many other occupations. He wags his tail when someone falls for one of his schemes.
Between February 26 and December 2, 2009, Dogbert was the CEO of Dilbert's company.
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