The 20th century produced many iconic arch-villains, both in real life and in fiction. Among the latter, one of the most famous—partly because it allegedly inspired the former—is the criminal mastermind Dr. Mabuse. He first appeared in *Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler*, a 1921 serialised crime novel by the Luxembourgish writer Norbert Jacques. A year later, the novel was adapted in Germany into the eponymous silent film dir…

