Andross is an antagonist of the Star Fox series, debuting in the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game Star Fox. Initially Andross' facial appearance was regulated to what the SNES could render, though with the release of Star Fox 64 his appearance resembled that of a primate.
History
Andross in Nintendo Power
Andross is an adopted son. His foster parents were upstanding Android Pigs living on the planet Corneria. Andross followed in his robo-parents' footprints as a scientist. His brilliant mind was soon well-known across the Lylat System, mostly for his medical work.
Yet Andross turned his back on serving his beloved homeworld when his parents were killed, victims of a cruel military experiment by the Cornerian government itself. Unknown to anyone, Andross swore a vow of revenge that day. In time he became Head Scientist of the Cornerian Academy, his focus having changed to completely military technologies.
He also met, and fell in love with, the Vixy Reinard. There was just one hang-up to their relationship: She was already married to Fox McCloud (billed as James McCloud in the games). Vixy and Fox had recently had a son together as well.
Vixy regretted her actions, but the arrogant Andross refused to let her go. His bid to keep her was to remove her husband from the equation. Unfortunately for Andross and Fox Sr. alike, it was Vixy and not the elder McCloud who fell victim to Andross' car bomb.
Refusing to admit defeat, Andross bitterly hatched a new plot. Fox Sr., still unaware of his wife's affair to start with, was blissfully ignorant of the danger when he volunteered for Andross' assignment. Fox Sr. was given the task of hauling the newly-developed Gravity Bomb to a field laboratory in the Meteos Asteroid Belt for testing.
Thanks to Andross' sabotage, the experimental weapon went off mid-flight. Fox Sr. disappeared, along with half the asteroid belt, into a black hole created by the Gravity Bomb.
The scientist's victory was bittersweet. An investigation of the "accident" led back to him. The trial ended with Andross being exiled from Corneria to the barren world of Venom for the rest of his days.
Most scientists, Andross included, thought Venom an uninhabited world. He was shocked to find a race of anthropomorphic lizards living in the depths of the planet. The natives had devolved from a once-mighty race; Andross put his great intellect to deciphering their ancient ruins and forgotten technologies. He was able to build a Telekinetic Amplifier from the knowledge thus acquired, among other things, and used it to brainwash the Venomians.
Over the next few years, Andross transformed Venom into a power base and proceeded to invade Corneria with his new Venomian Army of Imperial Lizards. This first attempt at revenge was undone by Fox McCloud Jr. and the rest of his Star Fox team. The mercenary pilots managed to destroy the Telekinetic Amplifier itself, shattering Andross' hold on his "loyal" followers.
Andross managed to escape, fleeing to the world Fortuna. He soon had one of Fox's teammates, Slippy Toad, kidnapped for use as bait. As Andross hoped, the Star Fox team soon followed Slippy to Fortuna. There, Andross unleashed his greatest weapon, the bio-mechanical beast Monarch Dodora (who bears a suspicious resemblance to another fictional monster, King Ghidorah), to kill the Star Fox team once and for all.
The mad scientist's plans went awry again. Star Fox's efforts cost Andross control of the Dodora, which accidentally stepped on him (in Fox's own words, "Flat as an ape crepe!").
But not even death can keep any self-respecting villain down. Having planned for just such an occasion, Andross had safeguarded some of his own DNA and, apparently, a copy of his mind somehow. Two clones of Andross were reborn, little different from his previous lease on life. They attempted to rule jointly, but soon grew tired of one another, and one clone killed the other.
Andross' last attempt to destroy Star Fox involved deploying the tattered remnants of his Imperial Guard to attack the planet Papetoon. This attempted trap also backfired, and in the end Andross tasted defeat. The scientist fled into the very black hole that had claimed his rival Fox Sr.; never to be heard from again.
Andross in Star Fox 64
Andross in Star Fox 64.
Andross was the Lylat System's most brilliant and most unstable mind. His specialty was bio-engineering for military use; but since Corneria remained peaceful, Andross had no outlet for his ideas. His arrogance fueled his disappointment, and over time he steadily went mad.
One day Andross decided to test his latest weapon--on the very citizens he was supposed to protect. The damage to several of Corneria's major cities didn't go uninvestigated. Shortly, Andross was held for military trial. His conviction at the hands of General Pepper led to Andross' exile to the barren planet named Venom.
Five years later, General Pepper received interesting-and conflicting-reports of bizarre events in Venomian airspace. The general hired his old friends on the Star Fox mercenary team to investigate. Soon, all three pilots (James McCloud, Peppy Hare, and Pigma Dengar) were probing Venom's skies.
Pigma had secretly been on Andross' payroll for some time. He betrayed his comrades to his master. James and Peppy tried to escape, but only Peppy was successful. This left Peppy with the unenviable task of telling James's son, Fox, about his father's fate.
Back on Venom, Andross proclaimed himself emperor of the planet Venom and soon the entire Lylat System. With an army of androids, bio-mechanical warriors, and hired thugs like Pigma, Andross unleashed a carefully-planned blitzkrieg on his neighboring worlds.
Fox McCloud was forced to hastily step into his father's shoes and lead a new Star Fox team against Andross. With Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad, and Falco Lombardi at his side, Fox battled across the Lylat System to stop Andross. Not even the crazed ape's formation of a rival team, Star Wolf, could stop the group of heroes.
But in the end it was Fox alone who flew into the depths of Venom to face Andross.
The young hero got a big shock; Andross had carried out some more biological experiments on himself. The once-humanoid scientist had become a giant, disembodied head with two huge, equally disembodied hands (as seen in the picture above). Fox battled the strange new Andross to a standstill. (Additionally, it seems that Andross had also constructed an android version of himself, complete with a realistic "mask" resembling his own form, as a further "defense" against attackers.) However, if Fox took the path to Venom through Area 6, the fight reveals Andross' true form... a grotesque, immense, floating brain which proclaims "Only I have the brains to rule Lylat!". After a lengthy battle, Fox managed to deal enough damage to Andross, who then gave his final words: "If I go down I'm taking you with me!"
Andross initiated his final defense. He set off a time bomb intended to destroy Fox. (If the player only fought the robotic head, the bomb is then only meant to cover Andross's retreat. Otherwise, it is truly meant to kill Fox.) However, Fox is lead out of the base by his father, who was thought to be dead. It is unknown if it was really his father, or if it had just been a vision. Although, in the following cutscene, the player can see a small light go up among the stars, which many think to be James McCloud's ship.
Andross in Star Fox Adventures
Andross as he appears in Star Fox Adventures.
Andross survived the destruction of his Venomian base, but at a cost. Weak and wounded, reduced to a disembodied spirit, Andross fled to the planet Sauria (Sauria is only known as Dinosaur Planet in Star Fox Adventures.) There he was able to enlist followers among the Sharpclaw clan of dinosaurs to keep him alive, but not much more.
For eight long years Andross tried to revive himself, failing time and time again. This was at least partially due to his mistrust of his Sharpclaw helpers, particularly their nominal leader, General Scales. Scales would happily take Andross' power for his own at the drop of a hat.
Finally, Andross found a solution. To Scales's delight, Andross gave the dinosaur all the power that Scales had long coveted. The domination of Sauria was within Scales's grasp. And Andross's price seemed simple. All he wanted was a couple of artifacts and the capture of a young, blue, anthropomorphic vixen, Krystal.
Unknown to Scales, of course, was that Krystal had the ability to channel the long-forgotten Krazoa power. That power was contained in the artifacts Scales was gathering for Andross as well. Unaware he was being duped, Scales succeeded in acquiring most of the Krazoa Spirits and reducing Krystal to Fox's damsel in distress.
Rebels to Scales's rule sent out a distress call that General Pepper did not ignore. His own troops spread thin, Pepper once again hired Star Fox to dive into the breach. Unfortunately for all concerned, team Star Fox was a pale shadow of its former self. Only Fox himself remained on active duty.
Once on the planet's surface, Fox found a helper in the form of a local named Tricky. Together the duo fought a two-animal war against General Scales and his forces. Finally, Fox defeated Scales himself (Tricky stayed with his father on a piece of Dinosaur Planet)...only to unveil Andross as the dinosaur's puppet master. He raced to release Krystal from her imprisonment atop Krazoa Palace.
He succeeded, but it seemed the damage had been done; Andross awakened. Fox quickly boarded his Arwing starfighter to battle Andross once again. Infused with the great Krazoa power, Andross had Fox on the brink of defeat...until Falco appeared. Fox's old wingman rejoined the Star Fox team, not to mention the battle, and Andross was defeated once again.
Andross in other media
Andross appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee as two trophies, one depicting him in his Orginal Star Fox look, and one depicting him in his Star Fox 64 look. Andross also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as an assist trophy, he appears in his orignal look, moves to the back of the stage and spits out panels.