One of the things I enjoy most about Phil and Kaja Foglio’s masterpiece webcomic Girl Genius is the diverse and fascinating cast of characters. While Agatha Heterodyne is the primary protagonist of the tale (as well as the comic’s heroine), Gilgamesh Wulfenback and his father also rate notice for their own place in the story, with Baron Klaus Wulfenbach often played in the oddly conflicting role of both antagonist and dark hero. The Baron is feared and hated across much of Europe and rules the land with the iron hand of a despot… and yet his intentions are to bring peace to Europe and stop the warring of varied Madboys and their insane inventions.

Naturally enough, Gil didn’t understand why his father has to be so heavy-handed and unreasonable. Early in the comic he would often argued with his father (whether over Agatha, Othar, or the varied tests that the Baron put Gil through) and much like any father and son pairing, neither seemed to understand the other. But Gil has matured tremendously since those early heady days of Girl Genius when Agatha was onboard the massive dirigible Castle Wulfenbach. Back then it seemed Gil struggled to prove himself in his father’s eyes… and Agatha was part of that process, of Gil working to prove his father wrong.

In doing so, Gil started to fall for a young woman who wanted so badly to create things and who found herself swept up in the insanity that surrounded the Wulfenbachs. But even more than that, he began to find his own footing, and when his father was sorely injured in battle against Agatha, Gil stepped to the forefront and proved most capable of dealing with the challenges of being a leader. Along the way, Gil developed an understanding about his father. In fighting the rogue Jager Vole, Gil has come to realize why his father behaves the way he does… as he beats Vole to a pulp to force him to behave.

Gil realizes that it isn’t that his father doesn’t want to try and reason with his foes. It’s that when the Baron tries, they take the gesture as a sign of weakness and try to take advantage of him. And while this may lead Gil to start emulating his father more (which may truly bring about fireworks when Gil and Agatha inevitably meet again), there’s something about the last panel of Friday’s comic, with Gil looking proud of his father when he tells a Jager of a monograph his father had written on workpalce communication (a monograph that all seven(!) Popes ordered burned) that speaks volumes.

Likewise, back when Gil was facing down an army of War Clanks singlehanded, the Baron was truly amazed and pleased at how his son dealt with the foe. There would be no more tests of his son. Klaus knew his son has what it takes to rule Europe… and to protect not only himself, but the many people who depended on the Baron for protection. Both father and son have grown to respect and understand one another. And while they will undoubtedly continue to disagree about Agatha, I see few foes prevailing against father and son when they work together.

And while that would be an upbeat place to end, I do feel it necessary to mention one other potential source of conflict between father and son… because of the Other, believed to be Agatha’s mother. When Agatha was possessed by the Other, she infected Klaus with a modified Slaver Wasp, one that could work on Sparks. Should the Other get to Klaus, she could possibly command him against his own son… and the resulting battle would be especially tragic seeing how father and son have gained an understanding and tremendous respect for one another.

Whether Klaus can be saved from the Other, either through Gil’s experiments or Agatha’s own, remains to be seen. But in the end, we may very well see Agatha and Gil fighting against the Baron and the Other, struggling hard to stop the Baron without killing him. But that is a story for another day.