The Mule first appeared in the novella "
The Mule", published in the November and December 1945 issues of
Astounding Science Fiction. It was later paired with the April 1945 novella "
The General", and published as
Foundation and Empire in 1952. The Mule next appeared in "
Now You See It...", published in the January 1948 issue of
Astounding Science Fiction. It was renamed "
Part I: Search by the Mule" and published as
Second Foundation (1953), paired with "
Part II: Search by the Foundation", which had itself been previously published as "
...And Now You Don't" in the November and December 1949 and January 1950 issues of
Astounding. He is a random element not foreseen by
psychohistory, a science developed by
Hari Seldon which uses sophisticated mathematics and statistical analysis to predict future trends on a galactic scale. John Folk-Williams called him a "strange, gangly creature" who speaks "in rather contorted, vaguely literary language." Josh Wimmer and Alasdair Wilkins of
Gizmodo wrote that the Mule's mutant ability to control the emotions of others and convert his enemies to loyal followers makes him basically invincible to all opponents and unpredictable to Hari Seldon's plans. They noted that in "The Mule", he subtly controls the emotions of everyone except for
Bayta Darell, "the sole person in the entire galaxy who, of her own volition, treated him like a person ... and that of course was his undoing." Combining his psychic abilities with a
Visi-Sonor, a rare, multi-keyed musical instrument that produces holographic visual effects as well as music, allows him to influence and essentially
brainwash populations.
Foundation and Empire In "The Mule", a mysterious figure called the Mule has conquered the planet
Kalgan with no military force and no resistance from the Kalganians. Foundation-aligned newlyweds
Bayta and Toran Darell investigate, soon leaving Kalgan with the Mule's fugitive court jester, Magnifico Giganticus, a "strange, gangly creature" who speaks "in rather contorted, vaguely literary language." The
Galactic Empire has collapsed and the Foundation is the dominant power in the galaxy, but its leadership has become complacent, and it falls quickly to the Mule. The Darells and elder Foundation scholar
Ebling Mis escape with Magnifico to find the rumored Second Foundation, their only hope to stop the Mule. At what remains of the Great Library of
Trantor, Mis works tirelessly to discover clues to the secret location of the Second Foundation. Dying, Mis announces that he knows where the Second Foundation is. Bayta kills him before he can reveal the location, having just realized that Magnifico is the Mule, who seeks the Second Foundation so he can destroy it. He is a
mutant who can sense and manipulate the emotions of others, an ability he has employed to conquer planets bloodlessly, to "convert" Foundation intelligence officer
Han Pritcher into a loyal agent, and to compel Mis to work himself to death. The Mule promises to find and destroy the Second Foundation, the only threat to his eventual reign over the entire galaxy, but Bayta asserts that it has already prepared for him, and will react before he has time to stop it.
Second Foundation "Part I: Search by the Mule" finds the Mule still searching for the elusive Second Foundation. He sends Pritcher on a sixth attempt, this time accompanied by
Bail Channis, the only one of the Mule's followers who is "Unconverted", or not influenced by the Mule's psychic powers to serve him. The Mule tells Pritcher this will be an advantage to their quest, but he actually believes that Channis is a Second Foundation agent who intends to lead the Mule into a trap. Secretly followed by the Mule and his fleet, Channis leads the search to the desolate planet Tazenda, a plausible location for the Second Foundation. Pritcher guesses correctly that Channis is a Second Foundation agent. Channis possesses a psychic ability similar to the Mule's, and uses it to free Pritcher from the Mule's control. The Mule appears, and reveals that his fleet has destroyed Tazenda. The Mule uses mental torture to extract the true location of the Second Foundation from Channis's mind, but the First Speaker of the Second Foundation arrives and informs the Mule that he has been defeated. While the Mule has been focused on Channis, Second Foundation agents have traveled to Kalgan and the Foundation worlds to undo the Mule's Conversions and orchestrate an insurrection, and his fleet is too far away to prevent it. When the Mule experiences a moment of despair, the First Speaker is able to seize control of and alter his mind: he will return to Kalgan and live out the rest of his life as a peaceful despot. == Adaptations ==