Are you pondering what I'm pondering?
A genetically modified mouse with unlimited intellect, unbridled arrogance, and unsatiable ambition, the Brain was bent on world domination. And yet he was no supervillain, no megalomaniac (well, maybe a little). His desire for ultimate power was benevolent, stemming from a probably accurate suspicion that his dictatorship would be an improvement over the current state of global politics. He wanted what was best for everyone, wanted to bring his passion and brilliance to bear on the challenging problems confronting humanity (and, presumably, rodentkind). If he had a hankering for universal approbation, for the love of the masses, well, a small price to pay for a new golden age.
The Brain's plots, often convoluted and intricate, were usually foiled by the dimwitted ineptitude of his fellow science experiment, Pinky. It's impossible, even as a lab rat, to get good help. Pinky had a gift for fouling things up, though the Brain wasn't above screwing up his own plans through a missed detail or over-engineering. His most frequent mistake was relying on Pinky for some key contribution. For a smart mouse, he never seemed to learn that lesson.
An admixture of Bonaparte and Quixote with a tincture of Dr. Doom, the Brain was both a comic and a tragic figure. He had big plans, and yet never saw them realized despite his best efforts. He wanted to conquer the world, but there was a glimmer of heroism in him. As much as he wanted to impose his leadership on the world, he spent as much time preventing the much nastier ascendancy of his arch-rival, the mutated hamster Snowball.
So...what are we going to do tonight?