After being severely beaten by his brothers who intended to kill him and collect on his life insurance, Professor Skinn found himself blind. He turned to science and created an artifical eye for himself, which sits on top of his head. Seeking revenge, Skinn went about killing his brothers, Phineas, Zanner and Mortimer on their birthdays. Impressed with Dickie Dean's genius for invention, he asked the boy to become his partner. However, Dickie refused, until Skinn injected a drug into his brain that removed his conscience. The two then robbed a bank, but Dickie, free of the professor's influence, helped bring him to justice. After escaping prison, Professor Skinn sought revenge against Dean, and challenged the boy to a war of inventions.