William Bell is the former lab partner of Walter Bishop. He is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Massive Dynamic. A seven-time honoree in Business Leaders Journal's list of "America's Most Inspiring Corporate Leaders," Dr. Bell is also a Fellow of the National Scientific Progress Council and the only two-time recipient of the Macro Genius Award.
Original Timeline
Background Information
A younger Bell as seen in the comic book tie-in.
While attending Harvard in 1969, young William met Walter Bishop. Bishop at the time was a new Professor at Harvard and Bell was a student interested in his work. Bell attended Walter's MIT presentation on the possibilities of non verbal communication by brain power between humans; this greatly intrigued him. While entering Walter's lab to express his interest in helping him, he met Walter in the middle of an experiment aimed at proving his thesis. The experiment dealt with the transference of information between two mice. The experiment went awry, resulting in Bell getting shocked and having a strange episode due to the high amount of LSD he absorbed during the shock.
After months of working on experiments well ahead of their time, Bell and Bishop were approached by a man named Richard Bradbury who was working for a private research facility located in Alaska. The company had been monitoring the work of the two men and recruited them to come work for them. They agreed and went to Alaska. William soon discovered that scientists at the facility were performing experiments involving the heads of missing scientists
Bishop and Bell later escape with Dr. Matheson using the teleportation device. It is from this experience that the two men become reluctant to ever work for the government again.
Later Bishop and Bell were approached by the Air Force and hired to build a machine which transports William and Bishop to Germany during World War II. The pair is picked up by the Gestapo and thrown in prison. Walter convinces the guards to let them go so that he can meet Hans Freohelich, who turns out to be Walter's father.
In 1992, the year after his lab partner and dear friend was institutionalized, William Bell founded Massive Dynamic, the company that propelled him to the forefront of modern science and made him one of the wealthiest men alive. Bell possibly used the money and power gained through the success of his company to further preserve the ZFT manuscript and experiments. William Bell had played a key role in every aspect of the business, from R&D to marketing. His personal vision continues to guide the firm's progress, and his ongoing research constantly yields new innovations and product lines.
Season One
Olivia meets William Bell.
During Fringe Division's early investigation of The Pattern, William Bell's location was unknown to everyone including Nina Sharp. In fact, he had been residing comfortably in the Alternate Universe for the past several months. His base of operations, or at least the spot he chose for his meeting with Olivia Dunham, was an office at the top of the World Trade Center (which in that reality was not destroyed), which he somehow transports Olivia Dunham to. ("There's More Than One of Everything")
Season Two
After returning to her reality, Olivia Dunham has trouble remembering what Bell told. After a few weeks, she remembers that he warned her of the storm, in which the two universe would collide if she didn't stop Thomas Jerome Newton from being resurrected. ("Momentum Deferred")
William Bell sacraficing himself.
During Walter Bishop's time in St. Claire's, he removed parts of his brain and hid them in three other people. ("Grey Matters")
He teams up with Olivia Dunham and Walter Bishop in the Alternate Universe. He tells Walter how his crossing over in the 1980's began to destroy this world. He later reveals that Walter himself asked him to remove his memories. Bell can not cross over again, as his atoms would split apart and no trace of him would remain in either universe. Because of this, he sacrifices himself so the others can return home. ("Season 2")
Season Three
At the end of Os, Walter rings William's bell he entrusted to Nina Sharp, which summoned Bell back through soul magnets, but into Olivia's body.
Olivia as William Bell.
Bell is able to help the Fringe division solve a case while trying to find a more suitable host, but Olivia's body begins to have problems supporting two consciousnesses. ("Stowaway")
Walter and Peter go inside Olivia's mind to find her consciousness and move Bell's into a computer, but their plan ultimately fails, and though Olivia is saved Bell's consciousness dies. ("Lysergic Acid Diethylamide")
Alternate Timeline
Season Four
In the Alternate Timeline, William Bell was still alive. Because Peter never existed, Bell never used his body as a power source to get the Fringe Team back to the Prime Universe, a seemingly heroic act that cost him his life.
David Robert Jones, also alive due to Peter's erasure, answered to Bell, who instructed him on carrying out his endgame . Together, the two began piecing together a plot involving a new breed of creatures that would populate a third universe. The creation of this universe would spring out of the collapse of the two existing universes. The plan utilized Olivia Dunham's Cortexiphan abilities, which Bell intended to use to collapse both universes.
Bell's diabolical plot, and his use of Olivia in it, outraged Walter, who expressed how he had no compassion for Bell in 2036. Walter was taken aboard Bell's ark, the SS Talos, as the Neogenesis plot was being unleashed. His plan was stopped when Walter shot Olivia in the head, knowing he'd be able to rejuvenate her because of her Cortexiphan abilities. After realizing his plan had been foiled, William rang a bell that was aboard his ship and evaporated into thin air.
2015
Bell regained contact with the Fringe Team. He expressed a desire to fight the Observers. He stored two beacons in his storage facility, which could only be accessed with his handprint. However, Bell betrayed the Fringe Division and led the Observers to their location, forcing Walter to amber himself, Astrid, Peter, and Bell.
2036
William Bell in amber.
In 2036, Henrietta was able to track down the Fringe team. She removed Peter, Astrid, and Walter from amber. William Bell was left encased in the amber, but Walter managed to cut off his hand in order to gain access to the beacons that were so crucial to implementing his plan. Bell and Simon Foster were discovered in amber by the Observers. Foster was removed and dissected. It is unknown what became of Bell.
Final Timeline
Although not seen in the Final Timeline, William Bell would still be alive in the Observer-less world and never have occasion to be ambered, making the SS Talos his last known location during his Neogenesis plot.
Personality and Traits
Original Timeline
Dr. William Bell is the former lab partner of Walter Bishop and founder of Massive Dynamic. William is mentioned through the first season, which shows the links with the past more than Walter and study of parallel world, including participation in trials cortexiphan.
With the wealth of its total company in excess of $ 50 billion, is considered one of the richest men in the world. Evidently, he also possesses great technical knowledge and experience, Nina Sharp says his robotic arm fully functional was built by Bell himself. By William shared a laboratory with Walter Bishop, it is likely that it also has a deep knowledge of the science of the border. Walter says that Bell was the only other person who knew what their experiments were about.
Dr. Walter Bishop vehemently defends Bell in The Road Not Taken, reminding everyone that Bell was many things, ambitious, selfish and temperament - but that was not a fool. Nina also defends him to Broyles - William Bell is not a terrorist, and not the enemy.
William Bell was suspected to be involved with the ZFT. In a confession recorded video in the episode Midnight, Dr. Nicholas Boone revealed the founder of Massive Dynamic is the same man who finances the ZFT. Another member of the ZFT, David Robert Jones, showed an interest in meeting with William Bell (There is more than one of everything).
Alternate Timeline
Without Peter there to soften Walter, Bell cancer grows and gains little bitter and angry. He believes that the world faced him and his best friend a bad hand, and that they should take their rightful place as "Gods" for a new world order. Walter realizes that his friend has gone mad, and that Olivia is the key to his final game. In an effort last point, Walter shoots and kills Olivia to prevent the apocalypse. William is angered by the betrayal of his friend and the doorbell rings. He then vanishes into thin air.
Alternate
As explained by William at the end of Season 2, the alternate version of William was killed as a young man in a car accident; as a result, Massive Dynamic in the parallel world was never formed, instead there is only Bishop Dynamic.
See Also
- Bellivia
- Neogenesis