Why is Plankton so obsessed with Mr. Krabs's secret formula?

I finally understood Plankton through Plankton: The Movie. For a tiny plankton, trying to rule the world by obtaining a secret recipe isn't just a delusion, but actually the most practical strategy. Yet Plankton seems to have greatly underestimated himself.

If anyone asked about the best spin-off movies featuring supporting characters, Plankton: The Movie would definitely be among them. Written by Mr. Lawrence, who has been writing scripts for the SpongeBob SquarePants series and voicing Plankton for many years, this is truly Plankton's own movie.

To be honest, before watching this movie, I never took Plankton seriously as a character. Though he constantly talked about "destroying the world" and "establishing world dictatorship," his tiny size made him seem laughable. His schemes would inevitably collapse in absurd ways, and after chuckling at his failures, I'd quickly shift my attention back to SpongeBob. His weird inventions, no matter how impressive at first glance, always paled in comparison to SpongeBob's hijinks.

Yet when Plankton finally got an entire movie's worth of screen time, I noticed something striking: in Bikini Bottom, where chaos reigns supreme, Plankton stands out as the only one who meticulously follows plans. This realization made me see his character in a new light—it must have taken remarkable resilience to endure years of being misunderstood and facing constant setbacks. Thank goodness he has Karen, his computer wife, who supports him unconditionally.

In this movie dedicated to Plankton, however, Karen withdraws her support. Having reached her limit, she decides to pursue world domination independently. SpongeBob, ever helpful, steps in as a therapist and suggests hypnotherapy to uncover Plankton's deep-seated thoughts and resolve his conflict with Karen. During this process, an interesting shift occurs with SpongeBob and Plankton's dynamic—SpongeBob becomes more rational while Plankton grows increasingly emotional.

Plankton desired to rule the world since his birth. He has thousands of siblings, all sharing an eerily similar life goal: to serve their family business by producing some kind of food item (the scene flashed by too quickly for me to catch exactly what it was). Unable to tolerate their mediocrity and uniformity, Plankton created Karen and decided to run away from home with her. While Plankton always emphasizes his evil nature, his family background suggests that he simply wants to radically change his destiny as a plankton. For such a tiny organism, the only way to change his fate is to overturn the rules of the world.

I once thought Plankton's obsession with stealing the Krabby Patty formula was merely comic relief, but I now see it's actually one of his most logical strategies—albeit still amusing. As a plankton, he's not just at the bottom of the food chain; his size severely limits both his cognitive abilities and fighting power. This explains why his supposedly devastating weapons appear trivial to humans. Meanwhile, Karen—unrestrained by physical size—creates truly formidable, mechanized armor once she starts working independently. Given this reality, Plankton would be wiser to abandon his forceful approach to world domination and instead build his empire through the food industry. If he could create burgers or fried chicken that match McDonald's or KFC's taste but cost less, I'd at least consider his political views, regardless of his party affiliation. After all, the way to change people's minds often starts with their stomachs.

Plankton's failures are fascinating paradoxes. Though capable of creating intricate machinery, his hands aren't as nimble as SpongeBob's; despite his creative mind, he's consistently outsmarted by Mr. Krabs' simple schemes. While highly capable, Plankton can be defeated by almost anyone in Bikini Bottom. Though this partly reflects the children's show maxim that good must triumph over evil, Plankton: The Movie reveals something deeper.

While many viewers might see Plankton as merely arrogant, Mr. Lawrence portrays his failures as stemming from deep-seated insecurity. Though Plankton openly criticizes Karen, he's completely dependent on her—she's the only one in Bikini Bottom who takes him seriously, despite being a computer. A truly arrogant Plankton would believe he could achieve his goals without Karen, but instead, he crumbles after she leaves. His childhood offers crucial context: being different from his siblings not only isolated him but also deprived him of meaningful feedback about his actions and thoughts. Even his parents rejected him, joining his siblings in mockery. This upbringing shaped Plankton into someone who projects arrogance while harboring profound self-doubt—using bravado as a shield while never truly believing in himself.

At its core, Plankton's fixation on stealing Mr. Krabs' secret formula reveals his fundamental lack of self-confidence. Had he dedicated even a fraction of his time to developing his own restaurant over the years, he might have already realized his dreams. Though intellectually gifted, his emotional emptiness leaves him with sharp strategic skills but poor judgment. He consistently makes misguided decisions, perpetually convinced that others' possessions surpass his own. Despite his cycle of attempts and failures, he never truly learns—choosing to chase others' success rather than develop his own strengths.

Mr. Lawrence, how many times have you felt the need to defend him in all these years of voicing Plankton?

Plankton, do you know that in Mr. Lawrence's eyes, you're not an evil villain, but rather a child starved for love?