First Bank of Tunisia

For a brief time in the late 80s*, McDougal worked as a teller at a small bank in Carthage.

He was quite the dapper don in his golden tophat and cummerbund -- the object of affection to many a young maiden.

Those of us who knew McDougal, knew also that this would never last.

A short 400 years later, the Romans came in and sacked the joint. Killed everyone. Even broke McDougal's solid gold tophat.

McDougal had grown quite fond of that hat over the centuries, and believed it to possess magical powers. Needless to say, he was none too happy when some Roman clod bashed it to bits while still perched smartly atop his oversized noggin.

McDougal vowed to get even, and he did ... sort of. It took him another 400 years (He used to be much slower and more methodical in his actions. That was before the pills, you understand.), but he finally pulled off his plan, launching what he called the "Imperial Crisis," but which is most commonly referred to today as the Crisis of the Third Century.

During the 50 years of McDougal's crusade, he unleashed three major crises (any one of which were a singular threat to the Empire) which all came together in a perfect storm: external invasions, internal civil wars and a runaway hyperinflation economy. The future viability of the Empire, by all reasonable standards, should have come to an end; thusly positioning McDougal as proper and right heir to the throne.

Sadly, however, McDougal's efforts were quashed by the measures of a series of tough soldier emperors and of the emperor Diocletian, who in 284 to split the empire in half. Other reforms allowed it to continue, eventually entering a new phase known as the "Dominate," the "Tetrarchy," and the "Later Roman Empire".**

McDougal was never bitter about his failed effort to destroy the mighty Roman Empire. In his eyes, restitution was paid for the loss of his magical golden tophat.

Up Next: Understanding the Magical Powers of McDougal's Golden Tophat: A Scientific Exploration of Mythology and Magic in the Byzantine Empire

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* 580 BC's, that is.
** Wikipedia's rather bland account of the whole affair.