Ebling Mis

Ebling Mis is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. Specifically, he is one of the main characters from the latter half of the novel "Foundation and Empire". Mis is the Foundation's greatest psychologist and a very prominent scientist. He is described in the book as being "The Scientist — with capital letters and no smile." Because of this, he is allowed a certain lenience in formality when dealing with the government; no disrespect or broken taboo was worth losing his contribution to science. For instance, Mis disregards the usual protocol involved with requesting an audience with the Mayor, and instead, he barges into the palace unannounced.

Mis is important to the Mule's goal of galactic conquest. He is sought out by the Mule and brought along on with Toran and Bayta Darrell on their journey, still unaware of the Mule's presence. While on Haven, Mis speculates about the nature of the Mule. He and Randu discuss the probability that the Mule is a mutant and if so, what sort of abilities he might have. As they are debating the explanations to the peculiarities that have recently occurred, they come very close to the truth, but they do not realise that even as they speak, Haven is under the influence of the Mule's power. Mis and his companions leave for Trantor to find the location of the Second Foundation and a way to defeat the Mule. As they travel, Mis becomes more and more withdrawn. In fact, in the pages leading up to their arrival on Trantor, he is only barely mentioned in the plot. When he is described, it is typically as being in a pensive mood and oblivious to events happening around him. After landing on Trantor his condition worsens considerably.

He spends the last few chapters locked in the catalogue rooms of the University, poring over old documents, and frantically trying to uncover the secret location of the Second Foundation. It is later discovered that the Mule was manipulating him into this state of arousal in order to achieve the great insights that would emulate Hari Seldon's work. Unfortunately for Mis, this heightened state is fatal, and when he did discover the secret, he was on his deathbed. Bayta Darrell sees through the Mule's plan, and she kills Mis with a blaster before he could reveal the location of the other Foundation. Ebling Mis is possibly the only one since Seldon's time to have discovered the secret, but the information died with him, and the truth about the Second Foundation would not be revealed until many years later.

In later times, a spaceship is named in his honour.