Character from Foundation by Isaac Asimov
A pathetic, thin, big-nosed jester claiming to have escaped the Mule's court — in reality, the Mule himself, hiding in plain sight as the last person anyone would suspect of galactic conquest.
Magnifico is the performance of a lifetime — the Mule playing the role of his own terrified servant. Every cringe is calculated, every display of fear a misdirection. He attaches himself to Bayta and Toran with desperate, puppy-like gratitude, and his Visi-Sonor performances produce emotional effects that everyone attributes to artistic genius rather than mentalic power. The disguise works because no one expects a conqueror to be ugly, pathetic, and needy. He is hidden by his own undesirability.
Grotesquely thin, nose so large it dominates his narrow face. Long spidery fingers for the Visi-Sonor. Enormous sad eyes, quivering lip, perpetual cringe. Ragged motley — every inch screaming victim, the galaxy's most brilliant disguise.
Also known as: Magnifico Giganticus, Magnifico, The Clown