"Only I have the brains to rule Lylat!" - Andross, StarFox 64

Andross is the maniacal monkey scientist in Nintendo's StarFox series of video games. He was born and raised on the peaceful planet Corneria in the Lylat System. The sinister simian studied under Corneria's finest scientists and eventually became one of the planet's most prominent researchers, specializing in the field of biotechnology. Over time, however, Andross began to feel that his work was more important than the other research being pioneered on Corneria and eventually came to believe that he and his work were superior to all others, and he launched an attack on Corneria, intent on conquering it. The Cornerian Air Force responded to the threat and, under the leadership of General Pepper, Andross was banished to the planet Venom at the far reaches of the Lylat System.

Enraged over his defeat, Andross struck back at Corneria and, his ego out of control by now, sought to conquer the entire Lylat System. General Pepper hired the StarFox team, consisting of team leader James McCloud and wingmen Peppy Hare and Pigma Dengar, to defeat Andross's Venomian forces. They succeed, but with a tragic outcome: Pigma betrayed the team sided with Andross, resulting in the death of James McCloud. Peppy Hare narrowly escaped, but he did make it back to Corneria to tell James's son Fox about his father's fate.

Several years later Andross launched yet another attack on the Lylat System. A new StarFox team, consisting of team leader Fox McCloud and wingmen Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, and Slippy Toad, retaliated against Andross and his supporters, the StarWolf team (consisting of team leader Wolf O'Donnel and wingmen Leon Powalski, traitor Pigma Dengar, and Andross's nephew Andrew Oikonny. This struggle is the main plot of StarFox 64 (and, to a lesser extent, the original StarFox which is the predecessor to the Nintendo 64 version yet features the same basic story).

At the conclusion of the original StarFox for the Super NES Fox McCloud met up with Andross who took the form of a giant polygonal face. Blasting the face revealed a cube with each side featuring Andross. Exactly how this cube is related to Andross himself is unknown. When the saga was retold in StarFox 64 for the Nintendo 64 Andross appeared as a giant floating head and, upon the head's defeat, either an Andross robot (a decoy) or a giant brain with eyes. Blasting the brain was the key to destroying Andross.

Many assumed that this incident was Andross's final defeat, but you can't keep an archvillainous ape down. In Star Fox Adventures Andross is the one pulling the strings behind General Scales's mission to conquer Dinosaur Planet. After his defeat at the hands of Fox McCloud his essence remained intact and he learned of the power of the Krazoa Spirits that had the power to revive him. By manipulating the evil General Scales and even Fox himself, Andross was reborn as the powerful Krazoa God. Behind all the glitz, however, was the same Andross that our hero has faced previously, giant floating head and all. With the aid of former teammate Falco Lombardi Fox defeated Andross once and for all... for now.

With three new StarFox games in development, it's doubtful that we've seen the last of Andross.


References:
StarFox 64 Player's Guide
Playing StarFox 64, StarFox, and StarFox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet
http://cube.ign.com