Originally, he intended to make a replacement for his lost love, Hel, a beautiful woman who eventually chose Joh Fredersen, master of the city and Rotwang's rival, instead of him.

Rotwang, who lost a hand while developing the Machine-Person and now wears a fully functioning metal prosthesis in its place, covered by a black glove, lives in a strange old house in the middle of Metropolis; its rough exterior design contrasts sharply with the futuristic elegance of the city.

In its basement is a trap door that leads down into a network of catacombs, where Rotwang and Fredersen eavesdrop on a secret meeting of the workers and Maria, their spiritual counselor.

During the ensuing riots and power blackout, Rotwang falls under the delusion that the real Maria is Hel and chases her to the roof of the city's cathedral, with Freder in pursuit.

His laboratory, with its profusion of Tesla coils and towering switch panels, baroque chemical equipment and pipework, became a stock feature of many later films, including many in the Frankenstein series.

In the first series of Hergé's Jo, Zette and Jocko adventures, "The Secret Ray", an unnamed scientist, unsuccessfully experiments with transferring a human soul into a robot's body.