Who was the Real Mastermind Behind the Two Heists in ‘La Casa de Papel’?

The popular Spanish crime-drama series Money Heist focuses on a gang of robbers who pull off two incredible heists. The heists are perfectly planned, with a backup plan for every backup plan. The thrill of the heist is what keeps us hooked to the show until the end.

The series introduces The Professor as the mastermind behind both the heists. He is a brilliant strategist who devises the perfect plan with no loopholes but always remains away from action. He is the guide who tells his gang how to take the next step.

However, we can’t help but wonder why he plans these heists and what he wants to prove with his methods. He does not come across as cruel or ruthless, someone who would do it to harm others. In fact, neither of the heists was his own idea, as we discover later in the series.

So, what was it all about? And who gave him the idea to rob the mint and the bank? Money Heist answers all our questions, and all of it is connected to the main theme of the series: rebellion and resistance.

Who gave The Professor the idea of the heist?

The idea of the Royal Mint of Spain heist was devised by The Professor’s father, Jesus Marquina, who died before his plan could come to fruition. The Professor and his elder brother, Berlin, decided to plan the heist to honor their father’s memories.

The Professor was once very sick as a child, and his father needed money for his treatment in the United States. To save his son, he robbed a bank but was killed during a shootout. In other words, he was also a mastermind like his son and had plans to pull off an even bigger heist.

The Professor got the idea of the Royal Mint heist from his father, but it was he who worked on it and came up with a plan to implement the idea. His father had only shared the idea with him. The Professor came up with a master plan, brought together a gang, and decided to fulfill his father’s dream.

In the season 2 premiere, we see The Professor burning photographs of his father and his brother, Berlin, tells him that they are doing it “for him.” Therefore, the brothers had their dead father’s wishes in mind and wanted to go through with the heist to honor their father.

The Professor devised a master plan and assembled a group of robbers who were strangers. He guided them towards the plan and appointed Berlin to lead the team inside the mint. As we see in the series, The Professor always remained outside the main venue and guided the team.

However, The Professor had other reasons behind planning the heist apart from fulfilling his father’s wishes. The idea of the heist was his father’s, but it was Sergio who made the plan his own by coming up with various tricks and backup plans to fool the authorities.

What is the main motive of The Professor in Money Heist?

The Professor’s main motive behind pulling off the heist was to send a message to the Spanish government and redistribute wealth. He wanted to give a voice to the common people and rattle those in power. The Professor did not plan the heist for money.

Getting hold of more money was never the intention of the Professor or his gang in Money Heist. Sergio is a brilliant strategist and a mastermind who was motivated by the thrill of the heist. He knew he was good at being the mastermind behind the action and wanted to experience the adventure of a heist.

More importantly, The Professor wanted to send a message to the government and the police. Money Heist is a show about resistance and rebellion. The Professor’s motive was never to get richer. He wanted to give a voice to the common people and capture their anger and disappointment towards the government.

The heist symbolizes resistance towards the unequal distribution of wealth and the status quo. The Professor’s idea was to take away money from the rich and powerful and redistribute it among the poor. He wanted to show the common people that mere robbers can rattle the government if they rebel against them.

In an important scene, the Professor argues with the police that what he is doing is not stealing. In fact, he believed that he was returning the money to those whom it actually belonged to. Here’s what he says:

“In 2011, the European Central Bank made €171bn out of nowhere. Just like we’re doing. Only bigger. Do you know where all that money went? To the banks. Directly from the factory to the pockets of the rich. Did anyone call the European Central Bank a thief? No. ‘Liquidity injections,’ they called it. I’m making a liquidity injection, but not for the banks. I’m making it here, in the real economy.”

The Professor viewed the heists as a form of wealth redistribution, even though the money only went to a few robbers. He contrasted this with the banks’ liquidity injection, which did not benefit the real economy.

After fleeing from the Royal Mint, the robbers spent their money in various countries. The Professor also used airships to drop cash over Madrid during the Bank of Spain heist, directly giving it to the public.

However, The Professor had already conveyed his anti-establishment message during the Royal Mint heist. Why did he plan another heist, then?

Who planned the Royal Bank of Spain heist in Money Heist?

The Royal Bank of Spain heist was the brainchild of Berlin, the Professor’s elder brother. He had planned the heist much before the Royal Mint heist and shared his ideas with his brother.

The heist of the Royal Bank was not The Professor’s idea. In fact, he may not have gone forward with it if not for Rio’s arrest. The Professor devised another heist of the Royal Bank to rescue Rio from the police.

Through flashbacks in seasons 3 and 4, we find out that Berlin and The Professor had been planning the bank heist for a long time. But since Berlin died during the Royal Mint heist, the Professor never spoke of it.

Rio’s arrest and inhumane torture compelled the Professor to put the heist into action at that time. He also wanted to help Tokyo, who begged him to help rescue Rio. 

Moreover, the thrill of being the mastermind behind another heist attracted the strategist in The Professor. After all, he was a strategist at heart and could never let go of the thrill of rebelling against the government and pulling off the unachievable.

About Money Heist

Money Heist (Spanish: La casa de papel, meaning “The House of Paper”) is a Spanish heist crime drama television series created by Álex Pina.

The series traces two long-prepared heists led by the Professor (Álvaro Morte), one on the Royal Mint of Spain, and one on the Bank of Spain. The narrative is told in a real-time-like fashion and relies on flashbacks, time-jumps, hidden character motivations, and an unreliable narrator for complexity.

The show focuses on the meticulous plans and the specific contingencies of the Professor who has prepared his group of robbers dressed in red jumpsuits and Dali masks.