.gif)
Brain (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Brain is a fictional character
, a supervillain
in the and frequent enemy of the Doom Patrol
. He is a French
mastermind and criminal genius. He is well known because every time he is defeated his robotic body is beheaded only to be fixed mysteriously the next time he appears.
to the genius-level of 178. He named the gorilla Monsieur Mallah
and educated him for almost a decade before making him his personal assistant.
His colleague, Niles Caulder
grew jealous of his work and arranged for the scientist to get caught in an explosion, which destroyed the scientist's body. Only the brain survived, which Caulder planned on putting into a robotic body.
Mallah rescued the scientist, taking his brain and transferring it to a computer network that kept it functioning (Caulder would later engineer another accident causing the racecar driver Cliff Steele
to crash his car; Caulder then put Steele's brain in the artificial body originally meant for the scientist).
Now known simply as the Brain, the scientist and Mallah gathered together the criminal organization known as the Brotherhood of Evil
in hopes of conquering the world and getting revenge on Caulder. Caulder, now known as the "Chief", through a series of other accidents that he was later shown to have manipulated, would form the superhero group known as the Doom Patrol (Caulder's involvement in the events which transformed the Doom Patrol, and the Brain, was retcon
ned decades after the creation of the Doom Patrol and the Brain; originally the incidents were genuine accidents). Setting out to destroy the Chief's 'pets', the Brain, Mallah, and their Brotherhood became enemies of the Patrol. Their criminal activities would also pit them against the Teen Titans.
During Grant Morrison
's Doom Patrol run, Mallah had the Brain placed in Robotman's new body (Robotman's brain had been removed from it earlier, due to it malfunctioning). In his new body, the Brain confessed to Mallah he was in love with him. When Mallah revealed he felt the same way, the two kissed. However, Robotman's body had developed sentience and vowed never to be enslaved by a brain again; when Mallah placed his lover in the body, he triggered a self-destruct mechanism, which exploded as they kissed.
The two would later resurface (the Brain back to floating in a jar). It is uncertain if the two somehow survived the explosion, or if they were brought back to life by some alteration of reality (in Zero Hour
, the world was destroyed and recreated with subtle differences, and in Infinite Crisis
, Superboy-Prime
's pounding on the "walls of reality" created ripples which altered reality and caused history to repeat itself for several characters).
The Brotherhood later began raiding genetic research facilities; their plan being to unlock the secrets of cloning in order to create a new body for the Brain, so he and Monsieur Mallah "can finally live happily ever after." The Brain was ultimately able to clone
a new body for himself, but after a short while it began to break down, so he had Mallah rip off his head so he could put his brain back into another jar.
In the Salvation Run
storyline, Brain and Monsieur Mallah appear amongst the villains that were sent to the planet Cygnus 4019. Brain and Monsieur Mallah arrive at Joker
's camp, and Monsieur Mallah asks Gorilla Grodd
to speak with him away from the others. Mallah proposes to Grodd that as fellow gorillas, the natural kings of the jungle, they should team up, and through their combined might being able to rule the entire place by themselves. Gorilla Grodd laughs at Monsieur Mallah for considering himself, an "absurd science experiment", comparable to "a proud child of Gorilla City
." Monsieur Mallah strikes Gorilla Grodd and calls him a beast, causing Grodd to fly into a rage and try to kill him. Although Monsieur Mallah also has a gun and shoots Gorilla Grodd several times, Gorilla Grodd still has the upper hand, and is about to kill Monsieur Mallah when Brain interjects, pleading for Monsieur Mallah's life. Thinking better of it, Grodd picks Brain up and beats Mallah to death with Brain smashing Brain's protective hull in the process and killing him as well. Before breathing his last breath, Monsieur Mallah says he dies happy taking solace in that he and Brain will finally be able to be together forever.
, The Brain has a genius level IQ which he puts to use as a criminal mastermind and is more than capable of plotting out perfect crime
s. The Brain is completely single-minded, and motivated almost entirely towards domination of others, the committing of even more perfect crimes, and ultimate revenge against Niles Caulder.
Adept in psychology
, he is also a master of coercion, deceit and manipulation, being able to persuade almost anybody to do his dirty work for him, even to the point where his agents are under the illusion that they are not actually committing evil or immoral acts. This has however on occasion been hinted to be a result of mind control
by the use of telepathy
on the part of The Brain. It was through these vast cerebral abilities that The Brain was able to unite various villains under his leadership, and form the Brotherhood of Evil
.
Although others often act as brawn to his brain, most notably his assistant–partner Monsieur Mallah
, The Brain has occasionally used agile robotic bodies to give him mobility. The different contraptions which have been seen to hold his brain were designed by The Brain himself (also a master in biology and robotics) and have proved time and time again to be durable and even nigh-indestructible. On the rare occasion when The Brain has been caught vulnerable without robotic protection or assistance from other villains, he has protected himself by attacking opponents through telekinesis.
Except for the times when he has possessed robot bodies as mentioned above, the Brain is normally portrayed as an ordinary human brain, albeit housed within what could be described as a life-sized chess piece
which contains the equipment required to keep him alive; it is this portrayal that was adapted in the animated versions of the Brain as mentioned in this article. In the original Doom Patrol series, he was regularly portrayed as a disembodied brain, bobbing inside a sealed dome filled with a nutrient bath, hooked up with numerous machines, including a loudspeaker
to convey his voice.
. However, he was an ordinary criminal who earned his nickname for his cleverness, and was not literally just a brain.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the and frequent enemy of the Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
. He is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
mastermind and criminal genius. He is well known because every time he is defeated his robotic body is beheaded only to be fixed mysteriously the next time he appears.
Fictional character biography
As a scientist, the man who would one day become known as the Brain performed experiments on animals to raise their intelligence. One of these was on a captured gorilla, raising its I.Q.Intelligence quotient
An intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
to the genius-level of 178. He named the gorilla Monsieur Mallah
Monsieur Mallah
Monsieur Mallah is a fictional character, a superintelligent gorilla supervillain in the and the criminal and romantic partner of the Brain. Monsieur Mallah first appeared in Doom Patrol Monsieur Mallah is a fictional character, a superintelligent gorilla supervillain in the and the criminal and...
and educated him for almost a decade before making him his personal assistant.
His colleague, Niles Caulder
Chief (comics)
The Chief is a fictional character from DC Comics and the leader of the Doom Patrol. He first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
grew jealous of his work and arranged for the scientist to get caught in an explosion, which destroyed the scientist's body. Only the brain survived, which Caulder planned on putting into a robotic body.
Mallah rescued the scientist, taking his brain and transferring it to a computer network that kept it functioning (Caulder would later engineer another accident causing the racecar driver Cliff Steele
Robotman (Cliff Steele)
Robotman is a fictional character, a cyborg superhero in the . Robotman first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80 and was created by Arnold Drake, Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani.-Fictional character biography:...
to crash his car; Caulder then put Steele's brain in the artificial body originally meant for the scientist).
Brotherhood of Evil
The Brotherhood of Evil is a group of DC Comics supervillains, archenemies of the original Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans.-Origins:The Brotherhood of Evil was founded by the engimatic villain the Brain. In the beginning, the group's motivation was world domination...
in hopes of conquering the world and getting revenge on Caulder. Caulder, now known as the "Chief", through a series of other accidents that he was later shown to have manipulated, would form the superhero group known as the Doom Patrol (Caulder's involvement in the events which transformed the Doom Patrol, and the Brain, was retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ned decades after the creation of the Doom Patrol and the Brain; originally the incidents were genuine accidents). Setting out to destroy the Chief's 'pets', the Brain, Mallah, and their Brotherhood became enemies of the Patrol. Their criminal activities would also pit them against the Teen Titans.
During Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
's Doom Patrol run, Mallah had the Brain placed in Robotman's new body (Robotman's brain had been removed from it earlier, due to it malfunctioning). In his new body, the Brain confessed to Mallah he was in love with him. When Mallah revealed he felt the same way, the two kissed. However, Robotman's body had developed sentience and vowed never to be enslaved by a brain again; when Mallah placed his lover in the body, he triggered a self-destruct mechanism, which exploded as they kissed.
The two would later resurface (the Brain back to floating in a jar). It is uncertain if the two somehow survived the explosion, or if they were brought back to life by some alteration of reality (in Zero Hour
Zero Hour (comics)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...
, the world was destroyed and recreated with subtle differences, and in Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
, Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime, also known as Superman-Prime, or simply Prime, is a DC Comics superhero turned supervillain, and one of several alternate Supermen. The character first appeared in DC Comics Presents #87 , and was created by Elliot S...
's pounding on the "walls of reality" created ripples which altered reality and caused history to repeat itself for several characters).
The Brotherhood later began raiding genetic research facilities; their plan being to unlock the secrets of cloning in order to create a new body for the Brain, so he and Monsieur Mallah "can finally live happily ever after." The Brain was ultimately able to clone
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
a new body for himself, but after a short while it began to break down, so he had Mallah rip off his head so he could put his brain back into another jar.
In the Salvation Run
Salvation Run
Salvation Run is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie in to the company's major event series Final Crisis in 2008.-Premise:The premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R...
storyline, Brain and Monsieur Mallah appear amongst the villains that were sent to the planet Cygnus 4019. Brain and Monsieur Mallah arrive at Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
's camp, and Monsieur Mallah asks Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. He debuted in Flash v.1 #106 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino....
to speak with him away from the others. Mallah proposes to Grodd that as fellow gorillas, the natural kings of the jungle, they should team up, and through their combined might being able to rule the entire place by themselves. Gorilla Grodd laughs at Monsieur Mallah for considering himself, an "absurd science experiment", comparable to "a proud child of Gorilla City
Gorilla City
Gorilla City is a fictional city in the DC Comics Universe. The city, hidden in the jungles of Africa, is home to a race of super-intelligent gorillas, that gained their powers from a meteorite. The supervillain Gorilla Grodd is also from the city. Gorilla City first appears in The Flash vol...
." Monsieur Mallah strikes Gorilla Grodd and calls him a beast, causing Grodd to fly into a rage and try to kill him. Although Monsieur Mallah also has a gun and shoots Gorilla Grodd several times, Gorilla Grodd still has the upper hand, and is about to kill Monsieur Mallah when Brain interjects, pleading for Monsieur Mallah's life. Thinking better of it, Grodd picks Brain up and beats Mallah to death with Brain smashing Brain's protective hull in the process and killing him as well. Before breathing his last breath, Monsieur Mallah says he dies happy taking solace in that he and Brain will finally be able to be together forever.
Powers and abilities
One of the most formidable villains ever encountered by the Doom Patrol, or even in DC Comics, The Brain is more of a cerebral opponent but all the more dangerous for it. A former polymathPolymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
, The Brain has a genius level IQ which he puts to use as a criminal mastermind and is more than capable of plotting out perfect crime
Perfect crime
Perfect crime is a colloquial term used in law and fiction to characterize crimes that are undetected, unattributed to a perpetrator, or else unsolved as a kind of technical achievement on the part of the perpetrator....
s. The Brain is completely single-minded, and motivated almost entirely towards domination of others, the committing of even more perfect crimes, and ultimate revenge against Niles Caulder.
Adept in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, he is also a master of coercion, deceit and manipulation, being able to persuade almost anybody to do his dirty work for him, even to the point where his agents are under the illusion that they are not actually committing evil or immoral acts. This has however on occasion been hinted to be a result of mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
by the use of telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
on the part of The Brain. It was through these vast cerebral abilities that The Brain was able to unite various villains under his leadership, and form the Brotherhood of Evil
Brotherhood of Evil
The Brotherhood of Evil is a group of DC Comics supervillains, archenemies of the original Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans.-Origins:The Brotherhood of Evil was founded by the engimatic villain the Brain. In the beginning, the group's motivation was world domination...
.
Although others often act as brawn to his brain, most notably his assistant–partner Monsieur Mallah
Monsieur Mallah
Monsieur Mallah is a fictional character, a superintelligent gorilla supervillain in the and the criminal and romantic partner of the Brain. Monsieur Mallah first appeared in Doom Patrol Monsieur Mallah is a fictional character, a superintelligent gorilla supervillain in the and the criminal and...
, The Brain has occasionally used agile robotic bodies to give him mobility. The different contraptions which have been seen to hold his brain were designed by The Brain himself (also a master in biology and robotics) and have proved time and time again to be durable and even nigh-indestructible. On the rare occasion when The Brain has been caught vulnerable without robotic protection or assistance from other villains, he has protected himself by attacking opponents through telekinesis.
Except for the times when he has possessed robot bodies as mentioned above, the Brain is normally portrayed as an ordinary human brain, albeit housed within what could be described as a life-sized chess piece
Chess piece
Chess pieces or chessmen are the pieces deployed on a chessboard to play the game of chess. The pieces vary in abilities, giving them different values in the game...
which contains the equipment required to keep him alive; it is this portrayal that was adapted in the animated versions of the Brain as mentioned in this article. In the original Doom Patrol series, he was regularly portrayed as a disembodied brain, bobbing inside a sealed dome filled with a nutrient bath, hooked up with numerous machines, including a loudspeaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
to convey his voice.
Golden Age
DC Comics previously had another villain named the Brain during the Golden Age of Comics. He was, along with Captain Bigg, Hopper, False-Face and Rattler, one of five small-time villains hired by Black Star to commit a bank robbery. They were all foiled by the Seven Soldiers of VictorySeven Soldiers of Victory
The Seven Soldiers of Victory is a fictional team of comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe...
. However, he was an ordinary criminal who earned his nickname for his cleverness, and was not literally just a brain.
Television
- The Brain appears as the main antagonist in the fifth and final season of the Teen TitansTeen Titans (TV series)Teen Titans is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics characters of the same name. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003, and the final episode "Things Change"...
animated series, voiced by the late Glenn ShadixGlenn ShadixWilliam Glenn Shadix Scott , born William Glenn Shadix, was an American actor, known for his role as Otho Fenlock in Tim Burton's horror/comedy film Beetlejuice and the voice of the Mayor of Halloween Town in The Nightmare Before Christmas.-Early life and education:Shadix was born in Bessemer,...
in a computer-altered Stephen HawkingStephen HawkingStephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
-reminiscent voice. His appearance is very similar to a DalekDalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
, major antagonists in the BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction televisionScience fiction on televisionScience fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, and indeed the producers of Teen Titans mentioned the British show in interviews about Season Five. When interviewed at the unofficial TransformersTransformersA transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
convention TFCon, Derrick J. Wyatt stated that the Brain was a "Total Dalek", claiming that he even talked like one, and the resemblance was intentional. Like Mallah, his sexuality was not mentioned due to the targeted young audience. Considered the leader of the Brotherhood of EvilBrotherhood of EvilThe Brotherhood of Evil is a group of DC Comics supervillains, archenemies of the original Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans.-Origins:The Brotherhood of Evil was founded by the engimatic villain the Brain. In the beginning, the group's motivation was world domination...
, he (like his comic counterpart) is a brainBrainThe brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
preserved in a robotic jar. The Brain seems to do very little during the series, and acts behind the scenes coordinating the villain attacks. When he appears in his secret base, he is frequently seen playing chessChessChess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
with Mallah and comparing it to the game of wits he considers himself to be playing against RobinRobin (comics)Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
. In the rare instances where he himself fights, he appears to possess limited telekinetic and telepathic abilities. He is otherwise defenseless and an easy target several times in the series, not even able to defend against a slap on the back from Beast BoyBeast BoyGarfield Mark "Gar" Logan, known as Beast Boy or Changeling, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics...
. As a result of his defenselessness from a physical standpoint, he relies almost entirely on his evil subordinates to carry out his plans. With himself providing the strategy and intelligence, this reliance proves mostly justified in the episode "Calling All Titans." In this episode, the Brain uses a stolen Teen Titans communicator (Robin'sRobin (comics)Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
, to be precise, who gave it to Madame RougeMadame RougeMadame Rouge is a fictional DC Comics supervillainess. She first appeared in Doom Patrol v.1 #86.-Fictional character biography:Laura De Mille was originally a French stage actress. After an automobile accident, she developed a dual good/evil split personality. At this point, she attracted the...
thinking she was Hotspot) to track down and capture every honorary Teen Titan by sending villains to capture them. In most cases, the Brain is able to provide exactly the evil opponent (or more than one opponent) needed to capture any hero (e.g. overpowering the hero SpeedyRoy Harper (comics)Roy Harper is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was known for over fifty years as Green Arrow's teenage sidekick Speedy. He first appeared alongside his mentor in More Fun Comics #73...
with the villain CheshireCheshire (comics)Cheshire is a DC Comics villain that first appeared in New Teen Titans Annual #2 .-Fictional character biography:Born to a French father and a Vietnamese mother, Jade Nguyen had an unhappy childhood and was sold into slavery...
, who can block all of Speedy's arrows with her superior reflexes, and sending the shape-shifting Madame RougeMadame RougeMadame Rouge is a fictional DC Comics supervillainess. She first appeared in Doom Patrol v.1 #86.-Fictional character biography:Laura De Mille was originally a French stage actress. After an automobile accident, she developed a dual good/evil split personality. At this point, she attracted the...
to capture the physical fighter Robin). However, the Brain's over-reliance on his subordinates also eventually proves to be his undoing due to several key mistakes belying his usual intelligence; he sends the Kardiak monster to capture Beast BoyBeast BoyGarfield Mark "Gar" Logan, known as Beast Boy or Changeling, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics...
, but Beast Boy wins the fight; he sends both Adonis and Atlas to overpower PanthaPanthaPantha is a fictional character, a superhero published by DC Comics. She first appeared in New Titans #73 , and was created by Marv Wolfman and Tom Grummett.-Fictional character biography:...
, but Pantha defeats them both; he sends Johnny Rancid and Cinderblock to capture Mas y MenosMás y MenosMás y Menos are fictional superhero characters, around the age of 12, from the Teen Titans animated television series, affiliated with the Titans East team. They are among the few heroes on the series not to have originated in the comic book. Taken out of context, their names translate to "More"...
, but the two villains only manage to capture Menos, and Mas escapes; he sends Private H.I.V.E. and Fang to take down JerichoJericho (comics)Jericho is a fictional character, originally a superhero who was a member of the Teen Titans in the acclaimed 1980s period of The New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, published by DC Comics...
, but Jericho is victorious; he sends See-More and WarpWarp (comics)Warp is a fictional supervillain in the DC Universe. He first appeared in New Teen Titans vol. 1, #14 .-Fictional character biography:...
to capture HeraldMal DuncanMalcolm "Mal" Arnold Duncan, currently known as Vox , is a fictional character, existing in DC Comics' main shared universe...
, but Herald successfully fights off both of them. The Brain seems unable to adapt to any possible holes in his plan, and this flaw costs him dearly in the very next episode "Titans Together" as the remaining heroes (plus CyborgCyborg (comics)Cyborg is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26...
, StarfireStarfire (comics)Starfire is the name of several fictional comic book characters published by DC Comics. The most prominent Starfire is Koriand'r, the fourth character to use that name...
, and RavenRaven (comics)Raven is a fictional superheroine who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26 , and was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez...
, who while not victorious in their respective ambushes still managed to escape capture) infiltrate his base to free the captured heroes. The Brain, agreeing with Monsieur Mallah that they should retreat while they have the chance, promptly used the fighting between the Titans and remaining criminals as a distraction while he and Mallah attempt to leave the base, but are confronted by the members of Titans West and East (except Mas y Menos, who were working the freezing device at the time). In a last-ditch effort to escape, he detached the skull jar from the rest of his body, simultaneously turning it into a fusion device to blow up his base so he could escape (saying that sometimes the best strategy is to "clear the field"), which he immediately activates. As he gets alarmingly close to leaving the now-ravaged Brotherhood base, the Brain is knocked off the scafford by Beast Boy, which Robin retrieves seconds before the jar smashes onto the ground, and is subsequently flash-frozen by a smirking Beast Boy (who jokes about "brain freeze", to everyone's disgust), finally marking the end of the Brotherhood of Evil.
- Brain appears in the Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode "Journey to the Center of the Bat!" voiced by Dee Bradley BakerDee Bradley BakerDee Bradley Baker is an American voice actor. He is noted as his long-running-role as Klaus Heissler in American Dad! and other various characters including Squilliam Fancyson in the hit TV series SpongeBob SquarePants, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance...
in a French accent. He controls ChemoChemo (comics)Chemo is a fictional supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Showcase #39 Chemo is a fictional supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Showcase #39 Chemo is a fictional supervillain...
and uses him to attack a BialyaBialyaBialya is a fictional country appearing in many comic book series published by DC Comics. It was notably featured in issues of Justice League International as written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis. It originally appeared in Justice League #2 -Fictional history:It has existed as a country since...
n city. After Chemo steals and eats a nuclear missile, Brain makes his demands for the people to surrender. After Chemo was defeated, Batman went to look for Brain and finds him in an offshore submarine. Batman fell on top of Brain, immobilising them both. After the AtomAtom (comics)The Atom is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe.There have been five characters who have shared the Atom codename. The original Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt, was created by Ben Flinton and Bill O'Connor and first appeared in All-American Publications'...
and AquamanAquamanAquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
destroyed the seed cell behind Batman's illness, Brain managed to stand himself up only for Batman to recover and defeat him. Later he appears in a cameo in the episode of "Deep Cover for Batman!" where his good counterpart appears fighting against the Injustice Syndicate. The original Brain later joins OwlmanOwlman (comics)Owlman is the name of several fictional supervillains that appear in comic books published by DC Comics who are the intended reverse counterparts of Batman. Owlman first appeared in Justice League of America #29 , and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky...
and other villains in the following episode, but is defeated in a psychicPsychicA psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
battle against an alternate universe version of Batman, who also had psychic powers. Unlike in his previous Teen Titans appearance, this version of the Brain showed visible emotion, and openly mocked Batman as he attempted to fight him. Besides his psychic powers, he displayed a variety of weapons mounted on extendable robot arms, most of which proved ineffective once Batman was healthy again. In "The Last Patrol!", he was shown with Monsieur Mallah and the other Doom Patrol villains. He and Monsieur Mallah target the Chief, noting his old rivalry with him, only to end up fighting Batman. He and Monsieur Mallah later appear on General ZahlGeneral ZahlGeneral Zahl is a DC Comics villain. He first appeared in Doom Patrol vol. 1 #121.-Biography:General Zahl is a former Nazi U-boat captain who tangled from time to time with the Doom Patrol, originally as "Captain Zahl."...
's ship with the other villains and end up defeated.
- The Brain appears in the Young JusticeYoung Justice (TV series)Young Justice is an American animated television series created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not an adaptation of Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young...
voiced by Nolan NorthNolan NorthNolan Ramsey North is an American actor and voice actor born in New Haven, Connecticut. He has been described as "the nearest thing the games industry has to a bona fide leading man."-Biography:...
in the first appearance and by Corey BurtonCorey BurtonCorey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
in the second appearance. He and Monsieur Mallah were behind a plot to use mind-control collars on India's wildlife, which he had enhanced into enlarged monsters using Kobra Venom. When Captain MarvelCaptain Marvel (DC Comics)Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
was trapped, Brain plotted to Surgically extract Marvel's brain to see what effect "the wisdom of Solomon" had on it. Young Justice managed to find a way into Brain's lair and stop them but Brain and Monsieur Mallah end up getting away. In "Revelation," it is revealed that Brain is L-6 of The LightSecret Society of Super VillainsThe Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
(Project CadmusProject CadmusProject Cadmus is a fictional genetic engineering project in the DC Comics Universe. It was created by Jack Kirby as the DNA Project in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 , and was run by the former Newsboy Legion...
' Board of Directors).
Miscellaneous
- Brain made an appearance in issue #29 and a cameo in the Teen Titans Go!Teen Titans Go!Teen Titans Go! is a comic book series that was published by DC Comics. It is based on the 2003 animated TV series Teen Titans which is itself loosely based on the team that starred in the popular 1980s comic The New Teen Titans. The series was written by J...
comic book series.
- Although he never appeared in Justice LeagueJustice League (TV series)Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics...
himself, a version of the Brain from this continuity appeared in a comic story based on the series, where the League faked an elaborate 'auction' to lure all of their villains into one place. When the Brain realizes what is happening, he attempts to deduce which members of the auction are actually League members in disguise, but his deductions are thwarted by the assumption that Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman were not among the League members (being seemingly frozen in time by ChronosChronos (comics)Chronos is the name of several fictional characters of DC Comics, both supervillains who take their name from the Greek personification of Time and have the ability of time travel and can manipulate history.-David Clinton:...
) when in reality even Chronos's role was faked.