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Brood (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Brood are a race of insectoid
, parasitic
, extraterrestrial beings that appear in the comic book
s published by Marvel Comics
, especially Uncanny X-Men
. Created by writer Chris Claremont
and artist Dave Cockrum
, they first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #155 (March 1982).
The Brood possess wing
s, fang
ed teeth
and a stinging tail. They have a hive
mentality and mindlessly follow a queen
. To reproduce, they must infect other races with their egg
s.
s as well as exoskeleton
s. Also unlike insects, they have fanged jaws instead of mandibles. Their skulls are triangular and flat, with a birthmark (such as the battle axe which is most common in broodlings but are different for each Brood) between their large eyes. Their two front legs are actually long tentacles they can use to manipulate objects.
Due to their natural body armor and teeth, the Brood are very dangerous in combat. In addition, they have stingers that can deliver either paralyzing or killing poison.
They use a hive mind
to pass memory to their hosts, which also passes an individual's knowledge, given to a broodling, to the hive and back to the queen, meaning newborn brood know what any member of a race knows. Until the embryo gains the host's body the embryo can only gain temporary control of the host, often without the host noticing as the host is unaware when it loses control.
If the host possesses any genetic powers, the resultant Brood will inherit them. What happens to the persona of the host once the Brood is "born" is not clear; it appears that it is extinguished, but in some cases if the host's will is strong enough, it survives and coexists with the Brood's.
Some Brood can switch back-and-forth between their host's form and their true one, even changing into a hybrid form if they wish.
The Brood have a civilization based on the typical communal insect societies, such as those of the bees and ants. The Queens are the absolute rulers, while the "sleazoids" do all the work; despite their evil, they never rebel against their Queens, perhaps due to the latter's telepathic abilities. However, the Queens have no allegiance to each other. They also have developed, or stolen, advanced technology.
Their true planet of origin is unknown. They arrived in the Shi'ar
galaxy long ago, and began infesting many worlds, becoming deadly enemies to the Sh'iar. In this galaxy they found certain large space-dwelling creatures that they decided to use as living starship
s. These include the whale-like Acanti
, and the shark-like Starsharks. The Brood use a virus that effectively lobotomizes the creatures, then they use bionics
to control them. The Brood hollow out part of the creatures (by eating them) and use the space created to live in, like termites eating a tree. This eventually kills the living ships, requiring them to capture new ones.
One of the Acanti they captured was of unusual size (its rib cage alone was the size of a mountain range.) They used it as their main base, and, when it died and crashed onto a planet, used it as their main city. The corpse was so large, it took centuries just to rot halfway. However, predators from the planet they landed on infested the area of the dead Acanti's brain, so the Brood avoided it.
.
The Brood, now allied with Deathbird to help her depose her sister Lilandra
as ruler of their empire; as a reward, Deathbird gives Lilandra and the Shi'ar allies the X-Men and the powerless (because Rogue
stole her powers) Carol Danvers
, along with Fang of the Imperial Guard
, to use as hosts. The Brood infect the entire party, except for Danvers, who the aliens perform experiments on because of her half-human/half-Kree
genes. Fortunately, Wolverine's healing ability purge him of his embryo, and he helps his friends escape. Unfortunately, he is unable to save Fang, who becomes a Brood warrior before they leave.
The Brood Queen orders her forces to find them, until she is contacted by the Queen embryo that is implanted in Cyclops
. It explained that the X-Men are returning to Broodworld. Resigned to their dooms, the heroes help the Acanti
race recover the racial Soul, a supernatural force that must be passed from one Acanti leader ("The Prophet-Singer") to the next. The Soul is located in a crystalline part of the dead Acanti Prophet-Singer's brain.
The Queen herself goes with her minions to that area, and battles the X-Men until they become more Brood warriors. The Prophet-Singer Soul is almost infected by the evil of the aliens, and Wolverine tries to mercy-kill his friends and the Queen but they are saved when Danvers, now a mighty being called Binary due to the experimentations, arrives and releases the Soul. Before it goes to its next host, the soulforce cures the X-Men and Lilandra, and turns the Queen into a crystal statue. It also causes the Broodworld to explode, but the X-Men and their allies, including Lockheed, escape alive. Some of the Brood also manage to escape before the planet explodes. The new Prophet-Singer then leads the Acanti to safety in deep space.
A Brood-filled star-shark later crashes on Earth, leading to the infection of several nearby humans by the Brood. One of the victims is allowed to live as a human assistant, but when he leads the aliens to some mutants, the Brood infect him and the mutants as well. This is the first Earth-based confrontation with the Brood and it is revealed that the Brood can morph into the host's form, or a hybrid of the two forms. In the course of the battle, an Earth woman named Hannah Connover is infected with a queen, though this problem would develop in the future.
Another branch of the Brood manage to land on Earth and infect more mutants
, along with the Louisiana Thieves' Guild of which X-Man Gambit
belongs to. The X-Men kill most of the infected people. Fortunately they, along with Ghost Rider, manage to rescue many of the Brood's other uninfected prisoners, only to have the "Spirit of Vengeance" become infected himself. Ghost Rider's supernatural aspect eliminated the infection and he and the X-Men saved New Orleans.
Hannah Connover, previously infected with a Queen, soon begins to demonstrate attributes of Brood. She uses her new-found "healing" powers to become a faith healer
and cure many people with her reverend husband, but secretly her Brood nature causes her to infect many people with embryos. Across the Galaxy, on the "true" Brood Homeworld, the Brood Empress sends her "firstborn" Imperial Assassins to kill Hannah for going against the Empress's wishes. Unable to stop future waves of Assassins from coming, team member Iceman
freezes her solid, putting her in suspended animation
and causing the current firstborn to kill themselves, as in thei minds the mission was accomplished. Connover is assumed to still be in suspended animation with her Queen host in the custody of the X-Men.
During the Contest of Champions II
, the Brood abduct several heroes and pose as a benevolent species willing to give the heroes access to advanced technology after competing against each other in a series of contests. However, in reality, the Brood intend to use Rogue
, infested with a Brood Queen, to absorb the powers of the contest winners and become unstoppable. Fortunately, Iron Man
realizes that the Brood are drugging food to amplify aggression- relying on his armor's own life-support systems to prevent him succumbing to the 'infection'- and is able to uncover the plot.
Although the Queen had already absorbed the powers and skills of the various contest winners- in the form of Captain America
, Thor
, the Hulk
, Spider-Man
, Jean Grey
and the Scarlet Witch
-, the remaining heroes managed to defeat her. The Brood Queen was extracted from Rogue with the aid of Carol Danvers, who forced the Brood Queen to flee by threatening to kill Rogue. After confirming that Rogue was cured thanks to her old link to Carol from absorbing her powers, the heroes returned home.
The Brood return to Earth in the Ms. Marvel series and battle Carol Danvers
, who as Binary played a key role in their earlier defeat. Strangely enough, none of the Brood present recognize who she is, possibly because of her apparent inability to fully access her cosmic powers, which also change her physical appearance. The Brood are also stalked and summarily exterminated by the alien hunter called Cru, with whom Ms. Marvel also came into violent contact.
During the invasion of Annihilus
and his Annihilation Wave, the Brood were almost decimated and the species is now on the brink of extinction. Some Brood appear in the arena of planet Saakar in the Planet Hulk
storyline of The Incredible Hulk, one of them even becoming a main character. A Brood referred to as "No-Name
", who becomes a genetic queen because their race is becoming rarer, becomes the lover of insect king Miek and also appears in World War Hulk
. When it is discovered that Miek was the one who let the shuttle that brought Hulk to Sakaar explode, "No-Name" and Hulk attack Miek. Near the end of the War the "Earth Hive", the shared consciousness of every insect on Earth, use Humbug
as a Trojan Horse
to deal a crippling blow to No-Name, rendering her infertile and poisoning the last generation of hivelings, growing in Humbug's body. No-Name is a rarity among the Brood, as she learned to feel compassion for other living beings.
The Brood reappeared once again in the pages of Astonishing X-Men
, however these Brood are revealed to be actually genetically-hybrids created by a geneticist known only as Kaga who started growing and redesigning them with missing data about post M-Day work on Henry McCoy's research computers.
In the 2011 "Meanwhile" storyline Astonishing X-Men, S.W.O.R.D.
scientists successfully find a way to remove a Brood embryo from a human host, but not before the Brood they are studying escape and attack, prompting a botched rescue mission led by Abigail Brand
and another rescue mission led by the X-Men.
Given the chance to lower the Brood's numbers further, they discovered that the Annihilation
event had caused the interstellar ecosystem to destabilize, since the Brood, dangerous as they are, served as natural predators for even worse species. These specied are now breeding out of control and present a greater threat than the Brood ever did. With no other choice, the X-Men act to prevent the Brood extinction. According to Bishop
, there would be a race of benevolent Brood in the future, prompting the X-Men to willingly serve as Brood hosts, so that they could indoctrinate them with the same compassion felt by No-Name
. After being connected with the hive-mind, the X-Men learned of a nearby Brood who was born with ability to feel compassion, making him the Brood equivalent of a mutant. While such Brood are typically destroyed upon birth, this one was permitted to live, given the Brood's dwindling numbers. After rescuing the Brood mutant and defeating the Brood in battle and allowing them to escape, the X-Men had their Brood embryos removed, to be raised aboard The Peak, with the Brood mutant acting as their mentor.
there are benign factions of Brood in the future. It is speculated that these "good" Brood are originated from Hannah Connover.
timeline, without the X-Men to aid them, part of the Shi'ar Imperium was consumed by the Brood, who infected its populace with Brood implants, including the still-captive Christopher Summers
. Escaping to Earth, Summers fought to control his Brood implant, but was captured by Mister Sinister
. Sinister turned him over to the Dark Beast
, who would then proceeded to experiment upon him for years. Summers eventually escaped, and began infecting other humans (Including the AoA version of Joseph "Robbie" Robertson, as well as friends of Misty Knight
and Colleen Wing
). Ultimately Corsair was killed by his son Cyclops after he transformed into a Brood Queen and almost killed Alex, the Summers brothers cremating their father (And thus indirectly depriving Sinister of the chance to carry out further tests on Brood DNA).
, the Brood is combined with Brother Blood
to form Brother Brood, and with the Cult of Blood to form the Cult of Brood. The Brood appear alongside Brother Brood, but are presented as supernatural rather than extraterrestrial.
. The Brood are later revealed to be creatures native to the mindscape, where the Shadow King
dwells.
, taking place in a possible future, the Brood hatch a plan with Lilandra
(possessed by Cassandra Nova
). Nova plans to solidify her rule over Shi'ar
space by smuggling an other-dimensional pure-Brood queen from an alternate universe. This realm is one where the X-Men failed to ever fight the Brood, they are described as 'pure'. This Brood Queen is implanted in Lilandra's sister, Deathbird.
and apparently invading Warworld
as the two universes begin to come together.
Insectoid
Insectoid denotes any creature or object that shares a similar body or traits with common earth insects and arachnids. The term is a combination of "insect" and "-oid" . Compare "humanoid"....
, parasitic
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
, extraterrestrial beings that appear in the comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, especially Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
. Created by writer Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and artist Dave Cockrum
Dave Cockrum
David Emmett Cockrum was an American comic book artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus...
, they first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #155 (March 1982).
The Brood possess wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
s, fang
Fang
Fang is a mammal's canine tooth.Fang may also refer to:* A snake's poison-injecting tooth: see snake venom* Fang people, in Central Africa* Fang language, spoken by Fang people...
ed teeth
Tooth
Teeth are small, calcified, whitish structures found in the jaws of many vertebrates that are used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or for defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are embedded in the Mandible bone or the Maxillary bone and are...
and a stinging tail. They have a hive
Beehive
A beehive is a structure in which bees live and raise their young.Beehive may also refer to:Buildings and locations:* Bee Hive, Alabama, a neighborhood in Alabama* Beehive , a wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings...
mentality and mindlessly follow a queen
Eusociality
Eusociality is a term used for the highest level of social organization in a hierarchical classification....
. To reproduce, they must infect other races with their egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s.
Physical characteristics
Despite their resemblance to insects, the Brood have endoskeletonEndoskeleton
An endoskeleton is an internal support structure of an animal, composed of mineralized tissue. Endoskeleton develops within the skin or in the deeper body tissues. The vertebrate is basically an endoskeleton made up of two types of tissues . During early embryonic development the endoskeleton is...
s as well as exoskeleton
Exoskeleton
An exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...
s. Also unlike insects, they have fanged jaws instead of mandibles. Their skulls are triangular and flat, with a birthmark (such as the battle axe which is most common in broodlings but are different for each Brood) between their large eyes. Their two front legs are actually long tentacles they can use to manipulate objects.
Due to their natural body armor and teeth, the Brood are very dangerous in combat. In addition, they have stingers that can deliver either paralyzing or killing poison.
Reproduction
The parasitic Brood have the ability to impregnate a host (of any lifeform) with an egg, making them somewhat similar to Aliens from the Fox franchise. When the embryo is grown, the host becomes a Brood, and is effectively dead.They use a hive mind
Group mind (science fiction)
A group mind, hive mind or group ego in science fiction is a single consciousness occupying many bodies. Its use in literature goes back at least as far as Olaf Stapledon's science fiction novel Last and First Men ....
to pass memory to their hosts, which also passes an individual's knowledge, given to a broodling, to the hive and back to the queen, meaning newborn brood know what any member of a race knows. Until the embryo gains the host's body the embryo can only gain temporary control of the host, often without the host noticing as the host is unaware when it loses control.
If the host possesses any genetic powers, the resultant Brood will inherit them. What happens to the persona of the host once the Brood is "born" is not clear; it appears that it is extinguished, but in some cases if the host's will is strong enough, it survives and coexists with the Brood's.
Some Brood can switch back-and-forth between their host's form and their true one, even changing into a hybrid form if they wish.
Civilization
The Brood are sadistic creatures that enjoy the suffering they intentionally cause others, especially the terror their infection causes their hosts. They have been compared to "demons".The Brood have a civilization based on the typical communal insect societies, such as those of the bees and ants. The Queens are the absolute rulers, while the "sleazoids" do all the work; despite their evil, they never rebel against their Queens, perhaps due to the latter's telepathic abilities. However, the Queens have no allegiance to each other. They also have developed, or stolen, advanced technology.
Their true planet of origin is unknown. They arrived in the Shi'ar
Shi'ar
The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...
galaxy long ago, and began infesting many worlds, becoming deadly enemies to the Sh'iar. In this galaxy they found certain large space-dwelling creatures that they decided to use as living starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
s. These include the whale-like Acanti
Acanti
The Acanti are a race of fictional whale-like, extraterrestrial beings that have appeared in Uncanny X-Men within the Marvel Comics universe. They were created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum. Many of them were enslaved by the Brood empire.-Physical characteristics:The Acanti...
, and the shark-like Starsharks. The Brood use a virus that effectively lobotomizes the creatures, then they use bionics
Bionics
Bionics is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.The word bionic was coined by Jack E...
to control them. The Brood hollow out part of the creatures (by eating them) and use the space created to live in, like termites eating a tree. This eventually kills the living ships, requiring them to capture new ones.
One of the Acanti they captured was of unusual size (its rib cage alone was the size of a mountain range.) They used it as their main base, and, when it died and crashed onto a planet, used it as their main city. The corpse was so large, it took centuries just to rot halfway. However, predators from the planet they landed on infested the area of the dead Acanti's brain, so the Brood avoided it.
Types
There are several types of Brood.- Broodlings - brown, nearly the size of a human, and have transparent wings. Broodlings have flexible abdomens that they need to coil most of the time. They have an image on their forehead crest, though no meaning is known from symbol to symbol. These are nicknamed "sleazoids" by Kitty PrydeKitty PrydeKatherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 and was created by writer-artist John Byrne....
. Most infected hosts become Broodlings. Broodlings are only created by infecting another host with an embryo. - Firstborn - "pure" Brood, they are born directly from hatched eggs and subservient to their mother, the Empress, only. They are green, black, and red in color, and are roughly the size of a human, but smaller than a queen.
- Brood Queens - Looking like the Broodlings but slightly larger than humans the Queens are much rarer and infect hosts for the Brood Hive. Queens fulfill the mental command of an Empress, a unique alien who houses the hive mind. Queens can communicate with their spawn by telepathyTelepathyTelepathy , 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...
, even across interstellarInterstellar mediumIn astronomy, the interstellar medium is the matter that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, dust, and cosmic rays. It fills interstellar space and blends smoothly into the surrounding intergalactic space...
distances. - Empress - The Empress, who houses the Brood's hive mind, is green with minor black and red colors. There is only one Empress at a time, and she is massive.
Encounters with the X-Men and other Marvel heroes
The first Marvel hero to encounter the Brood was the Kree warrior Mar-Vell, who is ordered to make contact with the stranded Grand Admiral Devros on an unnamed planet in the Absolom Sector, a region known to be infested with Brood. Mar-Vell's team, which includes the medic Una and the inflammatory Colonel Yon-Rogg, is ambushed by Brood warriors after landing on the planet and taken prisoner by the Brood-infected Devros. The colony's Brood Queen impregnates each captive with Brood, but Mar-Vell and Una manage to escape, destroy both leaders of the Brood colony, and rid themselves of their infections thanks to Una's modified omni-wave projector which is designed to eliminate Brood embryos. After rescuing Colonel Yon-Rogg, the trio escape the planet and are rescued by the Shi'ar royal DeathbirdDeathbird
Deathbird is a fictional character. She is a Marvel Comics supervillainess, an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, she first appeared in Ms. Marvel #9....
.
The Brood, now allied with Deathbird to help her depose her sister Lilandra
Lilandra Neramani
Lilandra Neramani is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. She is the Empress of the Shi'ar Empire and shares a lifelong bond with the leader of the X-Men, Charles Xavier. She and Xavier were married but their marriage was annulled after the Cassandra Nova incident. She first...
as ruler of their empire; as a reward, Deathbird gives Lilandra and the Shi'ar allies the X-Men and the powerless (because Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
stole her powers) Carol Danvers
Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel is the name of a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gene Colan, the non-powered Carol Danvers debuted as a member of the United States Air Force in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 and as Ms. Marvel—a...
, along with Fang of the Imperial Guard
Imperial Guard (comics)
The Imperial Guard is a team of fictional super-powered alien warriors in the Marvel Comics universe. The Imperial Guard serves the rulers of the Shi'ar Empire, both by enforcing Shi'ar Imperial law on all planets within the Shi'ar Galaxy and as the Emperor or Empress's personal guard...
, to use as hosts. The Brood infect the entire party, except for Danvers, who the aliens perform experiments on because of her half-human/half-Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
genes. Fortunately, Wolverine's healing ability purge him of his embryo, and he helps his friends escape. Unfortunately, he is unable to save Fang, who becomes a Brood warrior before they leave.
The Brood Queen orders her forces to find them, until she is contacted by the Queen embryo that is implanted in Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
. It explained that the X-Men are returning to Broodworld. Resigned to their dooms, the heroes help the Acanti
Acanti
The Acanti are a race of fictional whale-like, extraterrestrial beings that have appeared in Uncanny X-Men within the Marvel Comics universe. They were created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum. Many of them were enslaved by the Brood empire.-Physical characteristics:The Acanti...
race recover the racial Soul, a supernatural force that must be passed from one Acanti leader ("The Prophet-Singer") to the next. The Soul is located in a crystalline part of the dead Acanti Prophet-Singer's brain.
The Queen herself goes with her minions to that area, and battles the X-Men until they become more Brood warriors. The Prophet-Singer Soul is almost infected by the evil of the aliens, and Wolverine tries to mercy-kill his friends and the Queen but they are saved when Danvers, now a mighty being called Binary due to the experimentations, arrives and releases the Soul. Before it goes to its next host, the soulforce cures the X-Men and Lilandra, and turns the Queen into a crystal statue. It also causes the Broodworld to explode, but the X-Men and their allies, including Lockheed, escape alive. Some of the Brood also manage to escape before the planet explodes. The new Prophet-Singer then leads the Acanti to safety in deep space.
A Brood-filled star-shark later crashes on Earth, leading to the infection of several nearby humans by the Brood. One of the victims is allowed to live as a human assistant, but when he leads the aliens to some mutants, the Brood infect him and the mutants as well. This is the first Earth-based confrontation with the Brood and it is revealed that the Brood can morph into the host's form, or a hybrid of the two forms. In the course of the battle, an Earth woman named Hannah Connover is infected with a queen, though this problem would develop in the future.
Another branch of the Brood manage to land on Earth and infect more mutants
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
, along with the Louisiana Thieves' Guild of which X-Man Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
belongs to. The X-Men kill most of the infected people. Fortunately they, along with Ghost Rider, manage to rescue many of the Brood's other uninfected prisoners, only to have the "Spirit of Vengeance" become infected himself. Ghost Rider's supernatural aspect eliminated the infection and he and the X-Men saved New Orleans.
Hannah Connover, previously infected with a Queen, soon begins to demonstrate attributes of Brood. She uses her new-found "healing" powers to become a faith healer
Faith healing
Faith healing is healing through spiritual means. The healing of a person is brought about by religious faith through prayer and/or rituals that, according to adherents, stimulate a divine presence and power toward correcting disease and disability. Belief in divine intervention in illness or...
and cure many people with her reverend husband, but secretly her Brood nature causes her to infect many people with embryos. Across the Galaxy, on the "true" Brood Homeworld, the Brood Empress sends her "firstborn" Imperial Assassins to kill Hannah for going against the Empress's wishes. Unable to stop future waves of Assassins from coming, team member Iceman
Iceman (comics)
Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....
freezes her solid, putting her in suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
and causing the current firstborn to kill themselves, as in thei minds the mission was accomplished. Connover is assumed to still be in suspended animation with her Queen host in the custody of the X-Men.
During the Contest of Champions II
Contest of Champions II
- Publication history :Contest of Champions II is a five-issue comic book limited series published from September to November 1999 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Chris Claremont and pencilled by Oscar Jimenez and Michael Ryan...
, the Brood abduct several heroes and pose as a benevolent species willing to give the heroes access to advanced technology after competing against each other in a series of contests. However, in reality, the Brood intend to use Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
, infested with a Brood Queen, to absorb the powers of the contest winners and become unstoppable. Fortunately, Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
realizes that the Brood are drugging food to amplify aggression- relying on his armor's own life-support systems to prevent him succumbing to the 'infection'- and is able to uncover the plot.
Although the Queen had already absorbed the powers and skills of the various contest winners- in the form of Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
, the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
, Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
and the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
-, the remaining heroes managed to defeat her. The Brood Queen was extracted from Rogue with the aid of Carol Danvers, who forced the Brood Queen to flee by threatening to kill Rogue. After confirming that Rogue was cured thanks to her old link to Carol from absorbing her powers, the heroes returned home.
The Brood return to Earth in the Ms. Marvel series and battle Carol Danvers
Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel is the name of a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gene Colan, the non-powered Carol Danvers debuted as a member of the United States Air Force in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 and as Ms. Marvel—a...
, who as Binary played a key role in their earlier defeat. Strangely enough, none of the Brood present recognize who she is, possibly because of her apparent inability to fully access her cosmic powers, which also change her physical appearance. The Brood are also stalked and summarily exterminated by the alien hunter called Cru, with whom Ms. Marvel also came into violent contact.
During the invasion of Annihilus
Annihilus
Annihilus is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. In 2009, Annihilus was ranked as IGN's 94th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.-Publication history:...
and his Annihilation Wave, the Brood were almost decimated and the species is now on the brink of extinction. Some Brood appear in the arena of planet Saakar in the Planet Hulk
Planet Hulk
"Planet Hulk" is a Marvel Comics storyline that ran primarily through issues of The Incredible Hulk started in 2006. It dealt primarily with the Marvel heroes' decision to send the Hulk away, his acclimation to and conquest of the planet where he landed, and his efforts to return to Earth to take...
storyline of The Incredible Hulk, one of them even becoming a main character. A Brood referred to as "No-Name
No-Name
No-Name of the Brood is a fictional character in the . She is a Sleazoid Brood Queen who first appeared as a main character in the Planet Hulk storyline of The Incredible Hulk-Fictional character history:...
", who becomes a genetic queen because their race is becoming rarer, becomes the lover of insect king Miek and also appears in World War Hulk
World War Hulk
"World War Hulk" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self titled limited series and various other titles published by Marvel Comics in 2007, featuring the Hulk....
. When it is discovered that Miek was the one who let the shuttle that brought Hulk to Sakaar explode, "No-Name" and Hulk attack Miek. Near the end of the War the "Earth Hive", the shared consciousness of every insect on Earth, use Humbug
Humbug (comics)
Buck Mitty, known as Humbug, is a fictional character that appeared in the Marvel Comics universe. Humbug was originally a super-villain but later became a super-hero and a member of the Heroes for Hire.-Fictional character biography:...
as a Trojan Horse
Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict. In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside...
to deal a crippling blow to No-Name, rendering her infertile and poisoning the last generation of hivelings, growing in Humbug's body. No-Name is a rarity among the Brood, as she learned to feel compassion for other living beings.
The Brood reappeared once again in the pages of Astonishing X-Men
Astonishing X-Men
Astonishing X-Men is the name of three X-Men comic book series from Marvel Comics, the first two of which were limited series. The ongoing series began in 2004, with its first run written by Joss Whedon and art by John Cassaday. It was then written by Warren Ellis with art by Phil Jimenez. Daniel...
, however these Brood are revealed to be actually genetically-hybrids created by a geneticist known only as Kaga who started growing and redesigning them with missing data about post M-Day work on Henry McCoy's research computers.
In the 2011 "Meanwhile" storyline Astonishing X-Men, S.W.O.R.D.
S.W.O.R.D. (comics)
S.W.O.R.D. is a fictional counterterrorism and intelligence agency in the . Its purpose is to deal with extraterrestrial threats to world security.-Publication history:...
scientists successfully find a way to remove a Brood embryo from a human host, but not before the Brood they are studying escape and attack, prompting a botched rescue mission led by Abigail Brand
Abigail Brand
Special Agent Abigail Brand is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics' universe. Her first appearance was a cameo in Astonishing X-Men #3 , and she was introduced fully in Astonishing X-Men #6 . She was created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday.-Origin:Abigail Brand is the commanding officer of...
and another rescue mission led by the X-Men.
Given the chance to lower the Brood's numbers further, they discovered that the Annihilation
Annihilation (comics)
"Annihilation" was a 2006 crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics, highlighting several outer space-related characters in the Marvel Universe. The central miniseries was written by Keith Giffen, with editor Andy Schmidt.-Publication History:...
event had caused the interstellar ecosystem to destabilize, since the Brood, dangerous as they are, served as natural predators for even worse species. These specied are now breeding out of control and present a greater threat than the Brood ever did. With no other choice, the X-Men act to prevent the Brood extinction. According to Bishop
Bishop (comics)
Bishop is a fictional comic book superhero, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books...
, there would be a race of benevolent Brood in the future, prompting the X-Men to willingly serve as Brood hosts, so that they could indoctrinate them with the same compassion felt by No-Name
No-Name
No-Name of the Brood is a fictional character in the . She is a Sleazoid Brood Queen who first appeared as a main character in the Planet Hulk storyline of The Incredible Hulk-Fictional character history:...
. After being connected with the hive-mind, the X-Men learned of a nearby Brood who was born with ability to feel compassion, making him the Brood equivalent of a mutant. While such Brood are typically destroyed upon birth, this one was permitted to live, given the Brood's dwindling numbers. After rescuing the Brood mutant and defeating the Brood in battle and allowing them to escape, the X-Men had their Brood embryos removed, to be raised aboard The Peak, with the Brood mutant acting as their mentor.
Bishop's timeline
According to the time-traveling X-Man BishopBishop (comics)
Bishop is a fictional comic book superhero, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books...
there are benign factions of Brood in the future. It is speculated that these "good" Brood are originated from Hannah Connover.
Age of Apocalypse
In the Age of ApocalypseAge of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
timeline, without the X-Men to aid them, part of the Shi'ar Imperium was consumed by the Brood, who infected its populace with Brood implants, including the still-captive Christopher Summers
Corsair (comics)
Corsair is a fictional character, a star-faring hero in the Marvel Comics universe. He leads the space-faring team the Starjammers and was best known as the father of X-Men superheroes Cyclops, Havok, and Vulcan...
. Escaping to Earth, Summers fought to control his Brood implant, but was captured by Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #221 and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri....
. Sinister turned him over to the Dark Beast
Dark Beast
Dark Beast , sometimes known as the Black Beast, is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an alternate reality evil version of the X-Men’s Beast...
, who would then proceeded to experiment upon him for years. Summers eventually escaped, and began infecting other humans (Including the AoA version of Joseph "Robbie" Robertson, as well as friends of Misty Knight
Misty Knight
Misty Knight is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. She was first mentioned in Marvel Premiere #20 and appeared in the next issue. She normally appears with Colleen Wing.-Publication history:...
and Colleen Wing
Colleen Wing
Colleen Wing is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Colleen Wing first appeared in Marvel Premiere #19 , and was created by Doug Moench and Larry Hama.-Fictional character biography:...
). Ultimately Corsair was killed by his son Cyclops after he transformed into a Brood Queen and almost killed Alex, the Summers brothers cremating their father (And thus indirectly depriving Sinister of the chance to carry out further tests on Brood DNA).
Amalgam Comics
In Amalgam ComicsAmalgam Comics
Amalgam Comics was a publishing imprint shared by DC Comics and Marvel Comics, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters into new ones . These characters first appeared in a series of twelve comic books which were published in 1996, between issues 3 and 4 of the Marvel vs...
, the Brood is combined with Brother Blood
Brother Blood
Brother Blood is the name of two fictional comic book characters in the DC Universe. The first Brother Blood debuted in New Teen Titans vol. 1 #21 , and was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.-First Blood:...
to form Brother Brood, and with the Cult of Blood to form the Cult of Brood. The Brood appear alongside Brother Brood, but are presented as supernatural rather than extraterrestrial.
Ultimate Marvel
The Brood appeared as a Danger Room training exercise during the Tempest arc of Ultimate X-MenUltimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
. The Brood are later revealed to be creatures native to the mindscape, where the Shadow King
Shadow King
The Shadow King, also known as Amahl Farouk, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shadow King exists as an entity of pure psychic energy that feeds on the hatred of humanity...
dwells.
X-Men: The End
In X-Men: The EndX-Men: The End
X-Men: The End is a 2004-2006 trilogy of miniseries detailing the last days of the X-Men and their adventures in a noncanon future, part of their The End series...
, taking place in a possible future, the Brood hatch a plan with Lilandra
Lilandra Neramani
Lilandra Neramani is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. She is the Empress of the Shi'ar Empire and shares a lifelong bond with the leader of the X-Men, Charles Xavier. She and Xavier were married but their marriage was annulled after the Cassandra Nova incident. She first...
(possessed by Cassandra Nova
Cassandra Nova
Cassandra Nova is a fictional enemy of the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, Cassandra first appeared in New X-Men #114 . Cassandra is a "mummudrai," a parasitic life form born bodiless on the astral plane...
). Nova plans to solidify her rule over Shi'ar
Shi'ar
The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...
space by smuggling an other-dimensional pure-Brood queen from an alternate universe. This realm is one where the X-Men failed to ever fight the Brood, they are described as 'pure'. This Brood Queen is implanted in Lilandra's sister, Deathbird.
JLA/Avengers
The Brood have a brief cameo scene, where they are seen attacking MongulMongul
Mongul is the name of two fictional characters that appear in comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the character debuted in DC Comics Presents #27 and was created by writer Len Wein and artist Jim Starlin. The second version first appears in Showcase '95 #85 and was created by...
and apparently invading Warworld
Warworld
Warworld is a fictional artificial planet published in several stories by DC Comics, most of which feature Superman. It first appeared in DC Comics Presents #27 , and was created by Len Wein and Jim Starlin.-History:...
as the two universes begin to come together.
Television
- A heavily altered version of the Brood (called The Family) appears in the X-MenX-Men (TV series)X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
animated series episode "Love in Vain". The Family is formed by insectoid aliens that spread by infecting other beings with spores. Classic Brood appear in the episode "Mojovision", as generic aliens that fight Beast and Rogue in one of MojoMojo (comics)Mojo is a Marvel Comics supervillain, primarily an enemy of the X-Men and one of its members, Longshot. Mojo is one of the "Spineless Ones," an alien race that is immobile without advanced technology. He is a slaver who rules the Mojoverse, a dimension where all beings are addicted to his...
's shows as well as the Japanese intro for the X-Men Series. A classic Brood Queen also appears in the episode "Cold Comfort" as an illusion projected by Professor X to scare away the soldiers attacking Iceman.
Video games
- The title of one of the tracks in X-Men 2: Clone WarsX-Men 2: Clone WarsX-Men 2: Clone Wars is the title of a video game released in 1995 by Sega of America for the Mega Drive/Genesis. The game is a sequel to its 1993 side-scrolling video game titled X-Men. Oddly enough, the European release of the game reused the same cover art of X-Men 2: Game Master's Legacy for the...
is "The Brood Queen & Her Claws", and phalanx clones are enemies in the later levels. - In X-Men: Mutant ApocalypseX-Men: Mutant ApocalypseX-Men: Mutant Apocalypse is a 1994 side-scrolling action video game released by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The video game is based on the X-Men comic book franchise and is based on the early 1990s X-Men animated series....
, a Super NESSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
game, the Brood and the Brood Queen are enemies characters. - In X-Men Legends II: Rise of ApocalypseX-Men Legends II: Rise of ApocalypseX-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is an action role-playing game released in 2005 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, N-Gage, PlayStation Portable, and GameCube video game consoles as well as the PC...
, the Cerci are a race of insect enemies which are based on the Brood from the comics; they are referred to as such in the game's viewable concept art, and one type of Cerci is called a "Brood Queen". However, while the Brood are highly intelligent aliens, the Cerci are genetically engineered creatures with animal-like intelligence. As you fight the Cerci, some have a name with "Brood" in the title, as well.
Collectibles
- One of the Marvel Milestone statues features Marc SilvestriMarc SilvestriMarc Silvestri is an American comic book artist, creator and publisher. He currently acts as the CEO for Top Cow Productions.-Early life:Marc Silvestri was born in Palm Beach, Florida.-Career:...
's famous Brood-infected Wolverine cover for Uncanny X-Men #234. - Brood Queen is one of the "build a figure" toys in the Marvel LegendsMarvel LegendsMarvel Legends is an action figure line based on the characters of Marvel Comics, initially produced by Toy Biz, then by Hasbro. This line is in the scale, with spin-off lines in the , , and scale.-History:...
series.
See also
- Brother Brood
- TyranidsTyranidsThe Tyranids are a fictional race from the Warhammer 40000 tabletop game and its spin-off media. They are known to the Imperium generally as Tyranids, because Tyran is the first known planet they devoured and where they were first encountered...
- Alien (Alien franchise)
- Zerg
External links
- The Brood at Marvel.com
- The Brood at UncannyXmen.net