Cerebro (Marvel)
Cerebro is a device that features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
History
Origin
Following his encounter with Lucifer, Xavier decided that meeting entities such as him and Faroukh made him realise that he needed a means to detect more Mutants. Whilst in India, he stayed with Amelia Voght as the two had entered into a romantic relationship where he was developing plans for a machine that was Cerebro. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #309)
Professor X later showed Cerebro to Cyclops as Xavier intended for Summers to be the leader of the X-Men. Scott later used it to detect the activity of the Blob who wanted revenge on them. (X-Men v1 #7)
The Founder
Due to machinations of Bastion, Cerebro became infected with the nanotechnology from Operation: Zero Tolerance. This caused the computer system to gain sentience and operate independently where it pursued its own agenda as Cerebro Prime. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #363)
After escaping from Bastion's headquarters, in his nanotechnological body, and, following his original programming, attempted to reach the goal that Professor Xavier had designed him for: find, catalog, and register mutants. Before anything else, Cerebro had to stop the virus running trough its circuits. In order to do that, Cerebro adopted Professor Xavier's shape, calling himself "the Founder", and created nanotechnology X-Men, based on Prof. Xavier's files. These "X-Men" kidnapped Shadowcat and asked her to erase the virus. The Founder told Shadowcat he was dying of a computer virus given to him by Bastion and asked her to reconfigure a computer system to help him. Shadowcat, believing that it was her teacher who was asking, did and then he ordered his "X-Men" to place her in cryogenic storage, so her DNA would be preserved for future study. After being freed from the virus, the Founder and his team tried to destroy a mutant locating satellite, as once the satellite was launched, Cerebro wouldn't be able to collect mutants before humans found them. After the true X-Men defeated him and prevented the destruction of the satellite, the Founder removed its Xavier-like shape and revealed his nontech body.
After reabsorbing his 'X-Men', Cerebro tried to locate Professor Xavier, but found two similar brainwave patterns at the same time. In order to find them, he created two extensions of him, called 'mini-cerebros', which he sent to San Francisco and Siberia. At that time, the X-Men were also looking for their mentor and divided in two groups, following the mini-cerebros. The first group ended in San Francisco's old Alcatraz, finding the real Professor Xavier, but also the second version of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the mini-cerebro. While the other team in Siberia met Nina and Dr. Renee Majcomb. Nina had put her psi over Professor Xavier's and this caused the mini-cerebro to become confused with the true X-Men's mentor. Both extensions of Cerebro reached their goals and the X-Men were able to advice their partners, who traveled all together to Cerebro's headquarter in Florida, where they were beaten. Finally, Professor Xavier joined forces with Nina and together they managed to access Cerebro's nanotechnology mind, dispersing his conscience all over the world. At the same time, the nanites that Cerebro was planning to use to control all humans were destroyed and, finally, Cerebro "died" in his creator's arms.
Cerebra
Following the Decimation, Exodus looked to find potential Mutants around the world and take them to safety to a new Genosha. For this, he assembled a team of Acolytes where they attacked the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier with Exodus using his powers along with stolen knowledge from Cable to construct a Cerebro scanner capable of finding potential Mutants before their powers manifested. However, upon using it, he learnt that the X-Gene had been altered globally thus preventing the birth of new Mutants meaning the current generation were the last of Homo superior. (X-Men Annual v3 #1)
Professor X was making use of Cerebra to check the number of Mutants in the world with their population dwindling in the wake of the Decimation. It was then that he was overwhelmed with a powerful signature as the first new Mutant which blew Cerebra's systems with the source coming from Cooperstown, Alaska. He then had a team of X-Men dispatched in order to find he child as the newborn offered salvation for the Mutant race which had been heading towards extinction. (X-Men: Messiah Complex v1 #1)
In order to find Mutants, Forge installed Cerebra into the body of a Sentinel that demonstrated sapience and capacity to communicate. (Extraordinary X-Men v1 #2) Storm gave the young Jean Grey a mini-Cerebro Forge had created in order to contact the X-Men at their new sanctuary of X-Haven after they retreated from the world due to the Terrigen Mists. (Extraordinary X-Men v1 #1)
During the battle with Emma Frost, Cerebra's Sentinel body was destroyed during the battle against their foes Inhuman-hunting Sentinels. In the last second, Cerebra cast its A.I. to the closest network it could find with this being one of Frost's Sentinels that returned to its factory site. Cerebra then later sent a signal to the X-Men to retrieve it whereupon it transferred its programming to the robotic body being used by No-Girl. (Extraordinary X-Men v1 #20)
After Jean Grey's resurrection, she along with a team of X-Men established a refuge for Mutants underwater in X-Lantis with a new Cerebro unit being made for them. This one was used by Jean to find Mutants in distress and take them to safety. Through it, she came to learn that the new menace against them was the returned Cassandra Nova. (X-Men: Red v1 #6)
Version 7.0.
Following the establishment of Krakoa, the living island came to be the home nation of the Mutant race. As part of this, a new version of Cerebro designated version 7.0 was developed to operate as a database of stored Mutant minds. This allowed the return of any slain Mutants through the Resurrection Protocols where their bodies were recreated by the Five. (Powers of X v1 #5)
Overview
This device was actually a complex E.S.P. machine with its sole purpose being the detection of new Mutant brain waves in order to help locate such individuals in the world. (X-Men v1 #7) The system was designed to scan for the exotic protein marker that existed on the 23 chromosome which was where the X-Gene typically resided in a subject. Thus, individuals created where the X-Gene resided in a different chromosome were invisible to its detection. (Astonishing X-Men v3 #25)
Its named was derived from the Latin 'Cerebellum' that meant 'the Brain'. (X-Men v1 #7)
Only the first generation Cerebro was made of Professor Xavier's design with subsequent ones involving other designers. (Powers of X v1 #5) At some point, Forge installed Cerebra into a Sentinel body which contained sensors to track Mutants and a teleporter. (Extraordinary X-Men v1 #2)
As part of the Resurrection Protocols, Forge came to improve upon Cerebro allowing it to make a copy of a mind of a Mutant. This included five copies of the database where one was the main unit, three served as back-ups and an additional one for unforeseen circumstances. Such a large database of minds required unlimited power and storage with this being achieved through alien technology which included an antimatter engine and Shi'ar logic diamonds. (Powers of X v1 #5)
Notes
- Cerebro was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where it made its firsts appearance in The X-Men v1 #7 (September, 1964).
Alternate Versions
- In X-Men: Millennial Visions v1 #2000 (2000), an alternate universe of Cerebro was shown on a world designated as the Earth-1008 reality. This universe had Magneto ally himself with Deathbird with the two commanding the Shi'ar military against the X-Men who were largely eliminated. Professor Xavier uploaded his mind into Cerebro in a desperate final act to save his students with him still leading the X-Men and was the most powerful mind on the planet.
- In Exiles v2 #4 (2009), Cerebro appeared on an alternate reality designated as Earth-10102. It was the creation of Charles Xavier and Hank Pym with it having the power to detect any super-powered being on the planet. After coming online, it saved many lives and brought villains to justice with the world quickly coming to rely on the system with the Avengers serving alongside other enforcers. Unknown to anyone, Pym had utilised processors tainted with the A.I. Ultron which had merged with Cerebro to create a new entity that secretly sought domination of the world.
- In X-Men v4 #5 (2013), a variant of Cerebro was shown to exist in the alternate future timeline of Earth-13729. This saw the development of Cerebro Spikes that were mobile versions of the technology that could be ingested and give the user access to the scanner allowing them to track Mutants.
In other media
Television
- In X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, the pilot episode had an important role for Cerebro that was shown as being the Mutant tracking system used by Charles Xavier at his Institute. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants would stage an attack forcing the X-Men to leave the Institute grounds allowing for Magneto and Juggernaut to attack where despite the resistance of Professor X and new student Kitty Pryde they were unable to stop them from acquiring Cerebro's Mutant Power Circuit. This spherical component would be attached to a machine at Asteroid M that was used to enhance Magneto's magnetic powers and pull the Scorpio comet towards Earth with the goal of wiping out Humanity so Mutants could rule the planet. His plan was thwarted by the X-Men who used the same circuit to redirect the comet towards Asteroid M instead which was destroyed in the process.
- In Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, Cerebro was part of the plot line in the episode "The X-Men Adventure". The villainous cyborg Cyberiad took control of the computer system after he infiltrated the mansion. From there, he turned the mansion including the Danger Room against Firestar, Spider-Man and the X-Men. This was part of Cyberiads plot for revenge against Firestar who he partly blamed for his injuries. The heroes thus had to circumvent the mansion security as they made their way to the control room to defeat Cyberiad allowing Cerebro to return to Professor X's command.
- In X-Men, Cerebro featured heavily in the 1990s animated television series series making an unnamed appearance in "Night of the Sentinels".
- In X-Men: Evolution, Cerebro made multiple appearances in the animated television series. The machine was shown to be located in a hidden room within the Xavier Mansion. It was able to detect the X-Gene along with the manifestation of Mutant abilities allowing Xavier to find the emergence of new Mutants in the world.
- In Wolverine and the X-Men, Cerebro made a number of appearances in the animated series. It was situated in a special chamber beneath the X-Mansion and could only be operated by a telepath. The mansion was abandoned by the X-Men after the apparent loss of Professor X and Jean Grey. Wolverine reassembled the team and had Forge rebuild Cerebro but lacked a telepath to operate it. This was until Emma Frost bargained her way onto the X-Men by offering to use her telepathic abilities to aid them. In the Sentinel dominated future, a time displaced Xavier used the ruined Cerebro to communicate with the X-Men to guide them in avoiding this future. Whilst using it, the Sentinels of this future discovered Xavier's location and captured him along with Cerebro where they began to disassemble it at one of their facilities. This was until Xavier along with Mutant inmates at the prison broke-out of the base with them recovering Cerebro for Xavier so he could continue to speak to his X-Men in the past to warn them of upcoming events.
Films
- In X-Men: First Class, Cerebro appeared in the live-action movie where an early version of it was created at an unnamed CIA facility. Unlike the comics, it was shown to had been built by a young Hank McCoy in this continuity and it was stated to be able to amplify brainwaves. After Charles Xavier formed his X-Men, he decided to attach them to the CIA and used Cerebro to amplify his powers to recruit Mutants to train in order to stop Sebastian Shaw. This Cerebro was later destroyed by Riptide as he was searching the facility for the young Mutants. Emma Frost commented that she could feel Xavier's mind thousands of miles away when he was using Cerebro.
- In X-Men: Apocalypse, Cerebro made an appearance in the live-action sequel to the previous movies. Beast had enhanced its capabilities and colored its chamber blue after Mystique. Professor Xavier used it to find a psychic disturbance and found the mind of Moira MacTaggert who had discovered evidence of an ancient Mutant named En Sabah Nur. Charles later used it to find Magneto who was wanted for murder but Lensherr was now one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse. En Sabah Nur sensed the telepaths presence and hijacked the link to Cerebro to connect to everyone on Earth and mentally control them through Xavier to launch the planet's nuclear arsenal into space to dispose of it. Havok broke En Sabah Nur's control of the world by destroying the Cerebro chamber. It was rebuild following the defeat of En Sabah Nur and reconstruction of the Xavier Institute.
Video games
- In X-Men: Legends II, Cerebro featured in the game where it was shown to reside in the sub-basement of the mansion. Whilst the X-Men were away, Apocalypse attacked the X-Mansion in order to acquire the Xavier Protocols. He then had the mansion destroyed in order to 'blind' Professor X's attempts at stopping him.
- In X-Men: The Official Game, Cerebro made an appearance in the video-game tie-in to X2: X-Men United that was set after the movie. Professor X had been using Cerebro to find Magneto but failed to locate him. As a result, he dispatched the X-Men to recover the various components of Cerebro that Stryker had used to build his Dark Cerebro at the facility at Alkali Lake. Among the components for Cerebro were the Psychic Interlink and Core Emotion Filter.
Appearances
- X-Men v1: (1964)
- Uncanny X-Men v1:
- X-Men Annual v3:
- X-Men: Messiah Complex v1:
- Astonishing X-Men v3:
- Extraordinary X-Men v1:
- X-Men: Red v1:
- Powers of X v1:
- Inferno v2:
External Links
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