Brood (Marvel)
The Brood are a parasitic race within Marvel Comics.
Contents |
History
Origin
In 2620 BC, the Brood arrived on Earth during the reign of Pharaoh Khasekhemwy Khasekhemui where they infected him and threatened to spread across Egypt. This was until Imhotep assembled an army that included Apocalypse to challenge the alien invaders thus defeating them. (S.H.I.E.L.D. v1 #1)
At some unknown point, the Hellfire Club managed to acquire the body of a Brood combat drone. The specimen was later donated to the UK-based covert agency Black Air under the Information Exchange Treaty. (Excalibur v1 #90)
Modern age
An alliance was forged by Deathbird with the Brood who intended to use her allies to help her defeat her sister Lilandra Neramani and claim the Shi'ar Empire. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #157)
During the Annihilation War, the Brood homeworld was noted to had been destroyed leaving the species on the brink of extinction with them being desperate to reproduce to replace their lost numbers. Around this time, S.W.O.R.D. had acquired a number of Brood and were performing experiments at their orbital Pandora's Box facility to use experimental equipment to help remove Brood larva from infected hosts. However, the Brood Queen managed to escape where they took over the facility and intended to infect the crew whereupon they would use the equipment to remove the larva after which they would re-infect the host again constantly. Through this means, they wanted to increase their numbers and help avert their possible extinction. Abigail Brand attempted to purge the facility but came to be infected by the Brood with the X-Men arriving to save her. (Astonishing X-Men v3 #38)
Fu Manchu experimented with the Brood in one of his hidden laboratories that remained after his apparent death. His daughter Zheng Bao Yu resurrected this forgotten experiment and attempted to breed the alien predators when their operation was interrupted by the Fearless Defenders. The Brood No Name had entered the battle to destroy the renegade Brood who she claimed were bred from tainted DNA and she would depart the scene seeking to hunt down those responsible for this experiment. (Fearless Defenders v1 #8)
The Brood Queen on the Galactic Council commented to her comrades that she had birthed many new drones that were ready to assist the depleted allied forces against the Builders. (Avengers v5 #20) A number of Brood came to the Peak in orbit around Earth seemingly peacefully but had in fact brought an infection of Symbiotes that took control over the station's occupants. Some of the Brood themselves were devoured by the brain-hungry Symbiotes whilst others were used as hosts that used a teleportation gateway to invade the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning on Earth. (Spider-Man and the X-Men v1 #5)
Overview
Young Brood did not possess wings and it was several years before they began to develop them. (Wolverine and the X-Men v1 #5) They were highly specialized and designed to reproduce in order to consume all available resources. (Legendary Star-Lord v1 #10) Each Brood were chemically bounded to their Queen and sisters. (World War Hulk: Aftermash - Warbound v1 #4)
Brood embryos possessed a degree of awareness even whilst gestating in a body allowing them to take steps to ensure the host's survival such as curing them of wounds. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #164)
Numerous breeds of the species were created that included:
- Infestoids : a newly evolved strain that were small but contained many eggs and sought to burrow into the skulls of large sum of helpless victims who were infected in large numbers to create a population explosion of Brood. (Legendary Star-Lord v1 #10)
Due to their nature, they always sought out breeders that could be used by their race. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #155) The race were noted as parasitic vicious killers who subsist by preying on the weak. (Wolverine and the X-Men v2 #10) A ruthless species who acted more akin to a virus rather than an animal (Legendary Star-Lord v1 #10) Their instincts taught them to kill, conquer and consume. Denying these instincts that taught them to slay other sentients was to reject their own biological urges. These same traits led them to try and breed offspring that could even include hybrids who were born as mindless savage creatures driven only by hunger. Such offspring were considered perfect by the parent with it taking great force of will to reject these instincts. If their immediate hive was slain, a lone Brood was sometimes severed from their species hive mind. (World War Hulk: Aftermash - Warbound v1 #4)
Brood had numerous ranks within their society that included:
- Huntmasters : (Uncanny X-Men v1 #164)
- Clanmasters : senior leading Brood that commanded their kin. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #157)
Brood were capable of allying with others but were stated to back winners. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #155)
Members
- Extraterrestrial Biological Entity 7.0 : a combat drone recovered by the Hellfire Club and donated to Black Air for study. (Excalibur v1 #90)
- No-Name : a warrior prime who landed with her kind on Sakaar but her comrades were killed in the gladiatorial pits leading to her being free from the hive mind where she joined the Warbound. (World War Hulk: Aftermash - Warbound v1 #4)
- Broo :
- T'crilee : (Uncanny X-Men v1 #164)
- Skür’kll : a warrior with the ability to produce a psi-scream. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #155)
- Haeg’rill : a Brood Captain. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #156)
Notes
- The rood were created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum where they made their first appearance in Uncanny X-Men v1 #155 (March 1982).
- During the JLA/Avengers Crossover, the supervillain Krona created a cosmic disaster that forced the two universes to collide with one another leading to a number of Brood attacking the warlord Mongul.
Alternate Versions
- In Fantastic Four v3 #16 (1999), the Brood appeared in an alternate world setting that was designated as Earth-99315. In this universe, a great cataclysm affected the cosmos upon its conclusion saw the Kree coming and ruling Earth. During their occupation of Earth, an Acanti managed to crash onto the surface where it disgorged a horde of Brood on the surface where they targeted both the Kree and the native human survivors. Any individual found with superhuman ability were captured with their genetic material added into a hive by the Queen who added these abilities within new offspring.
In other media
Television
- In X-Men: The Animated Series, a race known as the Family appeared in the animated television series episode "Love is Vain" with them being based on the Brood. This parasitic species were green-skinned humanoids with reptilian characteristics and use four cybernetic tentacles as additional limbs. These aliens arrive on Earth onboard an Acanti and infect various humans who slowly transform into a member of the race. They were defeated when the Acanti itself was discovered to be a living sentient being who was freed from the aliens control whereupon its song caused great pain to the Family who relented in abandoning their attempted takeover of Earth.
Video games
- In X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse, a Brood Queen appeared as an antagonist boss in the 1990s video game.
- In X-Men 2: Clone Wars, a Brood Queen appeared as a boss level antagonist in the video game with soundtrack played being "The Brood Queen & Her Claws".
- In X-Men Legends II, the Brood did not appear but instead an insectoid creature called Cerci replaced them. These mutated insects were sent to infest Genosha during Apocalypses assault on the island nation. The Cerci consisted of Queens and Drones with them breeding at a fast rate whilst they built hives underground. A number of Cerci were designated as Brood types during the game.
- In Marvel Heroes, the Brood appeared as antagonists in the MMORPG game. During the story mode, a number of them took over a S.H.I.E.L.D. science station in the Savage Land and began turning into mindless offspring where they intended to harvest the indigenous people of the area.
- In Marvel: War of Heroes, the Brood appeared as a playable card in the video game.
Appearances
- Uncanny X-Men:
- Fantastic Four v3:
- S.H.I.E.L.D. v1 #1: (2010)
- Excalibur v1 #90:
- Astonishing X-Men v3:
External Link
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