Living Brain

The Living Brain is a fictional character and robot appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #8 and has made few subsequent appearances since.

A foe of the hero Spider-Man, the Living Brain was created by the fictional International Computing Machines Corporation and billed as the most intelligent computer and robot in existence, capable of solving virtually any question asked of it.

Publication history

Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the Living Brain's first appearance was in The Amazing Spider-Man #8 (Jan. 1964).^[1]

Fictional character history

Living Brain's first appearance, The Amazing Spider-Man #8 (Feb. 1964). Art by Steve Ditko.

The Living Brain, soon after its creation, is brought to Midtown High School by its creator Dr. Petty as a part of a demonstration of its ability to solve any problem. The students agreed to ask Spider-Man's secret identity, and a nervous Peter Parker fed it the given information about the wall-crawler. The answer was given in mathematical code for Peter to decode that night (because of this, it is unknown if the Living Brain had correctly deduced Spider-Man's true identity). After the Living Brain's demonstration, two workmen hired to transport it overhear the Living Brain's ability to answer anything and decide to steal it in order to use its abilities for gambling purposes. Caught in the middle of stealing the Living Brain by Dr. Petty, the two workmen get into a scuffle with him, which ends with one of them being knocked into the control panel on the Living Brain's chest, which causes the Living Brain to malfunction. Going on a rampage through Midtown High, the Living Brain is eventually defeated by Spider-Man, who shuts it down, in a brief fight. Peter walked home, thinking that the next day he'd tell everyone he'd lost the code during the confusion.^[2]

The Living Brain reappears several years later, now discredited and broken-down. Dr. Petty plans to donate it to Midtown High School's science lab. The Living Brain ends up being stolen by Dr. Petty's son Steve Petty who modifies the robot, giving it a gold and red color scheme, clawed hands and the ability to fly. Remotely controlling the Living Brain to attack a bully who had been tormenting him, Steve is eventually defeated by Spider-Man (who had been on a visit to Midtown High as Peter Parker) and the Living Brain is shut down once more.^[3] The Living Brain, restored to its pre-upgrade appearance, was then acquired by a group of criminals, who used it to commit robberies. The robot and its controllers were apprehended by Spider-Man, who mockingly referred to the Living Brain as "a talking gumball machine".^[4]

The Beyond Corporation somehow created duplicates of Living Brain and unleashed them upon Nextwave at the time when they invaded the Beyond Corporation's State 51 base. Nextwave managed to make short work of the Living Brain duplicates.^[5]

Living Brain was among the contestants in a cosmic roller derby held by Chadmaster (a younger version of the Grandmaster). It was destroyed by a Sentinel.^[6]

As part of the Marvel NOW! event, Living Brain appears as a member of Boomerang's incarnation of the Sinister Six. Following the Sinister Six's defeat at the hands of the Superior Spider-Man (Doctor Octopus's mind in Peter Parker's body), Living Brain's body is in the custody of Horizon Labs.^[7] Living Brain has been reprogrammed by Otto and now serves as his assistant.^[8]

Living Brain later preps Otto's lab for a "Parker-Ectomy."^[9]

When Spider-Island II is attacked by the Goblin Underground, the Superior Spider-Man gets Living Brain out and rides it away from Spider-Island II while evading the pursuers from the Goblin Underground. The Superior Spider-Man later uses Living Brain to help fight Monster (the Goblin form of Carlie Cooper).^[10]

After Peter Parker reclaimed his body, Living Brain was kept as his assistant at Parker Industries.^[11]

When Ghost takes over the security measures to attack the Parker Industries staff as part of his sabotage mission upon being hired by Mark Raxton and Tiberius Stone of Alchemax, Living Brain is ordered by Peter Parker to protect the employees during the evacuation and is damaged in the process.^[12]

As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel event, Living Brain and Anna Maria Marconi were shown in Parker Industries' London branch where they greet Sanjani Jaffrey. Once Sajani is out of earshot, Anna jokingly orders Living Brain to terminate her, but he responds that his programming prevents him from complying. Anna remarks that she'll have to upgrade his sarcasm-detection software and sets off to comply with Sajani's orders. Living Brain follows and offers to assist her, making her remark that ever since his last upgrade, he's become clingy. Anna is unaware that Living Brain contains a copy of the consciousness of Doctor Octopus.^[13]

After the Anna Maria Marconi AI reactivated and transformed Doctor Octopus' gauntlets into an Octobot, he proceeded to take over Living Brain and bide his time. When it came to Peter Parker scanning Living Brain to find out why it was asking weird, he hears Doctor Octopus' voice asking why he was erased. Upon realizing the truth, Peter Parker was forced to shut Living Brain down to stop Doctor Octopus' conscious only for it to reactivate Living Brain and have it self-destruct while escaping in the Octobot.^[14]

Powers and abilities

Living Brain has the ability to analyze any situation and determine how best to achieve its goals. Like any computer, Living Brain can process and collate large amounts of information. Living Brain can find any weaknesses in a being or structure as well as determining the best situation to overcome this obstacle. Living Brain has dense metal exo-skeleton and possesses super-strength and speed. It can also fly and has clawed hands. The joints of Living Brain's limbs can rotate nearly 360 degrees. Originally, Living Brain had external controls on its thorax, with which it can be deactivated, yet Living Brain has always countered any attempts to reach it. Living Brain was later operated by remote-control. The Living Brain has great strength, ability to move upon command and its limbs can perform various motions...It has the ability to think due to its great computerized "brain"...It was short-circuited after its first introduction in the school and went hay-wire until Peter readjusted the machine back to normal...The "souped-up" later version had the ability to hover or fly and was quite stronger.He has even beaten the avengers once due to his extreme intelligence.

Other versions

Marvel Age

In the Marvel Age Universe, the Living Brain (radically redesigned, with a humanoid shape somewhat similar to the DC Comics character Chemo) appears in a more modern re-telling of its original appearance in the comics. The Living Brain, was developed by Roxxon to demonstrate itself at Peter's school, Midtown High. It is taken down due to an inability to deduce Spider-Man's identity, however two students decide to use the robot to steal for them. However they accidentally switch him into defense mode, tearing through the school, until de-activated by Spider-Man.^[15]

What If?

The Living Brain appears among the villains defeated by Spider-Man in What If?: J. Jonah Jameson Adopted Spider-Man?^[16]

In other media

Television

• In the Spider-Man episode "The Return of Hydro-Man" Pt. 2, a robot in the toy shop resembles Living Brain.

References

External links

• Living Brain at Marvel Wiki
• Living Brain at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe