Brain

BRAIN

Real Name: Unknown

Class: Human cyborg

Occupation: Would-be world conqueror

Group Affiliation: Brotherhood of Evil

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: The Dark Side of the Moon, formerly L'Ecole des Filles, Paris, France

First Appearance: Doom Patrol I #86 (March, 1964)

Powers: Brain was among the most brilliant minds on Earth. In addition to being a genius he was a master planner, strategist and inventor. He occasionally operated a giant robot named Rog, possessed with superhuman strength and invulnerability. Brain had the same constraints as any other disembodied brain, being unable to move or see, but he did possess the ability to speak.

History: (Doom Patrol I #86, 87) - An unnamed scientist captured and experimented on the mind of a captured ape, giving him genius-level intelligence. The scientist was dying, and needed his simian prodigy Monsieur Mallah to transplant his brain into a sophisticated tank connected to a computer network that would keep it functioning. The scientist, now calling himself the Brain, set himself on the task on conquering the world. To this end he and Mallah organized the Brotherhood of Evil. Brain put together a daring scheme to steal the Statue of Liberty and a plot to rob a federal reserve bank with enlarged toy tanks, but he was foiled both times by the Doom Patrol

(Doom Patrol I #90) - Brain and Mallah used an experimental procedure to give Madame Rouge super-powers. They sent her out to infiltrate and destroy the Doom Patrol, but she failed.

(Doom Patrol I #93) - The Brotherhood tricked Robotman into believing that he could have his brain put into a cloned body. Instead, they put his brain in the Brain's glass jar and put the Brain inside Robotman's body. In this form it was easy enough for the Brain to surprise the rest of the Doom Patrol, and temporarily put Elasti-Girl and Negative Man out of commission. The Brain then challenged the Chief to a showdown, but by this time the entire Doom Patrol was back in action. The battle swung in the Doom Patrol's favor, so the Brotherhood fled.

(Doom Patrol I #96, 97) -

(Doom Patrol I #104) - Brain had Madame Rouge disguise herself as Mento, and sent her to attack the DP. Brain hoped the resulting discord between the DP and the real Mento would make them easy targets for the Brotherhood, but his team was beaten back.

(Doom Patrol I #115, 117) - When the Chief learned that Madame Rouge had been forced into the Brotherhood of Evil by Brain twisting her mind patterns, he invented a psycho-ray to undo the damage. The ray reached all the way to Paris, and began to awaken Rouge's good side. Mallah and the Brain suspected something amiss in his compatriot, and began a booster treatment to keep her on the side of evil, reminding her that they had given her salvation by showing her a post-moral world. Rouge felt her mind unraveling, and her body coped by splitting into two entities, one good, one evil. After debating which was the true Rouge they battled, and the evil Rouge fell on a knife and died, leaving only her good side alive. Mallah was perturbed to find that Rouge had defected, but brain assured him that the evil he nurtured in her would not sleep long.

Mallah and the Brain were actually in hiding, spending years recruiting a new Brotherhood of Evil. This new organization proved no more successful than the last, facing defeat at the hands of the Teen Titans.

(Doom Patrol II #34) - Brain and Mallah invaded Doom Patrol headquarters, stealing Robotman's mechanical body for the Brain. Mallah and Brain were so overjoyed at having finally succeeded in a scheme that they professed their love for one another. For years they had hidden it, but now that Brain had a body they could consummate their love. As they were about to kiss, Brain's new mechanical body exploded, seemingly killing the villains.

(Outsiders III #4) - Kwajalein, South Pacific; Brain and Mallah started a hi-tech gun running operation, and they were pleased to aid in revolutions and the toppling of small nations. They hired Frag and Shockwave as muscle for their operation, but these hirelings did little good when the Outsiders III came calling and put Brain and Mallah out of business and brought them into custody.

(Flash II #214) - Alcatraz Island; members of the Teen Titans questioned Brain and Mallah about the death of Sue Dibny, but the villains had no useful information to offer.

(Batgirl I #60-62) - Penguin moved to Bludhaven to get away from Batman, and contacted Brain and the Brotherhood of Evil to help him smuggle illegal arms into the city, even though Penguin never entirely trusted Brain. Gemini killed customs agent Parker and disguised herself as him to get the shipment cleared. Batgirl’s informant Marquis told her about the arms shipment and she visited Parker’s houseboat on Island Point. She discovered Parker’s corpse and was ambushed by Brain, Monsieur Mallah and Gemini. They beat her severely, and during the fight a fire started on the houseboat. The houseboat exploded, and Batgirl survived only to find herself drowning in the harbor. The Brotherhood assure Penguin that Batgirl was dead, and hen was ready to complete the arms deal, meeting with Society members Lex Luthor, Deathstroke and Calculator. Deathstroke was skeptical that Batgirl was dead, knowing how dangerous she was, and his instincts were correct. Batgirl survived and studied tape of the Brotherhood fighting the Justice League of America and the titans on her Batcomputer to learn their strengths and weaknesses. Batgirl felt for Gemini when she learned her mother was Madame Royuge, because Batgirl’s father was the assassin David Cain, who tried to mold her into his own image. Batgirl put the kibosh on the arms deal, defeating the Brotherhood and handing them over to Bludhaven PD, but Penguin had been tipped off that she was alive and flew away from his meeting with the Brotherhood, angered that his plan was a bust but relieved that he wouldn’t be going to jail.

Comments: Created by Arnold Drake & Bruno Premiani

Brain received profiles in Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #3 and Who's Who in the DC Universe #8. He received a profile in Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #3 under the Brotherhood of Evil entry. He received a profile in Who's Who in the DC Universe #8 under the Society of Sin entry.

In Doom Patrol II #34 the Brain claimed that he was already disembodied when he captured Mallah, and planned to transplant himself into the gorilla's body before deciding that he would rather have Mallah as a companion. This may reflect a post-Crisis change in history, or maybe the Brain was just getting senile. This story conflicts with the Brain's entry in The DC Comics Encyclopedia, so I vote for senility.

Brain had a cameo in Beast Boy #3, Titans II #22.