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Characters : The Living Brain

 
 

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Attributes

Height: 7'6" (Approximate.)

Weight: 800 lbs. (Approximate.)

Eyes: Yellow and square. (Changed to red and square in second appearance.)

Hair: None.

Features: Glittery yellow control panel covering his entire torso, pincers on arms, ball bearings (changed to jets in second appearance) on legs.

Summary

Created By: Stan Lee, Steve Ditko

Real Name: None.

Current Aliases: None.

Former Aliases: None.

Dual Identity: None.

Current Occupation: Junk.

Former Occupation: "The greatest mechanical brain ever built."

Citizenship: None.

Legal Status: Recycling material.

Place of Birth: ICM Labs.

Marital Status: Single.

Known Relatives: One of a kind.

Known Confidants: Mr. Petty.

Known Allies: Steve Petty. (Unintentional allies may be the two crooked workmen)

Major Enemies: Spider-Man, Jake Dorman.

Usual Bases: None.

Former Bases: Midtown High School.

Current Groups: None.

Former Groups: None.

Education: Education? Who needs education? He's the smartest machine ever!

  

Powers & Paraphenalia

Strength Level: Typical "many times human" robot strength.

Powers: Strength and speed.

Abilities: Remembers everything, can figure out anything, can remove doors to use as fly swatters and spin around enough to yank Spidey off the ceiling.

Equipment: Itself.

Weapons: Big whirling club-like arms that create swirls in the air.

Limitations: "Rampage" switch too easy to accidentally hit.

 
 

Background

The Living Brain is a big green robot built by the International Computing Machines Corporation (ICM) and billed as the "greatest mechanical brain ever built". It is brought to Midtown High School by Mr. Petty of ICM to demonstrate its abilities to the students. Two shady workmen overhear the claim that the Brain can answer any question and decide to steal it to use it to pick winners at the racetrack. But Mr. Petty walks in on them when they are pulling their heist and, in the ensuing scuffle, one of the men bumps into the Living Brain's control panel, sending the robot on a rampage. It is only finally stopped when Spider-Man manages to reach the control panel and hit the cut-off switch.

Years later, rendered obsolete and perhaps discredited by its rampage in the High School, the Living Brain is retired. Mr. Petty arranges for the robot to be donated to Midtown High School's science lab. There, his science-whiz son Steve Petty spruces the Brain up and sends him on another rampage to avenge himself against the bully who has been picking on him. Spider-Man battles the Brain once again, stopping him this time by getting the robot to punch an electrical system hook-up thereby short-circuiting itself. Steve Petty goes on to become the super-villain called Phreak-Out.

Thanks To:

Some of the above information is extracted from the various versions of the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe and the more recent Marvel Encyclopaedias.

The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.

  

 
 

Character Appearances

Jan 1964 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #8 (Story 1)
  Origin issue.
Feb 1988 App: Web of Spider-Man #35
 

 
 

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By Al Sjoerdsma (E-Mail)

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