CEREBRO

In Episode 76 of CEREBRO, the SEASON 3 PREMIERE, Connor and contemporary comics legend Kieron Gillen map the machinations of Nathaniel Essex, Mr. Sinister! Created by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri, but reimagined almost entirely in the 21st century by Gillen, this amoral geneticist became one of the most iconic X-Men villains. The CEREBRO character file on Mr. Sinister begins at 53:27. (Conte...

To celebrate the launch of Knights of X this coming Wednesday, I've decided to share this Patreon bonus episode with the world! This was originally published on April 1st for the House of Zaladane tier ($5/month) at patreon.com/cerebrocast In this CEREBRO Secret File, Tini Howard chats with me about the end of Excalibur , the upcoming sequel Knights of X , her current run on Catwoman , and muc...

In Episode 75 of CEREBRO, the SEASON 2 FINALE, Connor and Marvel writer Zeb Wells are sung to sleep by Eleanor Murch, the nefarious Nanny! Created by Louise and Walt Simonson, Nanny and her special Lost Boy, Peter the Orphan-Maker, have been peculiar thorns in the X-Men's side for decades. Now, after Zeb's critically-acclaimed series Hellions , they have become unlikely fan favorites. The...

In Episode 74 of CEREBRO, Connor and writer/musician Thom Dunn scream to the skies with Sean Cassidy, the belting Banshee! First appearing in the 60s as an unwilling supervillain, Irish spy Sean was recruited to the iconic Giant-Size X-Men team in 1975, fell in love with Moira MacTaggert, and eventually became mentor to Generation X . The CEREBRO character file on Banshee begins at 1:09:30. (Conte...

In Episode 73 of CEREBRO, Connor and cosplayer Caroline Bird (CarolineCosplay) choose mercy with Kwannon, the stoic Psylocke! Once trapped in Betsy Braddock's body, top assassin Kwannon joined the X-Men as Revanche before her tragic death from the Legacy Virus. Decades later she has returned from the grave, herself once more, and become a major player on Krakoa. The CEREBRO character file on K...

In Episode 72 of CEREBRO, Connor and writer Charles Pulliam-Moore merge their minds with Sophie, Phoebe, Irma, Celeste, and Esme: the startling Stepford Cuckoos! Created by Grant Morrison, the crème de la crème of Emma Frost's telepathy class is a psychic gestalt of five identical girls with a terrible secret. The CEREBRO character file on the Five-In-One begins at 1:40:12. (Content Advisory:...

In Episode 71 of CEREBRO, Connor and two-time Eisner Award-winning editor Kat Overland ( Women Write About Comics ) get all wrapped up with Jono Starsmore, the churlish Chamber! Introduced as part of Generation X , British goth Jono has spent a lot of time sulking because his mutant power made his face explode. Understandable, honestly! The CEREBRO character file on Chamber begins at 31:30. (Conte...

In Episode 70 of CEREBRO, Connor and celebrated author Victor LaValle catalogue the crimes of Victor Creed, the sickening Sabretooth! As Wolverine's longest-running arch-nemesis, serial killer Sabretooth has been a major part of the X-Men franchise. But with no place for him in the new mutant society of Krakoa, he's been absent from the current era... until now, in LaValle's critically...

In Episode 69 of CEREBRO, Connor and returning guest Josh Cornillon slither about with Miranda Leevald, the serpentine Stacy X! Created by Joe Casey and Tom Raney, Stacy employs her pheromonal power over the endocrine system in her career as a sex worker at the X-Ranch, a mutant brothel in Nevada. Rescued by the X-Men from a vicious attack, she becomes a prominent member of the Uncanny X-Men field...

In Episode 68 of CEREBRO, Connor and game developer Justin Park recount the rise of Shiro Yoshida, the scathing Sunfire! Empowered by the horrors of Hiroshima, Shiro became Japan's controversial national hero. While he was briefly one of the earliest members of the X-Men, his devotion to his country above all else has historically held him back from becoming a major mutant character. In the ag...

In Episode 67 of CEREBRO, Connor and two-time Eisner Award-winning editor Nola Pfau (EIC of Women Writing About Comics ) assess the auguries with Irene Adler, the divinatory Destiny! A wise mutant oracle, the precognitive Destiny was Mystique's lover and partner in crime until her tragic death in 1989. She has finally returned, triumphant (for now!) over her enemy Moira X, in the pages of Jona...

In Episode 66 of CEREBRO, Connor and returning guest Spencer Ackerman ( Reign of Terror ) sharpen their knives with the cunning Callisto! Leader of the Morlocks, a society of non-passing mutants living in poverty in the maintenance tunnels beneath Manhattan, Callisto debuts as an eager rival to Storm. In time she becomes one of the X-Men's staunchest allies, and in the Krakoan Age, she serves...

In Episode 65 of CEREBRO, Connor and returning guest Zoe Tunnell ( Blade Maidens ) deploy their foot claws with Laura Kinney, the All-New Wolverine! Introduced as X-23, a female clone of Wolverine (it's complicated), Laura debuted in the popular cartoon X-Men: Evolution before becoming a vital part of the comics universe. After Logan's death (he got better!), she adopted his codename and n...

In Episode 64 of CEREBRO, Connor and X-Office writer Ben Percy ( X-Force , Wolverine ) synthesize carbonadium with Arkady Rossovich, the ruthless Omega Red! Plus: X Lives and X Deaths of Wolverine ! Beast versus Sage! The crimes of Colossus! All this and more as Ben discusses his work in the Age of Krakoa. The CEREBRO character file on Omega Red begins at 52:43. (Content Advisory: Arkady's sto...

In Episode 63 of CEREBRO — a slightly belated X-Mas spectacular — Connor and Battle of the Atom  co-host Zack Jenkins illuminate Nate Grey, the eccentric X-Man! The rough equivalent of Cable in the dystopian Age of Apocalypse reality, Nate survived that event and somehow led a solo title for 75 issues. Good for him! More recently, he served as a major antagonist in the franchise-wide events X-Men:...

In Episode 62 of CEREBRO, Connor and X of Words host Ash Alleyne expand their minds with David Alleyne (no relation), the perceptive Prodigy! One of the rare Academy X students to transcend his cohort, David was the most prominent depowered character after the Decimation, especially after a memorable turn in Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's Young Avengers . More recently he starred in Leah W...

In Episode 61 of CEREBRO, Connor and returning guest Anthony Oliveira hark the Acolytes' herald angel, the elusive Exodus! A striking new villain of the 90s, 12th century crusader Bennet du Paris was changed forever by an encounter with the immortal mutant Apocalypse. Revived in modern times, he became Magneto's most zealous disciple. Now he sits on the Quiet Council of Krakoa, set to star...

In Episode 60 of CEREBRO, Connor and artist Patrick Sullivan debate policy with mutantkind's ultimate frenemy, Dr. Valerie Cooper! Introduced in the Claremont era as an antagonist, government bureaucrat Val developed over time into the X-Men's most powerful human ally... most of the time. The CEREBRO character file on Val Cooper begins at 1:38:58. (Content Advisory: Val's story include...

In Episode 59 of CEREBRO, a special Thanksgiving celebration, Connor and his dad James Goldsmith soar above the Savage Land with the sinister Sauron! One of the rare Silver Age X-Men villains to stick around, Karl Lykos was originally presented as a tragic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type figure, but evolved over time into a reliable comic relief antagonist — a role in which he has thrived.  The CEREB...

In Episode 58 of CEREBRO, Connor and Harvard Professor of English Stephanie Burt twist into new shapes with the whimsical Warlock! An iconic element of the Claremont/Sienkiewicz New Mutants , techno-organic alien Warlock became the ultimate fish out of water, learning humanity through his bond with Doug Ramsey, his selfsoulfriend. The CEREBRO character file on Warlock begins at 1:03:16. (Content A...

In Episode 57 of CEREBRO, Connor and Middle East researcher Dr. Khaliden Nas celebrate Sooraya Qadir, the devoted Dust! Introduced in Grant Morrison's New X-Men, Afghan refugee Sooraya became a fan favorite, a breakout of the Academy X student class, and recently played a memorable role in Si Spurrier and Bob Quinn's Way of X. The CEREBRO character file on Dust begins at 1:02:43. (Content...

In Episode 56 of CEREBRO, concluding the three-part HALLOWE'EN SPOOKTACULAR, Connor and Marvel's Leah Williams ( X-Factor , X-Men: The Trial of Magneto ) seize the throne of Limbo with Illyana Rasputina, the magnificent Magik! Introduced as Colossus's kid sister, Illyana became a star of the original New Mutants in the 80s when she fell into a Hell dimension and survived to conquer it....

In Episode 55 of CEREBRO, the second in a three-part HALLOWE'EN SPOOKTACULAR, Connor and returning guest Alex Abad-Santos serve up their souls to the seductive Selene! The platonic ideal of a Chris Claremont villain, the immortal Selene was born before human civilization, and is the oldest mutant known to have survived to the present day. Formerly the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, she now...

In Episode 54 of CEREBRO, the first in a three-part HALLOWE'EN SPOOKTACULAR, Connor and artist Valentine M. Smith shriek it out with Theresa Rourke Cassidy, the spirited Siryn! The long-lost daughter of X-Man Banshee, Terry was raised by his wicked cousin Black Tom. After some time as a supporting character in the Claremont period, she became a star of X-Force and later X-Factor Investigations...

In Episode 53 of CEREBRO, Connor and Marvel writer Terry Blas ( Reptil ) stretch themselves with Angelo Espinosa, the cynical Skin! A regular cast member in the 90s title Generation X , moody Los Angeles teen Angelo fled the world of street crime to become one of the students at the Massachusetts Academy. The least-developed of the core Gen X team, he was unceremoniously killed off after that book...