CEREBRO

In Episode 27 of CEREBRO, Connor and ComicsXF critic Zach Rabiroff tackle the ten lives of Moira X! Dr. Moira MacTaggert was believed a human martyr for mutant rights — but the revelation of her true nature has shaken the foundations of the franchise. The CEREBRO character file on Moira MacTaggert begins at 1:19:40. (Content Advisory: Moira's story includes spousal abuse and rape.) The episode...

In Episode 26 of CEREBRO, Connor and 90s X-Men scribe Fabian Nicieza get their blood burning with Adam X, the X-Treme! A curiosity of the X-Men franchise, Adam Neramani was intended to be the long-lost brother of Cyclops and Havok, but wound up lost in comics limbo after Nicieza's departure. Now, 25 years later, that story will be told in the pages of the anthology series X-Men Legends. The CE...

In Episode 25 of CEREBRO, Connor and Harvard Professor of English Stephanie Burt sail the high seas with Captain Kate Pryde, Red Queen of the Hellfire Trading Company! Best known as Shadowcat or Kitty, Pryde is the protagonist of much of the classic Claremont run, and has endured as a fan favorite. As the first explicitly Jewish superhero at Marvel Comics, she has often been the lens through which...

In Episode 24 of CEREBRO, Connor and bookseller Allison Senecal try to explain why you should like Havok! Alex Summers, Cyclops's volatile younger brother, has never quite managed to escape his elder's long shadow. Conflicted and insecure, he's a troubled man with an uncertain future. The CEREBRO character file on Havok begins at 29:12. (Content Advisory: Alex's story includes brai...

In Episode 23 of CEREBRO, Connor and filmmaker Patrick Willems face the inner darkness, the anti-self: the mummudrai! Created by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, Cassandra Nova — Professor Xavier's diabolical twin sister — is one of the few post-Claremont X-Villains to truly stand the test of time. The CEREBRO character file on Cassandra Nova begins at 1:07:06. (Content Advisory: Cassandra&#3...

In Episode 22 of CEREBRO, Connor and Marvel's X-Office Associate Editor Annalise Bissa hack into the history of Doug Ramsey, a.k.a. Cypher! Killed off in 1988 and not brought back til 2009, the omnilingual mutant is now an integral part of the franchise. The CEREBRO character file on Cypher begins at 1:26:07. (Content Advisory: Doug's story includes traumatic mind control. This episode als...

In Episode 21 of CEREBRO, Connor and comedian Tim Platt ( Rude Tales of Magic ) salute a classic 60s X-Men villain: Mortimer Toynbee, the sniveling Toad! Their analysis of the misfit superhenchman... somehow becomes an expansive dialogue on masculinity. Who knew!  The CEREBRO character file on the Toad begins at 46:27. (Content Advisory: Mortimer's story includes abuse, a suicide attempt, sexu...

In Episode 20 of CEREBRO, Connor and Eisner Award-winning comics critic Corinne McCreery imagine a brighter future for Lorna Dane, the Mistress of Magnetism! Since her debut in 1968, Polaris has won many fans but also struggled to find her place in the franchise, even after she was revealed to be Magneto's long-lost daughter.  The CEREBRO character file on Polaris begins at 44:02. (Content Adv...

In Episode 19 of CEREBRO, Connor and artist Valentine M. Smith analyze the X-Men's living computer, Sage! Introduced in 1980 as Tessa, a mysterious Hellfire Club attaché, a major retcon in 2001 revealed her to be one of Xavier's original students, kept apart from the X-Men and deployed as a spy. The CEREBRO character file on Sage begins at 1:12:36. (Content Advisory: Tessa's story incl...

In Episode 18 of CEREBRO, Connor and author A.R. Moxon celebrate the mystical metamorph, Meggan! Introduced in 1983 as a supporting character in Captain Britain, the part-fae mutant Meggan (lately also called Gloriana) was a founding member of Excalibur and has always been a uniquely vibrant character in the X-Men mythos. The CEREBRO character file on Meggan begins at 1:03:28. (Content Advisory: M...

In Episode 17 of CEREBRO, Connor and fantasy author Cass Morris (FROM UNSEEN FIRE, GIVE WAY TO NIGHT) have their psyches absorbed by the raucous Rogue! Introduced as a supervillain in 1981, the woman known only as Anna Marie has become one of the most popular members of the X-Men. The CEREBRO character file on Rogue begins at 48:25. (Content Advisory: Rogue's story involves sexual assault.) Ad...

In Episode 16 of CEREBRO, a HANUKKAH SPECTACULAR, Connor and returning guest Spencer Ackerman become masters of magnetism! Introduced in 1963 as the X-Men's archenemy, Erik Magnus Lehnsherr — best known as Magneto — became the most famously Jewish character in comics. Reimagined by writer Chris Claremont as a tragic hero with a haunting backstory, he has ranged from the X-Men's greatest fo...

In Episode 15 of CEREBRO, Connor and comics critic Sara Century become fire and life incarnate! The only woman on the 1963 X-Men team created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Jean Grey began publication as the danger-prone Marvel Girl. Under writer Chris Claremont she was reimagined as Phoenix, the most powerful superhero — and threat to the universe! — at Marvel. The CEREBRO character file on Jean Gre...

In Episode 14 of CEREBRO, Connor and Marvel writer Tini Howard bow before Her Royal Whyness, Opal Luna Saturnyne, Omniversal Majestrix! Introduced in the relaunch of Captain Britain in 1981 as an interdimensional bureaucrat, Saturnyne and her counterparts on other worlds were integral to the classic run of Excalibur . She is now more prominent than ever before, and was the centerpiece of the recen...

In Episode 13 of CEREBRO, Connor and Marvel writer Gerry Duggan investigate the mystery man called Logan! Brusque and brutal, Wolverine debuted as a minor antagonist in 1974, but over the years became the most popular member of the X-Men, and one of the overall flagship characters at Marvel Comics. The CEREBRO character file on Wolverine begins at 41:21. (Content Advisory: Logan's story includ...

In Episode 12 of CEREBRO, Connor and Marvel's X-Men Senior Editor Jordan D. White raise their swords to Brian Braddock! For many years the omniversal hero Captain Britain, he has now ceded that title to his twin sister Betsy and become Captain Avalon, his family's sworn protector. The CEREBRO character file on Brian Braddock begins at 1:02:15 (Content Advisory: Brian's story includes a...

In Episode 11 of CEREBRO, Connor and Pulitzer Prize-winning national security reporter Spencer Ackerman highlight the hubris of Hank McCoy, the bouncing, brilliant Beast! One of the original X-Men from 1963, Hank has never felt at ease with his mutation, and longs to assimilate. In recent years, his arrogance has led him down an ever-darker path.  The CEREBRO character file on Beast begins at 27:3...

In the GIANT-SIZE Episode 10 of CEREBRO, Connor and artist Patrick Sullivan fête the many-faced mercenary Mystique! Raven Darkhölme first appeared in 1978 as Ms. Marvel's arch-nemesis, but after that book's cancellation became one of the most iconic X-Men villains. The CEREBRO character file on Mystique begins at 41:28. (Content Advisory: Raven's story includes violence against childre...

In the GIANT-SIZE Episode 9 of CEREBRO, Connor and comedian Jay Jurden soar with the Angel! (Or the Archangel, depending.) Since his 1963 debut, Warren Worthington III has endured in the popular imagination through constant transformation. The CEREBRO character file on Angel begins at 1:01:32. (Content Advisory: Warren's story includes suicide, torture, gaslighting, brainwashing, and non-conse...

In the GIANT-SIZE Episode 8 of CEREBRO, Connor kibitzes about Iceman with academic and Marvel writer Anthony Oliveira ( War of the Realms: War Scrolls , Empyre: Emperor Hulkling )! One of the original X-Men from 1963, Bobby Drake is the only classic Stan Lee/Jack Kirby creation to be later established as a gay character.  The CEREBRO character file on Iceman begins at 58:55.  (Content Advisory: Bo...

In Episode 7 of CEREBRO, Connor and Darcie Little Badger (one of the writers of the upcoming Marvel's Voices: Indigenous Voices anthology) tackle the many transformations of Dani Moonstar! One of the original New Mutants, Moonstar (usually called Mirage) has been on a wild and often winged ride since her debut in 1982. The CEREBRO character file on Mirage begins at 18:27. (Content Advisory: Da...

In CEREBRO's first CROSSOVER EVENT, Connor and Jay Edidin of Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men (also writer of the recent X-Men: Marvels Snapshots ) have an eye-opening chat about Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops! A polarizing character, "Slim" has provoked strong opinions since 1963. The CEREBRO character file on Cyclops begins at 30:04. (Content Advisory: Scott's story includes chil...

In Episode 5 of CEREBRO, Connor and iconic fashion archivist Rashida Renée Ward celebrate Ororo Munroe, Beautiful Windrider, the Weather Witch, Goddess of the STORM! One of the most popular and celebrated X-Men, Storm changed the landscape of comic books forever when she debuted in 1975. The CEREBRO character file on Storm begins at 33:27. (Content Advisory: Ororo's story includes wartime atro...

In Episode 4 of CEREBRO, Connor and Ignatz Award-winning comics artist and editor Mattie Lubchansky are undeniably horny for Piotr Rasputin, the man of steel Colossus! A kind Soviet farmboy with an artist's heart, Piotr has been a major X-Men character since his debut in 1975. The CEREBRO character file on Colossus begins at 25:25.  (Content Advisory: Piotr's story includes suicide. This e...

In the GIANT-SIZE Episode 3 of CEREBRO, Connor and culture writer Alex Abad-Santos swear their fealty to Emma Frost, the White Queen! An ice-cold femme fatale, Emma debuted in 1980 as a vicious villainess, but developed into a core member of the X-Men. The CEREBRO character file on Emma Frost begins at 35:36. (Content advisory: Emma's story includes involuntary institutionalization, sexual abu...