Characters : The Living Brain

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 just as it was about to flatten arrogant jerk Flash Thompson .

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.

The Living Brian returned from obscurity years later, as a member of the very short lived and very unimpressive Sinister Six. It's team mates were Shocker, Beetle II, Speed Demon, Override (who was using the Big Wheel) and Boomerang. The crooks were stealing machinery that could control the weather when they were stopped by the all new Superior Spider-Man. Spider-Man fooled Shocker, Boomerang and Beetle into blasting the Brain, which took it out of the fight. Later, the device was taken to Horizon Labs to be studied. (Superior Spider-Man #1)

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By Al Sjoerdsma (E-Mail)