CEREBRO

In Episode 45 of CEREBRO, Connor and writer Zoe Tunnell are nigh-invulnerable when they're castin' with Sam Guthrie, the caring Cannonball! An original New Mutant, Kentucky coal country kid Sam went on to lead X-Force ⁠before graduating to the big leagues. After some time as an official member of the X-Men, he eventually joined the Avengers under writer Jonathan Hickman.

The CEREBRO character file on Cannonball begins at 49:29.

(Content Advisory: Sam's story includes sexual violence.)

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In Episode 44 of CEREBRO, Connor and writer Alex Segura soak up the sun with Roberto da Costa, the sensational Sunspot! An original New Mutant, biracial Brazilian babe Beto inherited his father's fortune and continued into X-Force in the 90s. After a stint as Lord Imperial of the Hellfire Club, he eventually joined the Avengers under writer Jonathan Hickman.

The CEREBRO character file on Sunspot begins at 53:42.

(Content Advisory: Beto's story includes racism and brainwashing.)

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In Episode 43 of CEREBRO, Connor and writer Steph Williams hype up Roxy Washington, the brilliant Bling! While she's a somewhat minor character, lesbian teen Roxy has a unique role in her generation. Plus: Steph's newly-announced DC Comics book NUBIA AND THE AMAZONS! Plus her thoughts on Monica Rambeau, Storm, and whatever else occurred to us to chat about.

The CEREBRO character file on Bling! begins at 56:26.

(Content Advisory: Roxy's story includes homophobic violence. This episode discusses racism and homophobia. When we talk about The Trial of Magneto, I mention the recent murder of a Romani man named Stanislav Tomáš by Czech police. To help the Tomáš family, you can visit their official fundraiser: https://www.betterplace.me/gerechtigkeit-fuer-stanislav-tomas63)

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In Episode 42 of CEREBRO, Connor and his friend Luke Ruddick (Danger Rooms and Dragons) swing a bevy of blades with Gaveedra Seven, the sensational Shatterstar! A breakout star of the 90s run of X-Force, interdimensional alien/mutant gladiator 'Star is an escaped slave devoted to the liberation of his people. He has become one of Marvel's most prominent bisexual characters. 

The CEREBRO character file on Shatterstar begins at 1:06:16.

(Content Advisory: Gaveedra Seven's story includes slavery, brainwashing, self-harm and homophobia. This episode discusses childhood abuse and negative stereotypes of bisexual people.)

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In Episode 41 of CEREBRO, Connor and his friend Louis dig the good vibrations of the seismic stunner Rictor! Introduced in the classic run of X-Factor by Louise and Walt Simonson, Julio Richter became a 90s breakout in X-Force before starring in Peter David's X-Factor Investigations. After a lengthy period as one of the biggest characters to suffer from the Decimation, he was eventually repowered. He now stars in Excalibur by Tini Howard and Marcus To, where he has become the face of mutant magic.

The CEREBRO character file on Rictor begins at 1:07:06.

(Content Advisory: Julio's story includes suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, torture, and brainwashing.)

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In Episode 40 of CEREBRO, Connor and writer and editor Steve Foxe (Spider-Ham, Cheater Code, Razorblades, The Department of Truth) fly into the fairy kingdom of Alfheim with Jean-Paul Beaubier, the nimble Northstar! The first confirmed gay superhero at Marvel Comics, Jean-Paul originated as a member of Alpha Flight, but became an X-Men mainstay under writer Chuck Austen. His 2012 same-sex wedding made headlines, but in the time since, this shining star has struggled to find his light. He is the co-lead of X-Factor volume 4 by Leah Williams and David Baldeón.

The CEREBRO character file on Northstar begins at 1:42:46.

(Content Advisory: Jean-Paul's story includes homophobia, ableism against his sister, a suicide attempt by another character, mind control, and brainwashing. His backstory is tied to the violent Quebecois separatist movement of the 1970s.) 

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In Episode 39 of CEREBRO, Connor and writer and critic Sara Century (Bitches on Comics) are possessed by the power of Xi'an Coy Manh*, the courageous Karma! The first confirmed lesbian character in the X-Men franchise, Xi'an was the original leader of the New Mutants, but has never received as much care and attention on the page as her classmates. She is a protagonist of the new run of New Mutants by Vita Ayala and Rod Reis.

The CEREBRO character file on Karma begins at 1:56:11.

(Content Advisory: Xi'an's story includes rape, disordered eating, fatphobia, ableism, homophobia, suicidal ideation and attempted suicide, brainwashing, human trafficking, slavery, and limb amputation. Her origin is closely tied to the real world Vietnamese boat refugee crisis.)

* NOTE: At the time this episode was recorded and published, Karma’s civilian name had been rendered since her first appearance as “Xi’an Coy Manh”, which is not proper Vietnamese. In 2023, writer/artist Trung Le Nguyen adjusted Karma’s name in the story “Karma in Love”, and established “Xi’an” as a mispronunciation. This episode discusses the controversy around Xuân’s name, but refers to her as Xi’an throughout. I have opted to retitle the episode to acknowledge this exciting change in the time since.

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In Episode 38 of CEREBRO, Connor and celebrated writer Mike Carey (X-Men Legacy, Lucifer, The Unwritten, The Girl With All The Gifts) praise the power of Joanna Cargill, a.k.a. Frenzy! A longtime enemy of the X-Men, Cargill decided to change her ways during Carey's beloved time writing the franchise, and is now a fan favorite antihero. PLUS: Tempo! The Children of the Vault! Lady Mastermind!

The CEREBRO character file on Frenzy begins at 1:16:08.

(Content Advisory: Joanna's story includes child abuse, eugenics, ableism, brainwashing, and genocide.)

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In Episode 37 of CEREBRO, Connor and Marvel writer Steve Orlando get bad to the bone with the Morlock Sarah Rushman*, better known as Marrow! A breakout character of the late 90s, the rebellious and grisly Marrow's rising star quickly flamed out, but she's endured as a fan favorite.

The CEREBRO character file on Marrow begins at 26:58.

(Content Advisory: Sarah's story includes genocide, child abuse, sexual violence, torture, a non-consensual pregnancy termination, brainwashing, and general body horror.)

* NOTE: At the time this episode was recorded and published, Marrow's civilian surname "Rushman" had only been presented as an alias. As it's now being presented as her legal surname, and this episode had pretty bad SEO as just "Sarah", I've elected to rename it!

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In the PLANET-SIZE Episode 36 of CEREBRO, Connor and Marvel's Tini Howard praise the perfection of Monet St. Croix! The unlikely breakout of the Generation X class, marvelous mean girl Monet transcended her intended story function to become a leading lady, star of the new book X-Corp. Writer Kendra James also joins Connor to talk about Monet's historical importance as a unique character in the X-Men franchise.

The CEREBRO character file on Monet, Nicole, Claudette, and Penance begins at 1:26:35.

The interview with Kendra James begins at 2:09:04.

The interview with Tini Howard resumes at 3:02:49.

(Content Advisory: Monet's story includes torture, mind control, suicidal ideation, a suicide attempt by another character, Islamophobia, ableism, spooky bone marrow vampire stuff, and general body horror.)

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