In Episode 120 of CEREBRO, Connor and ComicsXF publisher Dan Grote light one up with the willful Pete Wisdom! Created by Warren Ellis and Ken Lashley, the cantankerous, chain-smoking Wisdom — a British secret agent and mutant assassin — was introduced as the unlikely new love interest for Kitty Pryde, whose time in Excalibur had seen her grow from the X-Men's teen sidekick into an independent young superheroine.

Though the Pryde and Wisdom relationship was popular with many readers, it did not survive to the end of the 90s. Wisdom did, however, becoming a reliable supporting player for Marvel stories set in the UK — and a marketable leading man in stories by writer Paul Cornell. He most recently served as a major recurring character in writer Tini Howard's Betsy Braddock stories during the First Krakoan Age.

The CEREBRO character file on Wisdom begins at 39:54.

(Content Advisory: Pete's story includes torture and various other war crimes. He's a black ops secret agent. The vibes are not always great.)

You can support CEREBRO on Patreon!

In Episode 119 of CEREBRO, Connor and Marvel writer Murewa Ayodele (Storm, I Am Iron Man) heat things up with the inimitable Idie Okonkwo! Created by Matt Fraction, Kieron Gillen, and Whilce Portacio for the series Generation Hope, Idie — best known by the codename Oya — was one of the first post-Decimation mutants to manifest following the messianic arrival of Hope Summers. A devout Catholic teenager from rural Nigeria, Idie was hunted as a witch when her new powers over fire and ice catalyzed to disastrous effect. Her resulting self-loathing made her an unlikely superheroine, but in the 15 years since her debut she has played a critical thematic role in the X-Men franchise. After a memorable role in Victor LaValle's work during the First Krakoan Age, Idie has taken the new codename Temper as a regular team member in writer Jed McKay's current run on X-Men.

The CEREBRO character file on Oya/Temper begins at 49:41.

(Content Advisory: Idie's story includes racism, religious trauma, and the legacy of colonialism in Africa.)

You can support CEREBRO on Patreon!

In Episode 118 of CEREBRO, Connor and Marvel/DC writer Josh Trujillo (What If? Gambit, Blue Beetle, Wiccan and Hulkling) play a game of thrones with the liberal Lilandra Neramani, Majestrix Shi'ar! Created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum as the primary love interest for Charles Xavier, alien princess (and sometime empress) Lilandra became a major player in intergalactic politics and a frequent friend — but sometimes foe — of the X-Men. Her assassination in the 2009 cosmic event War of Kings was a devastating blow to social progress in the Shi'ar Imperium, but in recent years her daughter by Charles, Xandra, has taken the throne and worked to finally realize the reforms her mother championed.

The CEREBRO character file on Lilandra begins at 51:27.

(Content Advisory: Lilandra is the ruler of an imperial state built on conquest and slavery. She tries to improve things from within, but there's a lot of rough stuff in here. This episode also discusses current events in America and — without going into detail — the sexual misconduct allegations against Neil Gaiman.)

You can support CEREBRO on Patreon!

In Episode 117 of CEREBRO, Connor and fan favorite guest Jordan Blok go under the knife with Yuriko Oyama, the diabolical Lady Deathstrike! Created by Denny O'Neill and William Johnson as a brief love interest for Daredevil, the character was heavily reimagined by later writers as the ultimate woman of war, a key nemesis of the X-Man Wolverine and leader of the vicious cyborgs called the Reavers. A fan favorite character despite her evil history, in recent years Deathstrike has been portrayed as more of an antihero than a pure villain.

This is Part Two of Two. Go back to Part One if you haven't heard it yet! Patreon subscribers now have exclusive access to the combined 9-hour Extended Mrs. Claws Mix.

Jordan's curated Lady Deathstrike playlist, FINGERCRIMES, is available now on Spotify as a complement to this episode.

(Content Advisory: Yuriko's story includes suicide, racism, child abuse, threatened sexual violence, torture, and genocide.)

In Episode 117 of CEREBRO, Connor and fan favorite guest Jordan Blok go under the knife with Yuriko Oyama, the diabolical Lady Deathstrike! Created by Denny O'Neil and William Johnson as a brief love interest for Daredevil, the character was heavily reimagined by other writers (particularly Chris Claremont) as the ultimate woman of war, a key nemesis of the X-Man Wolverine and leader of the vicious cyborgs called the Reavers. A fan favorite character despite her evil history, in recent years Deathstrike has been portrayed as more of an antihero than a pure villain.

The CEREBRO character file on Lady Deathstrike begins at 1:10:00.

This is Part One of Two. The second half is coming soon! When it drops, Patreon subscribers will also get exclusive access to the combined Extended Mrs. Claws Mix.

Jordan's curated Lady Deathstrike playlist, FINGERCRIMES, is available now on Spotify as a complement to this episode.

(Content Advisory: Yuriko's story includes suicide, racism, child abuse, sexual violence, torture, and genocide.)

Hey there, Zalagang!

Some scheduling issues have delayed the next episode of CEREBRO, but it should be in your ears for the holidays. Since it's been a minute — and a mysterious shadow early in the current run of Jed McKay's X-Men certainly looked like this beautiful weirdo — I've decided to release a CEREBRO Appendix episode publicly.

This episode was originally released as a Patreon exclusive on August 9th, 2023. It's a fun sample of the joy awaiting you for just $5 dollars a month in the House of Z — especially as Holly will soon be my co-host for Krakoa Revisited, a Patreon series analyzing the five-year Krakoan arcs of every character already covered on CEREBRO.

Thanks for your patience! More soon.

In the latest installment of the CEREBRO Appendix, Dr. Holly Raymond of Temple University returns to the pod to talk about Astra, an extremely strange character. Created by Alan Davis, Fabian Nicieza, and Leinil Francis Yu, Astra is a retconned-in founding member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

She loves cloning Magneto, for reasons.

(Content Advisory: Astra's story includes torture, brainwashing, and Oedipal vibes.)

The CEREBRO Appendix is a bonus episode series spotlighting characters who do not have a full Zaladane of 12 appearances, or who never get the personal focus that would merit a full episode of CEREBRO.

In Episode 116 of CEREBRO, Connor and returning guest comedian Jay Jurden refuse to blend in with Victor Borkowski, the aggravating Anole! Created by Nunzio DeFillipis, Christina Weir, and Keron Grant, Victor is one of the more enduring characters from the Academy X generation. Devised for an 'issue story' about gay teen suicide that was ultimately nixed by Marvel editorial, in the decades since — like many in his age cohort — he has struggled to find a consistent role in the franchise. Things are looking up for the character, however, with his new gig as a regular cast member in NYX, written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly as part of the From the Ashes linewide relaunch.

The CEREBRO character file on Anole begins at 46:33.

(Content Advisory: Victor's story includes homophobia. This episode also discusses a storyline about suicide that was planned but never published.)

You can support CEREBRO on Patreon!

Hey there, Zalagang!

Today I'm joined by beloved friend of the pod Spencer Ackerman for a very special bonus episode: a discussion of his new ongoing title Iron Man!

The first arc of this new run picks up from Gerry Duggan's finale, following Tony Stark as he struggles to recover from a catastrophic injury — while also fending off a hostile takeover by the nefarious board of directors Feilong appointed in his absence. It features stunning art by Julius Ohta and a cavalcade of glamorous supervillainesses. I loved it.

This episode contains FULL SPOILERS for Iron Man #1, so please read the issue before listening.

You can support CEREBRO on Patreon!