BRAIN-MINES

Classification: Terrestrial technology (Deviant)

Creator: Unidentified Deviant engineers

User/Possessors: Brother Karygmax, Ghaur, Warlord Kro, other Deviants; Imus Champion, Tyrannus

First Appearance: Eternals I#4 (October, 1976)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: Brain-Mines are small pieces of Deviant technology resembling a circuit. They are typically loaded into specialized guns carried by Deviants and can be fired in combat. When a Brain-Mine strikes a humanoid in the head, it causes them to become physically paralyzed. Brain-Mines were desgined to paralyze Eternals but have also proved capable of paralyzing normal humans, superhumans and beings from other species. Only Kro has demonstrated complete immunity to a Brain-Mine's effects. When a Brain-Mine is removed, the victim is typically groggy and can even become delusional. That a Brain-Mine can pierce the skin of the normally-indestructible Eternals suggests the pincers on the device are either made from special materials or release some form of cosmic energy; a slight energy discharge appears when the Brain-Mine strikes a forehead.

    Some Brain-Mines have been specially designed to place its victims into a suggestible hypnotic state, rather than paralyze them. Such Brain-Mines are usually placed at the base of the victim's skull, rather than the forehead.

    An alternate form of Brain-Mines used by Brother Karygmax were larger and had four pincers, designed to rest atop the scalp of its victims. These Brain-Mines left the victim in a highly suggestible hypnotic state, allowing them to respond to commands. These Brain-Mines were seemingly less useful against Eternals than the standard model.

History:

(Marvel Universe I#4) - Warlord Kro enslaved the giant mutate Gorgilla, placing a Brain-Mine upon the creature, then unleashed him upon Manhattan.

(Marvel Universe I#5) - The Monster Hunters ensnared Gorgilla inside an immense net. Doctor Druid found the Brain-Mine attached to the base of Gorgilla's skull and removed it, freeing Gorgilla from Kro's control but also enraging him all the more.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#10 - BTS) - A squad of armored Deviants under the command of Warlord Kro invaded the Carmody Institute, headquarters of the First Line, seeking to capture Pixie of the Eternals. They were armed with Brain-Mines but failed to hit Pixie with one of them.

(Eternals I#4) - Warlord Kro led an army of Deviants in an assault on Manhattan. When Ikaris opposed them, one of the Deviant soldiers fired a gun-mounted Brain-Mine at him, striking Ikaris in the forehead. Stunned unconscious, Ikaris was placed inside an ejection tube from Kro's Rading Craft and fired into the ocean

(Eternals I#6) - When Thena convinced Kro to halt his attack he had his men retreive the ejection tube and release Ikaris, removing the Brain-Mine from his head. Ikaris was annoyed by what the Deviants had done to him but before he could seek retribution learned of the truce Thena had negotiated.

(Incredible Hulk II#242) - After assuming control of the former Deviant outpost in El Dorado, Tyrannus claimed the weaponry he found there, including at least one Brain-Mine. When the Hulk attacked Tyrannus, he fired a Brain-Mine at his enemy, stunning him. The Hulk's quasi-ally Goldbug removed the Brain-Mine by applying his acidic "aqua regia," allowing the Hulk to revive.

(Iron Man Annual I#6 (fb)) - A team of Deviants commanded by Warlord Kro snuck into Olympia and, through stealth and treachery, ambushed each of the Eternals one at a time, placing a Brain-Mine on each of their enemies' foreheads. Eventually, all of the Eternals (including Ajak, Ikaris, Makkari, Sersi and Thena) were confined in Olympia.

(Iron Man Annual I#6) - Warlord Kro began killing the Eternals by removing each one's Brain-Mine then striking them with a neuropressor beam that immobilized them while leaving them conscious, then used a molecular converter to break down the Eternals' bodies into pure energy for Brother Tode to ingest. Kro temporarily deactivated Thena's Bain-Mine and offered to set her free so they could both escape but Thena refused to abandon her people so he turned the Brain-Mine on again. When Iron Man (James Rhodes) came to Olympia he attempted to free Thena from her Brain-Mine by firing his armor's repulsor rays at the device, but as he was afraid of injuring her the blast proved too weak to break the Brain-Mine. Under guidance from Olympia's computer, Iron Man placed Thena near Zuras' corpse, which released cosmic energies that caused the Brain-Mine to dissolve; Thena was briefly in an incoherant state due to the Brain-Mine and Warlord Kro placed another Brain-Mine on her forehead, recapturing her. However, Iron Man released the other Eternals from thier Brain-Mines and they reclaimed Olympia from the Deviants, liberating Thena from her Brain-Mine.

(Eternals II#12 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Kro placed a small Brain-Mine at the base of Thena's neck. Instead of falling unconscious, Thena became susceptible to Kro's influence.

(Eternals II#10) - When Kro brought Thena to Lemuria to assist his conspiracy against Ghaur, he found Ghaur had already captured his co-conspirators. One of Ghaur's men fired a Brain-Mine at Thena, knocking her out. Later, Sersi entered Lemuria disguised as the Deviant Yrdisis but Ghaur saw through her disguise and placed a Brain-Mine on her as well.

(Eternals II#11) - While Thena remained paralyzed by Ghaur's Brain-Mine, Ghaur placed a device called a Gracelet around Sersi's wrist which allowed him to control her mind. He then removed the Brain-Mine from Sersi so he could use her in a plot to kill Ikaris. After showing Kro the full scope of his plans, Ghaur slapped a Brain-Mine on Kro.

(Eternals II#12) - Kro revealed Ghaur's Brain-Mine had failed to knock him out because he used his power to manipulate his own atoms to render himself immune and simply removed the Brain-Mine from his forehead. He then removed Ghaur's Brain-Mine from Thena. Later, as Thena was about to join the other Eternals in the Uni-Mind, Kro removed the small Brain-Mine he'd placed on her before and explained how he'd subverted her will. Thena was furious at him for the betrayal.

(Quasar I#12 (fb) - BTS) - Deviants serving Warlord Kro attacked Master Elo, an Eternal hermit. Incapacitating him with a Brain-Mine, they brought him back to Lemuria as their prisoner.

(Avengers I#370 (fb) - BTS) - Deviants led by Brother Karygmax began seeking the revival of Ghaur and used a new model of Brain-Mine (featuring four pincers and resting atop the scalp rather than the forehead) to enslave Varua of the Young Gods.

(Avengers I#370 (fb)) - Next, Brother Karygmax used a distress signal to bring the Avengers to Deviant Lemuria. Karygmax led a team of Deviants against against the Avengers and they placed a Brain-Mine on each of the Avengers, including the Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Crystal, Giant-Man (Hank Pym), Hercules and Sersi. As they began to collect blood samples from each of their captives, Sersi resisted the Brain-Mine and tore it from her scalp then fled Lemuria.

(Avengers I#370) - When Sersi returned with Kro as her ally, the revived Ghaur snared her with another Brain-Mine as he announced his intent to use Varua, Sersi, Hercules, Crystal and Captain America to form a Uni-Mind he would control.