In the Marvel Comics universe, Cerebro (Spanish and Portuguese for "brain") is a device that the X-Men (in particular, their leader, Professor Charles Xavier) use to detect mutants. It was created by Xavier, and was later enhanced by Dr. Henry McCoy. The current version of Cerebro is called Cerebra. Cerebro first appeared in X-Men Volume 1 #7 (1964). This does not cite any references or sources. ... Italic text // ahh addiing sum spiice iin hurr`` For other uses, see Brain (disambiguation). ... The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, known as the leader and founder of the X-Men. ... In Marvel comic books, particularly those of the X-Men mythos, a human being who is born with genetic modifications that allow for abilities not possessed by regular humans is commonly called a mutant. ... ‹ The template below (Comics-in-universe) has been proposed for deletion. ...

Use and function of the device

Cerebro amplifies the brainwaves of the user. In the case of telepaths, it enables the user to detect traces of other mutants worldwide. Not much has been shown about how powerful it is; at times in the storylines it could detect mutated aliens outside of the planet, when at others it could only scan for mutants' signatures in the United States. It is not clear whether it finds mutants by the power signature they send out when they use their powers or by the presence of the X-gene in their body; both methods have been used throughout the comics. Anyone other than a highly powerful or trained telepath who uses this machine would fall into a "psychic coma" because of the overwhelming brain signatures of people around the area they searched. Generally, an amplifier is any device that uses a small amount of energy to control a larger amount of energy. ... Electroencephalography is the neurophysiologic exploration of the electrical activity of the brain by the application of electrodes to the scalp. ... Telepathy, from the Greek τῆλε, tele, remote; and πάθεια, patheia, to be effected by, describes the hypothetical transfer of information on thoughts or feelings between individuals by means other than the five classical senses. ... “Green people” redirects here. ...

Because Cerebro's psionic enhancement is quite potent, only powerful telepaths with significant experience and control can effectively use it. The one exception has been Magneto, who has been said to have minor or latent telepathic abilities as well as experience amplifying his mental powers with mechanical devices of his own design. Professor X and Jean Grey are frequently seen using Cerebro. Emma Frost, Rachel Grey and Psylocke have also used it, and non-telepathic beings could use it if linked to the mind of a powerful telepath at the time of usage. After the device was upgraded to Cerebra, Cassandra Nova used it in order to exchange minds with Xavier. The Stepford Cuckoos once utilized the machine to amplify their combined ability, with only one of them directly connected to the machine, but all of them experiencing its interaction due to their psychic rapport. The strain of mentally halting a riot during Open Day killed Sophie, the Stepford Cuckoo who was hooked up to Cerebra. Sophie was both inexperienced at using Cerebro and was high on the mutant-enhancing drug "Kick"; it is uncertain if the strain of using the machine, the drug, or both were responsible for her death. The now remaining three Cuckoos demonstrated that they were capable of using Cerebra with relative ease in Phoenix: Endsong. Jean Grey is a fictional superheroine who lives in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Emma Grace[1] Frost, also known as the White Queen, is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Rachel Summers as the Phoenix Rachel Summers is a fictional character, a comic book superhero. ... Psylocke (Elisabeth Glorianna Betsy Braddock, sometimes Elizabeth) is a Marvel Comics superhero, sister to Captain Britain, and often associated with the X-Men. ... Cassandra Nova is a fictional enemy of the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. ... The Stepford Cuckoos are a group of fictional mutant psychically-linked quintuplets of the Marvel Comics universe, students at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Some mutants have learned to shield themselves from Cerebro, usually via their own telepathic ability. Magneto can shield himself from the device through use of minimal telepathic powers; in the film series, he does so with a specially constructed helmet. Magneto (Eric Lensherr) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

History of the device

Originally, Cerebro was a device similar to a computer that was built into a desk in Xavier's office. This early version of Cerebro operated on punch cards, and did not require a user (telepathic or otherwise) to interface with it. A prototype version of Cerebro named Cyberno was used by Xavier to track down Cyclops in the "Origins of the X-Men" back-up story in X-Men Volume 1 #40. In the first published appearance of Cerebro, X-Men Volume 1 #7, Professor X left the X-Men on a secret mission (to find Lucifer) and left Cerebro to the new team leader, Cyclops, who used it to keep track of known evil mutants and to find new evil mutants. The device also warned the X-Men of the impending threat posed by the non-mutant Juggernaut prior to that character's first appearance. Later, the device was upgraded to the larger and more familiar telepathy-based technology with its interface helmet. Punched cards (or Hollerith cards, or IBM cards), are pieces of stiff paper that contain digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. ... Cyclops (Scott Summers) is a fictional character who exists in the Marvel Comics Universe, a superhero who is the field leader of the X-Men. ... Lucifer is a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Juggernaut (Cain Marko) is a fictional Marvel Comics character associated with the X-Men franchise. ...

When the human-Sentinel gestalt Bastion stole Cerebro from the X-Mansion, Cerebro was hybridized with Bastion's programming via nanotechnology. The resulting entity, a self-aware form of Cerebro, created two minions, Cerebrites Alpha and Beta, through which it would act without exposing itself. It also used its Danger Room-derived records of the powers of the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to create its own team of imposter "X-Men" whose members possessed the combined powers of specific members of each of the two teams. Cerebro's goal was to put human beings in stasis so that mutants could inherit the Earth, and to this end it hunted down a group of synthetic children called the Mannites who possessed vast psychic powers. It was destroyed by the X-Men, with the help of Professor X and the Mannite named Nina. The Sentinels are fictional robots in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Bastion is a Marvel Comics supervillain, a fusion of the Sentinels Master Mold and Nimrod. ... The Danger Room is a fictional training facility built for the X-Men of Marvel Comics. ... The Brotherhood of Mutants, originally known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and briefly as the Brotherhood, is a Marvel Comics supervillain team devoted to mutant superiority over normal humans. ... Cerebros X-Men are a fictional team of supervillains who appeared in both Marvel Comics Uncanny X-Men and X-Men series. ...

More recently, following the example set by the X-Men films, Cerebro has been replaced by Cerebra (referred to as Cerebro's big sister), a machine the size of a small room in the basement of Xavier's School For Higher Learning. Though designed to resemble the movie version of Cerebro, Cerebra is much smaller than the films' version. It resembles a pod filled with a sparkling fog that condenses into representations of mental images. In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion, the common name for the Xavier Mansion, is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xaviers School for Gifted Youngsters. ...

In other continuities

Films

Cerebro, as seen in the X-Men films.

In the films X-Men and X2: X-Men United, Cerebro is a massive device that fills a spherical room in the basement of Xavier's School. The helmet interface is similar to the version seen in the comics, although the bulk of Cerebro's machinery is contained in the surrounding walls. While in use, three-dimensional images of the minds scanned by the device appear around the user. Unlike the comics' version of Cerebro, the film version can detect both human and mutant minds with ease. The unique signature of mutant brainwaves is shown in the first film by having human mental images portrayed in black and white, while those of mutants show up in color; In X2, mutants appear in red, and humans in white. Image File history File links Cerebropicture. ... Image File history File links Cerebropicture. ... X-Men is a 2000 American action film, featuring a group of comic book superheroes called the X-Men. ... X2 is an action movie, first released in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2003, and in the United States on May 2, 2003. ...

The only person seen using Cerebro successfully in the films is Xavier; Jean Grey attempted to use the device, but the input overwhelmed her nascent telepathic power and left her stunned. It is mentioned that Magneto helped Charles Xavier design Cerebro. This has not been confirmed to be true in the comics, although the Magneto of the comics can use Cerebro and has designed similar devices. Magneto (Eric Lensherr) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

In X2: X-Men United, the device was copied and modified by William Stryker in his plot to have a brainwashed Xavier use his Cerebro-amplified powers to kill the world's mutants, and was later further modified by Magneto to kill humans. According to X2, it is difficult to pinpoint the location of mutants who have the ability to teleport and are constantly in transit, such as Nightcrawler. William Stryker is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, an enemy of the X-Men. ... Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) is a fictional comic book superhero, and a member of the X-Men, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. ...

Television

In the animated series X-Men: Evolution, Cerebro was shown being used by Jean Grey to amplify her telepathic and telekinetic powers in order to battle a possessed Professor X. This was the first time that Cerebro demonstrated the ability to process telekinetic ability; it is unknown if it possesses the ability to do so in the comics. Although originally appearing as a computer console with custom peripherals, this model was destroyed when Juggernaut attacked the X-Mansion. When rebuilt, it adopted a look almost identical to that of the movie. X-Men: Evolution is an animated series containing the original cast of X-Men, mostly depicted as teenagers and some as adults. ... Jean Grey is a fictional superheroine who lives in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, known as the leader and founder of the X-Men. ... Juggernaut (Cain Marko) is a fictional Marvel Comics character associated with the X-Men franchise. ...

In the 1996 Generation X telefilm on FOX, Cerebro was depicted as a desktop personal computer with a few custom peripherals. The scaled down depiction fit with the very low budget appearance of the movie in general. On February 20, 1996, the Fox Broadcasting Company aired a made-for-television telefilm based on the Marvel Comics series Generation X. The film (produced by Marvel Entertainment) featured Banshee and Emma Frost as the headmasters of Xaviers School for Gifted Youngsters and M, Skin, Mondo, Jubilee and two... A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Other versions

In Chris Claremont's X-Men: The End storyline, which takes place some 20 years ahead of standard X-Men continuity, Cerebra has been replaced in turn by the disembodied brain of Martha Johansson, a human psychic who was introduced during Grant Morrison's run on the X-Men. This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Martha Johansson, also known as No Body, is a fictional mutant brain in a vat from the New X-Men comic book series of the Marvel Universe. ... Grant Morrison (born January 31, 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer and artist. ...

In the video game X-Men Legends, Cerebro is identical to its appearance and usage in the X-Men film. Jean Grey and Emma Frost use the device at one point to attempt to return Professor X's mind to his body. Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a universal phenomenon. ... X-Men Legends is a role-playing game released on several consoles in 2004. ...

In the universe of Marvel Zombies, zombified versions of Beast and Mr. Fantastic reprogram Cerebro to help them and the other zombies track down the last remaining humans on Earth. Marvel Zombies is a comic book miniseries, published by Marvel Comics. ... Look up beast in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Mister Fantastic is a Marvel Comics superhero who is the leader of the Fantastic Four. ...