What Are The Brood In 'X-Men '97'? The Marvel Aliens, Explained
X-Men '97 (2024) Season 2 continues to tease the threat of Apocalypse but has also made time to give other mutants and stories the spotlight. In the fifth episode of the season, we see Wolverine, Morph, and a band of other ex-Weapon X mutants venture to an abandoned facility.
While there, we are treated to a horror show that perfectly blends Resident Evil and Aliens (1986) by finally introducing The Brood. But as these parasitic aliens spread, they don't do enough to explain what they are. Thankfully, we are here to clear that up so you can better understand how scary the Brood really is.
What Are The Brood In Marvel Comics?
In Marvel Comics, the Brood are from a completely different dimension and end up on Earth-616. As a malicious species, they immediately thought of conquest and began to take over multiple planets. The species is insect-like and operates with a hive mind. They love to inflict pain on their victims, but that's nothing compared to how they spread their influence.
If the Brood infects you, it's not like a Xenomorph that will implant another in its victim's body. Instead, they alter the host DNA and turn it into a Brood as well. Should they infect a human with powers, they can get powers as well. The Brood have become one of the most dangerous races in the Marvel Universe and take on the X-Men more than anyone else.
Thankfully, the Brood is relatively easy to kill with the right hardware, but being that they operate as a swarm, there are often a lot of them in various sizes. As a result, it's best to face them with heavy artillery or to have skills like Wolverine to cut them down.
The Brood Terrorizes Wolverine And His Team In 'X-Men '97'
In X-Men '97 Season 2, Episode 5, "Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape," Wolverine, Morph, and others like Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike are forced to deal with the Brood face-to-face. But they had no knowledge of these creatures. As they explored the Weapon X facility, they learned that these aliens had killed almost everyone inside.
Those who didn't die were transformed into one of the Brood in a disgusting transformation. A mission that was supposed to get Wolverine's adamantium back quickly became a fight for survival that would make any fan of the survival horror genre happy. But the darkest part was when Wolverine was infected and became an enemy.
Since the Brood will only spread with those whom they deem the strongest, Wolverine was the best option. Now, transformed, he was more feral than ever and barely in control, making this one of the deadliest episodes of X-Men '97 Season 2 yet. While Wolverine ultimately beat the infection, with the help of Morph, it doesn't change the fact that if the Brood had gotten out, many lives would've been lost or transformed into one of their own.
This X-Men '97 Episode Is Perfect For Horror Fans
X-Men '97 Season 2, Episode 5, is easily one of the best of this season. Even though it's still an action show with superheroes, it was a nice change of pace from the usual fare. What we got was a surprisingly scary story that leans heavily into survival horror elements that are perfect for people just getting into the genre.
For those who love horror, this was also a welcome surprise as it didn't shy away from the necessary violence to set the tone. Mad scientists, carnivorous aliens, and body horror: This episode is a true standout of X-Men '97. If you love seeing the Colonial Marines fight to survive in Aliens or seeing Leon S. Kennedy try to survive another Resident Evil game, this is the episode for you.
While most superhero shows don't often play with different genres, it was nice to see X-Men '97 do so with horror. Then, when Wolverine got his adamantium back, it was like getting a big gun in a horror game, in that you feel unstoppable. For as fun as the scares were, it was just as good seeing Wolverine slice and dice his way through the Brood. Now we can only hope other superhero shows can offer something similar, as a little bit of horror can make anything good great.
