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Mother Brain (often referred to as the Mother Brain) is a major antagonist and boss of the Metroid video game series, acting as the cyborg computer of the Space Pirates. The villain generally appears as an enormous human brain with a single, lidded eye, protruding metal spikes and power cables, which is surrounded by a glass tank, various automated defense systems, and a pool of lava or acid.
Mother Brain is depicted as being female in the television show Captain N: The Game Master, as well as in other lesser-known comic books. Also, the Metroid Fusion manual does make a reference to Mother Brain being female by stating, "On Zebes, Samus also encountered the biomechanical Mother Brain, leader of the Space Pirates, and dispatched her in a bitter fight."
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There is debate on whether or not Mother Brain is the true leader of the Space Pirates. According to Super Metroid's manual, 's manual, and both official mangas, Ridley is the leader of the Space Pirates while Mother Brain is just a biological computer which controls Zebes' defenses. However, the instruction manual for the original Metroid game, the manual for Metroid Fusion, the Nintendo Power comic, and the in-game introduction in Super Metroid refer to Mother Brain as the leader of the Space Pirates, with the original Metroid instruction manual going so far as to say that Ridley is actually controlled by Mother Brain. Metroid Prime confuses the issue even further in the Pirate Data logs by alluding to a High Command that issues orders, including the reconstruction of Ridley himself. In the Metroid E-manga (which acts a guide to Samus's past), Mother Brain is actually an ally of the Chozo, who
use it to keep track of data and reports. The story has not yet revealed why Mother Brain is an enemy in the games.
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Appearances
In all three games, Mother Brain is defended by Zeebetites, life support units that block Samus' path.
Mother Brain is defeated by first breaking its tank with missiles, and then pummeling the brain itself. In Super Metroid, the cyborg has an ace up its sleeve: after the destruction of the tank, Mother Brain is revealed to be part of a large, bipedal creature, with a range of powerful attacks (the reason this creature requires life support is not revealed). In Metroid: Zero Mission, not only are there rinka launchers and gun turrets, but the brain itself can fire a bolt of energy.
In each game, Mother Brain's apparent destruction initiates a self-destruct device, giving the player only a few minutes to escape before the area/atmosphere/planet is incinerated. Catastrophic self-destruction countdowns are a well-known trademark of the Metroid series, and most of the Metroid games feature at least one.
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Other appearances
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Mother Brain has appeared in WarioWare, Inc. series. The first game of the series, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$, has 9-Volt's microgame that re-enacts the fight between Samus and Mother Brain from the original NES Metroid. Samus must shoot missiles at Mother Brain to destroy it.
In the TV show Captain N: The Game Master, Mother Brain is portrayed as a female supervillain, with a more human-like face, and two eyes instead of one. This depiction was also used in the Valiant-published comic book based on the series, and in an obscure German comic, with even larger and more grotesque lips. Mother Brain's voice in the Captain N: The Game Master cartoon was provided by Levi Stubbs of Motown act The Four Tops, who also played the voice of Audrey II in the 1986 version of Little Shop of Horrors.
The RPG Chrono Trigger has a boss named Mother Brain. There is no known connection.
In Sega's Epic RPG Phantasy Star II, there is a computer called Mother Brain. She is the final boss in the game, located in Noah, the game’s final "dungeon." She is first heard of in Algol in AW 845, and is destroyed in AW 1284. Mother Brain is also mentioned in Phantasy Star IV.
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