Brutus and Nero

Brutus and Nero are Madame Medusa's two pet crocodiles and the secondary antagonists of Disney's 1977 animated feature film The Rescuers.
==Background==
It is unknown how Madame Medusa acquired these crocodiles. While she applauds their competence, she has little patience for their antics.
They are named after two figures of ancient Rome: Emperor Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus), who was known for his cruelty and accused of setting Rome on fire, and Marcus Junius Brutus, who was one of the assassins of Julius Caesar.
===Personality===
Brutus and Nero are both ferocious, mean, and harmful. For unknown reasons, they show nothing but loyalty to Madame Medusa until the end. However, they show neither loyalty nor respect to Mr. Snoops and heartily dislike him, no matter how many times Mr. Snoops tries to make friends with them. At the end of the movie, they become hostile to Medusa as well, due to her repeatedly abusing them.
It is clear that they can understand every word that is said around them.
==Appearances==
===The Rescuers===
Brutus and Nero first appear watching Penny, an orphaned little girl, and making sure she doesn't escape, all while knowing she is not intimidated by them.
They later have to find Penny because of Medusa's incompetent assistant, Mr. Snoops. When the crocodiles find Penny, Brutus grabs Penny by the straps of her dress while Nero takes her Teddy Bear. Penny bravely chides the crocodiles for ruining her escape and threatens Nero for if he gets her Teddy Bear wet. When they return to the riverboat, Brutus carries Penny upside down by her underwear. Mr. Snoops taunts Penny for her failed escape. Then Penny orders Brutus to put her down. Brutus smugly drops her to the floor where she lands on her head. Penny calls him a "freaky little dragon" for that. Brutus and Nero are congratulated by Medusa while she confronts Mr. Snoops (who shifts the blame of Penny's near-escape on them for not guarding the boat like they're supposed to). Later, Brutus and Nero try to eat Bernard and Bianca, two rescuing mice, who are going to rescue the kidnapped Penny. However, when Medusa hears them playing the organ, where the mice were hiding in, she stops them from making a lot of racket. Medusa sees the mice and she, Mr. Snoops, Brutus and Nero try to kill them both, but they all fail.
Brutus and Nero, after Penny is forced to get the diamond for Medusa, take Penny back to Medusa's home. Again, Brutus holds her upside down by her underwear, prompting her to demand he put her down. This time, he ignores her, swings away from the cave and continues carrying her while Medusa and an arguing Snoops follow.
The animals help Penny by attacking Medusa and outsmarting her on every move. Brutus and Nero are tricked into going after Bernard and Bianca, and they become trapped in the elevator by the mice. Brutus and Nero are freed after the riverboat is blown up by Snoops' fireworks, only for Medusa to plow right into the back of their heads moments later with her boots. She then whips them both with a rope in the final chase to make them go faster. However, they all race towards a smokestack from the sunken riverboat. The two narrowly avoid it, while Medusa rams right into it. Realizing that their mistress has no real respect for them, Brutus and Nero attempt to eat Medusa in revenge for her abuse towards them in the end.
===Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two===
Despite not appearing in the game, Brutus and Nero have a cameo in the Graphic Novel as random crocodiles in Bog Easy, which make sense given that Madame Medusa's boat already appeared in the same place in Epic Mickey.
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*Brutus and Nero have been variously identified as both alligators and crocodiles. Bianca refers to them as "crocs" in the movie while planning her, Bernard, and Penny's escape, but they are repeatedly described as alligators in the movie's concept art. Their head shapes are more like those of crocodiles (long, narrow snouts, protruding lower teeth), but alligators are also often inaccurately drawn with these features.
*The idea of Brutus and Nero understanding everything that is said to them makes sense since crocs are surprisingly intelligent.
*Brutus was named after the adopted son of Julius Caesar, who, in the end, betrayed him. Nero was named after a tyrannical and oppressive Roman Emperor.
*An unnamed crocodile with a similar design to Brutus and Nero appears as a minor villain/antagonist in Jungle Cubs.
*The scene of Brutus and Nero attacking Bernard and Miss Bianca is parodied in the non-Disney animated film The Swan Princess, where two alligators attack Jean-Bob the frog.
*It remains unknown how Medusa and Penny can tell Brutus and Nero apart since they both look identical to each other.
==External links==
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es:Brutus y Nerón
fr:Brutus et Néron
Category:Henchmen
Category:Villains
Category:Disney characters
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Category:The Rescuers characters
Category:Fantasia characters
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Category:Silent characters
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Category:Characters in the Disney animated features canon
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Category:Disney Villains