Brainchild

**Charles**, better known as **Brainchild**, is an antagonist from the animated 1994 series *The Tick*. He is a 9-year-old bratty, evil genius who uses his colossal intellect to create advanced technology with which to carry out his plans. He works alongside his younger sister Amelia, who appears to be smart, but not a genius, and with a normal emotional maturity for her age. He also has a cybernetic dog named Skippy who used to be a normal dog until he was hit by a car, and Brainchild revived him using technology. Skippy acts as Brainchild's bodygaurd, while Amelia takes on the role of his lab assisstant. Charles has overly permissive parents who allow him to carry out his nefarious plans unfettered, and rarely discipline him.

He was voiced by Rob Paulsen in his first appearance and Stuart Stone in his second appearance.

## Biography

In his premiere episode, The Tick vs. Brainchild, Brainchild reveals that he has created a multiphasic cannon which allows him to preform many tasks. He apparently needs a microwave oven for its components, in order to complete the cannon, or one of his other inventions, and sends Skippy to retrieve it. Skippy and the Tick and Arthur happen to both arrive at the same mega-mart, and attempt to purchase the same microwave oven, the last which the store has in stock. As the Tick and Arthur fight Skippy over the microwave, Brainchild uses a technopathic ray from his cannon, in order to bring all other electronic devices on the shelves to life, and have them fight off the Tick and Arthur, allowing Skippy to escape with the microwave. After defeating the appliances, the two heroes follow Skippy, and are greeted at Brainchild's front porch by his parents.

Brainchild overhears his parents talking to the Tick and Arthur about him from his treehouse lab and prepares to vaporize them, but Amelia refuses to allow him to harm Arthur, because she believes he is dressed like a bunny. The Tick tries to talk sense into Brainchild, but this only annoys him more, and causes him to pull the moon out of orbit and set it on a collision course with Earth. Skippy is sicked on the Tick and Arthur. Brainchild seems to be apathetic to the fact that he will also die in the collision, though it is never actually mentioned. The Tick manages to infiltrate Brainchild's lab, and after much trying,he reverses the gravity, sending the moon back into orbit. The force from the sudden reversal causes the treehouse to collapse, almost killing Skippy, but Brainchild manages to salvage his brain.  Brainchild's parents finally decide to punish him by making him pay for the property damage of his collapsed treehouse with future allowance.

In his second appearance, Brainchild uses a nanny who has been brainwashed in a mech suit to destroy the City. She successfully ruins the superheroes favorite diner, and then kidnaps the Tick. When the Tick discovers who his captor is, he is not impressed until Brainchild uses a DNA changing ray to morph him into a two headed blue bird who can only speak high school level French. He soon calls major super villains to his home to sell the helpless bird-Tick on the auction. Meanwhile, Tick's friends stage a plan to rescue him.

Pineapple Pokopo, Chairface Chippendale, the Idea Men, and the Terror all arrive at Brainchild's house to participate in the bidding. Die Fledermaus and Sewer Urchin, disguised as pseudo-supervillains the Rake and Buckethead arrive as well. The two heroes outbid the room full of villains in order to provide a diversion, but are eventually revealed as frauds. American Maid and Arthur manage to break through, and transform the Tick back to normal, but Brainchild immediately attacks him with the nanny mecha, and a new, more lethal incarnation of Skippy. The Tick manages to destroy the controller which Brainchild used to control the Nanny, breaking his control over her. She dispatches Skippy for the Tick, and the house collapses as Brainchild's parents and Amelia return home. Brainchild's parents are finally forced to admit that their son is not simply acting out in his youth, but is legitimately evil, and the Tick and friends escort him away to be arrested and sent to juvenile hall.