Mother Brain

Ruling the world

Universal Villains

Being served

Taking over a body

Father Brain

Samus Aran

Humans

Being defeated

Mother Brain is a cold and ill-tempered AI created by the Chozo, but turned against them when the Space Pirates invaded Zebes. After showing her intellectual might, Mother Brain became leader of the Pirates and greatly increased the efficiency of their attacks against the Galactic Federation over the years.￼

## Appearance

### Original body

Mother Brain's primary body shares a similar appearance to an exposed human brain, but is gargantuan in size and implanted with various mechanical components. These implants consist of metal barbs and conical spikes that protrude outward from the surface of the pulsing cerebrum, thick tubes or pipes situated near the cerebellum and on her underside is a mass of machinery with cables and wires, some of which connect directly into the structure below Mother Brain's body. It can be assumed that part of this wiring is connected to a form of life-support system, as it has been stated that the Pirate leader requires constant supply of Zebetites to remain alive.

Mother Brain's most distinguishing trait is the single large eye found below the cerebral hemispheres, though it is usually hidden beneath folds of flesh. Her eye's pupil can change to a round or vertical shape at will, similar to that of a Cat's. She is found within a sealed glass tank known as a Control Capsule that protects her from external attacks and other outside elements; this, coupled with the machinery underneath her, leaves her completely immobile.

This body is seen in *Metroid: Zero Mission* and is the one most often shown in recent media both within and outside the *Metroid series*.

### Reconstructed body

Her body in *Super Metroid* remains mostly the same as her depiction in *Zero Mission*, with the first notable difference being the presence of a facial skeleton beneath her single eye. It is covered with tan-colored skin and consists of cheek bones along with an upper and lower jaw lined with sharp teeth. Inside the mouth is a tongue and likely the glands which produce the spittle seen later on. The sides of her new face are embedded with wires and metal pipes. Other changes are subtle: a slight reduction in overall size, the presence of an eyelid allowing her to blink and the brain tissue colored with an orange pigment. Furthermore, there are now wires that extend from the cerebrum to the topside of her capsule. The Cerebrum also apparently has two layers. An orange, thick layer and a glowing red layer with several detailed lines. The latter was revealed after she narrowly survived being drained by the Baby.

Abilities

As a sentient, organic super-computer built by the advanced Chozo, Mother Brain is capable of performing an extremely wide range of complex operations and algorithms of unimaginable magnitude. Connected directly to Tourian, she oversees the planet's many technological functions and security systems, along with archiving vast amounts of information and historical data, making her an invaluable intellectual support to whomever she allies herself with. Due to her inability to move under normal circumstances, she resorts to using a small, floating spherical monitor in the manga to observe, accompany, and converse with individuals outside of her physical body's location. This monitor is not her only means to observe the outside world however, and she likely can see through any type of surveillance tech connected to the vast system on Zebes. This amount of control, coupled with her self-awareness and high intelligence, is potentially what led to Mother Brain going rogue.

Several sources in past media imply that Mother Brain can influence/control her Pirate forces and wildlife with telepathy. This would explain why a large portion of the native flora and fauna on Zebes are highly aggressive toward Samus in the games, as the Pirate leader is directing them against her. Indeed, the manga has Samus directly accuse the A.I of this act. A cutscene in *Zero Mission* shows Mother Brain observing Samus in a moving elevator seemingly with no surveillance camera inside, potentially hinting at the former using her telepathy to see across vast distances.

The Metroid species are seemingly one of the few organisms that are immune to Mother Brain's telepathy. Events in *Zero Mission* and *Super Metroid* show the titular creatures attacking Space Pirates, including Mother Brain herself. The *Metroid Prime* series provide further proof with logbook entries stating that the Pirates have yet to develop any method of making their Metroid specimens obey orders. Curiously, Samus claims in *Other M* that the Pirate leader is the only thing that can control them; despite her statement, the same game shows all Metroids within the BOTTLE SHIP are still being kept in containment (with the exception of a single infant) despite a copy of Mother Brain being present onboard, which implies they are still an uncontrollable threat.

The first mention of Mother Brain's psionic abilities in media appeared in the non-canon Nintendo Comic System story: *The Coming of a Hero*, in which she is shown to display mental control over the Metroids. In the *Super Metroid* comic, the last Metroid rejected Mother Brain as it believed Samus was its mother, an act that shows her inability to control the deadly species.

Aside from her telepathy and the skills relating to her status as a super-computer, she can control weapon systems linked to her network (wired or wirelessly) such as the Cannons and the manga's Work Robots equipped with flamethrowers. Mother Brain gains additional weapons once she connects to her mobile body via the machinery on her underside: massive physical strength, blue ringed beams and bombs which are both expelled through her mouth, as well as an explosive barrage unleashed from her hands. Finally, the Pirate leader displays the ability to shoot a variety of beam projectiles out of her single eye, the most notable being the Brain blast and the devastating Laser Brain Attack, though only the former seems to be an innate weapon due to all others being exclusively used after the appearance of her mobile body. On that note, the blue ringed beams were also shown to be potent enough to significantly wound a Big Metroid if not kill it outright.