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Revision as of 18:49, 3 February 2007 by Stephen Day (talk | contribs) (Minor copyedit to opening)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Comics character| The Blood Brothers | |
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| File:IronMan-55.jpgIron Man vol. 1, #55 (Feb. 1973) Cover art by Jim Starlin & Joe Sinnott | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Iron Man vol. 1 , #55 (Feb. 1973) |
| Created by | Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich |
| In-story information | |
| Team affiliations | Thanos, Paibok the Power Skrull |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength and durability (increased when in proximity to one another) Vampiric need to drain blood |
The Blood Brothers are fictional extraterrestrial comic book characters in the Marvel Comics universe. They first appeared in Iron Man vol. 1, #55 (Feb. 1973), created by artist-conceptualist Jim Starlin and scripter Mike Friedrich.
Publication history
Following their debut, the Blood Brothers returned in a Starlin/Friedrich story in Marvel Feature #12 (Nov. 1973), again fighting the superhero Iron Man, here teamed with Fantastic Four member The Thing. The duo continued as Iron Man antagonists in Iron Man #89-91 (Aug.-Oct. 1976), then disappeared from publication for several years before resurfacing to battle the titular superhero team in The Avengers vol. 1, #252-253 (Jan.-Feb. 1990). Following appearances in Quasar #12 (July 1990), and X-Men vol. 2, #107 (Dec. 2000), they temporarily switched alliances to aid Earth's superheroes against a common threat in the three-issue miniseries Maximum Security (Dec. 2000 - Jan. 2001; first two issues released same month). They were next seen as interplanetary prison-escapees on Earth in the four-issue miniseries Drax the Destroyer #1-4 (Nov. 2005 - Feb. 2006), where one Blood Brother died.
They are unrelated to the high-tech motorcycle gang the Blood Brothers seen in some issues of the series X-51.
Fictional character history
The Blood Brothers are large ape-like aliens originally in the service of the conqueror Thanos, acting as the guardians of his first base on Earth. Pursued by Drax the Destroyer, the duo battle the superheroes Iron Man and the Thing in a bid to stop them from interfering in Thanos' plans. When they fail to do so, a disgusted Thanos teleports the Blood Brothers away.
They reappear years later on Earth in the service of the villain the Controller. Again they battle Iron Man, who defeats them with the aid of the hero Daredevil. Sometime later, the United States military discovers Thanos' old Earth base, and after activating some of the machinery accidentally teleports in the Blood Brothers. The two battle the Avengers and are eventually depowered by Thanos' brother, Eros.
The Blood Brothers are imprisoned, but are later released by the hero Quasar and left on the planet Mars. Later, they attempt in vain to stop Rogue of the X-Men from rescuing a mutant extraterrestrial of the Skrull race. The brothers later fought with Earth's metahumans against an invasion by Ego the Living Planet, but after becoming imprisoned along with alien criminals Paibok the Power Skrull and Lunatik, they crash-landed on Earth, where one brother perished in a confrontation with Drax the Destroyer.
Powers and abilities
The Blood Brothers' strength and durability is dependent on their proximity to their twin. When standing together, the two are capable of holding their own against Iron Man, but if separated they weaken to the point whereby the non-powered USAgent is capable of knocking one of them out.
The Brothers also drain the blood of victims in the manner of the fictional creature the vampire, although it is unclear as to whether they totally rely on blood for sustenance.
Footnotes
- Iron Man vol. 1, #55 (Feb. 1973)
- Maximum Security #2 (Dec. 2000)