Brood (comics)

The Brood are a race of insect-like, parasitic, extraterrestrial beings that appear in the comic books published by Marvel Comics, especially Uncanny X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, they first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #155 (March 1982). Their appearance in Amalgam Comics was in The Exciting X-Patrol #1 in 1997.

The Brood possess wings, fanged teeth and a stinging tail. They have a hive mentality and mindlessly follow a queen. To reproduce, they must infect other races with their eggs.

Claremont has said they were inspired by the xenomorphs of the 1979 movie Alien but, interestingly, the Brood appeared before the xenomorph’s hive society was introduced in the sequel Aliens.