History Main / BrainMonster

* In Creator/EdmondHamilton's ''The Man Who Evolved'', the protagonist [[EvolutionaryLevels evolves]] (after several intermediate passages) into a giant brain with tentacles, and ''[[SerialEscalation then]]'' into a giant brain with PsychicPowers that no longer even needs tentacles.

** The Intellect Devourer is basically a brain running around on four little legs. Its modus operandi is to crack a victim's skull open, remove the brain and then [[GrandTheftMe squeeze inside, taking over the body]]. Believe us, if you survive an encounter, you'll never want to go without Protection from Evil and Good again. Intellect Devourers are created by Illithids transforming a humanoid's brain.

* ''WebOriginal/{{Mortasheen}}'' has many, ''many'' monsters based on brains, or just brain-like in appearance. They are often -- but not always -- associated with PsychicPowers of some kind.

* The principal antagonist of ''Animation/{{Gandahar}}'' is a giant brain, made by the people of the utopian city of Gandahar as a prototype [[WetwareCPU organic computer]]. When the superbrain didn't work out as planned, it was dumped in the ocean and forgotten. Interestingly, when the heroes first encounter this giant brain, it seems docile, and even gives the heroes the tool for its own destruction.

* '''Just Brain''': The brain moves around by itself. It might have some bits attached, such as legs, hovering jets or helicopter rudders, but its main "body" is a brain. Alternatively, it is stationary and attached to something. If these brain monsters have other body parts, like eyes, a mouth and/or appendages, they'll be seamlessly integrated with the rest of their body.

* '''Just Brain''': The brain moves around by itself. It might have some bits attached, such as legs, hovering jets or helicopter rudders, but its main "body" is a brain. Alternatively, it is stationary and attached to something.

* ''Website/{{Neopets}}'' has the [[http://images.neopets.com/halloween/braintree.gif Brain Tree]], which gives out quests in the form of questions you must answer. The rationale behind this behavior is that the Brain Tree loves knowledge, but being rooted to the spot, it must rely on others to find information.

* In ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'', the {{Martians}}, to the human eye, appear as huge brains with tentacles, having pared their bodies down to just the vital organs (brain, heart, lungs, and hands, "the agent and educator of the brain"). Their TripodTerror giant robots are "bodies" built for the needs of the moment, and they "eat" by draining the nutrient-rich blood of lesser animals, including people.

* The titular terror in the ''ComicStrip/ThisModernWorld'' strip "[[https://images.dailykos.com/images/517153/story_image/TMW2018-03-14color.png?1520720102 The Thing That Ate America's Brain]]" (and its [[https://images.dailykos.com/images/858490/story_image/TMW2020-09-23color.png?1600534632 two]] [[https://images.dailykos.com/images/996225/story_image/TMW2021-10-13color.png?1633900271 sequels]]) is a tentacled EldritchAbomination that [[EmotionEater feeds on]] the "chaos, anger and turmoil" generated by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump and his supporters.

** The final boss of the first ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' -- the Spider Mastermind -- is essentially a giant brain carried by a robot body. Its children in ''VideoGame/DoomII'' are the Arachnotrons, which are smaller versions with automatic plasma guns.
** ''VideoGame/DoomII'''s final boss is the Icon of Sin, a giant skeletal goat face with an exposed brain as a weak point. It is only vulnerable to rockets fired into it from a certain angle, however.
** It's not immediately noticeable, but the Cacodemon design in ''VideoGame/Doom3'' has an exposed brain on top of its head.

* ''Franchise/StarCraft'': The [[MindHive Overmind]] is a gigantic brain with a thick carapace and some tentacles. It is immobile and only relocates by [[ColonyDrop teleporting itself into a planet's orbit and crashing onto the surface]]. To a lesser extent, Cerebrates are overgrown Zerg larvae which root themselves in place and only exist as giant brains. When the Overmind is killed, several Cerebrates merge to form a new one.\
* ''VideoGame/SpiderTheVideoGame'' ends with it's last boss being a gigantic, floating brain with two eyes and a metallic spine resembling a tail. The subsequent boss battle have the giant brain alternating between using EyeBeals and TailSlap on you.

* The ''ComicBook/{{BPRD}}'' short comic that introduced Lobster Johnson involves a scientist who gained PsychicPowers in an experiment, then used those powers to kill his colleagues. When the Lobster shoots the psychic in the head, his brain crawls out of the bullet hole, grows several times larger, then flies around the room. The Lobster barely kills the mutant brain before it strangles him with its spinal cord.

** The Gil'Dishpan or Gil'Dan, who have fought ComicBook/{{Superboy}} and the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes and were part of the Alien Alliance in ''[[Comicbook/InvasionDCComics Invasion!]]'', look like misshapen brain-tubeworm things in tentacle-covered bubbles.
** Some incarnations of the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' villain [[Characters/SupermanBrainiacCharacter Brainiac]] have an exposed brain beneath his skull-diodes: for instance, [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/5/5e/Adventures_of_Superman_Vol_1_519.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110925121223 here]]. The heroic Brainiac 417 of ''Comicbook/DCOneMillion'' is a disembodied brain encased in a humanoid force-field.
%%** The giant squid monster from ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''. '''ZCE'''

* ''Franchise/StarCraft'': The [[MindHive Overmind]] is a gigantic brain with a thick carapace and some tentacles. It is immobile and only relocates by [[ColonyDrop teleporting itself into a planet's orbit and crashing onto the surface]]. To a lesser extent, Cerebrates are overgrown Zerg larvae which root themselves in place and only exist as giant brains. When the Overmind is killed, several Cerebrates merge to form a new one.

* A few stranger strains from ''Website/GoodbyeStrangers'', such as the Condroni, have bodies that appear to be completely filled with what looks like human brain tissue when cut open.

* A few stranger strains from ''Website/GoodbyeStrangersAndTheFearfulFrontier'', such as the Condroni, have bodies that appear to be completely filled with what looks like human brain tissue when cut open.

* A few stranger strains from ''WebOriginal/GoodbyeStrangersAndTheFearfulFrontier'', such as the Condroni, have bodies that appear to be completely filled with what looks like human brain tissue when cut open.

* The ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' episode "[[Recap/DarkwingDuckS1E35HeavyMental Heavy Mental]]" revolves around a machine that gives the user PsychicPowers and [[MyBrainIsBig enlarges their brain]] as a side effect. At the episode's climax, the villain cranks the machine UpToEleven and turns himself into a truck-sized, floating brain. Darkwing and his friends beat him by [[spoiler:making him think too much during the power-up process, which [[YourHeadASplode blows him up]]]], making this one of the {{Squick}}iest episodes of the series.

->'''Andros:''' Only I have the brains to rule Lylat!\\
'''Fox [=McCloud=]:''' So, Andros, you show your true form.

** The Gil'Dishpan or Gil'Dan, who have fought ComicBook/{{Superboy}} and the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes and were part of the Alien Alliance in ''ComicBook/{{Invasion}}'', look like misshapen brain-tubeworm things in tentacle covered bubbles.