| Brothers Grimm | |
|---|---|
The first Brothers Grimm and Priscilla Dolly |
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Spider-Woman #3 (Jun 1978) (originals) Iron Man #188 (Nov 1984) (second pair) |
| Created by | Marv Wolfman and Carmine Infantino |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Jake and William Dolly (original pair) Percy and Barton Grimes (second pair) |
| Team affiliations | Night Shift |
The Brothers Grimm are two sets of fictional twin comic book supervillains, owned by Marvel Comics and existing in that company's Marvel Universe.
Contents |
The first appearance of the first Brothers Grimm came in Spider-Woman #3. These were a pair of identical, magically animated mannequins created by doll collector Nathan Dolly (also known as Mister Doll) and his wife Priscilla. During their initial appearances only one was ever seen at a time and the singular identity, Brother Grimm was used instead of their true plural name.
Mister Doll was a criminal who could mystically harm a person by harming a doll whose features he could reshape to resemble the victim's.[1]
Later, in the process of creating the Brothers Grimm dolls, Nathan's consciousness is trapped simultaneously inside both doll mannequins. They are used by Nathan's wife Priscilla to power a pair of life size versions. She names them Jake and William (the names are a take on the Brothers Grimm), treats them as if they are her sons, and they in turn completely believe this to be true.
Priscilla's plan is to use her occult knowledge to transfer Nathan's mind from the mannequins to a living human body. These efforts are stopped by Spider-Woman, and Nathan's consciousness disperses.[2]
The second Brothers Grimm appeared in Iron Man #188. They would eventually be thrown together with other lesser known super-villains in a group called the Night Shift.
Twin brothers, Percy and Barton Grimes are born in Fresno, California. They work as realtors, and while exploring a theatre they own, they find the original Brothers Grimm mannequins. On a whim, they decide to try the costumes on and become gifted with the powers of the original pair. As the Brothers Grimm, they terrorize a restaurant belonging to a business rival, and then battle Iron Man II. Tony Stark deduced their true civilian identities, and the police arrest the brothers.[3]
The Brothers Grimm later became professional criminals, and join the Night Shift, and team with Captain America against the Power Broker and his augmented mutates.[4] With the rest of the Night Shift, the Brothers test Moon Knight to take over as their leader.[5] Alongside the Night Shift, they next battle the West Coast Avengers.[6] The Brothers Grimm then attack Hawkeye in order to collect the reward being paid by Crossfire to the first person who delivered to him Hawkeye's arm. Alongside Crossfire, Mad Dog, Bobcat, Razor Fist, Bullet Biker, and the Death-Throws, the Brothers battle Hawkeye, Mockingbird, and Trick Shot.[7]
During the "Acts of Vengeance", the Brothers Grimm are freed from prison by the Wizard. They battle a cosmic-powered Spider-Man and are defeated.[8] Alongside Graviton, Titania, Trapster, and Goliath IV, the Brothers are hired by the Chameleon to kill Spider-Man. They are then tricked into attacking the Kingpin and defeated by Spider-Man.[9] Alongside Mockingbird and the Werewolf, they help the Shroud defeat a street gang.[10]
The Brothers then briefly rejoin the Night Shift, under the leadership of the new Hangman, and the Night Shift's powers are increased by Satannish. They battle the Avengers West Coast again, but are defeated.[11]
The Brothers are later depicted as prisoners in the Raft, a high security prison for costumed criminals, and escape.[12]
The Brothers Grimm are later hired by the Hood to take advantage of the split in the superhero community caused by the Superhuman Registration Act.[13] They are later captured by Nighthawk and Gargoyle and sent back to jail.[14]
In Secret Invasion, the Brothers Grimm appear as part of the Hood's alliance with super-powered heroes; the grouping is intent on defeating the Skrull invasion force of New York City.[15] They are later seen as part of the Hood's criminal gang that is sent by Norman Osborn to attack the New Avengers.[16]
The Brothers Grimm are seen to be among the new recruits for Camp H.A.M.M.E.R..[17] Tigra beats Percy severely,[18] and leaves a note for his brother reading, "You're next."[19]
The Brothers Grimm were seen during the battle of Camp: HAMMER,[20] until the Hood ordered his men, including the Brothers Grimm, to teleport to aid Osborn in Siege of Asgard.[21] After the battle was over, Brothers were arrested along with other members of the Hood's gang.[22]
The Brothers Grimm were later defeated in San Fransisco by Armory.
Both pairs of Brothers Grimm had powers which were somehow related to the Brothers Grimm mannequins built by Nathan Dolly. Both pairs of Brothers Grimm possess the ability to conjure, with the appearance of sleight of hand, a variety of small novelty items from within their costumes. Each of these items has a unique offensive capability; long strands of nearly unbreakable thread, corrosive filled eggs, pies filled with blackbirds, paralytic "stardust", fast-growing bean seeds, and many others have been used. They could also emit poisonous smoke from their hands. They could fly by means of floating five-pointed "stars" and small cloud banks which are somehow solid enough to stand on.