Cerebro (podcast)

Last updated
Cerebro
Cerebro podcast logo.jpg
Presentation
Hosted byConnor Goldsmith
LanguageAmerican English
Production
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes116 (as of December 2024)
Related
Website www.connorgoldsmith.com/cerebro

Cerebro is an audio podcast hosted by writer and literary agent Connor Goldsmith. Each episode, Goldsmith talks with a guest about a single X-Men character and their entire history, going "through the byzantine maze of continuity that inevitably builds up over 60 years of storytelling," often with a queer lens. [1] His guests have included authors, comedians, a Pulitzer winner, an Emmy nominee, as well as his own personal friends. [2] Entertainment Weekly listed it in their article "The 10 Best Podcasts of 2021." [3]

Contents

Show History

Goldsmith, a Senior Literary Agent at Fuse Literary, [4] started the podcast in 2020 as a way to keep from going stir crazy during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. After encouragement from a friend, he decided to start with an interview with then- Excalibur writer Tini Howard about Betsy Braddock. [2] The podcast is named after Professor Charles Xavier's mutant database machine called "Cerebro". [5]

In April 2024, the podcast hit one hundred episodes and over 300 hours of content. [6] Niko Stratis of Autostraddle stated, "It’s got a long backlog of episodes, but it’s a really fun, joyfully chaotic listen through a joyfully chaotic timeline of messy mutants." [7]

Format

Each episode highlights a different character in the X-Men comics, with Connor and his guest often discussing themes of LGBTQ+ and how the character relates to the X-Men's minority metaphor. Entertainment Weekly described it as them "excavat[ing] the many queer allegories that are possible with these colorful characters." [3] He will often talk about the character's history chronologically, before stopping for a brief segment called the "Cerebro Character File," an abridged version of the character's entire history, and then resuming his discussion with the guest. The end of the episode has Connor and his guests answer questions from listeners. [6]

Episodes

As of December 16, 2024, the podcast has aired 116 episodes, with a number of bonus episodes.

Season 1

No.TitleLengthOriginal air date
1"Betsy Braddock (feat. Tini Howard)"1:21:00September 1, 2020 (2020-09-01)
2"Kurt Wagner (feat. Daniel Kibblesmith)"1:34:00September 8, 2020 (2020-09-08)
3"Emma Frost (feat. Alex Abad-Santos)"2:18:00September 15, 2020 (2020-09-15)
4"Piotr Rasputin (feat. Mattie Lubchansky)"1:51:00September 22, 2020 (2020-09-22)
5"Ororo Munroe (feat. Rashida Renée Ward)"1:46:00September 29, 2020 (2020-09-29)
6"Scott Summers (feat. Jay Edidin)"1:47:00October 6, 2020 (2020-10-06)
7"Dani Moonstar (feat. Darcie Little Badger)"1:39:00October 13, 2020 (2020-10-13)
8"Bobby Drake (feat. Anthony Oliveira)"2:28:00September 8, 2020 (2020-09-08)
9"Warren Worthington III (feat. Jay Jurden)"2:28:00October 27, 2020 (2020-10-27)
10"Raven Darkhölme (feat. Patrick Sullivan)"2:27:00November 3, 2020 (2020-11-03)
11"Hank McCoy (feat. Spencer Ackerman)"2:23:00November 10, 2020 (2020-11-10)
12"Brian Braddock (feat. Jordan D. White)"2:40:00November 17, 2020 (2020-11-17)
13"Logan (feat. Gerry Duggan)"2:26:00November 24, 2020 (2020-11-24)
14"Opal Luna Saturnyne (feat. Tini Howard)"2:51:00December 1, 2020 (2020-12-01)
15"Jean Grey (feat. Sara Century)"2:46:00December 8, 2020 (2020-12-08)
16"Erik Magnus Lehnsherr (feat. Spencer Ackerman)"2:58:00December 18, 2020 (2020-12-18)
17"Anna Marie (feat. Cass Morris)"3:09:00December 30, 2020 (2020-12-30)
18"Meggan Puceanu (feat. A.R. Moxon)"2:55:00January 5, 2021 (2021-01-05)
19"Tessa (feat. Valentine M. Smith)"2:49:00January 21, 2021 (2021-01-21)
20"Lorna Dane (feat. Cori McCreery)"2:38:00January 19, 2021 (2021-01-19)
21"Mortimer Toynbee (feat. Tim Platt)"2:20:00January 26, 2021 (2021-01-26)
22"Doug Ramsey (feat. Annalise Bissa)"2:56:00February 3, 2021 (2021-02-03)
23"Cassandra Nova (feat. Patrick Willems)"2:31:00February 9, 2021 (2021-02-09)
24"Alex Summers (feat. Allison Senecal)"2:50:00February 19, 2021 (2021-02-19)
25"Kitty Pryde (feat. Stephanie Burt)"3:31:00February 26, 2021 (2021-02-26)
26"Adam Neramani (feat. Fabian Nicieza)"1:51:00March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)
27"Moira MacTaggert (feat. Zach Rabiroff)"3:12:00March 10, 2021 (2021-03-10)
28"Alison Blaire (feat. Evan Narcisse)"3:25:00March 19, 2021 (2021-03-19)
29"Rachel Summers (feat. Sara Century)"3:23:00March 25, 2021 (2021-03-25)
30"Stryfe (feat. Anthony Oliveira)"3:07:00March 30, 2021 (2021-03-30)
31"Armando Muñoz (feat. Angélique Roché)"2:08:00April 8, 2021 (2021-04-08)
32"Mojo (feat. Ann Nocenti)"1:37:00April 13, 2021 (2021-04-13)
33"Regan & Martinique Wyngarde (feat. Alex Abad-Santos)"2:38:00April 28, 2021 (2021-04-28)
34"Megan Gwynn (feat. Josh Cornillon)"3:23:00May 5, 2021 (2021-05-05)
35"Sally Blevins (feat. Jordan Blum)"2:45:00September 8, 2020 (2020-09-08)
36"Monet St. Croix (feat. Tini Howard & Kendra James)"3:38:00May 16, 2021 (2021-05-16)
37"Sarah Rushman (feat. Steve Orlando)"1:20:00May 21, 2020 (2020-05-21)
38"Joanna Cargill (feat. Mike Carey)"2:20:00May 27, 2021 (2021-05-27)
39"Xuân Cao Manh (feat. Sara Century)"3:48:00June 7, 2021 (2021-06-07)
40"Jean-Paul Beaubier (feat. Steve Foxe)"3:34:00June 17, 2021 (2021-06-17)
41"Julio Richter (feat. Louis Lopez)"2:42:00June 28, 2021 (2021-06-28)
42"Gaveedra Seven (feat. Luke Ruddick)"2:33:00July 10, 2021 (2021-07-10)
43"Roxy Washington (feat. Stephanie Williams)"2:25:00July 16, 2021 (2021-07-16)
44"Roberto da Costa (feat. Alex Segura)"2:05:00July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29)
45"Sam Guthrie (feat. Zoe Tunnell)"3:06:00August 5, 2021 (2021-08-05)
46"Everett Thomas (feat. Kendra James)"2:33:00August 11, 2021 (2021-08-11)
47"Jamie Madrox (feat. Elana Levin)"3:30:00August 22, 2021 (2021-08-22)
48"Paige Guthrie (feat. Karen Charm)"3:20:00August 27, 2021 (2021-08-27)
49"Remy LeBeau (feat. Chris Robinson)"2:28:00August 31, 2021 (2021-08-31)
50"Charles Xavier (feat. Spencer Ackerman)"3:41:00September 7, 2021 (2021-09-07)

Season 2

No.TitleLengthOriginal air date
51"Nathan Christopher Summers (feat. Vishal Gullapalli)"3:17:00September 29, 2021 (2021-09-29)
52"Candy Southern (feat. Sara Century)"4:37:00October 7, 2021 (2021-10-07)
53"Angelo Espinosa (feat. Terry Blas)"2:21:00October 18, 2021 (2021-10-18)
54"Theresa Rourke Cassidy (feat. Valentine Smith)"4:33:00October 24, 2021 (2021-10-24)
55"Selene Gallio (feat. Alex Abad-Santos)"4:38:00October 31, 2021 (2021-10-31)
56"Illyana Rasputina (feat. Leah Williams)"3:51:00November 5, 2021 (2021-11-05)
57"Sooraya Qadir (feat. Khaliden Nas)"4:26:00November 11, 2021 (2021-11-11)
58"Warlock (feat. Stephanie Burt)"2:57:00November 21, 2021 (2021-11-21)
59"Karl Lykos (feat. James Goldsmith)"3:24:00November 30, 2021 (2021-11-30)
60"Valerie Cooper (feat. Patrick Sullivan)"3:50:00December 8, 2021 (2021-12-08)
61"Bennet du Paris (feat. Anthony Oliveira)"3:14:00December 18, 2021 (2021-12-18)
62"David Alleyne (feat. Ash Alleyne)"3:11:00December 26, 2021 (2021-12-26)
63"Nate Grey (feat. Zack Jenkins)"2:46:00December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)
64"Arkady Rossovich (feat. Ben Percy)"2:06:00January 4, 2022 (2022-01-04)
65"Laura Kinney (feat. Zoe Tunnell)"3:05:00January 16, 2022 (2022-01-16)
66"Callisto (feat. Spencer Ackerman)"2:49:00January 23, 2022 (2022-01-23)
67"Irene Adler (feat. Nola Pfau)"2:39:00January 31, 2022 (2022-01-31)
68"Shiro Yoshida (feat. Justin Park)"2:36:00February 7, 2022 (2022-02-07)
69"Miranda Leevald (feat. Josh Cornillon)"3:09:00February 16, 2022 (2022-02-16)
70"Victor Creed (feat. Victor LaValle)"2:04:00February 28, 2022 (2022-02-28)
71"Jono Starsmore (feat. Kat Overland)"2:45:00March 15, 2022 (2022-03-15)
72"Sophie, Phoebe, Irma, Celeste, & Esme (feat. Charles Pulliam-Moore)"4:13:00March 18, 2022 (2022-03-18)
73"Kwannon (feat. Caroline Bird)"3:16:00April 3, 2022 (2022-04-03)
74"Sean Cassidy (feat. Thom Dunn)"3:16:00April 10, 2022 (2022-04-10)
75"Eleanor Murch & Peter (feat. Zeb Wells)"2:21:00April 18, 2022 (2022-04-18)

Season 3

No.TitleLengthOriginal air date
76"Nathaniel Essex (feat. Kieron Gillen)"3:02:00May 22, 2022 (2022-05-22)
77"John Proudstar (feat. Nyla Rose & Steve Orlando)"1:36:00May 30, 2022 (2022-05-30)
78"Cecilia Reyes (feat. Stephanie Williams)"2:39:00June 14, 2022 (2022-06-14)
79"Abigail Brand (feat. Al Ewing)"4:06:00June 2, 2022 (2022-06-02)
80"Rita Wayword (feat. Jordan Blok)"3:06:00June 29, 2022 (2022-06-29)
81"Rahne Sinclair (feat. Rebecca Gault)"3:55:00July 14, 2022 (2022-07-14)
82"Amara Aquilla (feat. Alex Abad-Santos)"3:57:00July 28, 2022 (2022-07-28)
83"St. John Allerdyce (feat. Anthony Oliveira)"4:06:00August 8, 2022 (2022-08-08)
84"Maria Callasantos (feat. Darryl Ayo)"2:52:00September 8, 2022 (2022-09-08)
85"Lila Cheney (feat. Margot Mutter)"2:41:00September 15, 2022 (2022-09-15)
86"Colin McKay (feat. Sam Guido)"1:54:00September 24, 2022 (2022-09-24)
87"Pietro Maximoff (feat. Luke Ruddick)"3:56:00October 2, 2022 (2022-10-02)
88"Andrea & Andreas von Strucker (feat. Spencer Ackerman)"3:51:00October 22, 2022 (2022-10-22)
89"Tabitha Smith (feat. Leah Williams)"3:54:00October 27, 2022 (2022-10-27)
90"Melody Jacobs (feat. Jordan Blok)"5:09:00November 4, 2022 (2022-11-04)
91"Eden Fesi & Gateway (feat. Kaetun Khlynne)"4:29:00November 19, 2022 (2022-11-19)
92"Tom Cassidy (feat. Eoin Higgins)"3:34:00December 6, 2022 (2022-12-06)
93"Amahl Farouk (feat. Khaldoun Khelil)"3:24:00December 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)
94"Longshot (feat. Nola Pfau)"3:53:00December 31, 2022 (2022-12-31)
95"Jubilation Lee (feat. Jason Loo)"4:24:00January 14, 2023 (2023-01-14)
96"Forge (feat. Josh Trujillo)"4:58:00January 29, 2023 (2023-01-29)
97"Sebastian Shaw (feat. Steven Attewell)"4:25:00February 11, 2023 (2023-02-11)
98"Jamie Braddock (feat. Holly Raymond)"5:12:00February 21, 2023 (2023-02-21)
99"Annie Ghazikhanian (feat. Chuck Austen)"2:35:00March 17, 2023 (2023-03-17)
100"Madelyne Pryor (feat. Sara Century)"18:03:00April 15, 2023 (2023-04-15)

Due to the extra-length nature of this episode, it was broken up into five parts, each named after a section of the crossover "Inferno":

  • "Prologue: Vanities!" 4:15:00
  • "Part the First: Strike the Match!" 3:27:00
  • "Part the Second: Fan the Flames!" 3:57:00
  • "Part the Third: Burn!" 3:21:00
  • "Part the Fourth: Ashes!" 3:03:00

Season 4

No.TitleLengthOriginal air date
101"En Sabah Nur (feat. Jonathan Hickman)"3:35:00May 30, 2023 (2023-05-30)
102"Nekra Sinclair (feat. Jordan Blok)"6:41:00June 24, 2023 (2023-06-24)
103"Calvin Rankin (feat. Chad Anderson)"3:49:00July 16, 2023 (2023-07-16)
104"Amanda Sefton (feat. Anna Peppard)"6:51:00October 10, 2023 (2023-10-10)
105"Cain Marko (feat. Anthony Oliveira)"6:56:00November 25, 2023 (2023-11-25)
106"Laurie Collins (feat. Alex Abad-Santos)"3:56:00December 15, 2023 (2023-12-15)
107"Candra (feat. Kat Driscoll)"5:56:00February 2, 2024 (2024-02-02)
108"Hepzibah (feat. Jordan Blok)"9:32:00February 27, 2024 (2024-02-27)

Due to the extra-length nature of the episode, it was divided into two:

  • "Part One: Stepmutha Has Arrived" 4:51:00
  • "Part Two: Skunk, Interrupted" 4:41:00
109"Arcade (feat. Annalise Bissa)"3:42:00April 13, 2024 (2024-04-13)
110"Trish Tilby (feat. Patrick Sullivan)"3:50:00May 10, 2024 (2024-05-10)
111"Eva Bell (feat. Karen Charm)"3:04:00May 28, 2024 (2024-05-28)
112"Gloria Dolores Muñoz (feat. Alex Segura)"4:09:00June 18, 2024 (2024-06-18)
113"Hope Summers (feat. Kieron Gillen)"4:10:00July 15, 2024 (2024-07-15)
114"Namor McKenzie (feat. Spencer Ackerman)"4:57:00September 17, 2024 (2024-09-17)
115"Jeanne-Marie Beaubier (feat. Sara Century)"6:06:00September 30, 2024 (2024-09-30)
116"Victor Borkowski (feat. Jay Jurden)"3:12:00November 7, 2024 (2024-11-07)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Excalibur (comics)</span> Marvel Comics superhero group

Excalibur is a superhero group appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are depicted as an offshoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, they first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition #1 (1987), also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn. Stories involving this team have featured elements of both the X-Men and Captain Britain franchises, frequently involving cross-dimensional travel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Britain</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Captain Britain is a title used by various superheroes in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Excalibur. The moniker was first used in publication by Brian Braddock in Captain Britain #1 by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, and is currently held by Brian's twin sister, Betsy Braddock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betsy Braddock</span> Comic book character

Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Captain Britain and the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe in 1976, she first appeared in the Marvel UK series Captain Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cerebro</span> Fictional device appearing in American comic books

Cerebro is a fictional device appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The device is used by the X-Men to detect humans, specifically mutants. It was created by Professor X and Magneto, and was later enhanced by Dr. Hank McCoy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Braddock</span> Comics character

James Braddock Jr. is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The elder brother of the twin superheroes Brian and Betsy Braddock, he is a mutant possessing the ability to manipulate reality in a variety of ways. Though his mutant powers are very powerful, he is limited in that he is also a schizophrenic who believes reality to be his own dream. Originally a supporting character in his brother's solo comic book series, the emergence of his superhuman powers and subsequent mental illness have led him to become a super-villain associated with both Captain Britain and various X-Men comics.

<i>Jaspers Warp</i> Comic book storyline

Jaspers' Warp, sometimes referred to as Crooked World, is a superhero comic book storyline from the British Captain Britain strip printed across several Marvel UK titles between 1981 and 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwannon (character)</span> Comics character

Kwannon is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #256. The character is most commonly associated with the X-Men, specifically the character of Betsy Braddock, with whom Kwannon was body-swapped for 29 years of publication history; in stories published during this period, the character used the moniker Revanche. After returning to her original body, she became the second Psylocke, while Braddock became the new Captain Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psylocke</span> Fictional superhero from Marvel Comics

Psylocke is the name of two connected fictional mutant superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men.

Rogue, a member of the X-Men in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, has been included in almost every media adaptation of the X-Men franchise, including films, television series and video games.

Autostraddle is a queer and trans-owned online magazine and social network for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women, as well as non-binary people and trans people of all genders. The website is a "politically progressive queer feminist media source" that features content covering LGBTQ and feminist news, politics, opinion, culture, arts and entertainment as well as lifestyle content such as DIY crafting, sex, relationships, fashion, food and technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betsy Braddock in other media</span> Appearances of Marvel Comics character

The Marvel Comics character Betsy Braddock has made many appearances in media other than comic books, including television, films, and video games. She has been voiced by Grey DeLisle, Heather Doerksen, and Tasha Simm in animation, and by Laura Bailey, Kimberly Brooks, Catherine Disher, Melissa Disney, Kim Mai Guest, Erica Lindbeck, Jane Luk, Masasa Moyo, and April Stewart in video games. In the X-Men film series, she was portrayed by Meiling Melançon and Olivia Munn.

Excalibur is the name of several superhero comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1988, generally featuring the team of the same name.

Kristin Russo is an American speaker, personality, and LGBTQ activist. She is CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Everyone Is Gay and My Kid Is Gay, organizations that provide advice, guidance, and education to LGBT youth and their families, and is the co-author of This Is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ComicsVerse</span> Comics website and podcast

ComicsVerse was a comics journalism website covering comics news, reviews, analysis, and interviews with artists and writers. In addition to original written content, the site produced podcasts, videos, original webcomics, and covers news related to politics, gaming, movies, television, and music.

"X of Swords" is a comic book crossover story arc set during the larger "Krakoan Age" storyline, which debuted in September 2020, published by Marvel Comics. It was part of Marvel's "Dawn of X" relaunch of its X-Men books, following the "House of X" and "Powers of X" storylines. "X of Swords" was followed by the 2021 "Hellfire Gala" storyline.

"Destiny of X" is a 2022 relaunch of the X-Men line of comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is the sequel to "Reign of X" following the end of the dual miniseries X Lives of Wolverine and X Deaths of Wolverine. It was the third phase of the Krakoan Age, and the first following the departure of Jonathan Hickman at the end of "Reign of X.” “Destiny of X” included the crossover events A.X.E.: Judgment Day and Sins of Sinister. A sequel, "Fall of X," was launched in August 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Oliveira</span> Canadian author, journalist and pop culture critic

Anthony Oliveira is a Canadian author, journalist and pop culture critic. He is the winner of multiple GLAAD Media Awards and National Magazine Awards for his prose, comics, and journalism, which often focus on the intersection of queerness, religion, and culture.

References

  1. Hassan, Chris (2023-04-24). "X-Men Monday #200 - Giant-Size Anniversary Spectacular". AiPT. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  2. 1 2 Opam, Kwame (July 27, 2022). "Podcasts About Marvel's 'X-Men' Resonate With L.G.B.T.Q. Fans". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  3. 1 2 C.H. (December 14, 2021). "The 10 best podcasts of 2021". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  4. "Connor Goldsmith, Senior Agent | Fuse Literary" . Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  5. "CEREBRO Episode 001: Betsy Braddock (feat. Tini Howard)". Connor Goldsmith. 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2024-12-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. 1 2 McDermott, Jim (2023-03-06). "Celebrating 100 episodes of the deep-dive queer X-Men podcast Cerebro from Connor Goldsmith". Popverse. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  7. Stratis, Niko (September 1, 2022). "Gutter Talk: I Promise This Is About Comics". Autostraddle. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved 2024-12-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)