Brute is a version of Reed Richards from a world created by the High Evolutionary called Counter-Earth. He was exposed to cosmic rays that initially did not affect him; Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm were unaffected, and Susan Storm was left in a comatose state.. The cosmic rays eventually gave him the ability to transform into a savage purple-skinned behemoth called the Brute. The Brute became evil after being hit on the head with a metallic cylinder. The Brute made his way to True Earth, where he joined the Frightful Four to beat the Fantastic Four, Thundra and Tigra. Later, the Impossible Man inadvertently freed the Fantastic Four, who overcame the Frightful Four. During the ensuing fight, the Brute managed to trap the original Reed Richards in the Negative Zone and replace him. Once accepted as the leader of the Fantastic Four, he sent the Human Torch and the Thing into the Negative Zone and battled with Invisible Girl. However, the remaining trio made it back from the Negative Zone with the help of Annihilus who lost his Cosmic Rod to Mad Thinker's Awesome Android. After seeing Reed Richard's selfless dedication to his wife, the concussion that made the Brute evil wore off and he sacrificed himself to keep the original Reed Richards' promise to return the cosmic Rod to Annihilus. Brute was glimpsed when Abraxas scanned through the alternate Earths. As Abraxas assaulted Mister Fantastic, he told him "As you die on this Earth, so do your other selves across the realities." Brute was shown among the Reed Richards to be among the victims of Abraxas' attack. During the "" storyline, Brute was an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Powers and abilities
Richards can transform at will into the Brute, who possesses an 8–9 foot tall form with significant superhuman strength and durability. In addition, he retains the brilliant genius and much of the knowledge of Reed Richards. At one point he proved able to absorb geothermal energy from the Earth's core, increasing his own power. In such form, he could also fire energy blasts.
Other versions
The Brute makes an appearance in the tie-in comic, Spider-Man Unlimited. In this continuum, a Counter-Earth version of Reed and his friends were exposed to cosmic rays like their Earth counterparts. Reed became a creature known as The Brute, Sue ended up in a coma, Johnny was dead, and only Ben was unaffected. Using his good standing with the High Evolutionary as Reed Richards, Brute secretly aids the Counter-Earth rebels against them. Ben Grimm helps out by gathering data held by The High Evolutionary.
