Brutus is a character that first appeared in the Popeye the Sailor TV series from 1960, an enemy of Popeye. Brutus is essentially a new character meant to resemble the earlier Bluto in both appearance and actions. The character was created to fulfill Bluto's role, as at the time King Features Syndicate, which was producing the TV series, mistakenly thought the Bluto character had been created for the animated shorts, and not originated in the Thimble Theatre comic strip. Jackson Beck, who provided Bluto's voice in many theatrical cartoons up until their end, voiced Brutus in the series.
Various Popeye media such as video games and memorabilia identify their villain as Brutus.
In comics[]
After making use of various bearded brutes similar to Bluto, comic books and strips in the years following the TV series' debut took to using 'Brutus' as the name of Popeye's nemesis, a practice which has lasted to the present day. Only in the late 2000s did the comic strip re-introduce Bluto, this time noting that he was Brutus' twin brother.
Brutus' first appearance alongside Bluto
The concept of Brutus being Bluto's brother is also explored in the second of the Popeye Special comic books from Ocean Comics, which relate Popeye's early career; this was the first time the twins were shown together, with Brutus as the friendlier, more cowardly one and afraid of his more villainous brother.
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