"Cerebro" is an upstart garnering attention among the scores of podcasts covering comics culture. "X-Men" devotees in particular are already primed by the inherently political nature of the comic series, whose mutants are seen as an allegory for marginalized groups in America, symbolism the Marvel creator
Stan Leewelcomed. And the fans are hungry for what "Cerebro" and other podcasts like it have to say.
That the X-Men are currently enjoying an editorial renaissance helps. The new status quo, as established by a mini-series in 2019, has the mutants settling on the fictional island of Krakoa and forming an independent nation. It has been called
a golden age for the franchise.
A community of "X-Men" fans — notably young, self-identified queer people of color — is growing around
podcasts and on social platforms including
Twitter, TikTok and Discord. Mr. Goldsmith, 34, came to podcasting after prodding from a friend, hoping that it would make him feel less stir-crazy during the pandemic lockdowns. Now, "Cerebro" gets downloaded roughly 20,000 times a week, with "big jumps" in listeners over the past year, Mr. Goldsmith said. "
Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men," a longtime hit in the category, launched in 2014 and is similarly popular.
