Alan Powers

Alan Powers  – commonly known as "Brain" (The Brain prior to Season 7) – is a third grade student in Mr. Ratburn's class at Lakewood Elementary School.

Physical appearance
Brain is an anthropomorphic bear who wears a grey sweater with olive green pants (according to the promotional art on the cartoon's official website, he had on khakis instead) and brown loafers. In the books, he wears different-colored shirts and sweaters, and blue jeans or sometimes khakis. He has clumps of hair which are brown in the books, although the cartoon depicted the hair in thin black lines in order to simplify the animation process. He wears sneakers when playing sports. His pajamas consist of a yellow sleep shirt and orange and yellow striped pajama bottoms, and is one of the few characters to wear detailed pajamas in the animated series, while most other characters wore monochromatic pajamas in order to simplify the animation process.

On formal occasions, Brain wears a charcoal or black tuxedo with two pockets on each side of the tuxedo jacket and a white tuxedo shirt with a black bow tie and matching trousers and black shoes. He also owns a grey single-breasted suit with two pockets on each side of the suit jacket. He wears a white collar shirt with a blue tie. He also wears matching grey trousers and light black shoes. He wears briefs.

Personality
He is mild-mannered and is one of the most polite characters in the series. He is an expert soccer player, despite Francine's jealousy that she was great in other sports. He is one of the few characters who are usually left-handed. His usual grade is an A that ranges between 100% and 90% as he is often considered the most intelligent student in Mr. Ratburn's class, and he often gets his work done faster than the other students.

Despite being quite well mannered, Brain sometimes would imagine vengeance when he feels defeated, as seen when he was defeated in a science fair by Muffy. He was formerly hydrophobic. He tends to be called upon a lot when his friends have technical difficulties but also is great fun to hang out with. In "The Wheel Deal", he suffered a leg injury and temporarily ended up in a wheelchair.

He is a big believer in the power of science. He has a tendency to think logically but sometimes has trouble adjusting when things seemingly cannot be explained by either, or when his emotions get in the way of his logical side. After an increasing spate of bad luck, he tries to chart what's happening to him only to find that his "luck" only seems to be getting worse. Later, he is stunned when Hurricane Sadie wrecks the Ice Cream Shoppe despite his family's careful plans and preparations to prevent such an outcome. His father's words that sometimes things like this happen no matter what only make him more anxious, as he begins to fear that the worst really could happen at any time and becomes jittery at the slightest sound of wind. A visit to a therapist, as well as some more words of encouragement from his father, help him to see that he can overcome his emotions about this if he tries. His father called him the smartest, bravest and most determined person that he knows.

Interests
Brain is a member of Lakewood's soccer, baseball, and track teams, and plays cello and piano in the school band. He made it to the final round of the Spell-a-thon, but didn't win because he had stage fright at the time and misspelled the word "fear". He also and led the winning team of the Arithmattack competition and he is a devout member of the school Computer Club. In "Big Horns George", Brain is shown to have an interest in blues music, and can even play the harmonica.

Past Life
He went to the preschool D.W. goes to and Arthur went to. He oddly enough had a rivalry with Binky that still lives on in the present. He was held back in kindergarten because he started school a year early, wasn't mature enough at the time.

Future Life
According to different episodes, he will become a ground-breaking scientist and invent teleportation. He will have an entire TV network named after him. If we assume the intro of the episode, "The Election" happens, he will also become a Supreme Court Justice. In "The Contest" episode, he along with the others are shown as teenagers. He essentially looks the same with a more relaxed outfit. He wears an olive shirt with a white undershirt, blue jeans, and red sneakers, similar in design to his friends' current shoes.

Friends
Arthur Read: Arthur is Brain's best friend an they regularly hang out. In "Arthur's Faraway Friend", Arthur and Brain spent a lot of time together while Buster was gone and the two even wrote a story together. Brain is sometimes looking out for Arthur and cares about his well being, as seen in "Arthur's Knee", where he's concerned over Arthur's injury. The Brain often helps Arthur with his homework and helps him study. Likewise, Arthur almost always shows complete confidence in the Brain both as an intellectual and as a friend, as he was the only one who stood up for him in "Water and the Brain" when everyone else thought Brain was a snob. Despite their good friendship, Arthur doesn't seem to recognize Brain's birth name of "Alan".

Buster Baxter: Both Brain and Buster are sometimes seen hanging out and Brain also helps Buster with his homework, just like Arthur. They are good friends and Buster likes going to his Ice Cream shop almost all the time. However, Buster can be quite annoying to Brain and they may end up getting into a bad argument, but they get over it anyway.

Francine Frensky: Francine and Brain are seen playing soccer with each other and they are also seen hanging out. However, they are almost also bad friends and almost lose their relationship, which happened in the episode, "The Big Blow Up" from Season 2, they get into the worst fight that their friends had ever seen, but they finally got over it.

Muffy Crosswire: They may not be good friends, but they sometimes hang out. Brain almost befriended Muffy in the episode, "Muffy's New Best Friend", but they managed to not be friends.

George Lundgren: The Brain and George are occasionally seen together enjoying each other's company. Brain helped George get into the blues music as well as helping him understand Asperger's better.

Cheikh: Cheikh is Brain's cousin who moved to Elwood City. He first appears in "In My Africa."

D.W. Read: - D.W. and Brain are friends. They sing In My Africa with Cheikh in the episode "In My Africa."

Other Media
In the Living Books computer games, the Brain had a pale cream-colored complexion in Arthur's Teacher Trouble, which was changed to light brown in Arthur's Birthday, although the final page depicted him with a pale one. It was likely due to color and tone restrictions during the 16-bit era of computers and software. The Brain's voice sounded more mature in those two games and was voiced by Joey Edelman before the cartoon show replaced him with Luke Reid. In the later games during the 32-bit era of computers and software such as Arthur's Thinking Games, his appearance was the same as he looks in the cartoon show.

Trivia

 * In Arthur's Perfect Christmas, Brain's dad is seen carrying one of D.W.'s classmates. This has brought up that Brain has a never before seen sibling or a cousin/other relative.
 * Brain used to have a fear of water that he eventually got over.
 * He is very talented in soccer, on the cello, piano and academically, hence his name.
 * In "Brain's Shocking Secret" from Season 11, it was revealed that Brain was actually supposed to be in the same grade as Prunella, but due to him being a "crier" he was held back a year. This could explain why he is slightly taller than most of his peers. It is also likely that he started kindergarten a year earlier because he's currently eight years old in the third grade.
 * Brain also works: He works in his family's ice cream store and teaches in summer school.
 * Brain's goal is to be an astrophysicist.
 * Brain tends to be a "report hog", meaning he has to do all the work for group projects.
 * His usual marks are either an A or an A+, but his lowest mark seen in the show was a B-, seen in the episode "Breezy Listening Blues". [Note: In the episode "Brain Gets Hooked", Brain receives a C on his Magna Carta report; however, Mr. Ratburn allows him to redo his project, and it is implied that he receives a higher grade when he presents his report the second time.]
 * Alan is called by his nickname quite often, and Arthur has forgotten his first name at times; although his parents refer to him by his real name more than anyone else.
 * In the earlier seasons, Mr. Ratburn and Mr. Haney referred to him by his nickname like his friends do, but in the later seasons, they referred to him by his real name Alan.
 * According to the episode "Brain Freeze", Brain's grandfather was named Alan, so it's quite likely that Brain was named after his grandfather.
 * The Brain has an African family, specifically of Senegalese descent as revealed in the episode "In My Africa".
 * He is star forward and goalkeeper for the Lakewood Elementary Soccer Team and briefly played for the Elwood City All-Stars.
 * He has a Martin Luther King Jr. poster in his room that says "I have a dream", as seen in "S.W.E.A.T."
 * His initials are A.P., which is also the abbreviation for "Advanced Placement." An AP class is a high school class equal to an undergraduate class in college.
 * In the episode Buster Spaces Out it is revealed Brain has family that lives in Texas.
 * He is modeled after one of Marc Brown's friends with the same given name, and being nicknamed "the Brain" for his intelligence.
 * Brain celebrates Kwanzaa, since he has family that are African.
 * The shoes he wears resemble the brown dress shoes that Arthur wears in episodes where there are formal occasions.
 * A running gag is that Brain will build robots such as the robotic cat and odd machines like the Tooth-Removing Machine.
 * If one combines his nickname and surname, they get Brain Powers- a clever pun.
 * Brain's IQ is somewhere in the high 140's.
 * Brain, despite being afraid of water is still seen in the into at a swimming pool and has a title card where he is swimming under water.

Specials

 * Arthur's Perfect Christmas
 * Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
 * D.W. and the Beastly Birthday

Arthur

 * Season 1
 * Arthur's Eyes 10101
 * Francine's Bad Hair Day 10102
 * Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn 10201
 * Arthur's Spelling Trubble 10202
 * Buster's Dino Dilemma 10302
 * Arthur Goes to Camp 10701
 * Buster Makes the Grade (Cameo) 10702
 * Arthur Babysits (Cameo) 10901
 * Arthur's Birthday 11001
 * Francine Frensky, Superstar 11002
 * Arthur Writes a Story 11201
 * Arthur's Lost Dog (Cameo) 11202
 * Buster's New Friend 11302
 * Arthur the Wrecker 11401
 * Arthur and the True Francine 11402
 * Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest (Cameo) 11601
 * Meek for a Week 11701
 * Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper 11702
 * Arthur's Chicken Pox (Cameo) 11801
 * Sick as a Dog 11802
 * D.W. Rides Again 11901
 * Arthur Makes the Team 11902
 * Arthur's Almost Boring Day 12001
 * Sue Ellen Moves In 12101
 * The Perfect Brother 12102
 * Team Trouble 12202
 * Bully for Binky 12301
 * Misfortune Teller 12302
 * Arthur's Tooth 12401
 * Arthur Cleans Up 12502
 * My Dad, the Garbage Man (Cameo) 12601
 * Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble 12702
 * I'm a Poet 12801
 * The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club 12802
 * My Club Rules 12901
 * Stolen Bike 12902
 * Arthur's First Sleepover 13001
 * Season 2
 * Arthur Meets Mister Rogers 20101
 * Draw! 20102
 * Arthur's Lucky Pencil 20202
 * Buster and the Daredevils 20302
 * Arthur Makes a Movie 20401
 * Arthur's Underwear 20501
 * Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider 20502
 * Buster Baxter, Cat Saver 20601
 * Play it Again, D.W. (Fantasy) 20602
 * Arthur's TV-Free Week 20701
 * Night Fright 20702
 * The Big Blow-Up 20802
 * Lost! (Cameo) 20901
 * The Short, Quick Summer (Cameo) 20902
 * Arthur's Mystery Envelope 21002
 * Buster Hits the Books 21102
 * Arthur and the Square Dance (Cameo) 21202
 * Water and the Brain 21301
 * Arthur the Unfunny 21302
 * Arthur's Knee 21402
 * Grandma Thora Appreciation Day 21501
 * Fern's Slumber Party 21502
 * Love Notes for Muffy 21601
 * D.W. Blows the Whistle 21602
 * Arthur the Loser 21702
 * Arthur vs. the Very Mean Crossing Guard 21801
 * D.W.'s Very Bad Mood 21802
 * Finders Key-pers 21902
 * How the Cookie Crumbles 22001
 * Sue Ellen's Little Sister 22002
 * Season 3
 * Buster's Back 30101
 * The Ballad of Buster Baxter 30102
 * Arthur Goes Crosswire 30301
 * Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurous 30302
 * Background Blues (Cameo) 30401
 * And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids 30402
 * The Chips are Down 30501
 * Binky Rules 30601
 * Arthur Rides the Bandwagon 30701
 * Dad's Dessert Dilemma 30702
 * Popular Girls 30801
 * Buster's Growing Grudge 30802
 * Arthur's Treasure Hunt 30901
 * The Return of the King 30902
 * D.W. Tricks the Tooth Fairy 31002
 * Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival 31102
 * What Scared Sue Ellen? 31201
 * Arthur's Dummy Disaster 31301
 * Francine and the Feline 31302
 * Mom and Dad Have a Great Big Fight (Fantasy) 31401
 * Arthur and D.W. Clean Up 31501
 * The Long, Dull Winter 31502
 * Season 4
 * Arthur's Big Hit (Cameo) 40102
 * Hide and Snake 40201
 * Muffy's New Best Friend 40202
 * The Fright Stuff 40302
 * The Contest 40401
 * Prove It 40402
 * The Blizzard 40501
 * The Rat Who Came to Dinner 40502
 * Binky Barnes, Wingman 40701
 * To Beat or Not to Beat 40702
 * 1001 Dads 40801
 * Prunella's Prediction 40802
 * What is that Thing? 40901
 * Buster's Best Behavior 40902
 * My Music Rules 41001
 * That's a Baby Show! 41002
 * Season 5
 * Arthur and the Big Riddle (Cameo) 50101
 * Double Dare 50102
 * It's a No-Brainer
 * The Shore Thing 50302
 * The World Record
 * The Lousy Week 50501
 * You Are Arthur 50502
 * The Election 50601
 * Francine Goes to War 50602
 * Sleep No More 50701
 * Bitzi's Beau 50802
 * Just Desserts (Cameo) 50901
 * Muffy Gets Mature 51002
 * Season 6
 * Best of the Nest 60102
 * Buster's Sweet Success 60202
 * Prunella's Special Edition 60301
 * Muffy's Soccer Shocker 60401
 * Brother, Can You Spare a Clarinet? 60402
 * The Boy Who Cried Comet 60501
 * Citizen Frensky 60601
 * D.W.'s Backpack Mishap 60602
 * More! 60702
 * For Whom the Bell Tolls 60802
 * The Good Sport 60901
 * Arthur Loses His Marbles (Cameo) 61001
 * Friday the 13th 61002
 * Season 7
 * Cast Away 70101
 * Francine's Split Decision 70201
 * Ants in Arthur's Pants 70301
 * To Tibble the Truth (Cameo) 70401
 * Waiting to Go 70402
 * Elwood City Turns 100! 70500
 * Jenna's Bedtime Blues 70602
 * Buster's Amish Mismatch 70702
 * Prunella Sees the Light 70901
 * Return of the Snowball 70902
 * April 9th 71000
 * Season 8
 * Arthur's Snow Biz 80301
 * Bugged 80302
 * Fernkenstein's Monster 80401
 * D.W., Dancing Queen 80402
 * Vomitrocious (cameo) 80501
 * Sue Ellen Chickens Out 80502
 * Desk Wars 80701
 * Desperately Seeking Stanley 80702
 * Muffy's Art Attack 80801
 * Big Horns George 81001
 * Season 9
 * Tipping the Scales 90102
 * George Blows His Top 90202
 * Arthur Weighs In 90301
 * The Law of the Jungle Gym 90302
 * Buster's Green Thumb 90401
 * Lights, Camera... Opera! (Cameo) 90501
 * All Worked Up 90502
 * Arthur Makes Waves 90601
 * A is for Angry 90702
 * The "A" Team 90801
 * Buster the Myth Maker 90902
 * Binky Goes Nuts 91001
 * Breezy Listening Blues 91002
 * Season 10
 * Happy Anniversary 100100
 * The Squirrels 100201
 * Fern and Persimmony Glitchet 100202
 * Desert Island Dish 100301
 * Feeling Flush (Fantasy) 100401
 * Flaw and Order 100502
 * The Curse of the Grebes 100601
 * Arthur Changes Gears 100602
 * Unfinished 100701
 * D.W., Bossy Boots (Prologue) 100702
 * Binky vs. Binky (Cameo) 100801
 * Do You Speak George? 100901
 * What's Cooking? 101001
 * Buster's Special Delivery (Cameo) 101002
 * Season 11
 * Germophobia 110102
 * Arthur Sells Out (Cameo) 110201
 * Mind Your Manners (Cameo) 110202
 * Buenas Noches, Vicita 110301
 * Prunella Packs It In 110302
 * Brain's Shocking Secret 110402
 * Strangers on a Train (Fantasy) 110502
 * The Making of Arthur 110601
 * Dancing Fools (Cameo) 110602
 * Hic or Treat 110701
 * Mr. Alwaysright 110702
 * Francine's Pilfered Paper 110801
 * Buster Gets Real 110802
 * Spoiled Rotten! (Cameo) 110902
 * Season 12
 * Is That Kosher? 120101
 * Room to Ride 120201
 * Bats in the Belfry (Cameo) 120302
 * For the Birds 120401
 * Ungifted 120402
 * The Chronicles of Buster (Cameo) 120501
 * War of the Worms 120701
 * I Owe You One 120702
 * Do You Believe in Magic? (Cameo) 120902
 * The Perfect Game 121001
 * Season 13
 * The Great MacGrady 130100
 * Kung Fool (Cameo) 130202
 * Arthur's Number Nightmare 130301
 * Brain Gets Hooked 130302
 * MacFrensky 130401
 * No Acting, Please (Cameo) 130501
 * Prunella and the Disappointing Ending 130502
 * When Carl Met George 130601
 * D.W. Swims with the Fishes (Cameo) 130602
 * Fernlets by Fern 130801
 * The Pride of Lakewood 130902
 * The Secret Origin of Supernova 130102
 * Season 14
 * The Wheel Deal 140101
 * The Buster Report (Cameo) 140102
 * Nicked by a Name 140301
 * The Play's the Thing (Error) 140302
 * Falafelosophy 140401
 * Tales of Grotesquely Grim Bunny 140501
 * Follow the Bouncing Ball 140601
 * Muffy and the Big Bad Blog 140702
 * Arthur Unravels 140801
 * In My Africa 140902
 * Buster Spaces Out (Mentioned) 141001
 * The Long Road Home 141002
 * Season 15
 * Fifteen (Cameo) 150100
 * I Wanna Hold Your Hand (Cameo) 150201
 * Whistling in the Wind 150202
 * Buster's Secret Admirer (Cameo) 150301
 * Cents-less 150401
 * Buster the Lounge Lizard (Cameo) 150402
 * To Eat or Not to Eat 150501
 * S.W.E.A.T. 150502
 * Prunella the Packrat (Cameo) 150701
 * What's in a Name? 150702
 * Muffy's Classy Classics Club 150801
 * Through the Looking Glasses 150902
 * The Trouble with Trophies (Cameo) 151002
 * Season 16
 * Based on a True Story 1601
 * Flippity Francine 160201
 * Muffy Takes the Wheel 160202
 * Get Smart 160401
 * Baby Steps 160402
 * The Last Tough Customer 160601
 * Brain's Chess Mess 160602
 * Baseball Blues 160701
 * Brain's Biggest Blunder 160702
 * Buster's Book Battle 160801
 * On the Buster Scale 160802
 * Sue Ellen Vegges Out 160902
 * So Funny I Forgot to Laugh 161001
 * Season 17
 * Buster Bombs 170302
 * Just the Ticket 170402
 * All Thumbs 170501
 * Kidonia 170502
 * Speak Up, Francine! 170601
 * Waiting for Snow 170602
 * Crime and Consequences 170802
 * Binky's Music Madness 171001
 * Brain Freeze 171002
 * Season 18
 * D.W. & Bud's Higher Purpose 180102
 * The Friend Who Wasn't There (Mentioned) 180201
 * Surprise! 180202
 * The Substitute Arthur 180302
 * Staycation 180602
 * Messy Dress Mess 180702
 * Tibbles to the Rescue 180802
 * Shelter from the Storm 181000
 * Season 19
 * Brain's Brain' 190101
 * Brain Sees Stars 190102
 * Sue Ellen Adds It Up 190201
 * Wish You Were Here 190202
 * Arthur's Toy Trouble 190301
 * Buster Isn't Buying It 190501
 * Maria Speaks 190601
 * Carl's Concerto 190701
 * Too Much of a Good Thing 190702
 * Francine's Cleats of Strength (Cameo) 190801
 * Little Miss Meanie 190802
 * Mr. Ratburn's Secret Identity 190901
 * Besties 190902
 * The Last Day 191000
 * Season 20
 * Buster's Second Chance 200101
 * Arthur and the Whole Truth (Cameo) 200102
 * Fern's Flights of Fancy (Cameo) 200201
 * Cereal (cameo) 200202
 * Lend Me Your Ear 200501
 * The Butler Did It 200502
 * Prunella's Tent of Portent (Cameo) 200602
 * Mutiny on the Pitch 200701
 * The Hallway Minotaur 200701
 * Ladonna's Like List 200702
 * Season 21
 * Binky's "A" Game 210101
 * Brain and the Time Capsule 210102
 * The Master Builders 210200
 * Francine and the Soccer Spy 210301
 * Sue Ellen & the Last Page 210302
 * Muffy Misses Out 210401
 * Arthur Takes a Stand 210402
 * Take a Hike, Molly 210501
 * Slink's Special Talent 210502

Specials

 * Arthur's Perfect Christmas
 * Arthur's Missing Pal

Gallery

 * See: The Brain/Gallery