Brute

"Gimme your lunch money!"

- Brute

The Brute is a mutated human, created by Yuri's twisted scientists. They dwarf normal humans by comparison, and posses superhuman strength, as well as incredibly tough skin. However, these physical strengths are compensated for by their complete lack of intelligence. The process that converts humans into brutes seem to affect the minds of the latter, removing higher level thought and turning them into berserk monsters, only wanting to maim, crush, and kill.

Brutes are capable of smashing tanks, buildings, and skulls with just their fists. Brutes are not capable of wielding weapons due to their lack of intelligence, and the size of their hands and fingers. Furthermore, brutes are immune to the attacks of dogs, having veins embedded too deep in their bodies for a dog to tear out. Brutes are fielded by Yuri as tank hunters. During the war, they are the only soldiers who actively used hand to hand combat.

They were also quite fast for an infantry unit, allowing them to close in on slow-moving vehicles easily.

History
"I WANNA GO HOME!!!"

- Brute being saturated with bullets

Yuri had a fondness for altering human DNA. Allied intelligence conjectures that this is spawned from how Yuri himself believed psychic talent to be genetic. Dating back to the original Soviets, research into psychics always led to altering human DNA. Yuri took this knowledge of the human DNA to create brutes to be used as troops for his army. Brutes can also be created by the Genetic Mutator device, which can turn any infantry, friend or foe, into brutes in the blast radius. Yuri has taken advantage of this on several occasions, turning Slaves from the Slave Miner into Brutes, then feeding his new mini-hulks into Grinders for a generous sum of money.

Counters
Brutes are vulnerable to tesla weaponry (Tesla Coils etc.), Prism towers, Prism Tanks, gattling weaponry, Tanya, Boris, and most anti-infantry weapons, except dogs. Although they were quite durable for an infantry unit, high-powered anti-personnel weapons such as sniper rifles wielded by snipers and the Desolator's radiation cannon killed them easily. Terror Drones however would wreak havoc on Brutes as they could instantly kill Brutes upon pouncing on them. They, however, could not be mind controlled, as their mutation reduced their intellect comparable to that of a second grade school yard bully. Additionally, they lacked any means of attacking anything that was not within arm's reach.

Behind the scenes
Mutant Marauder, who appear in the Third Tiberium War, have voices that are similar to the brutes.

They are similar in appearance to the comic book character, the Hulk, except for skin color.