Bird Brothers (Tintin)

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Partners in Crime
Full Names	Max Bird Gustav Bird (both individually) The Bird Brothers (collectively)
Alias	???
Origin	Tintin
Occupations	Antique collectors
Powers/Skills	Using weapons
Hobbies	Collecting antique items.
Goals	Get the scrolls of the Unicorn so they can find Red Rackham's treasure before Tintin and his companions. Kidnap Tintin so he can give him the last scroll he has in his possession. Kill Tintin (all failed).
Crimes	Attempted murder Attempted kidnapping Theft
Type of Villains	Thieving Siblings

Max Bird and Gustav Bird, together known as the Bird Brothers, are the main antagonists of the Tintin book The Secret of the Unicorn and it's 1991 TV show adaptation. Max Bird also serves as the overarching antagonist of Red Rackham's Treasure.

They are a duo of antique collectors who lived in Marlinspike Hall before Haddock took ownership of it after their defeat. They wanted to steal the three scrolls hidden inside three duplicates of the Unicorn, a ship owned by Captain Haddock's direct ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock, before it was taken by Red Rackham after his capture and later blown up by Sir Francis after escaping the ship.

Appearance

Max Bird is the shorter and fatter of the Bird Brothers, he wears a brown coat, a black tie and a yellow shirt under it. He also has black hair.

Gustav Bird is the taller and thinner of the Bird Brothers, he wears a blue coat, a red tie as well as a white shirt under it.

Biography

The Secret of the Unicorn

They are first seen when Barnaby was about to reveal to Tintin the secret of the ship's contents, only to be gunned down by the brothers in a drive-by shooting.

Later in the story, they are disguised as delivery men to kidnap Tintin inside Marlinspike Hall and keep him as a hostage so he can reveal the locations of the two remaining scrolls, as they believe that Tintin has them. Tintin breaks free from his prison, only to be spotted by the brothers as they chase him around the cellar of the building. The two are then trapped inside the cellar as Tintin goes to call the captain about his location so he can help him escape the Bird Brothers. However, Nestor, who was working for them, was notified by the Bird Brothers that their "secretary" is none other than Tintin himself. The Bird Brothers later asks Nestor to call their guard dog, Brutus, but fails to catch Tintin. As the Bird Brothers were held at gun point by Tintin, he was knocked out by Nestor, making him drop his gun and allowing the brothers to hold Tintin hostage, only for Snowy to bite the hand of Max, saving Tintin. Gustav is then arrested by the Thompsons for his crimes, but his brother escaped before they could have him arrested as well. Max is later caught and arrested as well, before he could pass the frontier.

Red Rackham's Treasure

Max Bird reappears as the main antagonist of the book, despite being never seen. He is mentionned by the Thompsons that he has escaped prison and was located near the Sirius, the ship that Tintin and Haddock used to hunt for Red Rackham's treasure. It was revealed that the Thompsons' presence was the reason why Max Bird did not appear at all in the book, as if he would've been arrested again and sent back to prison if he was caught.

Trivia

• The Bird Brothers do not appear in the 2011 film adaptation of the book, as are instead replaced with Sakharine.
• Despite being the main antagonist of Red Rackham's Treasure, Max Bird is never shown onscreen, only mentioned.