The Brain Rot cinematic universe: John Pork vs Bombardiro Crocodilo
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Right now, there's an epic story playing out across Instagram Reels. John Pork, a virtual influencer with a pig's head on a human body, was allegedly murdered by Tim Cheese, an AI-generated rat who was once Pork's best friend. The murder was witnessed by Pingu, the animated penguin who starred in a Swiss children's show in the 90s. Simon Claw, an AI-generated cat, may have aided in the killing, while Marvin Beak, a war-hardened bird and former assassin, was hired to avenge John’s death.
Videos telling this story, piece by piece, are amassing tens of millions of collective views across Instagram Reels. The story has become so popular that it has spurred IRL meetups and marches in Europe. It has expanded into a sprawling, fantastical tale with frequent pivots and cliffhangers. Reels users have developed and introduced a slew of new characters into the John Pork universe, including Tina Cheese, Bob Bacon, and Agent 5.5. Each character has a detailed backstory and role in the larger narrative.
The rise of John Pork lore, which has recently crossed over into the Italian Brainrot cinematic universe, exemplifies a transformative shift in media, where decentralized, AI-driven storytelling is reshaping the online entertainment landscape. Users are leveraging easily-accessible AI image and video generation tools to produce videos, images, and narratives that collectively build out complex stories around different characters to move a plot forward.