Mulligan

For the item with a similar name, see The Mulligan.

Mulligans are enemies with tear-filled eyes and a bloated head that appear in Chapter 1. Mulligans are afraid of the player and will actively try to avoid them. Their eyes widen and their speed increases when evading a nearby player. In their panicked state they may stumble over spikes or into fire.

Mulligans may self-detonate. Upon death they can spawn several Black Flies, Attack Flies and occasionally a Pooter. Mulligans cannot deal contact damage to the player unless they are champions.

In later chapters, deformed variants of Mulligans will appear.

Variations

Mulligoon

Mulligoons display a depressed appearance, but unlike Mulligans, they do not have tears in their eyes. They will audibly wail and attempt to evade the player. Their skin is a darker shade and one eye appears to be missing. They also don't generally hurt the player on touch and may self-detonate. They release 4 projectiles in an X-pattern and drop a troll bomb on death. If they self-detonate, they release 8 projectiles rather than 4.

Mulliboom

Mullibooms have a bomb wedged into their head. Instead of avoiding the player like all other Mulligan-types, they will charge at the player and explode on contact, dealing half a heart of damage. They also explode immediately if they are killed, similar to Boom Flies. Make sure to keep a safe distance when delivering the final shot, and consider killing them next to a wall that might be adjacent to the Secret Room.

Hive

Hives are enemies with a large rotting head and no eyes. Inhabited by flies, they can be found in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. Although harmless on contact and lacking any direct attacks, they will spit out Attack Flies and spawn multiple Black Flies and Attack Flies upon death. They behave similarly to Mulligans including audibly whimpering and evading the player. Hives have higher health than Mulligans.

Nest

Nests, a new enemy in Rebirth, are a difficult variant of the Mulligan. Instead of flies, they are swollen with Spiders which they will periodically spit. Nests share the same high health as Hives. On death they can spawn Trites or Big Spiders.

Drowned Hive

Drowned Hives behave similarly to Hives, but spit Drowned Chargers instead of flies. Upon death, they spawn 1-2 Drowned Chargers.

Leper

Lepers are a Mulligan variant introduced in Booster Pack #5. Lepers are initially afraid of the player and will actively try to avoid them. For every 15 damage they take, a chunk of their head, known as Leper Flesh, will detach and start erratically chasing Isaac. After being reduced to 15 health, Lepers will start chasing Isaac, leaving a trail of damaging red creep. Upon death they leave behind one Leper Flesh and a slightly grayer Gusher.

Lepers in varying levels of destruction can spawn.

Notes

• Lepers deal no contact damage if their heads are fully intact, if they are in any state below that then they will deal contact damage.
• Their head chunks also die if Isaac walks into them, though this will result in him taking damage.
• Lepers can naturally be found with some head chunks missing.

Leper Flesh

Spawned From Lepers

Leper Fleshes are head chunks from Lepers that erratically chase Isaac and are spawned from Lepers for every 15 damage they take. Upon death, they fire a red blood shot at Isaac.

Notes

• You can tell a Mulligan or Mulligoon is about to self detonate when they hold their breath and inflate.
• Red Champion Mulligans, Hives, Nests and Drowned Hives are difficult, as when they die, they can regenerate and spawn more enemies.
• White Champion Hives, Nests, and Drowned Hives are difficult as every enemy they spawn will give them invincibility.
• Pulsing Red Champion Hives, Nests, and Drowned Hives are difficult as every enemy they spawn will be invincible until Isaac kills it.

Trivia

• The Mulligan, Mulligoon, Hive and Swarmer are all the same monster in stages of decay and infestation.
• In the original Binding of Isaac, when a Mulligan self-detonated, the explosion would not break rocks.
• In the game's files, there is an unused Mulliboom self-detonation animation, an unused graphic of a Hive with a Mulligoon's face, and an unused graphic of the Drowned Hive with a blue-tinted Mulligoon's face.
• Drowned Hives, along with Drowned Chargers (name of Drowned Charger wasn't revealed), were revealed for Afterbirth in this official Binding Of Isaac post.
• A leper is a person who suffers from leprosy, or a contagious disease that causes discoloration and lumping on the skin plus disfigurement and deformities.

Gallery

• 

  Concept drawn for Nests.

• 

  Leper concept art by _Kilburn.

Bugs

Bug! If a Mulligan or a Mulligoon is killed before the spawn period is finished (before they move), it will count as a self detonation.

Bug! If a Nest is killed in the Burning Basement, it has a chance to spawn a Flaming Hopper.

Bug! Champion Mullibooms only deal half a heart of damage instead of a full heart.^{[citation needed]}

Bug! Rarely, if you kill a Mulliboom before their spawn period is finished (before they move), it will shoot 4 projectiles in cardinal directions and explode, like a Mulligan does when it self-detonates.

Bug! Rarely, if you kill a Drowned Hive before their spawn period is finished (before they move), it will shoot 4 projectiles in ordinal directions but the monster won't explode.