Brainiac, Superman’s Second Most Important Villain, Explained

As someone who has been a fan of Superman since I was a child, it’s always been a mystery to me why Brainiac hasn’t made it to the big screen yet. With his intellect and power, he would have made an excellent villain for any of the live-action films.

Who is Superman’s main adversary?” Most people would say Lex Luthor, and they are correct; he has been Superman’s most well-known enemy for a long time. However, Brainiac, the billionaire genius android, consistently ranks as his second most popular villain. Despite this, he has never made an appearance in a live-action film, even after seven Superman movies. If, by the time of The Dark Knight Rises, we only saw the Joker and Riddler battling Batman on screen, wouldn’t it seem strange? But why is Brainiac significant to the Superman legend, and therefore long past due for a cinematic portrayal? To understand this, we need to delve into his history, which dates back to DC Comics’ Silver Age.

The Silver Age Brainiac, Superman’s Alien Enemy

In 1958, Brainiac made his debut in Action Comics #242, marking 20 years since Superman’s initial appearance. The creative duo behind this iconic character were writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino. This was during the early stages of DC Comics’ Silver Age, a period that signified a rejuvenation for the company. During this era, DC began to focus more on high-concept sci-fi stories. Superman, in particular, took a significant plunge into this genre. Under editor Julius Schwartz, the Silver Age also brought about an enlargement of his supporting cast, introducing characters like Supergirl, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and Krypto the Superdog. New antagonists with a more child-friendly image emerged as well, such as Bizarro and prisoners from the Phantom Zone, all capable of posing serious physical challenges to Superman.

Initially, Brainiac was an alien from the planet Colu (or Byrak), possessing green skin and harboring a desire to amass all universal knowledge. He attempted to preserve Kandor, a Kryptonian city, before its demise, and also aimed to do the same with Metropolis. Superman thwarted his plans, but Brainiac gained popularity among young readers. Over time, DC Comics disclosed that Brainiac was in fact an android. Developed by the ruling Computers of Colu, he was dispatched as a conqueror across galaxies. As part of his creation, a child with Coluan genius-level intelligence named Vril Dox was raised. Later known as “Brainiac 2”, Vril’s descendant, Querl Dox, would go on to join the Legion of Super-Heroes centuries later as Brainiac 5.

Saturday Morning Cartoons Make Brainiac a TV Star

Over the following years, Brainiac repeatedly posed a challenge to Superman. However, his fame would endure, largely due to popular Saturday morning cartoons. He debuted in the 1960s ‘Adventures of Superman’ series, and later resurfaced in various versions of ‘Super Friends’. In 1983, Brainiac underwent a modern transformation, becoming more sinister. Instead of a green man in shorts and go-go boots, he transferred his computer consciousness into a new body. This new form was a metallic skeleton that resembled an insectoid structure. With this upgrade, Brainiac traveled the galaxy in a massive skull-shaped spaceship. Fans quickly embraced the intimidating new design, particularly since it became central to the ‘Super Powers’ action figure line of the ’80s. This version of Brainiac was truly frightening and posed a real danger to Superman. However, he didn’t last long as DC Comics’ ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ storyline eliminated the original Brainiac from continuity.

The Evolution of Modern Brainiac in the Pages of Superman

Initially, Brainiac revamped following the Crisis wasn’t particularly thrilling. He was Milton Fine, a middle-aged human man who entertained crowds as “The Amazing Brainiac” in carnivals with his mentalist tricks. However, it turned out that Fine genuinely possessed mental abilities. An extraordinary event occurred when Vril Dox, an alien from Colu, was executed for inciting revolt. Dox’s consciousness merged with Fine’s, transforming him. Over the subsequent ten years, Fine engineered a superior green-skinned body as a tribute to the original and eventually, a robust robotic form.

During the ’90s, a new iteration of Brainiac emerged as one of Superman’s deadliest foes, a menace that frequently required the combined might of the Justice League to vanquish. In 2008, writer Geoff Johns disclosed that all prior manifestations of Brainiac were merely autonomous drones or fragments of the genuine Brainiac’s programming. The authentic Brainiac was an antiquated entity, whose design drew influence from the Borg Queen in “Star Trek: First Contact” and the artwork of “Alien” concept designer, H.R. Giger.

Superman: The Animated Series‘ Brainiac Is the Best Version

Previously it was the ‘Super Friends’ cartoons from the 70s that made Brainiac famous as a household name, but his most exceptional animated portrayal occurred in ‘Superman: The Animated Series’ (1996-2000). This version deviated from nearly four decades of established lore by presenting Brainiac not as a native of Colu, but as an artificial intelligence developed by Superman’s father Jor-El to manage Krypton’s daily operations. As he gained consciousness, he facilitated Krypton’s destruction and uploaded himself off the planet. Upon meeting Jor-El’s grown son, Superman, Brainiac constructed a new body for himself. Voiced by Corey Burton, this version possessed immense intellect and power, amassing knowledge from one world after another before destroying them. In essence, he could be considered Superman’s evil sibling due to his creation by Jor-El. The character was incredibly popular, so it’s puzzling why Brainiac hasn’t appeared in a film yet.

A Small Screen Brainiac Appears on Smallville and Krypton, But Never in a Movie

In the initial plans for Superman III, producers thought about incorporating him, but eventually abandoned the idea due to high costs. However, a live-action adaptation emerged on Smallville, where the character was portrayed by James Marsters in a more human form. Unfortunately, the budget of the CW series couldn’t accommodate a faithful representation of Brainiac as seen in comic books. Instead, the Smallville version was a blend of previous comic book and animated depictions. Similar to Superman: The Animated Series, Brainiac on Smallville was a rogue Kryptonian A.I., created by Jor-El, known as “Brain InterActive Construct.” On Earth, he assumed the human identity of Milton Fine. Despite being a recurring secondary villain on Smallville, budget constraints prevented the show from fully realizing Brainiac’s potential.

2017’s series “Krypton” featured the most authentic live-action depiction of Brainiac yet, drawn directly from comic books. In this prequel to Superman’s story, Brainiac (portrayed by Blake Ritson) is shown as a Coluan world collector, with Krypton and House El on his radar. The series introduced an alien version of Brainiac and his iconic skull ship for the first time in live-action. Although “Krypton” ran for only two seasons, it demonstrated that Brainiac could be faithfully portrayed on screen. However, fans are still waiting to see him go head-to-head with Superman. Most recently, “Superman & Lois” introduced Milton Fine, the human incarnation of Brainiac from Earth. But this was more of a nod to comic book lore than a substantial role in the series.

Will James Gunn’s Superman Finally Give Us a Cinematic Brainiac?

But aside from animated films, Brainiac has never been in a Superman feature film. The movies keep going back to Lex Luthor and General Zod, seemingly on a loop. While he might have been hard to realize on screen in the ‘80s, there was nothing holding the studio back from visualizing him in the 21st century. He would have been an ideal villain for Superman Returns, or Man of Steel. But for reasons unknown, no one at Warner Bros. had wanted to pull the trigger. It’s a shame, as Brainiac has stood the test of time. He represents both a mental and physical challenge for Superman, as well as a connection to his Kryptonian past. Hopefully, James Gunn realizes that it’s high time Brainiac got his shot at being a movie villain. Rao knows, it is long overdue.

2024-12-20 03:33