After the release of the Supergirl movie, the next big movie in James Gunn’s “Superman Saga” is the highly anticipated Man of Tomorrow, which hits theaters on July 7, 2027. Along with the return of beloved actors and characters, many fans are especially excited about in this upcoming DCU movie is that it will feature one of DC Comics’ most powerful and iconic villains: Brainiac. The road to Brainiac’s official theatrical debut began 68 years ago in July of 1958. And from his very first appearance in Action Comics #242, it was clear that Brainiac had the brains, malevolence, and power to establish himself as one of Superman’s greatest enemies of all time.
German actor Lars Eidinger is set to play the collector of cities in the upcoming film Man of Tomorrow. And if he manages to portray even half of the gravitas, power, intellect, and calculating psychopathy of the Brainiac from the comics, then we will have one of the greatest villains ever depicted in a DC Comics movie.
Few villains have undergone so many reinventions as Brainiac in the main continuity. Brainiac’s debut in Action Comics #242 was part of DC Comics’ move towards more science fiction storytelling. Aside from the comedic extradimensional Mr. Mxyzptlk, Brainiac was the first genuine and reoccurring alien threat that Superman had to face. While the specifics are constantly changing, what has remained consistent is that Brainiac is an extraterrestrial driven by logic and a desire to monopolize all knowledge in the universe. To accomplish this goal, he will shrink and abduct cities before destroying their home worlds. All of this was established in his first appearance, and he’s only become more dangerous ever since.
Action Comics #242 sets up Brainiac’s modus operandi, as he arrives on Earth aboard his starship to shrink and abduct Metropolis to add to his collection. With technology that puts Luthor to shame, Superman is overwhelmed by Brainiac. Perhaps Brainiac’s most important contribution to Superman’s lore was that he abducted the Kryptonian city of Kandor. This reveal gave Superman and Brainiac an instant connection. Beforehand, the Man of Tomorrow believed himself to be the last Kryptonian in existence because at that time Supergirl had not yet made her debut. Although they were trapped and tiny, the people of Kandor were Superman’s last connection to Krypton. While Superman saves both Metropolis and Kandor, he never outright defeats Brainiac in their first encounter, underscoring just how dangerous the villain is.
Brainiac has undergone countless reinventions and incarnations, each bringing with it engaging new angles on the Collector of Worlds. Originally, Brainiac was a green-skinned alien from the planet Colu. However, he was quickly retconned as an AI created by the Coluans for intergalactic conquest and given a far more mechanical design. Over time, new origins for Brainiac would be introduced, from him being a Coluan cyborg named Vril Dox to all previous incarnations of the character being mere drones of the one true Brainiac. In some versions, Brainiac even has a Kryptonian origin. Brainiac’s ever-changing origin conveys the ever-evolving nature of technology, with the villain continuously teetering on the line between organic and machine.
In addition to the introduction of Kandor, Brainiac’s impact has been monumental in DC Comics. Despite his villainous role, one of Brainiac’s descendants, Brainiac 13, is recognized as one of the greatest members of the Legion of Superheroes and a close friend of the Superman Family. Additionally, it was established in the 2018 storyline “Superman: Brainiac” that it was the Collector of Worlds who killed Superman’s adoptive father, Jon Kent, by making him suffer a fatal heart attack. If that wasn’t enough, in addition to abducting Kandor, some incarnations even have Brainiac directly responsible for the destruction of Krypton itself. No matter the incarnation, Brainiac will always have one of the strongest ties to Superman’s history.
Brainiac is the perfect choice for a main antagonist for the Man of Tomorrow movie because of how he stands as Superman’s polar opposite. Although Lex Luthor is oftentimes considered to be the Man of Steel’s antithesis, Brainiac is just as much, if not more so, a personification of everything that Superman isn’t. Superman is a hero defined as an alien who is compassionate and sees himself as a member of humanity. Likewise, while Luthor represents the dark side of humanity, Brainiac conveys the danger and horror of Superman’s extraterrestrial origins.
In terms of personality alone, Brainiac is by far Superman’s most alien adversary. Unlike other extraterrestrial Superman villains like General Zod, Mongul, or Doomsday, who are driven by duty, greed, or anger, Brainiac is motivated by cold, unfeeling logic without an ounce of emotion. Whereas Superman views every life as precious and deserving of freedom, Brainiac sees entire worlds as mere data that must be cataloged and contained for him alone. To Brainiac, the trillions of lives he’s exterminated and captured are meaningless, except as datapoints. Essentially, Brainiac embodies every fear humans have about extraterrestrial life. Brainiac forces Superman to confront his deep-seated insecurities regarding his alien heritage and how a good portion of humanity views him as an outsider to be distrusted and feared.
Additionally, Brainiac takes Superman’s classic brain vs brawn feud with Luthor to its most extreme. The word “brainiac” originates from this villain, and it’s not hard to see why. Whereas Superman is DC’s strongest hero, Brainiac’s 12th-level intellect makes him the universe’s smartest villain. Having amassed knowledge from thousands of worlds, Brainiac has developed some of the most advanced technology in the universe, and his mind processes information at a speed quintillions of times faster than a human’s. His Skull Ship also packs enough firepower to destroy the Earth and has repeatedly shown itself to be capable of matching Superman’s strength. And of course, Brainiac possesses enough Kryptonite to make Lex Luthor jealous. With all this, Brainiac’s overwhelming intelligence perfectly contrasts Superman’s infinite power.
Superman may be an alien, but his upbringing and morals make him just as human as anyone else. Meanwhile, Brainiac personifies everything that the Man of Steel fears becoming: a godlike alien who’s completely disconnected from the rest of the universe and completely disregards the rights of all sentient life. And with his upcoming debut in Man of Tomorrow, far more people will finally be able to recognize what makes Brainiac such a captivating, influential, and terrifying villain.
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