Superman has appeared in several films over the decades, but he’s usually fought the same opponents. That means constant reruns of Lex Luthor and General Zod, and sometimes Doomsday is thrown in for good measure. One iconic villain has sadly escaped a big-screen adaptation, but he could fit well in the second feature film starring David Corenswet’s Superman in the new DC Universe.

It looks like Brainiac is not involved in the 2025 at all Superman Film. This will be the last film not to feature the iconic villain, which may disappoint fans, but it provides the perfect opportunity to properly build up the intergalactic threat.

Brainiac has still not been made into a live-action film

Debut: Action Comics #242 by Otto Binder and Al Plastino

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Since the Silver Age of comics, Brainiac has been a recurring enemy of the Man of Steel and the other survivors of the Krypton explosion. In his original depiction, he is an alien scientist named Vril Dox from the planet Colu, which is full of similarly green-skinned humanoids. Dox was ousted from Coluan society for his amoral experiments, most of which involved his attempts to “catalog” data and gather information on entire worlds by shrinking them to tiny sizes and “bottling” them. This was the case with the Kryptonian city of Kandor, whose preserved citizens were some of the few remaining Kryptonians.

Different interpretations of Brainiac have changed him over the years, particularly by playing with his connection to technology. In most incarnations, he is merely an organic alien or cyborg with technological enhancements, but in some cases he is fully robotic. This was the case in the Bronze Age of comics, when Brainiac was redesigned with a fully robotic body that had a skeletal appearance. This is reflected in his iconic “skull ship” which houses many of his collections and experiments. Superman: The Animated Series further altered his nature by making him a Kryptonian AI that resembled the then-new comic book character “Eradicator.”

Despite this prestige and the fact that he is usually as omnipresent as Luthor, Brainiac has never been brought to the big screen in a live-action film. Superman Film. It was rumored that he would be the villain in Superman IIIwhich was finally realized in the comic series Superman ’78. Likewise, some hoped that Henry Cavill’s return as Superman at the end of Black Adam would have led to another solo film featuring the DC Extended Universe version of Brainiac. The DCEU is now over and will be replaced by the DC Universe reboot. The first film in this new continuity is James Gunn’s 2025 Supermanbut Brainiac will not be the villain.

Why Brainiac wouldn’t work in James Gunn’s Superman

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It seems that Lex Luthor and the engineer from The Authority will be the main villains in Supermanalong with a mysterious figure possibly based on the character Ulysses from the New 52. This means that Brainiac will be nowhere to be seen, which is actually for the better. Brainiac is an essential villain for any continuity that is to do justice to the Man of Steel, but he can’t be the first major villain he faces in this new world. For one thing, the idea of ​​Brainiac or some other alien invader being the villain in Superman would be much too much like 2013 Man of Steel. While this film and the continuity it spawned definitely have their fans, it’s a good idea for the new DCU to cement the fact that it has nothing to do with this often-disputed timeline.

Furthermore, portraying Brainiac as essentially a remake of General Zod doesn’t seem like a particularly good way to handle the villain. Superman The film is not an origin story and features a version of the Man of Tomorrow who has been a superhero for at least some time. At the same time, this will be audiences’ introduction to the new Superman, with some still more used to Henry Cavill or even Tyler Hoechlin from the TV series Superman and Lois. So it’s essentially a beginner version of the hero, except for the name. Superman needs to establish himself better before facing off against Brainiac, who might otherwise feel too rushed. Ironically, this villain buildup could take place over two DCU films featuring different Kryptonians.

Brainiac could star in a Superman/Supergirl team-up movie

The Smarty Story arc creators: Geoff Johns and Gary Frank

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Superman will probably be the first Kryptonian seen in the new DC Universe, but he won’t be the only one. His cousin Kara Zor-El is already about to get her own movie. Supergirl: The Woman of TomorrowThe film will adapt the novel series of the same name by Tom King. Rumor has it that Kara will be in Superman in some way, possibly through a post-credits sceneIf that is the case, both films can also build on another character related to their shared myth: Brainiac. Even if Brainiac is not the villain in Superman reboot film, there may still be elements leading up to its debut. These elements may continue in Woman of Tomorrowwith Kara perhaps even mentioning a “renegade scientist from Colu.” This may even lead to a loose adaptation of the “Brainiac” story arc.

There, Kara (who had already come to Earth in the story) knew exactly who Brainiac was, as he had razed Krypton’s cities to the ground years before. This left her traumatized about the villain and made him a major threat. These plot points can be used in a future DC Universe film that serves as a sequel to both. Superman And Supergirl: The Woman of TomorrowThis would of course build on the themes of both films, which deal with the idea of ​​legacy in different ways. If James Gunn and the others involved in the DCU handle things right, the buildup to the introduction of Brainiac could represent a success story of sorts for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Brainiac can be the Thanos to the DCU’s Superman

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One of the MCU’s greatest successes was the way the Infinity Saga prepared for the threat of Thanos, the Mad Titan. First teased at the end of The AvengersHe then had short appearances, which eventually came to the fore Avengers: Infinity War. When he actually won at the end of the film (and all this after defeating many Avengers one-on-one), it felt like a threat more than earned. Brainiac may not have a gauntlet full of Infinity Stones to collect, but he can also be slowly developed over multiple films. In fact, it would be good to introduce him in either the second or third film. Superman The film could trigger a similar trend for the entire DC universe. Instead of one overarching villain like Thanos for the entire DCU, the shared universe can instead have Thanos equivalents for each superhero “family.”

Brainiac can take on this role, for example, for Superman And Supergirl Series, while The brave and bold could do the same with the Court of Owls or Ra’s al Ghul. Likewise, the eventually rebooted Wonder Woman could just face Ares in her third film, while the DCU could have Wally West face Eobard Thawne (in the masquerade of Wally’s predecessor) in an adaptation of The Return of Barry Allen after the first film. flash reboot movie. This makes each film series feel like its own series, rather than just a commercial for a universe-wide crossover, as is the criticism of many Marvel Cinematic Universe films. It also makes each of these villains a major threat, as popular with mainstream audiences as they are with comic book fans.

DCU

Get ready for a brand new DC experience! The DC Universe (DCU) is coming soon, bringing together familiar comic book heroes in a connected storyline across films, television shows, animations, and even video games. It is an upcoming American media franchise and shared universe based on characters from DC Comics publications.

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David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Milly Alcock, Edi Gathegi, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Anthony Carrigan, Viola Davis, John Cena, Xolo Mariduena

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