Brainiac

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For other uses of this name, see Brainiac (disambiguation).

Brainiac is one of Superman's greatest foes.

Contents

Pre-Crisis Earth-1

Brainiac was originally a humanoid android created by the Computer Tyrants of Colu. Endowed with an incredible 12th-level intelligence (the other Tyrants were 10th-level, and humans are a mere 6th), his mission was to explore and examine the universe- primarily by stealing cities from planets and shrinking them to miniature size, and keeping them on his ship. Among other planets' cities, he stole Kandor from Krypton.

When Brainiac came to Earth, he was stopped by Superman, beginning years of frequent conflicts. Once his "son" Vril Dox (really a Coluan child adopted to help make Brainiac seem more humanoid to the races he encountered) led a revolt against the Computer Tyrants, Brainiac decided to conquer the universe. On occasion, Brainiac worked with other villains such as Lex Luthor.

Eventually, however, Brainiac was trapped in a computerized planet of his own design by Superman, and opted to destroy the planet's sun in the hopes its energies would free him- instead (unsurprisingly) he was disintegrated. Reduced to a mere cloud of molecules, Brainiac drifted until he merged with a planet of living machines. Integrated into the planet's computers, Brainiac absorbed vast amounts of knowledge, and repeated the process on other worlds. Finally returning to his computerized world, he reformed himself as an inhuman living machine, and began his battles with Superman anew.

Brainiac led an army of super-villains during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and survived the creation of the new unified "Earth-Sigma." However, his memories of the Crisis were wiped; but that didn't keep him from enlisting Darkseid's aid in defeating the Anti-Monitor. Brainiac ultimately fell in battle with the Omega Men.

Alternate Timelines

In the timeline seen in Alan Moore's "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow," Brainiac was destroyed, with only his head surviving in a snowy waste. He was found by Luthor, who intended to dissect him for his alien technology, but Brainiac took over his body and used him in an attempt to finally destroy Superman. Luthor was mercifully slain by a temporarily-empowered Lana Lang, but Brainiac was able to use it a while longer despite that. However, Luthor's body finally gave out, and Brainiac finally died soon after.

Post-Crisis, Post-Zero Hour

Originally Coluan scientist Vril Dox, he was disintegrated in an experimental teleporter when the computer tyrants of his world learned that he planned to overthrow them. Dox's mind came to Earth, and merged with circus mentalist Milton Fine, the Amazing Brainiac. Dox learned that Fine's body had untapped mental powers, and went on to become one of Superman's greatest foes, often trying to drive the Man of Steel mad.

Over the years his body was altered by cybernetics and genetic modifications provided (sometimes willingly, sometimes not) by Lexcorp, and Brainiac eventually attempted to conquer Earth with the stolen Warworld. Brainiac's invasion was defeated, and he was imprisoned by the New Gods, only to escape when his body's powers increased even further.

Finally, Brainiac tried to take over the body of Doomsday with the help of fellow Coluan Prin Vnok. However, Doomsday's body was hard to control, and Brainiac opted to kidnap Pete Ross and Lana Lang's newborn son, intending to change the boy into a new, more easily dominated Doomsday. Stopped by Superman, Brainiac was left without a body, and had to settle for a robotic substitute named Brainiac 2.5.

Comments

It is unclear whether the pre-Crisis Brainiac ever existed in the fully revised post-Crisis universe, but the account of his defeat by the Omega Men in The History of the DC Universe suggests that he somehow did.

See also

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