This week marked the discharge of Superman, one of the crucial extremely anticipated motion pictures of 2025, and the start of James Gunn‘s bold DCU plans. That is the eighth live-action theatrical Superman film since 1978’s Superman: The Film kicked off the modern superhero film period, excluding his look in Justice League. For probably the most half, the Superman movies have primarily featured the identical villains, resembling Lex Luthor and Basic Zod, with Batman v. Superman: Daybreak of Justice introducing a brand new adversary in Doomsday. But subsequent to Lex Luthor, Superman’s most iconic foe has not graced the silver display screen: Brainiac.
Brainiac is among the strongest villains within the DC pantheon, and, alongside Lex Luthor, is Superman’s biggest foe. But he has by no means been featured in a live-action movie. Villains like Bane and Ocean Grasp have acquired extra cinematic illustration than Brainiac. Nevertheless, it is not for lack of attempting. Plainly each main try at making a Superman film has, at one level, thought of Brainiac for a future movie, just for the movie sequence to be scrapped and rebooted. Listed here are the assorted makes an attempt to adapt Brainiac to the massive display screen, his success on tv, and whether or not the villain has a future within the DCU.
Who Is Brainiac and the Early Movie Makes an attempt
Brainiac first appeared in Motion Comics #242 in July 1958 and was created by author Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino. Brainiac is often depicted as a superintelligent android or cyborg from the planet Colu, obsessive about accumulating all data within the identified universe. He can switch his consciousness into new our bodies, be they extra robotic or natural. He flies round in an enormous cranium ship, shrinks a planet’s capital metropolis, and destroys mentioned planet since data is extra helpful if he alone possesses it. He has famously shrunken the Kryptonian metropolis of Kandor and, in some continuities, is answerable for the destruction of Krypton. Whereas historically a Superman villain, he has grown into one of the crucial vital threats within the DC Universe and has been a frequent foe of the Justice League.
The primary try to deliver Brainiac to the massive display screen was in Superman III, when Richard Donner was engaged on Superman: The Film earlier than being fired from Superman II. In a pitch from producer Ilya Salkind, Brainiac would have been from the planet Krypton, and would have adopted Kara Zor-El / Supergirl in an identical method to the Kents discovering Superman. Issues acquired bizarre shortly as Brainiac fell in love along with his adopted daughter, however she was in love with Superman (who seemingly was not her cousin on this continuity). Brainiac would then corrupt Superman, with the climax seeing Superman and Supergirl touring again in time to combat Brainiac.
For apparent causes, this pitch was not authorized. Richard Donner’s continuity of Superman did get to face off towards Brainiac within the 2021/2022 comedian Superman ’78, which continued the continuity of Superman: The Film and Superman II. This was a completely authentic Superman vs. Brainiac story, unrelated to the deliberate Superman III pitch.
Each Main Superman Movie Has Tried (And Failed) to Adapt Brainiac
Following the disastrous field workplace and significant reception of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, the movie franchise was placed on maintain, and Warner Bros. made numerous makes an attempt to revive the Superman franchise. Essentially the most well-known was Superman Lives, set to star Nicolas Cage. Kevin Smith initially wrote Superman Lives, and later, it was set to be directed by Tim Burton, who ordered a page-one rewrite of Smith’s script. Nevertheless, one fixed that remained in Smith’s pitch and Burton’s deliberate tackle the movie was that Brainiac could be the first villain.
The script was a unfastened adaptation of The Demise of Superman, the 1993 comedian ebook occasion sequence that turned one of the crucial iconic and talked-about comics of all time. Brainiac would ship Doomsday to kill Superman and block out the solar, thereby weakening the Man of Metal. When Burton employed Wesley Strick (who beforehand wrote Batman Returns), the sun-blocking factor was dropped on account of similarities to Mr. Burns’s plan in an episode of The Simpsons.
Nevertheless, Strick determined to have Brainiac and Lex Luthor mix into one entity within the climax, going by the identify Lexiac. When Smith was writing the script, he pictured Jason Lee as Brainiac, whereas Tim Burton’s best choice was Christopher Walken. Warner Bros. finally canceled Superman Lives on account of issues that the script was too costly, following a string of blockbuster flops by the studio, together with the DC superhero movie Batman & Robin.
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It took 19 years for Superman to make his means again to the massive display screen, which fittingly was titled Superman Returns. Superman Returns was closely influenced by Richard Donner’s Superman: The Film and served as a non secular sequel to the primary two movies, pitting the hero towards Lex Luthor. The plan for a hypothetical sequel was all the time to take a extra action-oriented route, and Superman Returns co-writer Michael Dougherty expressed curiosity in Brainiac from the outset.
In keeping with Robert Meyer Burnett, who documented the making of Superman Returns, he and Bryan Singer started engaged on a pitch for a sequel with Brainiac. On this story, Brainiac, revealed to be partially answerable for the destruction of Krypton, seeks to switch his consciousness into an natural physique. The one physique able to sustaining him is Jason White, who’s the true son of Superman. Burnett had Jude Regulation in thoughts for the position. Superman Returns by no means acquired a sequel as a result of movie being perceived as a field workplace disappointment, primarily attributed to its big finances, with Warner Bros. choosing a full-on reboot.
That reboot could be Man of Metal, which pitted Superman towards Basic Zod in a stealth remake of Superman II. Zack Snyder revealed his authentic plans for a direct Man of Metal sequel would have featured Brainiac as the first villain. Nevertheless, Warner Bros. opted as a substitute for Batman v. Superman: Daybreak of Justice, following the blended important and viewers response to Man of Metal. Snyder finally shifted his bigger DCEU ambitions to function Darkseid because the franchise’s principal antagonist, leaving Brainiac behind regardless of the character seemingly being the proper selection for the principle villain in Justice League, versus the minor villain Steppenwolf. After separate movie continuity makes an attempt at bringing Brainiac to the massive display screen, each failed. Nevertheless, the villain had higher luck on the small display screen.
Brainiac Has Thrived on Tv
Whereas Brainiac may not have confronted Superman on the massive display screen, the villain has been a thorn in Superman’s aspect in numerous tv sequence. Brainiac was a member of the Legion of Doom in Tremendous Mates. The character underwent a big improve in Superman: The Animated Collection, the place he was established as a Kryptonian supercomputer linked to the planet’s destruction. Due to Corey Burton’s unimaginable voice and a cool robotic design, Brainiac quickly turned one of many main villains within the DC Animated Universe and returned in sequence like Static Shock, Justice League, and Justice League: Limitless. The character has seen a big resurgence these days, with Michael Emerson delivering a improbable vocal efficiency in My Adventures with Superman in a fantastic reimagining, whereas Stephen Fry took a tragically humorous strategy to Harley Quinn.
Brainiac made his live-action debut on Smallville, performed by James Marsters. This incarnation is a Kryptonian supercomputer referred to as the BRAIN InterActive Assemble, manipulated by Basic Zod to destabilize Krypton. Launched in Season 5, Brainiac possesses school professor Milton Nice (one of many character’s aliases within the comics) to achieve Clark Kent’s belief to push him into opening the Phantom Zone to launch Zod. The Milton Nice persona of Brainiac was just lately proven in Superman & Lois, performed by Nikolai Witschl as a human engineer working for Lex Luthor who goes by the nickname Brainiac. Had the sequence continued, he possible would have turn out to be nearer to his comedian ebook counterpart.
Essentially the most comic-accurate model of Brainiac got here from the short-lived Syfy sequence Krypton, which was initially pitched as a prequel to Man of Metal earlier than being made right into a stand-alone sequence. Brainiac is depicted because the Coluan cyborg who possesses the Kryptonian spiritual chief, the Voice of Rao, to destabilize the planet in assist of his conquest. Performed by actor Blake Ritson, this Brainiac impressively translated the character’s comedian ebook look with unimaginable make-up that was enhanced with CGI. At a time when the DCEU movies appeared bored with Brainiac, the character was getting a improbable depiction on a tv present that many possible did not learn about.
Is There Hope for Brainiac within the DCU?
Superman
- Launch Date
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July 11, 2025
- Runtime
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130 Minutes
- Director
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James Gunn
- Producers
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Lars P. Winther, Peter Safran
After soft-launching the DCU with titles like The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, and Creature Commandos, the DCU is actually starting with the discharge of Superman. Regardless of a lot hypothesis that the large orb showcased within the first take a look at David Corenswet’s Superman presumably being Brainiac, it seems the movie is just not that includes the enduring villain. As an alternative, the movie opts for a conventional Superman vs. Lex Luthor story, with the villain gaining additional muscle from the likes of The Engineer, Ultraman, and the brand new addition to the movie, Hammer of Boravia. But a brand new universe means a brand new probability to see Brainiac on the massive display screen.
Whereas the DCU continues to be in its early days, there are a number of locations the place Brainiac may seem. The following function movie, Supergirl, is ready for launch in June 2026. The comics have established Brainiac as a key part of Supergirl’s backstory, because the teenage Kara Zor-El typically witnesses Brainiac shrink and abduct the town of Kandor earlier than her very eyes. Supergirl will not be an origin story for the hero, however is probably going anticipated to function flashbacks to her time on Krypton and may embody Brainiac.
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Superman doesn’t presently have a direct sequel within the works, however director James Gunn has said that the Man of Metal will return quickly. Gunn can be engaged on a top-secret DCU undertaking, however has not confirmed its particulars. Many followers theorize that it’s a Justice League-type team-up movie, following the introduction of Superman. Brainiac could be a robust sufficient villain to unite DC’s biggest heroes, like Superman, Batman, Marvel Lady, and extra.
Until the DCU is canceled shortly (which, given Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav, is not out of the realm of chance), there’s a sturdy probability Brainiac will lastly make an look someday sooner or later. As each one of the crucial well-known villains in DC Comics and one of many strongest villains, he opens loads of storytelling potentialities for future movies and tv sequence. Brainiac may not be in Superman, however after so many movies, his long-awaited movie debut is perhaps proper across the nook. Superman is in theaters now.