Who Is Brainiac? All You Need To Know About Superman 2’s Villain

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James Gunn recently revealed the villain for his upcoming Superman: Man of Tomorrow movie, confirming long-held suspicions that it would be Brainiac. It had already been hinted that the villain would be powerful enough to force Superman and Lex Luthor into an unlikely alliance to save the planet. The big surprise, however, was Gunn’s casting choice: Lars Eidinger, a relatively unknown actor, will play the role. Despite the casting being unexpected, DC Comics fans are excited about this news, as Brainiac is considered one of the most compelling and intricate villains in the DC universe.

As a huge DC fan, I’ve been diving into Brainiac’s backstory – he’s a classic Superman villain with a really interesting history. I’m also really excited about Superman: Man of Tomorrow, and I’ve been trying to figure out what to expect from it, so I’ve put together everything I’ve learned about Brainiac and how he might factor into the film.

Brainiac Has a Complex DC Comics History

Brainiac’s backstory is notoriously complicated, largely due to frequent changes made by DC Comics following major events like Crisis on Infinite Earths, Flashpoint, and Rebirth. He first appeared in Action Comics #242 in 1958 as an alien designed to be a serious challenge for Superman, as DC was expanding into science fiction. Created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, the character was originally a green-skinned alien from the planet Colu, and was immediately established as a collector who would shrink and bottle entire cities.

Brainiac and Superman had a long-standing rivalry. Brainiac had previously captured Superman’s home city of Kandor, and now set his sights on Metropolis. Superman managed to defeat him, but over time, Brainiac evolved from a living alien into a robotic conqueror created by the people of Colu to take over other worlds.

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, DC Comics reimagined Brainiac. He became Vril Dox, an alien from the planet Colu, who was put to death. However, his consciousness survived by merging with the body of a man named Milton Fine, granting Fine mental abilities. This made Brainiac a hybrid being – part human, part alien – and he began building new bodies for himself. These included both green-skinned duplicates and enormous robotic forms, reminiscent of the robots in the Terminator films. This transformation turned Brainiac into a global threat.

Geoff Johns completely reimagined the character of Brainiac in the 2000s, creating a new backstory. He revealed that the Brainiac everyone knew hadn’t actually faced Superman – those were just copies, robots, or beings he controlled. The real Brainiac had been dormant for a long time and emerged as a far more dangerous foe. Even when defeated, Brainiac caused immense damage, including the death of Jonathan Kent, Superman’s father. The story also suggested that Brainiac was responsible for the destruction of Krypton, having shrunk the city of Kandor and taken it with him.

Modern versions of Brainiac often portray him as Vril Dox, a scientist who gathers cities from various planets, claiming he’s preserving them. This version has been updated a few times – one version involved Vril creating multiple copies of himself to collect even more cities, and in the New 52 comics, he manifested as the Internet itself. Beyond that, there have been future iterations of Brainiac, including a heroic version who joined the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st century. A particularly frightening Brainiac also appeared in the Absolute Superman storyline, depicted as a malfunctioning drone.

Which Brainiac Will We See In Superman: Man of Tomorrow?

Most comic book fans may not know him yet, but James Gunn’s choice of Lars Eidinger to play Brainiac is fantastic. Gunn revealed on Threads that he wasn’t familiar with Eidinger’s previous work, but was incredibly impressed by his audition for Superman: Man of Tomorrow. Eidinger has already proven his talent, notably playing the unsettling Mr. Gray in Noah Baumbach’s White Noise, and he physically embodies the look of Brainiac perfectly.

This Brainiac isn’t the muscular, classic version from older DC Comics. Instead, he looks more like the taller, more intimidating Brainiac created by Geoff Johns in the 2000s. James Gunn clearly appreciates classic DC stories, but he’s probably aiming for a more serious portrayal of Brainiac, a character fans have been eager to see on the big screen for years.

Originally, Brainiac was considered for a role in Superman III, but the cost was too high. He didn’t appear in live-action until the Smallville TV show, where James Masters (known as Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) played him, though this version was quite different from the comic book character. A more familiar Brainiac appeared briefly in the Krypton series. Now, fans are finally getting a large-scale, high-budget version on the big screen, and most believe James Gunn will deliver a version they’ll love.

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2025-12-29 19:10