Brainiac’s DCU Arrival May Be Setting Up an Even More Terrifying Villain (But You’ve Probably Never Heard of Him)

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Rumors suggest Brainiac will be the big bad guy in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie, currently titled Man of Tomorrow. The film will continue the story from the first movie, bringing back David Corenswet as Superman and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Interestingly, the plot will involve Superman and Lex Luthor reluctantly teaming up to face a massive, world-threatening danger. Evidence from James Gunn’s hints and recent reports strongly indicates that this enemy will be the incredibly intelligent villain, Brainiac.

The current conflict between the world’s top hero and villain, facing a common threat, might be subtly setting up an even more dangerous team for the future. This potential villain is a lesser-known character from DC’s animated past, and if brought into the DC Universe, would quickly become its biggest enemy: the combined force fans call Lexiac.

Having Brainiac as the reason Superman and Lex Luthor team up in the next movie is a brilliant way to raise the stakes. According to James Gunn, Luthor is mainly focused on his own self-interest, so whatever threat makes him work with Superman must be incredibly significant – something that truly challenges his life and intelligence.

Brainiac is a prime example of a world-ending threat. As a Coluan cyborg obsessed with collecting civilizations, his goals are far more destructive than someone like General Zod, who simply wanted to conquer. Brainiac isn’t interested in ruling Earth; he sees it and everyone on it as just another collection of specimens to be studied and preserved.

This danger is so immense and terrifying that even Lex Luthor, who wants to control the world, can’t overlook it. This unlikely partnership, formed because they have no other choice, is where a new, combined threat could begin to grow.

Who Is Lexiac? 

For fans of the animated series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, the merging of Brainiac and Lex Luthor is a memorable and important storyline. In this version of events, Brainiac’s mind lived on after his body was destroyed, secretly taking root within LexCorp’s computer system. It stayed hidden until it finally took control of a struggling Lex Luthor.

Lex Luthor was slowly dying from cancer caused by Kryptonite exposure. The advanced artificial intelligence offered him a solution: a merging of their consciousness and technology. This would not only cure Luthor, but also dramatically enhance his physical abilities, giving him a body nearing superhuman strength, and fulfill his ultimate goal of becoming a powerful, god-like being in the digital world.

The being created from the merging of Brainiac and Lex Luthor – known as Lexiac – was incredibly powerful and driven. It combined Brainiac’s immense, calculating intelligence with Lex Luthor’s human desire for power, pride, and pure evil. This resulted in a creature that was both flawlessly logical and intensely focused on itself.

The device was a massive technological marvel, possessing incredible energy and computing abilities. This allowed it to fundamentally alter reality, imposing its idea of a flawless, but lifeless, world.

This powerful, combined entity wasn’t just fighting Superman – it was trying to take over Earth and reshape the entire galaxy to its liking. It took the full strength of the Justice League to stop it, and the battle ended when The Flash used his incredible speed to split the creature apart and destroy the Brainiac part of it.

Could Lexiac Actually Show Up in the DCU?

Although a storyline featuring the villain Lexiac would be interesting from a storytelling perspective, it’s unlikely to happen in the DC Universe. Lexiac is a relatively obscure character, primarily known by devoted fans of the Justice League Unlimited animated series from many years ago.

Most moviegoers aren’t familiar with the idea of Brainiac and Lex Luthor combining into one super-powerful being. As James Gunn creates a new DC Universe, he’ll probably concentrate on villains that everyone knows from the classic comics.

Despite the challenges, Gunn has consistently demonstrated a knack for taking risks and exploring unconventional ideas. His recent success with bringing the character Peacemaker into the spotlight is a perfect example of this.

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2025-11-20 01:35