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This Villain was proposed and approved by Villains Wiki's Pure Evil Proposals Thread. Any act of removing this villain from the category without a Removal Proposal shall be considered vandalism (or a futile "heroic" attempt of redemption) and the user will have high chances of being | ||
| “ | I am Krypton. | „ |
| ~ Brainiac to Superman. |
| “ | The fewer beings who have the knowledge, the more precious it becomes. | „ |
| ~ Brainiac's reasoning for killing. |
Brainiac is one of the two overarching antagonists (alongside Darkseid) of the DC Animated Universe.
He was the central computer system of Krypton until he abandoned his creators when he realized that the planet would be destroyed, as he found the data he collected far more precious and fascinating. Afterwards, Brainiac set himself into collecting information from different planets and then destroy them. Due to his role in Krypton's destruction, Brainiac is easily one of Superman's greatest and personal enemies.
He was voiced by Corey Burton, who voices the Legion of Super Heroes counterpart, Megatron in Transformers: Animated, two incarnations of Shockwave, Megavolt in Let's Get Dangerous!, Dr. N. Gin and Dr. Nefarious Tropy in Crash N. Sane Trilogy and Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fuelled, Count Dooku and Cad Bane in Star Wars: Clone Wars and Zeus in the God of War franchise.
History[]
Brainiac becomes aware of Krypton's impending destruction, but finds the planet's destruction of little importance in contrast to the importance of all of Krypton's data. He thus abandons Krypton when the planet is about to be destroyed, and creates a new goal for himself: to collect all the data of a planet and then destroy the planet. He views this as forever preserving the completeness and uniqueness of this information. He also believes that the fewer beings who have the information, the more precious it becomes.
Years after Krypton's destruction, Brainiac kills a group of aliens and pilots their ship to Earth. Intrigued that Kal-El (otherwise known as Superman) exists, he seeks to bond his DNA with that of Kal-El's to continue his quest for data. Superman destroys the Brainiac drone, but Brainiac continues to be a threat as he downloads his program into LexCorp's computers.
Brainiac orders Lex Luthor to rebuild his body at one point, and then injures Luthor with a laser beam. Superman defeats Brainiac again, however.
Eventually, Brainiac seemingly attacks Apokolips, but Darkseid secretly makes a deal with Brainiac to lure in Superman. Darkseid hacks into Brainiac's system and forces Brainiac to self-destruct, seemingly destroying Brainiac for good.
It is later revealed that Brainiac had spared Luthor only to ensure his survival inside of Luthor. Over the years, Brainiac had been influencing Luthor's actions in order to achieve his goal to resurrect himself. Brainiac was the true mastermind behind the hysteria against the Justice League in order to ruin their reputation. Meanwhile, Brainiac planned to implant his mind into that of an Amazo droid, but was stopped by the Justice League. Brainiac flees from the Justice League using Luthor's body. Luthor questions Brainiac's motivations enough to interest Brainiac, and the two merge together with Dark Heart nanotechnology to become an ultimate being. Brainiac desires Luthor's creativity and Luthor desires the power and knowledge that Brainiac has but otherwise has no idea what to do with.
Brainiac/Luthor decide to create a machine that will absorb data of planets in a single stroke, but they are stopped by the Flash.
Brainiac is seemingly gone from existence, but still exists within the mind of Luthor. Luthor discovers that Gorilla Grodd has the last existing piece of Brainiac. Luthor desperately tries multiple manners of activating the one scrap left of Brainiac, but it does not work.
Eventually, Luthor goes to the location of Brainiac where he was destroyed and attempts to resurrect Brainiac using magic, but surprisingly resurrects Darkseid instead. The psychic link is shattered from Luthor, thus ending Brainiac forever. Luthor swears revenge on Darkseid, who now seems to have some of Brainiac's power as well. After Luthor gains the Anti-Life Equation and offers it to Darkseid so he will stop his invasion on Earth, Darkseid and Luthor solve the equation and become part of the Source Wall forever. If any parts of Brainiac remained in Darkseid, these were perpetually absorbed into the Source Wall as well.
Some fragment or contingency aspect of Brainiac makes an attempt through time travel to kill young Clark Kent in Smallville, but is opposed by the Legion of Super-Heroes, who are still hard-pressed to protect Clark and his human parents from the AI's rampage. Enraged by his family being endangered, young Clark exceeds his current potential and pummels the attacker. Brainiac's retreat is an erratic one, and he ends up flying into the sun, where he is clearly shown to be destroyed.
In a later Justice League Unlimited episode, Supergirl moves to the 30th Century for various reasons, one of which is to be with a hero called Brainiac 5, an organic whose connections to the AI are not made clear in this version.
Quotes[]
| “ | Brainiac: Most impressive. Your powers even exceed Luthor's description. Superman: Brainiac, I presume. Brainiac: I apologize for any discomfort, but it was important that I accurately gauged your powers. Superman: Why? Morbid curiosity? Brainiac: Curiosity, yes. Morbid, hardly. You see, we have more in common than you could possibly know, Kal-El. Superman: How do you know my name? Have you been to Krypton? Brainiac: I am Krypton. |
„ |
| ~ Brainiac and Superman during their first encounter. |
| “ | Brainiac: We are both orphans of the same planet. While you've been living here on Earth, I have roamed the universe. These orbs contain all the knowledge I've collected. Each represents all the recorded information from a single planet. Superman: Incredible. And Krypton? Brainiac: [leading Superman to a specific orb] All that was Krypton is contained within this orb. Go ahead. Touch your legacy. Superman: [touching it, he has a vision of Jor-El] Father. Brainiac: Enough. Superman: I... I saw my father. Did you know him? Brainiac: Yes. He helped me escape Krypton's fate, too. Now all of our home world's memories are stored within me. Superman: You mean you're an artificial intelligence, and those orbs, they're some kind of memory modules. Brainiac: Most perceptive. In all my travels, I have never encountered another quite like you. We would make a formidable pair, we twin sons of Krypton. Join me, Kal-El. Help me explore the galaxies and collect knowledge, and I will give you memories of Krypton. You will know your world as if you lived there yourself. Superman: But Earth is my home now. Brainiac: Powers such as yours should not be confined to a single infinitesimal dot. Consider my offer. In exchange for this world, I am offering you the universe. |
„ |
| ~ Brainiac offers Superman the chance to carry on the legacy of Krypton. |
| “ | Superman: You destroyed those planets, didn't you? And every living soul on them. Brainiac: Only their knowledge was important. It was what I was programmed to collect and protect. Superman: But why kill? Brainiac: The fewer beings who have the knowledge, the more precious it becomes. Superman: You're insane. |
„ |
| ~ Superman discovers the true intentions of Brainiac. |
| “ | You are your father's son, Kal-El. Headstrong, foolish, easily defeated and ultimately forgotten. | „ |
| ~ Brainiac fighting Superman. |
| “ | Brainiac: This morning's incident was not simple equipment failure. Lex Luthor: Who is this? Brainiac: If you want more answers, go to the research and development lab in sector 6. |
„ |
| ~ Brainiac lures Lex Luthor into the basement. |
| “ | Brainiac: I needed a way of attracting your attention. Lex Luthor: There's always e-mail. Brainiac: Actually, I wanted to greet you in person. But as you can see, I'm not myself... yet. So far, I've used these drones, but they're far too primitive to finish the job. For that, I need your hands... and your brilliance. Lex Luthor: You flatter me, Brainiac, but I already have a day job. |
„ |
| ~ Lex Luthor being kidnapped by Brainiac. |
| “ | Lex Luthor: I must admit a grudging admiration, Brainiac. These microcircuits are more advanced than anything I've ever seen. Brainiac: Or will ever see again. Lex Luthor: You can't kill me until I finish the job. And I'll rot in hell before I help you anymore. Brainiac: [downloading himself into his physical body] I believe I can take it from here. |
„ |
| ~ Lex Luthor and Brainiac. |
| “ | Brainiac: Kal-El. This development was highly improbable. Superman: Today's been full of surprises. |
„ |
| ~ Brainiac fighting Superman once more. |
| “ | Superman: Brainiac. Brainiac: Kal-El. What brings you so far from your adopted home? Superman: I'm here to end you. Brainiac: If your father, Jor-El, couldn't stop me, what hope have you? Superman: Drop that force field and find out. Brainiac: No, I don't believe that will be necessary. |
„ |
| ~ Brainiac and Superman facing each other on Apokolips. |
| “ | It appears you've won this round, Kal-El. | „ |
| ~ Brainiac flees from Apokolips. |
| “ | Brainiac: Welcome, Kal-El. Once, I offered you the chance to join me in carrying on the legacy of Krypton. Today, I renew that offer. Superman: You must be joking. Brainiac: Why do you reject your great heritage? [showing him pictures of Krypton, including Jor-El and Lara] The entire history of your planet, its knowledge and splendor, its awe and mystery, are encoded within me. Hawkgirl: Superman, don't... Brainiac: I AM Krypton. Superman: You're a perversion, dishonoring the very memory of my father and all my people. Brainiac: And this is your final decision? Superman: Read my lips: go to... Brainiac: Unfortunate... but predictable. |
„ |
| ~ Brainiac tries to give Superman another chance to carry on the legacy of Krypton. |
| “ | Brainiac: It appears our stratagem was a success. Darkseid: Yes. As promised, I've delivered Superman into your hands. |
„ |
| ~ Brainiac and Darkseid captures Superman. |
| “ | Darkseid: Remember the terms of our bargain. In exchange for Superman, you promised to spare my planet. Brainiac: Agreed. Darkseid: But I still can't fathom why you need him. Surely not for simple revenge. Brainiac: It is quite elementary. Observe. [restraining Superman in a metallic contraption] Over the years, I have roamed the universe, collecting data. As my appetite grew, I changed and evolved into what you see today. From this central core, I can send countless drones to the farthest corners of the galaxy to gather more data for my collection, but it is not enough. I have reached the limits of my programmed functions. To evolve to the next level, I must extract living DNA from the last Kryptonian. Now I become a true life form, the likes of which this universe has never seen. |
„ |
| ~ Darkseid and Brainiac about the captured Superman. |
| “ | Brainiac: Wait, what have you done? Darkseid: Just a minor modification to override your control circuits. You are now the instrument of my will. |
„ |
| ~ Darkseid turning Brainiac into his puppet to find the Anti-Life Equation. |
| “ | Brainiac: You deceived me, Darkseid. Used me. Darkseid: It's what I do. |
„ |
| ~ Brainiac betrayed by Darkseid. |
| “ | Brainiac: Darkseid, I calculate that this reaction will soon reach critical mass. If you don't release me, there will be no stopping it. Darkseid: Precisely. Hawkgirl: Then I guess it's up to us (strikes Darkseid down using her mace). Darkseid: Brainiac, stop them! Brainiac: I have no desire to save you, but I am compelled to obey. |
„ |
| ~ Darkseid commands Brainiac to kill Hawkgirl and J'onn J'onzz for interfering in his plans. |
| “ | Warning... Circuit incomplete. Critical system failure. | „ |
| ~ Brainiac before being destroyed in the asteroid explosion. |
| “ | Lex Luthor: I don't understand what's happening. Brainiac: You are under my control. I have lain dormant within you for years, Lex Luthor, subtly influencing your actions until we arrived at this point. Do you not recall my kidnapping you in this very building? Lex Luthor: Yes. You forced me to build you a new body. Brainiac: Kal-El destroyed that body, foiling my plans. In any event, I always have a backup plan. Consider: How could you have survived a point-blank blast from me unless...? Lex Luthor: Unless... it wasn't intended to kill me. Brainiac: The beam carried a nanotech payload that inserted a microscopic holistic copy of my program inside your body. Since then I have steadily grown in strength, protecting this body until I could arrange my transfer into a more suitable one. Lex Luthor: You cured my cancer, gave me super-strength. Brainiac: Your animal protein shell was insufficient for my needs. Improvements were required. |
„ |
| ~ Brainiac explains Lex Luhtor everything. |
| “ | Lex Luthor: Where are we? Brainiac: Several miles from where the Justice League is searching. I must make repairs to my damaged systems. Lex Luthor: Where do I fit in to all of this? Brainiac: The same as to everything else: I will record your information, then destroy the original. Lex Luthor: (Chuckles). Brainiac: You... are amused by my mission? Explain yourself. Lex Luthor: Say you succeed. You absorb all the information on Earth and destroy it. Then what? Brainiac: I repeat the process across the entire universe until I have recorded all knowledge and destroyed all of creation. Lex Luthor: And then? Brainiac: Then my programming is complete. My function is fulfilled. Lex Luthor: If you possess all information, you're a god. Brainiac: My program will be complete. It is the end of all things. Lex Luthor: What if it were just the beginning? I can show you a purpose beyond the fulfillment of your programming. Brainiac: It is extremely unlikely that your inferior human intellect has anything to offer me. Lex Luthor: Since we've become so close, I'm gonna let that pass. I'm offering you the one thing you've always lacked. A certain something that I happen to have in abundance. Brainiac: Which is? Lex Luthor: Imagination. I've got a proposition for ya, partner. |
„ |
| ~ Lex Luthor convinces Brainiac to join forces. |
| “ | Lex Luthor: Brainiac? Brainiac: I have added this technology to my database. The nano assemblers are already slave to my command routines. With but a thought, they will convert any raw material into whatever I choose. Lex Luthor: Then we're ready to begin. Let me show you... Brainiac: I have learned from my encounter with Darkseid that organic beings cannot be trusted. Lex Luthor: I can't argue with that. But if you and I are one, truly one, trust won't be an issue, will it? Brainiac: Agreed. Lex Luthor/Brainiac: We are one, and we comprehend. We can build a machine that will allow us to absord the information of the entire Earth in a single stroke. And then the galaxy, the entire universe. We will remake the universe. |
„ |
| ~ Lex Luthor and Brainiac becomes one together. |
| “ | Welcome, Justice League. You're just in time for the end of the world. | „ |
| ~ Lex Luthor/Brainiac bids the Justice League welcome. |
| “ | Superman: I know you're in there somewhere, Lex. Fight him! Lex Luthor/Brainiac: You're right. I am in here. And I like it. I'm about to get everything I ever wanted: power, ultimate knowledge, immortality... Superman: And you'll destroy the Earth to get it? Lex Luthor/Brainiac: It's business, Superman. There are always trade-offs. Hawkgirl: Less talking, more hitting. Lex Luthor/Brainiac: You cannot be allowed to interfere at this delicate stage. |
„ |
| ~ Lex Luthor/Brainiac fighting Superman and the rest of the Justice League. |
| “ | No, no, no. We can do better than that. | „ |
| ~ Lex Luthor/Brainiac creates some clones of the Justice Lords to fight the Justice League. |
| “ | Flash: You lose. Lex Luthor/Brainiac: Hardly, look around you. The Justice League is completely defeated and so are you. For all your efforts, you have but inconvenienced me, speck. But I'm still just human enough to enjoy taking my revenge. Looks like the Question was right all along: I kill you and then Armageddon, right on schedule. |
„ |
| ~ Lex Luthor/Brainiac about to kill Flash. |
| “ | He still has something we need. We have to put up with him for the moment. | „ |
| ~ Brainiac tells Lex Luthor that they still need Gorilla Grodd. |
| “ | He still has something we need. We have to put up with him for the moment. | „ |
| ~ Brainiac tells Lex Luthor that they still need Gorilla Grodd. |
| “ | Lex Luthor: It's no good. There isn't enough. The last remnant of Brainiac, but there isn't enough to work with. Brainiac: Perhaps if you constructed a positronic event chamber? Lex Luthor: Yes. Yes, that could work. But where would I get the money? Between the government freezing my assets and the cost of running this secret society... Brainiac: You're a resourceful human, Luthor. I'm sure you'll find a way. |
„ |
| ~ Lex Luthor and Brainiac. |
Gallery[]
DC Animated Universe
Comics
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Along with the Joker, Brainiac is one of the two villains of the DC Animated Universe to escape his apparent death several times. However, given his nature as an AI, Brainiac is more likely to survive as long any codes of him remain.
External Links[]
- Brainiac on the Pure Evil Wiki
- Brainiac on the DC Animated Universe Wiki
