For the inaugural Superman movie in the DC Universe, writer/director James Gunn has opted to make Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) the primary villain. Accompanying Luthor are various baddies like Angela Spica/The Engineer, though go-to Superman baddie Luthor is the principal foe of the piece. It’s a choice reflecting the classical energy Gunn is bringing to Superman. Rather than leaping right away into antagonists from later Superman comic runs like Doomsday, Gunn is leaning on this Kryptonian’s most famous adversary.
However, that doesn’t mean Luthor will be the only person Superman squares off against in the DC Universe’s future. Perhaps his cinematic exploits will even include one particular comic book Superman baddie that’s one of the most famous DC Comics adversaries of all time, yet has never appeared in a live-action theatrical motion picture. You don’t need to be a Brainiac to realize what Superman foe Gunn needs to bring to the silver screen.
Where Is Brainiac?
Debuting in Action Comics #242 in July 1958, Brainiac was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino. This green-skinned alien has an enormous intellect (as reflected in his name and the character’s typical designs emphasizing his cranium) and has a proclivity for shrinking planets and cities. Many different versions of Brainiac have appeared in the comics, with the character’s superpowers and backstory evolving over time to include elements like artificial intelligence. Wherever he shows up, though, Brainiac means bad news for Superman.
Inevitably, this means Brainiac has made it into all kinds of non-comics media focused on Superman. In live-action television properties, programs like Smallville, Superman & Lois, and especially Krypton featured various formidable incarnations of Brainiac. The DC Animated Universe has also made extensive use of the character across a slew of different TV Shows, while the 2014 video game LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham featured Brainiac as its primary villain. Wherever Superman goes, Brainiac tends to follow, except for theatrical motion pictures.
To date, Brainiac has not made it into a live-action, theatrically released Superman movie. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been various plans for the character to appear on the big screen. Superman III was initially conceived as a production that would hinge on Brainiac. An unmade follow-up to Superman IV: The Quest for Peace would’ve finally seen Christopher Reeve’s Superman going toe-to-toe with the character. Zack Snyder’s proposed plans for a standalone Man of Steel sequel would’ve involved Brainiac. Most infamously, the unmade 1990s feature Superman Lives would’ve featured Brainiac as a primary baddie, with actors like Jason Lee and Christopher Walken envisioned for the role by various creative participants.
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Why Has Brainiac Been M.I.A. in Movies?
There’s been a constant desire to get Brainiac realized as a movie villain, yet the character’s never been realized in a proper, live-action motion picture. Part of the problem is simply the erratic history of Superman movies themselves. Everything from post-1987 Superman sequels to a Man of Steel follow-up was scuttled by larger, external problems. With so many potential entries in the wider Superman movie franchise going nowhere, Brainiac’s become unintended collateral damage. With so few new Superman movies produced, there have been only fleeting chances for him to appear.
To boot, Brainiac is a very heightened sci-fi creation covered in green skin and rooted in the odder cosmic corners of DC Comics mythology. He’s not a human being like Lex Luthor or a humanoid alien like General Zod. Studio executives wary of making Superman titles that are too “weird” to become global blockbusters likely haven’t been as fond of Brainiac as other, more “palatable” Superman foes. The same wariness over comic book silliness that kept Krypto out of live-action cinema for decades has almost certainly also impeded Brainiac’s movie career.
However, in an age of Guardians of the Galaxy and other offbeat comic book characters becoming household names through the magic of the movies, it’s high time Brainiac got his due. Gunn embracing the most outlandish elements of DC Comics lore in his various DC Comics movies (from The Suicide Squad to Creature Commandos to Superman) suggests a live-action movie version of Brainiac could finally find a launchpad. Gunn’s never said concretely that Brainiac is a part of the DC Universe’s future plans, but he sure would be a perfect extension of its current aesthetic and creative goals. Plus, it would just be great to finally see this enduring Superman adversary in a movie theater setting at long last.
Superman hits theaters on July 11th.
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