A comment from James Gunn regarding the villain Brainiac could explain the core conflict of the upcoming Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow. The DC Universe architect’s comments came in a social media post acknowledging the anniversary of the classic villain’s first comics’ appearance. It has been known for some time that Brainiac would be the chief villain of Man of Tomorrow. However, the exact nature of the film’s core conflict has yet to be revealed.
Gunn described the long history of strife between Superman and Brainiac succinctly. “Brainiac is what happens when intelligence loses ALL connection to humanity,” Gunn explained. “And Superman is as human as anyone, so… I get why they have beef.”
History of Superman/Brainiac Conflict Explained
The backstory of Brainiac has changed several times since his first appearance in 1958’s Action Comics #252. Originally, he was an alien scientist who shrunk the cities of various worlds and stored them in bottles for study. However, a retcon in 1964’s Superman #167 revealed him as an alien robot created as a spy to help facilitate invasions.
Following 1986’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, Brainiac became an alien scientist who took over the body of human psychic Milton Fine. This version of Brainiac ultimately had their intellect installed in a robot body. There have also been adaptations of the Superman comics (such as Smallville and the DCAU) where Brainiac was a Kryptonian artificial intelligence.
The one common link between every incarnation of Brainiac is a belief in the superiority of intellect over emotion. He looks down on most other life forms as inferior, fit only to serve as subjects for study. This makes him an interesting counterpoint to Superman’s other great enemy, Lex Luthor, who is similarly arrogant, but driven by pettiness and spite.
What is Brainiac’s Role in Man of Tomorrow?
James Gunn has a history of tackling topical issues with his films. With the evils of artificial intelligence being a hot topic. it makes sense that he might address this using Brainiac. The Superman comics frequently tackled the topics of automation and the dangers posed by technological development without ethics. It is easy to see how Brainiac’s history of stealing cities for study might act as a metaphor for how AI data centers waste precious resources and harm nearby communities.
Beyond that, Brainiac stealing Metropolis is the sort of disaster that would force Superman and Lex Luthor to work together. One of the few plot points of Man of Tomorrow that has been confirmed is the two enemies teaming up against a common foe. This has also happened several times in the comics, quite often after Luthor attempted to partner with Brainiac only to find out he’d unintentionally doomed Earth.
Originally reported by Matt Morrison on SuperHeroHype.
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