Brainiac (character)

This article is about the DC Comics villain. For other, similarly named characters, see Vril Dox, Brainiac 5, and Brainiac 8. For other things called Brainiac, see Brainiac.

Brainiac
Brainiac as depicted on a variant cover of Action Comics #1064 (June 2024).
Art by Ariel Colón.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAction Comics #242 (July 10, 1958)[1]
Created byOtto Binder
Al Plastino
In-story information
Alter egoVril Dox
Milton Fine
SpeciesColuan artificial intelligence[2]
Place of originColu
Team affiliationsAnti-Justice League
Legion of Doom
Notable aliasesCollector of Worlds
Terror of Kandor
Milton Fine
Pulsar Stargrave
Abilities
See list
    • Twelfth-level intellect
    • Superhuman strength, speed and durability
    • Flight
    • Technopathy
    • Telepathy
    • Telekinesis
    • Self-sustenance
    • Immortality
    • Regeneration
    • Energy absorption and projection

Brainiac is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, and debuted in Action Comics #242 (July 10, 1958). He has since endured as one of Superman's greatest enemies. The character's name is a portmanteau of the words brain and maniac.[3]

In his comic book appearances, Brainiac is commonly depicted as a superintelligent android or cyborg from the planet Colu who is obsessed with collecting all knowledge in the known universe. He travels the galaxy and shrinks cities to bottle size for preservation on his skull-shaped spaceship before destroying their source planets, believing the knowledge he acquires to be most valuable if he alone possesses it. Among these shrunken cities is Kandor, the capital of Superman's home planet Krypton, and Brainiac is even responsible for Krypton's destruction in some continuities. His attempts to do the same to Earth have brought him into repeated conflict with Superman. Though stories often end in Brainiac's apparent destruction, the character's artificial consciousness is resurrected in new physical forms, some robotic and others more organic-based in appearance.

Brainiac has been adapted in various media incarnations, having been portrayed in live-action by James Marsters in Smallville and Blake Ritson in Krypton. Corey Burton, John Noble, Jeffrey Combs, Jason Isaacs, and others have provided the character's voice in animation and video games.

  1. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  2. ^ "Brainiac". DC.com. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  3. ^ "Brainiac". The Word Detective. July 31, 2007.