After the success of James Gunn’s Superman film, people have been eagerly awaiting news about the movie’s upcoming 2027 continuation, Man of Tomorrow. Many fans have speculated over who the villain for the movie could be, with many believing that Brainiac could be the next major threat to Superman in the DC Universe film series. This collector and destroyer of worlds has been one of Superman’s deadliest enemies since 1958, and Man of Tomorrow could be the villain’s first live-action film debut. More importantly, with the release of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3, the DCU has the chance to make Brainiac a far more personal and menacing villain, one who has indirectly shaped the trajectory of DC’s greatest hero.
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Brainiac’s origin has undergone many rewrites and retcons over the years. In some versions, he is depicted as a member of a brilliant and technologically advanced race called the Coluans, while in others, Brainiac is portrayed as a rogue alien AI. No matter the origin, however, Brainiac has always been an intergalactic villain hellbent on obtaining knowledge at the expense of billions of lives. Using his starship, Brainiac shrinks and bottles cities to analyze their data and the behavior of their inhabitants before destroying the source planet so that only he wields the information that he collects. Brainiac is easily one of Superman’s strongest and most intelligent adversaries, and Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3 made him a vital part of the Man of Steel’s origin.
How Brainiac Destroyed Krypton
In Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum, the Man of Tomorrow is exposed to several new types of Kryptonite that affect his body and mind. Most recently, after being exposed to Speckled Kryptonite and ingesting dangerous chemicals that make up the supervillain Chemo, the Man of Steel turned into a teen. In the third issue, the young Superman bonds with Billy Batson, aka Shazam, as they are now around the same age. To help Superman through his emotional problems, Billy suggests art therapy. And with crayons and paper, Superman recounts his origin story, which has an all-new twist that completely recontextualizes both himself and Brainiac.
Through his illustrations, Superman reveals that Brainiac was originally an AI built to help preserve the dying planet Krypton. However, Brainiac betrayed his creators, instead accelerating Krypton’s demise by poisoning the planet’s surface. The planet’s plant life withered and Krypton faced a catastrophic eruption. Then, as in every telling of Superman’s origin, his birth father, the Kryptonian scientist Jor-El, tried to warn his people of the planet’s impending destruction, but no one believed him. To save their child, Jor-El and his wife Lara put their baby Kal-El into a rocket, launching it from Krypton right before the planet blew up. The rocket landed safely on Earth, where the Kents found the infant Kal-El and raised him as their son, Clark Kent – who grew up to become Superman.
The exact cause of Krypton’s destruction has varied over the years, ranging from natural decay and the draining of the planet’s natural resources to a terrorist attack. With Brainiac reimagined as a rogue AI from Superman’s homeworld in Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3, the blame for Krypton’s annihilation is placed almost entirely on Brainiac. While this origin has appeared in previous animated TV Shows — most notably, the DC Animated Universe and My Adventures with Superman —, this marks the first time it has been incorporated into the main DC Comics continuity. With this retcon, Brainiac became one of the most critical figures in Superman’s life because, without him, the Man of Steel would have never been sent to Earth to become a hero.
Brainiac’s New Origin Would Make Him the Perfect Villain for DCU’s Superman
Brainiac’s origin and role in Krypton’s destruction make him a far more malicious and personal nemesis for Superman. He is no longer some random alien madman, but instead the product of Krypton’s own technological hubris who turned against his creators. Additionally, while it isn’t explored in Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3, the fact that Brainiac chose to abduct Kandor – Krypton’s capital and a part of his own homeworld— as his first conquest underscores just how personal and ruthless his vendetta truly is. Together, all these elements provide an ideal origin for the DCU’s version of the character.
Superman, especially in his portrayal in the 2025 film, is a hero who has always struggled with his alien heritage, seeing himself as a proud member of the human race. This struggle was made worse when he discovered in the movie that his birth parents wanted him to conquer Earth. If the DCU establishes Brainiac as originating from Krypton, then Brainiac would come to embody more than just a threat to Superman, but also, in a sense, his past coming back to haunt him. Furthermore, as a product of Krypton, Brainiac would stand as a symbol of the hubris and overreach of the Kryptonian race that was presented in the first film — in effect, a people so consumed by their pride and desires for conquest that they gave rise to their own destroyer.
Brainiac would be the perfect villain not only for Superman, but also for Supergirl, who has been confirmed to be appearing in Man of Tomorrow. It’s already been hinted at that Supergirl uses alcoholism and partying to repress her trauma from watching her world die. If the destroyer of Krypton were to return, Supergirl would no doubt see it as a chance for atonement and revenge. Moreover, if Brainiac’s abduction of Kandor is added into the mix, it would make his role as villain even more impactful. The miniaturized city is home to Supergirl’s family, making Brainiac the captor of the last surviving blood relatives of both Superman and Supergirl. For Superman, that would make the conflict with Brainiac even more personal – Brainiac isn’t just the destroyer of his old world, but the enemy who now threatens to annihilate his new home as well.
Should the DCU decide to adapt this version of Brainiac’s origin, he would become one of the most emotionally fraught and haunting supervillains the Superman Family has ever faced — one who’s hurt them in ways no other villain ever has. Brainiac would represent Kryton’s worst qualities: its pride, its aggression, and its heartless belief that other races exist only to be subjugated or destroyed. In conjunction with Brainiac’s vast intellect and detached logic, Brainiac becomes the perfect foil to Superman’s compassion and sense of hope. In confronting the destroyer of Krypton who now seeks to add Earth to his collection, Superman would have to reckon with his heritage to ensure that his new home lives to see tomorrow.
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