Brainiac 5

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Brainiac 5
Brianiac 5 (Post-Infinite Crisis version).jpg
Cover to Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1 (2009).
Art by George Pérez.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Action Comics #276
(May 1961)
Created by Jerry Siegel
Jim Mooney
(based on Brainiac by Otto Binder and Al Plastino)
In-story information
Alter egoQuerl Dox
Species Coluan
Place of origin Colu
Team affiliations Legion of Super-Heroes
Notable aliasesBrainiac 5.1
B-5
Brainy
Abilities

Brainiac 5 (Querl Dox) is a superhero appearing in comics published by DC Comics. He is from the planet Colu and is a long-standing member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. [1]

Contents

Brainiac 5 has been substantially adapted into other media, primarily in association with the Legion. He is voiced by Adam Wylie in Legion of Super Heroes (2006) and portrayed by James Marsters and Jesse Rath in Smallville and the Arrowverse respectively. A gender-swapped alternate universe variant of Brainiac 5 appears in the fifth season of Supergirl , portrayed by Rath's sister Meaghan Rath.

Publication history

Brainiac 5 first appeared in Action Comics #276 (May, 1961) and was created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney. [2] He was originally written as a descendant of Superman's enemy Brainiac. Several years later, when Brainiac was revealed to be a living computer, Brainiac 5 was retconned to be a descendant of his adopted son. [3]

In DC Pride (2022), Brainiac 5 was revealed to be demisexual. [4]

Fictional character biography

Original continuity (1958–1994)

Brainiac 5 is a teenage Coluan of the planet Colu, who claimed to be descended from the original Brainiac, one of Superman's deadliest enemies, and wished to join the Legion as atonement for his misdeeds. [5] When Brainiac 1 was revealed to be an android created by the Computer Tyrants, Brainiac 5 "discovered" he was actually descended from Brainiac 2, the leader of the rebellion against the tyrants, as well as being the clone of the original Brainiac. Brainiac 5's ingenuity led to the invention of, amongst other things, the Legion flight ring (perfecting an invention of the original Invisible Kid based on a metal discovered by Mon-El), the anti-lead serum that allowed Mon-El to leave the Phantom Zone and the force field belt which became the signature device of the character. Another of Brainiac 5's creations had less beneficial effects: the super computer Computo, which attempted to take over the world, killing one of Triplicate Girl's three selves in the process. He successfully destroyed his creation with "an anti-matter force". Another experiment, performed in conjunction with honorary Legionnaire Rond Vidar, led to the transformation of fellow scientist Professor Jaxon Rugarth into the villain Infinite Man.

As time went on, Brainiac 5 began to be portrayed as unstable. Long attracted to Supergirl, Brainiac 5 created a robot duplicate of her in his sleep, convincing himself that it is the real Supergirl. [6] The Legion encounters Pulsar Stargrave, a villain who convinces Brainiac 5 that he is his long-lost father. [7]

When Stargrave murders Ultra Boy's ex-girlfriend An Ryd, Brainiac 5 frames Ultra Boy for the murder. Chameleon Boy, who suspected Brainiac 5 from the beginning, finds proof when Brainiac's madness leads him to an attempt to destroy the universe using the Miracle Machine, a device that turns thoughts into reality. He is stopped by Matter-Eater Lad, who eats the machine, and both are committed to a mental institution (the energies of the Machine having driven Matter-Eater Lad insane). Brainiac 5 eventually recovers his sanity and rejoins the group. Shortly afterward, he is accused of having murdered Ryd himself. To prove his innocence, he finds Stargrave and defeats him. He later manages to cure Matter-Eater Lad's insanity. Around this time, he corrects another of his mistakes by finding a way of controlling Computo.

Brainiac 5 enters a state of deep melancholy upon the thousand-year anniversary of Supergirl's death at the hands of the Anti-Monitor during Crisis on Infinite Earths . [8] However, as the Crisis eliminated Supergirl from existence, Brainiac 5 (as well as everyone else) has no recollection of her. Beyond this, however, Brainiac 5's history was relatively unaffected by the Crisis, although it would be some time before he received an origin that reflected the new Brainiac 1. Following the death of the pocket universe Superboy, Brainiac 5 is one of a number of Legionnaires who swear revenge on the Time Trapper. To this end, he recreates the Infinite Man. Infinite Man and Time Trapper seemingly destroy each other, but Brainiac 5 quits the Legion after being accused of murdering the former.

"Five Year Gap"

Five years after the end of the "Magic Wars", things had radically changed for the heroes, most notably the disbanding of the Legion and an ongoing war with the Khund empire, which had resulted in Earth's government (Earthgov) signing a deal with the Dominators. When Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 4 began, Brainiac 5 was dedicated to finding a cure to the Validus Plague, which had crippled Garth Ranzz.

Brainiac 5 joins the other Legionnaires in searching for the space pirate Roxxas, and is present when the team officially reformed. The reassembled Legion repels a Khund invasion fleet, and confronted Darkseid, but shortly thereafter, was swept into the war against Earthgov and the Dominators. During the Dominators' subjugation of Earth, the members of their highly classified "Batch SW6" escaped captivity. Originally, Batch SW6 appeared to be a group of teenage Legionnaire clones, created from samples apparently taken just prior to Ferro Lad's death at the hands of the Sun-Eater. Later, they were revealed to be time-paradox duplicates, every bit as legitimate as their older counterparts.

Not long after the destruction of Earth, Brainiac 5 discovers that the timestream was extremely unstable, and that Legion history was in a state of constant flux. This was the first indication of Zero Hour , the event that would lead to the Legion's whole history being rebooted. During a battle with Glorith, a time-warping sorceress, Brainiac 5 is rapidly aged into a weathered, enfeebled older man. When the Legion was forced to go on the run as fugitives after being framed by Universo and the Khund Empire, Brainiac utilizes a high-tech combat suit to protect his body.

During Zero Hour, Brainiac 5 and his SW6 counterpart redouble their efforts to save the timestream and reality as the 30th century knew it. However, they are unable to save themselves from being swallowed up by temporal entropy, and their timeline is rebooted. [9]

Zero Hour reboot continuity (1994–2004)

Following the Zero Hour event and the rebooting of the Legion, the "new" Brainiac 5 is depicted as extremely antisocial and disrespectful of his colleagues. It was later revealed that, even amongst Coluans, Querl Dox had been something of a loner, due to his even higher intelligence, interest in practical experiments rather than "pure" thought, and lack of concern about the consequences of his experiments. His mother, Brainiac 4, had abandoned him at birth, having no emotional attachment to him. [10] As a child, he was cared for by robots and given almost no contact with other living people.

Brainiac 5 is one of several Legionnaires who are trapped in the 20th century. He attempts to find a way back to his own time using a 30th-century Omnicom, a Mother Box loaned to him by Metron, and the responsometer of Veridium of the Metal Men. Unfortunately, this became the post-Zero Hour C.O.M.P.U.T.O. The Legion had to defeat it and separate it into its component pieces before returning to their own time. While in the 20th century, he also encountered his ancestors, Brainiac and Vril Dox II, as well as the post-Crisis Supergirl. [10]

Upon his return to the 31st century, Brainiac 5 is part of a team that investigates a mysterious space anomaly. The anomaly "upgrades" Brainiac 5, causing him to become kinder and more social. Following his return from the anomaly, he befriends teammate Gates, who dubs him "Brainiac 5.1". [11]

Legion Lost

Brainiac 5.1 is among the Legionnaires who are cast into a distant galaxy when the Stargate network was shut down. All of his teammates expect him to find a way home, but he is unable to do so, as he confesses to Saturn Girl. [12] Eventually, Brainiac 5 is able to return to Earth using an interdimensional doorway he had found earlier. After the Legion's return, Brainiac 5 creates a replacement for the Stargates based on the doorway. Restoring the connection to the planet Xanthu, he learns that it had been at war with Robotica, the "robot homeworld", led by C.O.M.P.U.T.O. Brainiac 5 tricks Computo into upgrading itself, so it no longer sought vengeance, but is outcast by the Coluans, who disapprove of artificial intelligence. [13]

"Threeboot" continuity (2004–2009)

Cover to Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 5) #1 (2005). Art by Barry Kitson Brainiac5.jpg
Cover to Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 5) #1 (2005).
Art by Barry Kitson

In volume 5 of the Legion of Super-Heroes title, Brainiac 5 is portrayed as similar to his ancestor Vril Dox II in L.E.G.I.O.N. . He is just as arrogant and unthinking of others as the previous version was initially, but is more politically savvy. He has a tendency to put plans in motion without consulting Legion leader Cosmic Boy, who suspects him of planning a coup. He also has problems with Dream Girl as he hates that she is able to predict the future without scientific means. When Dream Girl is killed during Terror Firma's attack on the Legion HQ on Earth, Brainiac 5 becomes obsessed with "outthinking death." In a botched experiment to restore Dream Girl to life, he manages to store her consciousness in his own subconscious, enabling her to interact with him in his dreams.

Brainiac 5 eventually proposes to Dream Girl after spending the night together in which Dream Girl inhabited the body of a spiritualist. However, Princess Projectra attacks Dream Girl, viciously beating her and gouging out her eyes. [14] Brainiac 5 manages to resurrect Dream Girl by transferring her consciousness into a cloned body, which restores her sight. [15] Unbeknownst to Brainiac 5, the dark side of his mind, the avatar of his repressed urges and dark feelings, was granted a physical body by Princess Projectra. [14]

Post-Infinite Crisis (2007)

The events of Infinite Crisis restore a close analogue of the pre- Crisis on Infinite Earths Legion to continuity. This incarnation of the Legion shares roughly the same history as the original Legion up to the events of the Crisis. [16] In the Final Crisis tie-in Legion of 3 Worlds , the pre-Zero Hour Brainiac 5 meets his post-Zero Hour and Threeboot counterparts, who he works with to resurrect Bart Allen and Superboy and combat Superboy-Prime. [17] [18]

DC Rebirth

A young Brainiac 5 appears briefly during Justice League (vol. 3) (2017) by Bryan Hitch. He is also not referred to by his name, only as the "brainy kid" by Cyborg. After analyzing the Timeless technology, he lends Cyborg his prototype flight bracelet so he can reach the weapon. [19]

In Doomsday Clock , Doctor Manhattan is revealed to have altered the past, erasing Brainiac 5, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and the Justice Society of America from existence. They are resurrected when Superman convinces Manhattan to restore the timeline. [20]

Powers and abilities

Brainiac 5 possesses a twelfth-level intelligence which grants him superhuman calculation skills, eidetic memory, and exceptional technical knowledge. By comparison, the 20th-century Earth as a whole constitutes a sixth-level intelligence, and most Coluans have an eighth-level intelligence. His memory allows him to retain the knowledge of events that all others forget, such as their first meeting with three different Legions. [21]

Brainiac 5 is also a skilled inventor who created the Legion's flight rings as well as a force field belt, the supercomputer Computo, and a Time Bubble. [22] [23] [24] [11] [25]

Other versions

In other media

Television

Film

Video games

Miscellaneous

References

  1. ↑ Beatty, Scott (2008), "Brainiac 5", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, London: Dorling Kindersley, p. 60, ISBN   978-0-7566-4119-1
  2. ↑ 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. 54. ISBN   978-1-4654-5357-0.
  3. ↑ Eury, Michael (2006). The Krypton Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 34. ISBN   9781893905610.
  4. ↑ Cronin, Brian (June 18, 2024). "Legion of Super-Heroes: Brainiac 5's Complicated Romantic Past". CBR . Retrieved August 27, 2025. In DC Pride 2022, Devin Grayson, Nick Robles, and Triona Farrell did an issue set at a Pride parade, and there are cameos from various notable DC LGBTQ+ characters, including some characters who had previously never been officially revealed as being part of the LGBTQ+ community before in a "canon" comic book, and among the characters featured was Brainiac 5, who is revealed to be demisexual.
  5. ↑ Fleisher, Michael L. (2007). The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume Three: Superman. DC Comics. pp. 35–36. ISBN   978-1-4012-1389-3.
  6. ↑ Bates, Cary  ( w ), Grell, Mike  ( p ),Grell, Mike ( i )."Brainiac 5's Secret Weakness!" Superboy ,vol. 1,no. 204(October 1974).DC Comics.
  7. ↑ Shooter, Jim  ( w ), Grell, Mike  ( p ), Wiacek, Bob  ( i )."When Stargrave Strikes!" Superboy ,vol. 1,no. 224(February 1977).DC Comics.
  8. ↑ Levitz, Paul  ( w ), Lightle, Steve  ( p ), Smith, Bob  ( i ), Gafford, Carl  ( col )."Baptism" Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 3,no. 16(November 1985).DC Comics.
  9. ↑ Waid, Mark ; McCraw, Tom ( w ), Immonen, Stuart  ( p ),Boyd, Ron ( i ),McCraw, Tom ( col )."End of an Era, Finale: Borrowed Time!" Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 4,no. 61(September 1994).DC Comics.
  10. 1 2 Peyer, Tom ; McCraw, Tom ( w ),Moder, Lee ( p ),Boyd, Ron ( i ),McCraw, Tom ( col )."Lock Up" Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 4,no. 77(February 1996).DC Comics.
  11. 1 2 Peyer, Tom ; McCraw, Tom ( w ),Armstrong, Jason ( p ),Kryssing, Ray; Boyd, Ron ( i ),McCraw, Tom ( col )."Heroes' Return" Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 4,no. 104(May 1998).DC Comics.
  12. ↑ Abnett, Dan ; Lanning, Andy  ( w ),Alixe, Pascal ( p ),Lanning, Andy ( i ),McCraw, Tom ( col )."Lost & Alone" Legion Lost ,vol. 1,no. 9(January 2001).DC Comics.
  13. ↑ Abnett, Dan ; Lanning, Andy  ( w ), Walker, Kevin  ( p ),Lanning, Andy; Coleby, Simon  ( i ),Wright, Jason; Digital Chameleon  ( col )."Legion Rookie Blues"The Legion,vol. 1,no. 15(February 2003).DC Comics.
  14. 1 2 Shooter, Jim  ( w ), Leonardi, Rick  ( p ), Green, Dan  ( i ),Smith, J.D. ( col ),Wands, Steve ( let )."Dream Wedding, Blind Love" Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 5,no. 47(December 2008).DC Comics.
  15. ↑ Thyme, Justin ( w ),Bachs, Ramon ( p ),Livesay, John ( i ),Smith, J.D. ( col )."Enemy Manifest (Conclusion) – Hack the Infinity Net!" Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 5,no. 50(March 2009).DC Comics.
  16. ↑ Phillips, Dan (October 18, 2007). "Superman/Green Lantern Interview". IGN . Archived from the original on December 16, 2008.
  17. ↑ Johns, Geoff  ( w ), Pérez, George  ( p ), Koblish, Scott  ( i ),Hi-Fi Design ( col )."Legion of 3 Worlds: Book One" Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds ,vol. 1,no. 1(October 2008).DC Comics.
  18. ↑ Johns, Geoff  ( w ), Pérez, George  ( p ), Koblish, Scott  ( i ),Hi-Fi Design ( col )."Book Two" Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds ,vol. 1,no. 2(November 2008).DC Comics.
  19. ↑ Hitch, Bryan  ( w ), Pasarin, Fernando  ( p ),Ryan, Matt ( i ),Anderson, Brad ( col )."Timeless, Part 1" Justice League ,vol. 3,no. 15(April 2017).DC Comics.
  20. ↑ Johns, Geoff  ( w ), Frank, Gary  ( p ),Frank, Gary ( i ),Anderson, Brad ( col )."Discouraged of Man" Doomsday Clock ,vol. 1,no. 12(February 2020).DC Comics.
  21. ↑ Johns, Geoff  ( w ), Pérez, George  ( p ), Koblish, Scott  ( i ),Hi-Fi Design ( col )."Book Three" Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds ,vol. 1,no. 3(April 2009).DC Comics.
  22. ↑ Kupperberg, Paul  ( w ), Ditko, Steve  ( p ),Hunt, Dave ( i ),Serpe, Jerry ( col )."The Grounded Legionnaires" Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 2,no. 267(September 1980).DC Comics.
  23. ↑ Hamilton, Edmond  ( w ), Forte, John  ( p ), Moldoff, Sheldon  ( i )."The Unknown Legionnaire" Adventure Comics ,vol. 1,no. 334(July 1965).DC Comics.
  24. ↑ Conway, Gerry  ( w ), Janes, Jim  ( p ), Chiaramonte, Frank  ( i )."A Murderer -- Among Us?" Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 2,no. 273(March 1981).DC Comics.
  25. ↑ McCraw, Tom; Peyer, Tom  ( w ), Kolins, Scott  ( p ),Kryssing, Ray ( i ),McCraw, Tom ( col )."Imperfect Strangers" Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 4,no. 114(April 1999).DC Comics.
  26. ↑ Peyer, Tom  ( w ), Phillips, Sean  ( p ),Phillips, Sean ( i ),McCraw, Tom ( col )."Come Together"Legionnaires,vol. 1,no. 1000000(November 1998).DC Comics.
  27. ↑ Stern, Roger ; Kesel, Karl  ( w ),Ladrönn, José ( p ),Vlasco, Juan ( i ),Rosas, Joe ( col )."Too Many Heroes, Too Little Time"Spider-Boy Team-Up,vol. 1,no. 1(June 1997).DC Comics.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Brainiac 5 Voices (Legion of Super Heroes)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 15, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  29. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (July 26, 2010). "Exclusive video: 'Smallville' execs, Erica Durance drop major S10 intel and weigh in on an 11th". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on July 27, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  30. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (November 6, 2017). "Supergirl Casts the Legion's Brainiac 5 With Defiance Alum Jesse Rath". TVLine . Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  31. ↑ Swift, Andy (June 15, 2018). "Supergirl Promotes Jesse Rath to Series Regular for Season 4". TVLine. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  32. ↑ Webber, Tim (July 20, 2019). "Supergirl: Meaghan Rath Joining Series as Female Brainiac-5". CBR . Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  33. ↑ Bryant, Jacob (December 12, 2018). "'Elseworlds, Part 3' Recap: 2019 'Arrowverse' Crossover Theme Revealed". Variety . Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  34. ↑ Agard, Chancellor (November 15, 2019). "The Arrowverse unites in first official Crisis on Infinite Earths photos". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  35. ↑ Couch, Aaron (January 7, 2019). "Justice League vs. The Fatal Five Sets Voice Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter .
  36. ↑ Dar, Taimur (November 17, 2022). "Release details for LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES animated movie announced". The Beat.
  37. ↑ Harvey, James (December 4, 2023). "Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part One Official Trailer Released". The World's Finest. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  38. ↑ Burlingame, Russ (February 21, 2024). "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two Home Video Details Released". Movies. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  39. ↑ Eisen, Andrew (October 4, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN . Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  40. ↑ "Adventures in the DC Universe #10 - The Blobs (Issue)". Comic Vine . Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  41. ↑ "Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #4 - Higher Education (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  42. ↑ "Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes #1 - Atomic Batteries To Power, Flight Rings To Speed (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
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