Thousands of Clones Make Brainiac a Dangerous Villain in DC’s Dark Reboot, Raising Tomorrow Questions

Brainiac’s rise in the Absolute Universe

After Superman defeated Ra’s al Ghul, Brainiac began operating independently. By Absolute Superman #25, he has cloned himself into an army numbering in the thousands, bringing his conflict with Superman to a climax.

A deadly clone army attacks

Brainiac sends thousands of clones across Earth, varying their sizes as part of his attack. Some are small enough to enter civilians’ bodies and attack their organs before bursting out; others are enormous and can bring down skyscrapers.

The issue also shows Brainiac shrinking cities and keeping them in bottles. He applies the same technology to his own clones, and calls the assault a “blizzard,” warning Superman that more waves will follow unless he accepts Brainiac’s terms.

Superman faces Brainiac’s memories

Brainiac threatens to shrink Smallville into “subatomic oblivion.” Superman agrees to experience Brainiac’s memories and trauma, as Brainiac seeks to make him a replacement. Superman endures decades of Brainiac’s origins, but the memories of his allies and loved ones keep him grounded. Brainiac is ultimately defeated after Absolute Lex Luthor arrives unexpectedly at the issue’s end.

A possible glimpse of the film

The comic’s events do not change the possibility that Brainiac could have destroyed and claimed the world if his priorities had been different. The story’s tactics may offer one way to show the scale of the threat in the upcoming DCU film, though the article does not say whether the movie will use them.

James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow will feature the first live-action Brainiac on the big screen, played by German actor Lars Eidinger. The film is also expected to bring David Corenswet’s Superman and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor together against him, with their uneasy alliance central to the story. It is set for release in July next year.