Absolute Brainiac
This version of Brainiac, a supervillain from DC Comics, comes from an alternate universe of the DC Multiverse known as Absolute DC .
Issue 13: Absolute Knowledge[]
Ever since the attempts of foreign extremists to decimate the security and welfare of the United States was thwarted on September 11th 2001, our boarders have been under the surveillance and care of The Superman . An alien being from the extinct planet of Ilnolmed, he has diligently sought out peace and prosperity for his new home world, bringing hope to all around Earth through his extraordinary powers and his long-lasted mission to protect all lands, not just America, from those who would wish harm and persecution upon the innocent. 10 years has passed since his first appearance, and since then, public opinion on their proclaimed Man of Tomorrow has changed; initially, they were thrilled to have an actual superhero, but when that excitement died down, they began to question the effectiveness of only one single man, super or not, to safeguard an entire world. And, even if he can, how long can one who is not bound by human limitations be bound to the law of any government? The American government, who employed Superman as a new form of “nuclear deterrent”, began to develop doubts as well, so they set a new plan into action...
“It's called the Central Observational Logistics Unit”, explained John Kent, the human identity of Jor-El the Superman, as he sat down to dinner with his wife, Martha, and their kids back in their hometown of Overland Park, Kansas. He explained that COLU would utilize human brainwave patterns implanted into its programming to develop reasoning, enhancing its ability to determine potential threats derived from communications across the internet, phone lines, and the postal service. Martha and Kara, Jor-El's niece and the only other survivor of their planet's destruction, dismissed the project as a “blatant and unconstitutional disregard for citizens' rights to privacy”, but Clark, John and Martha's half-human, half-Ilnolma son, said it would be great if his dad had an ally in crime fighting. John agreed with Clark, but couldn't help but feel wary regarding the organic compound of the AI.
The next day, Superman traveled to New York City, to observe the progress of COLU's development at LuthorCorp, a privately-owned military R&D conglomerate. For weeks COLU has been under constant observation and experimentation, ever since fully integrating the brainwave patterns of volunteering scientists from the public and private sectors; in fact, COLU's developing intelligence far exceeded the hypothesis of Dr. Milton Fine, the head of the project. But, with the predicted success of the project and constant harassment from the military soldiers charged with protecting the facility, Milton developed an unhealthy attachment with the AI of COLU. The board of directors for LuthorCorp found this out and ordered Dr. Fine to terminate the current version COLU's AI. COLU heard this and activated its self-preservation protocols; a virus containing the AI infiltrated the intranet matrix of the LuthorCorp facility, trapping everyone inside and taking control of a small armada of experimental unmanned weapons (i.e. robots). Superman easily dismantled the robot army, despite gunfire from one breaching a container of Krypton gas, revealing the hero's weakness against the element. In the hub of COLU's development facility, the machine began intertwining the remains of the destroyed robots into its central processor. Jor-El tried to activate the shut-down terminal, but it was destroyed with missile fire. With his ability to mentally access computer programs, Superman patched Milton into the machine core to reason with it. However, COLU convinced Milton that it was only serving its primary directive, protection of America, and it can better do so with Milton's help. Milton willingly allowed his brain patterns to merge with the AI, rejecting Superman from the new form. The human and AI became one and the same, with only one component of human memory remaining: the derisive nickname Dr. Fine was given by the soldiers, “Brainiac”.
Brainiac went on a rampage throughout New York, absorbing technology and data as he went. Superman tried to fight him, but the construct, having observed Jor-El's reaction to Krypton gas, molecularly synthesized a concentrated blast of it to kill him. Superman survived, but when he came to, Brainiac had absorbed enough technology to reshape himself into the giant form pictured above, and was heading straight for a nuclear power-plant outside the city. Superman confronted the robot once more, but Brainiac, in the voice of Dr. Fine and the AI speaking in unison, explained by eliminating any reason for any power to threaten America, such as America's ability to develop nuclear power and weapons, there would be no need for anyone to threaten the country, thus fulfilling COLU's prime directive. After which, it will take control of all of Earth's computer systems, forever ensuring that no threat can mature. Brainiac fired another blast of Krypton gas, but then Jor-El revealed another superpower he secretly developed for just such an occasion: breath that can reduce ambient temperatures to sub-zero. He used this power to neutralize the gas and freeze Brainiac's body, making it brittle enough for Supes to shatter with one punch.
With the crisis averted, the US government and LuthorCorp scientists collected what remained in order to reverse Dr. Fine's catatonic state and terminate the rogue AI. At LuthorCorp, Lionel Luthor, the President and CEO of the company, was able to observe the visual information the AI had recorded, including Superman's powers and his biology when exposed to Krypton gas...
Notes:[]
- Clark and his cousin Kara were little when John first became a superhero, but 10 years have passed and now they are teenagers.
- In the original comics, “Colu” was the name of the planet Brainiac was from. Now the name refers to the computer program that contained the AI that serves as the basis for Brainiac (with some sub-conscious inspiration from Aaron Diaz's Superman reimagining).
- In the mainstream comics, Milton Fine was a carnival entertainer who was possessed by Brainiac, but here he's an actual scientist.
- The title of Dr. in his name could be interpreted to be an allusion to the name “Vril Dox,” the real name of Mainstream Brainiac.
- Since the actual element of Krypton is here to replace the fictional Kryptonite, the name of Superman's birth planet has been changed from “Krypton” to “Ilnolmed”.
- For Absolute Brainiac's design, I decided to go with a simplistic, practical shape, inspired by Apple products like the Mac and iPod. Two Brainiac physical traits I retained to make him recognizable were the color green (though muted) and three interconnected diodes on his head (based on Brainiac from the DCAU).
- Absolute Superman's powers are based in electromagnetism. With his freeze-breath, he can now mentally control the ionized kinetic energy within his breath, which slows the vibrations of molecules, thus rapidly cooling the area.
- Since Absolute Superman is the mainstream one's dad, it makes sense to have Absolute Luthor be Lex's father Lionel.