Superman: The Animated Series
Episode 8
Stolen Memories
Brainiac finally returns and the setup is amazing. Lex Luthor is communicating with the alien entity and treats it as a first contact situation. Brainiac insists on meeting Superman in exchange for technology. Superman agrees and during the pow-wow discovers Brainiac’s Kryptonian origins. Brainiac offers Superman a full history of Krypton via an orb if he works for him. Superman has a dream and discovers Brainiac’s betrayal of Krypton and Jor-El. The dream is a cheap plot device but they only have 20 minutes to tell the story. As Superman investigates further he learns that Brainiac is gathering information from all over the galaxy and destroying the worlds after after the knowledge is obtained. Superman is having none of that nonsense and fights Brainiac. In the meantime, Lex Luthor didn’t fully trust Brainiac either and was prepared to destroy him if he stepped out of line but Brainiac infiltrated Luthor’s computer system and froze him out. During the battle Superman is able to distract Brainiac enough that Luthor can launch missiles destroying the ship. The day is saved but all the orbs of information Brainiac created are destroyed. Superman manages to only save the one about Krypton.
A great episode and brilliant follow-up to Brainiac’s origin from his first appearance. Getting to see Superman finally confront and fight Brainiac was a nice payoff. Brainiac’s part in Krypton’s destruction is obvious. It’s ridiculous Superman couldn’t save a few other orbs. It seems wasteful Brainiac destroyed all these planets and the knowledge he obtained is gone. Nothing of the civilization is left. It makes his actions even more tragic. A destroyed civilization and no history of them remains. Superman didn’t create Brainiac but there is an obligation to stop him and his genocidal methodology because he was created by Krypton.
While the show doesn’t dig into the deeper evil of Brainiac, he’s truly the worst of the worst villains in the DCAU. He’s slaughtered countless lives, but the network censors don’t count it because they are aliens and not humans. There were thousands of orbs on Brainiac’s ship, representing the worlds he destroyed. The billions of lives obliterated by him are unfathomable. The character continues to live on in various incarnations as the DCAU progresses. Countless more are also destroyed by him but never mentioned directly.
Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com
