Diseased Maniacs: The Villains Thread with POLL

[Silvermoth]

Can we not just get a movie version of this:

piccolo?

 

[Alien Anal]

You’re allowing tendril similarities to convince you that Brainiac is a no-go and that we should instead go with Superman fighting a gorilla that’ll fall somewhere between King Kong and Planet of the Apes?

We’re really doing this?

I don't actually think Brainiac is a no go, I was just being dumb.

I'm just trying to figure out how Brainiac would work visually as an exciting villain, so far I have heard he is a computer virus and is talking through peoples phones... doesnt exactly scream exciting times for Superman. I just want to hear some cool ideas that sells me on Brainiac.

 

[Superchan]

Thanks for the reply, I still struggle to get a mental image of what all of this would look like, would it be Brainiac causing havoc with traffic? Telekinetic and strong seems like It would just be punching and dodging things being thrown at Supes which doesn't sound that exciting and much like fights we have seen before. I'm interested in his threat more than his ideals or the cautionary tale for Supes.

I'm just curious because people love his character and want to see Supes go up against him but what does he bring to the table in terms of visualising a film with him and Supes battling him.

Think of it this way AA, Brainiac's symbol in STAS is this

Now, the symbol for 'share' on the internet is:

The former preceeded the latter btw.
The whole thing writes itself really, by using Brainiac one can make a considerable amount of commentry on the world's current status of global spying and monitoring, which forgoes a citizen's right to privacy, all of which was brought to light by Ed Snowden.
You can tell a story about how Brainiac is the last survivor of a highly advanced society (notice the parallel with Superman) that ended up destroying itself thus depriving the universe of it's presence, advancements and culture; hence Vril Dox (aka Brainiac) decides to travel the universe and monitor any and all advanced societies and make sure to bottle an aspect of them incase they end up destroying themselves. Ofcourse such a task is monumental considering how many advanced societies there are in the universe so Brainiac decides to share some of his tech with earth (via the Roswell crash of 1947 for example) which led to silicon valley advancements and eventually the internet and social media.
He explains to Superman during their encounter that throughout his observations of Earth he concluded that human beings are paranoid creatures and so by providing them with the tech, they (as in the corrupt earth governments) will do the spying for him, and he points out how the internet symbol of 'sharing' is identical to his, thus proving that he's been there all along in brought daylight right infront of our eyes.

As for how he can be portrayed on screen, well as I said before, Brainiac could be physical, technological or psionic....or all 3 combined! He can just overpower superman physically or block the sun and strip him off his powers or enter Superman's mind and psychologicall torture him by say.....replaying the death of Pa Kent over and over and showing Clark all the faces of all the people he failed to save over the years. Honestly the options are endless with ol' Brainy, truely a great villain.

 

[Alien Anal]

Think of it this way AA, Brainiac's symbol in STAS is this

Now, the symbol for 'share' on the internet is:

The former preceeded the latter btw.
The whole thing writes itself really, by using Brainiac one can make a considerable amount of commentry on the world's current status of global spying and monitoring, which forgoes a citizen's right to privacy, all of which was brought to light by Ed Snowden.
You can tell a story about how Brainiac is the last survivor of a highly advanced society (notice the parallel with Superman) that ended up destroying itself thus depriving the universe of it's presence, advancements and culture; hence Vril Dox (aka Brainiac) decides to travel the universe and monitor any and all advanced societies and make sure to bottle an aspect of them incase they end up destroying themselves. Ofcourse such a task is monumental considering how many advanced societies there are in the universe so Brainiac decides to share some of his tech with earth (via the Roswell crash of 1947 for example) which led to silicon valley advancements and eventually the internet and social media.
He explains to Superman during their encounter that throughout his observations of Earth he concluded that human beings are paranoid creatures and so by providing them with the tech, they (as in the corrupt earth governments) will do the spying for him, and he points out how the internet symbol of 'sharing' is identical to his, thus proving that he's been there all along in brought daylight right infront of our eyes.

As for how he can be portrayed on screen, well as I said before, Brainiac could be physical, technological or psionic....or all 3 combined! He can just overpower superman physically or block the sun and strip him off his powers or enter Superman's mind and psychologicall torture him by say.....replaying the death of Pa Kent over and over and showing Clark all the faces of all the people he failed to save over the years. Honestly the options are endless with ol' Brainy, truely a great villain.

Thanks again for the reply. It does help somewhat paint a better picture, its funny that you mentioned Brainiac and Roswell as I used that exact idea in one of my Superman concepts that watches Supes age slowly from the 30s to the future.

I am probably being annoying, sorry to the folks that have given good answers, I am in pain and have been bed bound for 2 days so maybe I am lacking social interaction and a clear mind.

 

[GreenKToo]

Supes flying around the world installing McAfee. Sounds good.

Later on flies he hears someone cry out, he flies into their room and hangs up their phone. All in days work!

I'm sure he is cool but what's been described still isn't selling me on him. Not trying to be a brat or annoying, i have seen sick illustrations of Brainiac but yeh his threat level so far just sounds like he is an internet troll that can punch Supes.

The thing is Brainiac could technically take control of everything electronic on Earth, that includes all the militaries on the planet.

 

[Superchan]

Thanks again for the reply. It does help somewhat paint a better picture, its funny that you mentioned Brainiac and Roswell as I used that exact idea in one of my Superman concepts that watches Supes age slowly from the 30s to the future.

I am probably being annoying, sorry to the folks that have given good answers, I am in pain and have been bed bound for 2 days so maybe I am lacking social interaction and a clear mind.

No worries man, you're not being annoying, this is what this MB is for, fun discussion.
As for Roswell, well if you read the book "the day after Roswell" there is a strong indication that it is that crash and the reverse engeineering that it entailed that allowed humanity to make greater advancements in half a century than all 6 thousand years prior! Transisters, fiberoptics, laser, infra-red, cavlar etc...all have been (allegedly) sourced from Roswell. The book is ofcourse very controversial (many consider it pure fiction) but it is authored by a respected Colonel (Phil Corso) in the US army and certain credible individuals like former Canadian defense minister attest to it's authenticity.
It' would be fun to incorporate some credible aspects of Ufology into Superman's mythology, things like crop circles (possibly appearing in Smallville as mathemetical co-ordinates for Clark by Jor-el to help him explore the outside world) or maybe real life incidences like the Malmstrom nuclear incidences in the late 60s indicating that possibly non-human intelligences are trying to protect us from ourselves etc....
Incorporting things like that can bring some relevance to a character like Superman who would be otherwise pure fantasy.

 

[GreenKToo]

And I want the skull ship in all it's glory.
Brainiac would send copies/drones of himself to physically battle superman because he feels actual physical contact is beneath him.

Each drone would have about a quarter of the strength and power of Brainiac.
Once they fail ( after an epic battle against superman ) Brainiac will be forced to face Superman himself.

 

[Alien Anal]

The thing is Brainiac could technically take control of everything electronic on Earth, that includes all the militaries on the planet.

Is he the kind of being that would actually strike though or does it just use its capabilities as bargaining chips?

It doesn't need to be long (You obviously don't have to do it at all) but in short how would you do Legacy with Brainiac? What sort of battles, what does he want, what damage does he cause, how would Supes defeat him.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

Brainiac is so obviously the number two Superman villain behind Lex, but for some reason they’ve never adapted him on film. Zod has just been more appealing to filmmakers so far I guess.

I will forever remain disappointed that they didn’t use a STAS inspired Lex for MOS. You could basically have the same story as MOS, but swap Brainiac in there. STAS Brainiac effectively helped kill Superman’s father just like Zod, and they’re both remnants of Krypton that want to take possession of Superman.

That whole ‘you are not alone’ sequence could’ve been even crazier with Brainiac. He should’ve been the villain there but I digress.

I feel like it might be too soon for a full on Brainiac story. Like they really could build him up as the big bad for the first chapter; especially if they’re not going with Darkseid yet. Maybe they could introduce Brainiac in Superman, further develop him in Supergirl and then they could fight him together in another film. I think he just deserves the build up, because he can easily be a Justice League level threat.

I don’t know if you guys are gamers, but Injustice 2 has an absolutely fantastic Elseworlds story and it’s super fun too. But the most interesting part of it is probably its usage of Supergirl and Brainiac. Though a lot of characters feel very different and Elseworlds-y, their Supergirl and Brainiac are very traditional and some of the best, most cinematic adaptations of the characters.

I only recently beat this game but I was in awe the whole time. I think it’s one of the best DC adaptations ever, the cutscenes form such a strong story. It’s kind of a non traditional viewing format, but the game can even be enjoyed as a movie. In some ways it is better than both Justice League movies

 

[GreenKToo]

Is he the kind of being that would actually strike though or does it just use its capabilities as bargaining chips?

It doesn't need to be long (You obviously don't have to do it at all) but in short how would you do Legacy with Brainiac? What sort of battles, what does he want, what damage does he cause, how would Supes defeat him.

If it were me, I would make Brainiac the main villain over several films.

And I would have Lex be the cause of Brainiac making his way to Earth.

Lex, after several attempts, but failures, to defeat superman, ie, Metallo, parasite, etc, looks elsewhere for an answer and for help to defeat superman.
He sets his eyes to the stars and after months of trying makes contact with Brainiac.

Brainiac it so happens, collects cities, technology, and the last survivors of destroyed worlds.
He sometimes even destroys worlds just to collect items from them.

Lex unwittingly invites the end of the world to Earth.

Other heroes soon rise to help defeat Brainiac.

As each film releases, the Earth would progressively look more and more like a war zone. We would see it from that films main characters point of view.
It would end up being Part terminator, part independence day, and part book of eli look wise.
Lex at the end of the films, would probably even help in order to save his own hide ( and his empire )

 

[Deck Rickard]

Brainiac is so obviously the number two Superman villain behind Lex, but for some reason they’ve never adapted him on film. Zod has just been more appealing to filmmakers so far I guess.

I will forever remain disappointed that they didn’t use a STAS inspired Lex for MOS. You could basically have the same story as MOS, but swap Brainiac in there. STAS Brainiac effectively helped kill Superman’s father just like Zod, and they’re both remnants of Krypton that want to take possession of Superman.

That whole ‘you are not alone’ sequence could’ve been even crazier with Brainiac. He should’ve been the villain there but I digress.

I feel like it might be too soon for a full on Brainiac story. Like they really could build him up as the big bad for the first chapter; especially if they’re not going with Darkseid yet. Maybe they could introduce Brainiac in Superman, further develop him in Supergirl and then they could fight him together in another film. I think he just deserves the build up, because he can easily be a Justice League level threat.

I don’t know if you guys are gamers, but Injustice 2 has an absolutely fantastic Elseworlds story and it’s super fun too. But the most interesting part of it is probably its usage of Supergirl and Brainiac. Though a lot of characters feel very different and Elseworlds-y, their Supergirl and Brainiac are very traditional and some of the best, most cinematic adaptations of the characters.

I only recently beat this game but I was in awe the whole time. I think it’s one of the best DC adaptations ever, the cutscenes form such a strong story. It’s kind of a non traditional viewing format, but the game can even be enjoyed as a movie. In some ways it is better than both Justice League movies

Yeah, MOS would have been so much better with Brainiac. I’ve never found Zod to be all that compelling of a villain; I like the Terrance Stamp version but mostly for Stamp’s performance. The character himself is kind of an arrogant dolt. The only version of Zod I ever found pretty interesting was in that weird For Tomorrow story from the comics but they seemed to abandon all the plot threads from that one after it ended because people were so 50/50 on it.

 

[Alien Anal]

If it were me, I would make Brainiac the main villain over several films.

And I would have Lex be the cause of Brainiac making his way to Earth.

Lex, after several attempts, but failures, to defeat superman, ie, Metallo, parasite, etc, looks elsewhere for an answer and for help to defeat superman.
He sets his eyes to the stars and after months of trying makes contact with Brainiac.

Brainiac it so happens, collects cities, technology, and the last survivors of destroyed worlds.
He sometimes even destroys worlds just to collect items from them.

Lex unwittingly invites the end of the world to Earth.

Other heroes soon rise to help defeat Brainiac.

As each film releases, the Earth would progressively look more and more like a war zone. We would see it from that films main characters point of view.
It would end up being Part terminator, part independence day, and part book of eli look wise.
Lex at the end of the films, would probably even help in order to save his own hide ( and his empire )

Blows my mind you want apocalyptic world so soon. How many movies deep are you wanting this?

 

[GreenKToo]

Gradual. Each film would rise the stakes.

 

[Alien Anal]

It seems we just escaped that vision with Synder so I don't think we will be getting that anytime soon hopefully. Not to **** on your idea but give us at least 10 seperate character DCU films before we go Mad Max

 

[GreenKToo]

Oh I know there is zero chance of it happening. No worries

 

[solidsnake86]

I think Zod is appealing as a villain for a few reasons. One, it ties in neatly with an origin story. Two, Zod is a compelling villain if written properly. Three, outside of story but more from a filmmaking perspective, there is so much money that goes into r&d for superman with respect to flight and powers that you end of saving money because it's the same power set.

 

[Alien Anal]

Perhaps if Brainiac created some War of the Worlds type "mechanical monsters" it could be cool and obviously a fun call back to the old toons.

I just want to make sure this film still feels light and fun and hopeful, I am still worried we are going to get something grim but you would think they got the message and have moved on from that now.

 

[GreenKToo]

It's really hard to say what Gunn has in mind.
I'm sure ( or I hope) each film will be separate with each having their own villain, but at the same time, each film has an overlapping storyline.

I would love Darkseid but I'm afraid snyder has ruined that.

Mongul and warworld is possible I guess but I doubt it.

So, I think it will either be a Brainiac type of storyline, or, something of a blend between superman vs the elites and kingdom come.

I'm from what I'm hearing and reading, I'm leaning more toward it being a kingdom come type of story.
A gradual decline of the publics love for heroes like superman, WW, GL, etc, and more support for heroes like Magog or Manchester black who kill the bad guys instead of capturing and turning them over to the justice system.

We shall see.

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

Im curious if he’ll make a link between hardcore vigilante justice and cancel culture (especially given his own experience), where there’s a seeming lack of empathy from some “good guys” who destroy the guilty without second thought.

 

[Alien Anal]

If they do go the route of the public not being that into Supes and co (again seems too soon after Synders turds) that they maybe do it in a more fun way rather than the oh so deep and somber way with sad Supes and spray painted "poetry" on his statue.

Give me some "Superman's a ***** cos he ain't wanna kill!" And people cheering on peacemaker like characters that get caught up in it, that they themselves poke fun of Supes unaware they will have to meet with him shortly.

But I still think too soon. Just give me one film that I would want to show my friends or future kids and say check it out its Superman! Fun, charming, cute , warm, smart, exciting... Just not cynical, not too much just yet.

 

[Superchan]

Give me some "Superman's a ***** cos he ain't wanna kill!" And people cheering on peacemaker like characters that get caught up in it, that they themselves poke fun of Supes unaware they will have to meet with him shortly.

But I still think too soon. Just give me one film that I would want to show my friends or future kids and say check it out its Superman! Fun, charming, cute , warm, smart, exciting... Just not cynical, not too much just yet

I'll almost guarantee that you'll get that sooner or later, especially with Gunn bringing in the Authority into his DCU. The whole thing is clearly headed towards a kingdom come or Action775 resolution i.e. Ultruist Superman vs A-hole anti-heroes.

 

[BobJM]

I could see Superman facing against The Authority in an adaptation of "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?"

It’s even alluded to in the announcement synopsis:

Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.

Throw in Luthor pulling the strings / orchestrating events to pit public opinion against Superman and in favor of The Authority. And maybe add in a character like Parasite to highlight Superman’s compassion / no-kill code against the Authority’s violent approach.

 

[DCDAVE]

It's really hard to say what Gunn has in mind.
I'm sure ( or I hope) each film will be separate with each having their own villain, but at the same time, each film has an overlapping storyline.

I would love Darkseid but I'm afraid snyder has ruined that.

Mongul and warworld is possible I guess but I doubt it.

So, I think it will either be a Brainiac type of storyline, or, something of a blend between superman vs the elites and kingdom come.

I'm from what I'm hearing and reading, I'm leaning more toward it being a kingdom come type of story.
A gradual decline of the publics love for heroes like superman, WW, GL, etc, and more support for heroes like Magog or Manchester black who kill the bad guys instead of capturing and turning them over to the justice system.

We shall see.

Mongul War World movie with Superman, Orion, Big Barda and Wonder Woman. Sign me up!!!!!

 

[Silvermoth]

Same. I would love that

 

[TheScarecrow]

Ultra Humanite :wink: