Brainiac 5 may be a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, but he shares a name with one of the worst Superman rogues ever to haunt the DC Universe. One moment reveals why Brainy is the namesake of one of the worst menaces encountered by the Man of Steel.

The Legion of Super-Heroes is a team in the 31st century that was inspired by the legacy set by the heroic deeds of a young Superman. The Legion consists of some of the most dynamic heroes in DC's future, pne of the most crucial members of the Legion of Super-Heroes being Brainiac 5, or 'Brainy' as he is colloquially known to his teammates. A Coluan with a 12th-level intellect, Brainiac 5 strongly resembles the dreaded Superman enemy Brainiac and is, in fact, the villain's great-great-grandson. But while the original Brainiac was a monster, Brainy is a principled member of the Legion.

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But if Brainiac 5 is such a noble figure, why does he share a name with one of Superman's cruelest foes to ever exist? The unfortunate backstory was revealed in Adventure Comics #8 by Sterling Gates, James Robinson, Eric Trautmann, Travis Moore, Julian Lopez, and Pier Gallo. The Legion of Super-Heroes’ Brainiac 5 thinks back on his past, particularly over the bullying his suffered on his native planet of Colu. Though Brainy's given name is Querl Dox, his father gave him the name Brainiac 5 to honor their family, which earns him scorn and ridicule from his peers. After discovering the atrocities committed by his ancestor, Brainy confronts his father, Brainiac 4, asking why they'd want to be named after such a monster. Brainiac 4 tells his son that no matter what, they are the original Brainiac's legacy, and it's up to them to reclaim their name.

Brainiac 5 Name Origin DC Comics

The Legion of Super-Heroes is composed of young do-gooders who are about as far from being evil as any team of heroes can be. They've saved the universe multiple times, routinely protect the timeline and have even fought alongside Superman, their main source of inspiration, multiple times. Through all their adventures, Brainiac 5 has been there to use his intellect for the benefit of the entire universe. But this revelation explains what truly drives the smartest Legionnaire to be the force for good he is.

As far as supervillains go, Brainiac is one of the worst in the entire DC Universe. The Superman villain has killed entire worlds just so he can be the lone keeper of their knowledge. Even more disturbing, he keeps sample ‘bottle cities’ like the Kryptonian city of Kandor as perverse trophies of his conquests. How someone like Brainiac managed to reproduce is a question for the ages, but the truth is, he did, and it resulted in a family line that leads to Brainiac 5. Even though Brainy wishes it wasn’t true, he’s a blood-descendant of Brainiac. While he can't change his relation to Superman's nemesis, Brainiac 5 can use the name better than the DC menace ever did.

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