WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Injustice 2 #64 by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Juan Albarran, Gabe Eltaeb and Wes Abbott, on sale now.


Following the fall of Superman's regime in the first Injustice series, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios needed to introduce a major antagonist for the sequel, one who could top the story about a Man of Steel gone mad. As a result, Brainiac was chosen to continue the franchise's approach of having a big-name villain, one who'd be a formidable threat to Earth, especially for both Batman and the imprisoned Kal-El.

It made sense not only because Brainiac could reunite both factions on either side of the DC superhero civil war, at least temporarily, but also because he packs the mental and physical firepower to test Earth's most powerful defenders as he goes about his conquests. The thing is, in the second chapter of the video game, he needed allies -- other well-established DC villains to prep the planet for his takeover.

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But as the Injustice 2 comics are now illustrating, Brainiac never had any intention of honoring the pacts he made with those villains as he incites another civil war for an unknown purpose. Only this time, it involves him carving through the galaxy's most notorious Corps, the Red Lanterns.

In Injustice 2 #64, the Red Lanterns continue to decimate Oa and the Green Lanterns. Not only do they outnumber their counterparts, mind-control spores have placed a lot of Hal Jordan's friends under Atrocitus' will thanks to a now-absent Starro (who's headed to Earth to destroy it), including the Guardian Sayd. The situation is so desperate that the Corps reinstate Hal and Sinestro, and even give a ring to Lobo. With the new Titans there too, everyone is trying their best, but the resistance is crumbling, especially after Starro breachs the Central Power Battery.

Hal's squad is enduring even more losses, and just when it appears the Red Lanterns are about to hammer the final nail in the coffin, Brainiac's ship suddenly arrives in Oa's orbit. Perhaps not too surprisingly, the Injustice 2 big boss has an army of his own, as he's used his technology to repurpose the Manhunters, the Guardians' first, and very lethal attempt at creating a military force to police outer space. Instead of joining the fray alongside the Red Lanterns as they seem to expect, Brainiac's forces start slaughtering the crimson ring wielding villains. This confuses the Green Lanterns, who expected a team-up but are now provided with a respite thanks to this impromptu mini-war. Given the size of Brainiac's army, though, it will be a brief reprieve.

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Brainiac's actions, while they're left-field and perhaps not all that clever, do tie in with his disposition in the video game. There, when he came to Earth, he worked with General Grodd, who formed The Society to help weaken Earth's resistance. This team, akin to the Legion of Doom, consisted of Bane, Poison Ivy, Cheetah, Deadshot, Captain Cold, Scarecrow, Reverse Flash and Catwoman, who all thought Brainiac wanted to conquer Earth and claim Superman as a prize, leaving it for them to rule. This wasn't the case. Instead, Brainiac's alliance was a ruse. Brainiac didn't want Superman. He wanted to destroy Earth and everyone inhabiting it -- heroes and villains alike.

Thus, it's obvious the devourer of worlds has no respect for alliances, as well as his fellow villains. One would think Brainiac would let Atrocitus' Corps finish off the Green Lanterns, but from the massacre he's overseeing, he either wants all the glory of taking out Oa for himself, or he thinks it's in his best interest to remove the Red Lanterns from the galactic chessboard.

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Brainiac is always thinking strategically, and maybe they'll be a threat to him later on, but as it stands, Hal's crew can only look on in horror at a dark reflection of what happened to them on Earth when they had to choose sides. Even more unnerving is the realization that when Brainiac is done with the Red Lanterns, Hal and company are next on the list.