WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Injustice 2 #68 by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Juan Albarran, Rex Lokus and Wes Abbott, on sale now.
In the Injustice 2 video game, General Grodd's society of villains played an integral part in Brainiac invading Earth. After villains like Bane, Poison Ivy, Cheetah, Deadshot, Captain Cold, Scarecrow and Reverse Flash all joined forces, they were used by the alien as the first wave in weakening Earth's defenses.
The comics, though, offer more insight as to how the society came about and Grodd's history in this alternate universe. So far, he's been an outcast, even amongst his fellow villains, but what Tom Taylor has smartly done is build up a sound reason as to why Grodd would aspire to lead such a cabal with folks who didn't even like him in the first place.
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In Injustice 2 #68, we find out there's a much more sinister secret regarding Grodd's overall ambition, and just how he formed his new army.
Earlier in the sequel's comics, Grodd was part of Ra's al Ghul's legion, alongside Solovar and the other gorillas. Ra's in this story is a eco-terrorist, wanting to purge the Earth of humans and keep it for those who deserve a paradise, with animals and animal-related heroes and villains amongst his chosen.
The likes of Vixen and Animal Man fell into this group, as well as Grodd's people. However, the latter's rebellious attitude saw him beaten down and thrown out of this new empire along with his supporters.
This issue picks up with Brainiac's army attacking Grodd and his fellow outcasts, killing what he thinks are primitive creatures. But he senses something strong with Grodd, namely his ability to mind-control others. Ra's and Co. did place an inhibitor on Grodd as punishment, but Brainiac's drone hacks it and frees the ape. The villain makes contact from his ship and seemingly forms an alliance. Grodd isn't his usual self though, coming off rather reserved and entranced.
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It seems Brainiac didn't actually free Grodd; he's mind-controlling him. The alien may have figured out how to exploit the Flash's simian foe's true potential, realizing the ape's a big tool to use in the war ahead against Batman, Superman and the rest. Brainiac controlling someone with such telepathic powers would allow him to covertly assemble a legion of doom, without making his presence felt to Earth's heroes.
Brainiac's always been about subtlety and secrecy, after all, and it's no different in the Injustice universe where he wants to operate from the shadows, or in this case, the depths of outer space. To him, Grodd's a front to the public, a puppet attached to his strings, while he's really the one manipulating things and leaving Batman and Co. misdirected. After all, what better way to strike at a vulnerable planet than when it's defenders are preoccupied with another war.
While Grodd may be doing Brainiac's dirty work here, there's also the possibility he's just depressed at how he's become enslaved, which is why in the game, he wanted to depose Brainiac (something he actually achieves in his victorious story-mode ending).
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Of course, it remains to be seen just what deal was actually struck between the two, and how free Grodd really is. If Brainiac is indeed tapped into Grodd's mind (as all signs indicate), this confirms he'd have the ability to mind-control other villains. More so, he'd be able to do so without them even knowing, thus affirming that he's certainly way more of a genius than we initially gave him credit for.