Superman: Legacy will be the latest cinematic take on the Man of Steel, and it's clearly meant to go in a different direction than the character's big screen portrayal for the past decade. Taking a more traditional route with the hero, the film will reboot Superman for James Gunn's new DC Universe. Gunn has already begun teasing which characters might make it into said shared universe and one of them could possibly be a fan-favorite Superman foe.
Brainiac is one of Superman's main villains in the comics, vexing him through genius intellect in a way that even Lex Luthor can't. Nevertheless, he's failed to show up in any of Kal-El's previous movies, which has only increased fan demand for him. His circumstances may finally change in the DCU, and it could redeem the already contentious Superman: Legacy.
James Gunn Has Hinted That Brainiac Is Joining the New DCU
A recent Twitter post from James Gunn had a list of several DC characters, both heroic and villainous. Gunn's comments suggested that at least half of them would be coming to the DCU in the near future, though he didn't confirm which ones. Likewise, the potential projects they would be in also weren't unannounced, though, for some, it was more obvious than others. The Court of Owls and Nightwing were among the listed characters, and they'll likely both have a place in the upcoming film The Brave and the Bold. Those are also hotly anticipated characters by fans to show up in the DCU, making their inclusion a dream come true.
Another highly desired character is Brainiac, who's the biggest Superman villain to never show up in one of his theatrical movies. Brainiac was also on the list, so the chances of his appearing in the DC Universe soon are higher than not. The most obvious place would be in Superman: Legacy, though he may merely be a villain suggested for the future instead of the main foe. For the movie's sake, however, it might be best to pit the Coluan against his Kryptonian foe in the launch movie of the new DCU.
Brainiac Can Redeem Superman: Legacy In the Eyes of Some Fans
Superman: Legacy will be more hopeful and optimistic than the previous cinematic Superman, though that's still not enough for some fans. Even for those who disliked the Snyderverse DC films, Henry Cavill was generally seen as deserving a real chance to play a more classic Superman. That was cut short, however, when Cavill was officially booted in favor of rebooting the character, angering those who were excited to see him in the role again after Black Adam. Using Brainiac as the villain in Legacy would not only be an interesting choice, but it might also assuage some fury over the loss of Cavill.
As mentioned, Brainiac hasn't been in any of the Superman movies, so it's no surprise that fans are ready to see him and his signature skull ship invade the DCU. Adding another Superman villain besides Lex Luthor, Doomsday or General Zod to the movies would also finally begin to do Superman's enemies justice -- a reverence usually only reserved for Batman's villains. Brainiac was also going to be the villain in an unmade script for Man of Steel 2, so using him in Legacy might be a sort of narrative olive branch between the fractured fandom. Given that Gunn's finger is usually on the pulse of what fans and audiences want, it's incredibly likely that Superman's green-skinned enemy will finally be showing up on the big screen through the new DC Universe.