It’s been a long time since the Man of Steel received his own video game. WhileSupermanhas appeared in a ton of games over the years as a playable character, such asInjustice, theLEGO Batmangames, andMultiVersus, he hasn’t had a solo adventure of his own since2006’sSuperman Returns.
With Batman already being the face of an entire video game series and Wonder Woman now getting her own solo adventure courtesy of developer Monolith, it’s about timeSupermanwas given a fully-fledged AAA game of his own, especially with James Gunn’sSupermanbeing right around the corner. And while some fans are skeptical that a Superman solo game could work, there’s one iconic DC villain that would pave the perfect path for a no-holds-barred Man of Steel game.
Brainiac Would Be The Perfect Villain for a Superman Game
Brainiac’s Main Gimmick Would Let Superman Go Wild
Introduced all the way back in 1958’sAction Comics #242, Brainiac is one ofDC’s oldest villains, and he’s remained one of Superman’s most popular adversaries. Though his personality, origin, and abilities have changed frequently between comic continuities, there are two gadgets that have become staples of Brainiac’s toolset across all timelines.
The first of these gadgets is a personal force field that’s virtually impenetrable. The second is an incredibly powerful shrinking ray that Brainiac often uses to shrink entire cities. Once shrunk, Brainiac stores these cities in glass jars. Then, believing that the knowledge in these contained cities is better off in his hands alone, he destroys the planet that the city once belonged to. In some continuities, Brainiac is responsible for the destruction ofSuperman’s home world of Krypton, destroying it after shrinking and capturing the city of Kandor.
Brainiac’s shrinking cities gimmick would offer the perfect solution to a common piece of skepticism surrounding asolo Superman game. Many fans believe that a fully-fledged Superman game is impossible to pull off properly as his immense powers wouldn’t fit a standard video game sandbox, especially one containing civilian NPCs.
This is where Brainiac’s shrunken cities could come into play. Superman could be thrown into a shrunken city that’s devoid of any sentient life, meaning that he’s free to use his powers without restriction. This would allow players to fly through buildings, destroy environmental objects, and essentially raze the city to the ground if they wished to, all without the risk of harming a single civilian.
This premise is actually quite similar to the infamousSupermanNintendo 64 game, where Lex Luthor creates a virtual reality version of Metropolis. Though this virtual city still contained civilians for Superman to rescue.
There’s One Downside to Using Brainiac Right Now
Brainiac is undoubtedly one ofSuperman’s best villains, and he’s potentially about to get a big boost in popularity thanks to James Gunn’s DCU. ButSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguemay have just ruined the villain’s chances of appearing in a video game for a while.
Technically the main villain ofSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League,despite not appearing until its final moments, Brainiac’s portrayal in Rocksteady’s infamously rough DC looter-shooter may have left fans with a bad impression of the villain. Though the performance behindSuicide Squad’s Brainiacis good, the villain’s implementation in the game’s story is incredibly lacking, and his boss fight was even more disappointing.
Those who have playedSuicide Squad’s post-launch content will likely be well and truly sick of Brainiac by now, with his boss fight replaying at the end of each episode with only minor changes to his moveset.
