Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Character Interaction Studies

PART 1 of 2

Initially, I was harsh in my judgment of the LOSH. I viewed each character as bland cardboard cutouts of the Teen Titans. Then, I began to notice that there was more to the characters than had originally I thought. The producer, James Tucker, said in an interview, “We didn't want Legion to be as young-skewing as Titans. I wanted the stories to be a little more complex. But having said that, you still need that level of character. And when you're doing complex character studies, that takes a little more time to build up…Our characters aren't that clearly defined with one sentence. For good or ill, I thought we could be more complex than that.” Source: comicscontinuum.com

Has Producer Tucker lived up to his word? That’s why I’m starting this thread. When I deal with people, I notice a couple of things. First, is how the individual sees him/herself and sees the world. I also observe how that person relates to other people and how they in turn relate to that individual. This is how I evaluate a person’s character or try to ascertain their motives. Similarly, I want to focus on the characters in the show and in the comic and how each character plays off one another. Call me a geek, but I love character interaction studies! My first victim, I mean “subject” is none other than Brainiac 5! Not only is he my favorite character, but the creative team of LOSH has given us a lot a good material to work with when it comes to our favorite 12th level intelligent Coluan. Since issue #4 of the LOSH 31st century comic is Brainy-centered, I’ll be borrowing heavily from issue #4 even though I make reference to the cartoon and to other Legion comics. So here we go!

1. Lightening Lad/Brainiac 5: Lightening Lad sometimes comes off as the jock that picks on the nerdy kid. This goes back to the first episode of the cartoon and the first issue of the comic. Lightening Lad is quick to point out Brainy’s perceived shortcomings. At first glance, it seems as if the writers of issue #4 are trying to shove down our throats Lightening Lad’s out and out pessimism of Brainiac 5’s leadership ability. Then again, antagonism tends to be a way that many individuals deal with insecurities. He or she berates others just to feel good about him or herself. That said, the characterization of Lightening Lad is dead on. I mean he really lays into Brainiac 5! It seems as if our walking lightening rod has an inferiority complex. This really comes off when Lightening Lad berates Brainy (again!) then proclaims himself as team leader much to Triplicate Girl’s disgust. He seems to resent not being able to call the shots. Whereas the question of “who’s in charge” is resolved in the last 3 episodes of Season 1, this does not seem to be the case in the comic. Based on the cover of issue 5, it seems as if Lightening Lad’s contempt will come to light. If that’s the case, then issue #4 does a good job of setting up that scenario. Even though Brainiac 5 never really comes right out and says how Lightening Lad’s comments are affecting him, the scene between B-5 and Superman speaks volumes. Essentially, Brainy tells Superman not to let Lightening Lad come with him to Colu. In the next panel, notice how Lightening Lad is completely clueless as to how uncomfortable he’s making Brainy. For all of Lightening Lad’s flaws, he really does care about Brainy. In “Legacy,” Brainiac 5 gets his arm shot off and collapses. Lightening Lad goes through a range of emotions. First, he’s horrified at what just happened. Then he gets angry, and tries to take down the guy who shot Brainy. Finally, the pained expression on his face as he holds an unconscious Brainy is touching. When all is said and done, these two are teammates and friends.

2. Phantom Girl/Brainiac 5: Her interactions with Brainy are the Yin to Lightening Lad’s Yang. While Lightening Lab can be verbally antagonistic and inconsiderate to Brainy, Phantom Girl is more empathetic and long suffering. A good deal of insight into Brainiac 5’s character comes surprisingly enough from Phantom Girl. In “Legacy” she defends her teammates against Brainiac 5’s preconceived notions on how things should run. For example, Brainy is exasperated that the no one read his report on the Scavengers. Phantom Girl points out that the thing was about 150 pages. In the same episode, Brainy is miffed that Superman turned off his communicator. Again, Phantom Girl points out that Brainy had been crying wolf all night and that Superman just did what most people would have done in a similar situation. It’s as if she’s trying to get Brainiac 5 to see other people’s points of view. From this, we see how Brainy can get so absorbed in the issue at hand that he develops tunnel vision. Speaking of which, we see a good deal of that in issue #4. It’s important to understand the premise behind issue #4. First, consider the following line from one of the Post Zero Hour comics: “Just remember—Brainy’s mind is his superpower! If we understood everything he does, we wouldn’t need him.” Shrinking Violet aka Leviathan II (Legion of Super Heroes v4 Issue 107; page 11).
Now, getting back to issue #4, look at Brainiac 5’s line of reasoning when he talks to Superman. Essentially, Brainy feels as if he has lost his superpower. To the outside world, it doesn’t make any sense for Brainy to go on a personal quest in the middle of a crisis, but to him it is the only logical solution since he feels that he has nothing to left offer his teammates. He’s an all or nothing type of guy. Though Brainiac 5 puts up a stoic demeanor, he’s really devastated by the latest turn of events. All the same, Phantom Girl sees right into the heart of Brainiac 5’s problems.

All isolated kids have one thing that they can rely on. One thing that never lets them down. For Brainy, it’s his…brain. Phantom Girl (LOSH 31st Century Issue #4)

Phantom Girl: I’m not a telepath, or an empath, or whatever…You just seem a little blue, that’s all.
Brainiac 5: It’s the lighting.
Phantom Girl: I just want you to feel better.

Phantom Girl makes a genuine effort to get Brainy to open up. For her troubles, Brainiac 5 transforms into full jerk mode and tosses his flight ring at her. I have to say that Phantom Girl handles the situation a lot better than most people. A different person probably would have thrown the ring back at him and would have said, “Sprock you!” Phantom Girl backs off and gives Brainiac 5 his space. At the same time she will only put up with but so much of Brainy’s crap. When Brainiac 5 starts wallowing in self-pity, he realizes that he was born with a silver foot in his mouth and starts to apologize to Phantom Girl. It’s at this point that she puts her foot down. Some have said that her speech was a bit cliché. Maybe so, but if you read between the lines it sounds like she’s saying, “I am who I am. You are who you are. Deal with it!” Okay, she didn’t say it quite like that but that’s what I got out it. You go, Girl!

There’s one more thing before I move on. I saw all of Season 1 and read issues # 2, 3, and 4 before I read issue #1. So when I saw Phantom Girl poking Brainy and saying, “I think that you’re malfunctioning again Brainy…” I did a double take because it seemed out of character for her. Then I realized that much of what goes on in #1 is told from Lightening Lad’s point of view and that he’s constantly putting words in everyone’s mouth. When I write up Lightening Lad’s character analysis, I’m going to have so much fun!

3. Triplicate Girl/Brainiac 5: Okay, we haven’t seen much Trip/Brainy action in either the cartoon or in the comic. I just wanted to point out one observation that she makes in issue #4. Before Brainy goes off to meet with his mentor, he wishes his team good luck, Triplicate Girl is stunned and muses that Brainy doesn’t believe in luck. As I stated earlier, Brainiac 5 basically feels that he has nothing to offer his team. I think that Triplicate Girl’s statement adds a new dimension to what Brainy is feeling. In addition to feeling incompetent, he has also lost a grip on his own belief system.

Wrap up: That's it for now! In Part 2, I'll finish up Brainiac 5's character study with a look at his interactions with Superman, Bouncing Boy, and the Coluans. I'm currently doing an East Coast road trip, so I'll probably post in another week or so, Lord willing.

Take care everyone!

Although I've never read the animated comics(due to my town's lack of comic book stores)you bring up some interesting points. Not to be a brownnose, but I came up with some character analysis's(even if some of them might not make sense)in the "Favorite characters" thread, but I'll save my opinions for Part 2.

And just one more thing...Welcome to Legionworld!

I am personally fascinated by the Superman/Brainiac 5 friendship and am looking forward to reading your take on it.

Very interesting analysis, Lass Girl. I, too, haven't read the animated series comic, but I enjoyed reading your insights.

Since I don't follow the comic, I'm not sure from your description if you mean that Brainy has somehow really lost his power, or if events in the comic have just made him feel that way temporarily.

I certainly hope the comic isn't suggesting that Brainy always "feels that he has nothing to offer his team." Not only is he the smartest guy around, he's also a Transformer, for gosh sakes.

Tharok was just messing with Brainiac 5’s head. Nothing was really wrong with Brainy. He spends most of the issue second guessing himself, but he gets over it by the end of the issue.

Part 2 of 2

4. Bouncing Boy/Brainiac 5: In the early part of Season 1, these two play off each other really well! Here, you have a fun loving yet mechanically innovative individual working with a one track minded by-the-book genius. Probably the most memorable exchange between these two is in the “Timber Wolf” episode. They also have a go at it in issue #2. For the sake of those that do not read the comic, issue #2 picks up right where “Timber Wolf” leaves off. As I said before, Brainiac 5 has a bad habit of getting tunnel vision and sometimes does not consider his teammates’ wishes or desires. Brainy just has a hard time thinking outside the box and cannot understand how or why other people do. Bouncing Boy is generally a good-natured chap, but even he sometimes gets fed up with Brainy’s narrow-mindedness. In the last three episodes of the second season of Justice League Unlimited, the original Brainiac takes over Lex Luthor’s body. During the ordeal, Lex tries to bargain with Brainiac. Naturally, Brainiac can’t fathom what Lex could possibly offer him. Lex then states that for all of Brainiac’s sophisticated knowledge, Brainiac just doesn’t have any imagination. Despite a high level of intelligence, the Brainiacs all suffer from lack of creativity. Creativity may not be Brainiac 5’s strong point, but at least he is capable of learning and can adapt to a situation. When Bouncing Boy fails to get past the security guards in “Sundown Part I,” he sends in Brainy to take care of the situation. Without a word, Brainy transforms into his battle mode and intimidates the guards into submission. It’s definitely not a by-the-book procedure, but it is effective. In “Sundown Part II,” Bouncing Boy and Brainy send Superman on a mission to find the Controller. After a brief exchange between Brainiac 5 and Superman, Bouncing Boy is able sense that Brainy is just sending Superman on a wild goose chase. Brainiac 5 understands that preserving life is more important than following some programming or protocol. That’s something that the original Brainiac could never grasp!

“Valuing life is not weakness… and disregarding it is not strength.” Mirage from The Incredibles (2004)

As Brainiac 5 says in issue #4 “I can learn from my teammates--my friends.” I would like to think that the being around Bouncing Boy has helped Brainy to be a more creative thinker. Oh well. Since Bouncing Boy has assumed leadership, the dynamic between these two has changed and has become more professional.

Last but not least, I wanted to end this on a lighter note. At the beginning of issue #4, there is brief interaction between Brainy and Bouncy. While Lightening Lad’s comments in this issue seem to stem from some underlying issues, Bouncing Boy is just having some good-natured fun with Brainy.

Brainy: The Fatal Five already extirpated…
Bouncing Boy: Blowed up
Brainy: ...the three tyrillium plants in this galaxy. This is the only one left, and the only one that employs a Biological workforce.
Bouncing Boy: People
Brainy: The Fatal Five’s goal is to change the peaceful course of history by promoting chaos.
Bouncing Boy: Setting things on fire
Brainy: Will you please refrain?
Bouncing Boy: He wants me to shut it.


5. Coluans/Brainiac 5: In the cartoon, the Coluans look like carbon copies of each other that act reminiscent of worker bee drones. Brainy mentions that each Coluan makes up a collective hive mind (“Brain Drain”). In “Fear Factory” we get the impression that rejoining his people is a deep-rooted fear for Brainy. So, in issue #4, why would he be so adamant about going home? The personalities of the characters in the cartoon coincide for the most part with their comic book counterparts. However, in the comic, the Coluan people seem more like the robotic versions of the Coluans from other LOSH comic incarnations. As Phantom Girl puts it, “These people look pretty happy to me.” In the Post-Zero Hour comic book version of Colu, the Coluans are somewhat hostile to Brainiac 5. When Brainy, Kid Quantum, and Shrinking Violet (Leviathan II) visit Colu, the planet goes on lockdown and the windows and doors set up automatic barricades much to Kid Quantum’s bewilderment and Brainy’s amusement (Legion of Super Heroes v4 Issue 107). One of the problems is that Brainiac 5’s people prefer to ponder over theories and possibilities while Brainy prefers hands-on experimentation. It just so happens that Brainiac 5 also tends to have a bad habit of blowing up their expensive facilities. Remember what happened to the containment chamber in “Brain Drain?” Brainy blowing up equipment is a running gag in the old school comics. As time goes on, the Coluans considers him to be a “12th level freak” (Legion of Super Heroes v4 Issue 114; page 17).

Invisible Kid : I suppose you’ll want to consult with Brainiac 5.

Coluan Woman: Not especially. We consider his twelfth-level intelligence a dysfunctional aberration. Eight-level intelligence, such as my own, is regarded as the optimum upper level on Colu these days. To put it simply, we are still very smart, but we retain the capacity for healthy emotional function and cordial social skills.

Invisible Kid: Oh yeah. ‘Cordial social skills’ my…
(The Legion Issue #10; page 10)

Getting back to the LOSH 31st century comic, I understand that there is only so much you can squeeze into one issue, but I would have loved to see how his people reacted to Brainiac 5. Lightening Lad wonders why Brainy doesn’t want to go see his parents. This makes me wonder if we will see the same Brainiac 4 in the cartoon/comic that was in the Post Zero Hour version. We do, however, find out that Brainy was and still is the teacher’s pet. The interaction between Brainiac 5 and his mentor Dr. Mod is only one page long, but Brainy seems to have a great deal of respect for him. I spent my childhood in the Deep South where many of us tend to say “Sir” or “Ma’am” when addressing someone. Here, Brainiac 5 does the same thing. Brainy is wearing a bow tie, but he doesn’t wear it in subsequent panels. I wonder if the bow tie was just another one of Brainy’s formalities. No matter what version of Brainiac 5 we see, he is a pariah to his people. It’s no wonder that he enjoys being a Legionnaire.


6. Superman/Brainiac 5: I’m hard pressed to name a Saturday morning kid’s show that has a character interaction as multifaceted as that of Superman/Brainiac 5. There’s so much that can be said about these two, but I just wanted to focus on how their friendship brings out two aspects of Brainy’s character. The first is Brainiac 5 as the lonely fanboy that just simply wants Superman’s company. The second is Brainiac 5 as the burdened individual that seeks atonement for his ancestor’s crimes. Here we go!

The Lonely Fanboy - On another forum, Brainiac 5 is referred to as being emotionally needy. It’s interesting to see how certain relationships bring out that side of him. He has spent a good part of his life on Colu being emotionally isolated from his people. One can still be lonely even if that person is surrounded by people. In almost every version of Brainiac 5 out there, Brainy manages to find an outlet for his loneliness. In one version of the old school LOSH comics, his outlet is his romance with fellow teammate Andromeda. Brainy has a hard time finding the balance between following his heart and following his head. This frustrates Andromeda to no end. In another version, Brainy’s outlet is taking care of his pet monkey Koko. Eventually, Koko leaves him to stay with a race of space monkeys. Brainy gets teary eyed and tries to hide his pain from his teammates.

Brainiac 5: For the last time, I’m fine!
Chameleon Boy(?): Are you sure, Brainy?
Brainiac 5: What do you want? A signed oath?
Chameleon Boy: If I’d just lost my pet…
Brainiac 5: Koko wasn’t a pet! He was an infestation! I’m ecstatic that he’s gone!
(Legion of Superheroes v. 4 issue #122 page 22)

XS: I think [Brainy]’s lonely. He misses Koko terribly.
Montress/XS: Not that he’d ever admit it!
XS: Right!
(Legionnaires issue #78 page 3)

In the Justice League Unlimited animated series, Brainy’s outlet is his romance with Supergirl. I liked seeing the effect she has on him. Before Supergirl goes off to fight the possessed Legion members, she kisses him. Brainy stands there momentarily with his head in the clouds until Green Arrow snaps him out of it. Here, we have a guy that claims to be ruled by intellect and logic not emotion. I don’t think that Brainiac 5 is deliberately lying to everyone. He truly believes that he is not capable of such strong emotions. Green Arrow practically backs Brainy into a corner before he admits his feelings for Supergirl.

Green Arrow: Admit it genius. You’re in love with her.
Brainiac 5: Ludicrous! We just met. Moreover, as a Coluan, I’m ruled by intellect not emotion.
Green Arrow: So in love with her
Brainiac 5: Increased sweat gland production, shortness of breath, inability to concentrate…I thought it was guilt, but I am in love. How did you know?
Green Arrow: Just call me cupid, Junior. I never miss.
Justice League Unlimited, Season 3, episode 10 (“Far From Home”)

In the LOSH cartoon, Brainy’s outlet is his friendship with Superman.

Awsome Girl posted:

"Brainiac 5- Brainy is an interesting character because he's this bossy, neurotic, cynical, 12th level genius and yet still a 13(?)-year-old boy who has this idolization of Superman and desire to be more like everyone else, and can also be a bit immature(see Legacy). The friendship Brainy has with Superman is endearing, even though he keeps many secrets from him and the other legionnares, but usually with good intentions."

One of the traits that Awesome Girl attributes to Brainiac 5 is “immature” based on “Legacy.” This part of Brainy comes out as a result of Alexis monopolizing Superman’s time. In subsequent scenes, we see that Brainy has a bit of a jealous streak. He reminds me of a preschooler that pouts because he didn’t get enough candy in his lunchbox. Simply put, Brainiac 5 really enjoys Superman’s company and he wants Superman to like him. It’s good to see that this aspect of their friendship isn’t one-sided. Superman is indeed quite fond of the little android. Who can forget how Superman agonized over Brainiac 5’s lifeless body in “Fear Factory.” He is also sensitive to Brainy’s feelings. For example, in “Legacy” Superman can tell that Brainiac 5 is disappointed and tries to make it up to him. Later, he knows that he has let Brainy down and feels terrible about it. He apologizes but Brainy doesn’t seem bothered. Brainy has either accepted the fact that Superman wants to spend more time with Alexis or he is just putting up his guard so that he won’t be disappointed by Superman again (once burned, twice shy). Eventually, Brainiac 5 and Superman do get to hangout together. In “Child’s Play,” Brainy and Superman are hanging out at what looks like the 31st century version of Starbucks.
As I mentioned before, there are many elements of the cartoon that have made it into the LOSH 31st century comic. It’s good to see that the Superman/Brainiac 5 relationship is carried over into the comic. There’s a scene in issue #4 where Superman insists on accompanying Brainy to Colu. After Brainy stoically refuses, Superman sends a team to help Brainy in the event that he should run into the Fatal 5. There’s another scene in the same issue where Superman is patrolling different planets to look for the Fatal 5. He makes two pit stops to Colu just to check up on Brainy. The look on Superman’s face is a mixture of curiosity and concern. While Brainiac 5 is just as much of a Superman fan boy as Cosmic Boy or Bouncing Boy, there is still that lingering uneasiness Brainy has about Superman meeting the original Brainiac. This brings me to my second point.

Brainiac of Burden - There’s another aspect of the Brainy/Superman friendship that brings out a side of Brainy that has never been seen in any other comic book or animated version of Brainiac 5. The blog over at the Legion Abstract website mentions that in the last 49 years of Legion comic book history, Brainy’s character has never been developed the way it has been in the LOSH cartoon. In Justice League Unlimited Season 3 episode 10 (“Far From Home”), Brainy says, “I am Brainiac 5. Think of me as the black sheep of my family dedicated to doing good to make up for my ancestor’s legacy of evil.” James Tucker has stated that Brainiac 5 in the current LOSH cartoon has similar motivations. “Brainiac 5 comes from the planet Colu founded by Superman’s oldest foe Brainiac. He’s aware of his dark ancestor and hopes to make amends by doing good deeds and forging a friendship with the Man of Steel before he realizes what their connection will be in the past.” Source: comicbookresources.com
Whereas the JLU Brainy is straightforward about his heritage and even seems to be at peace with it, the LOSH cartoon Brainiac 5 is more clandestine and is carrying baggage. In the cartoon, Brainy is shouldering a very heavy responsibility and I wonder if he will ever feel that he has atoned for his ancestor’s transgressions. It’s never easy to bear the responsibilities of someone else’s bad actions, and poor Brainy is trying to atone for a list of crimes (including multiple counts of genocide) that he didn’t even commit! Add to the fact that Brainy didn’t even exist when those atrocities were going down. Brainiac 5 seeks Superman’s friendship as an act of redemption and he truly wants to do right by Superman. When Superman is beating himself up for not being able to save Saturn Girl (“Fear Factory”), Brainiac 5 reminds him that even someone as powerful as Superman has limitations. He even goes so far as to set Superman up in a no-win situation just to make him face up to his fears. There’s also the issue of the Kryptonite that Brainy was keeping secret. In “Brain Drain” Brainiac 5 blabs, “green rocks killed the last sun(son?)”. The meaning of the statement is completely lost on Superman and Timber Wolf. This is the part of the relationship that’s one-sided. Brainiac 5 clearly has the advantage of hindsight. Being a descendent of Brainiac, it comes as no surprise that Brainy would possess accurate knowledge of Superman’s life and demise. Could the Kryptonite that Brainy was keeping be the actual piece that had killed Superman? Maybe it had been passed down through the ‘Brainiac’ line. If that were true, then it would definitely make the ending of “Phantoms” all the more poignant. In “Phantoms” Superman is seeking answers to his destiny from the museum and from Drax. In “Brain Drain” he comes to realize that Brainiac 5 actually has the answers he’s looking for. Naturally, Superman finds this turn of events unsettling. Their friendship does not seem to be adversely affected by this. They both know that the question is not “if” Superman finds out what he needs to know but “when.” It’s just a matter of time.

“Trust can be so fragile...[Superman,] you have nothing to say sorry for...and I have legacy of hate to make amends for. I just hope you can accept my apology when the time comes and you learn the truth." Brainiac 5 “Common Ground” by Straya (Source: fanfiction.net and at Straya’s deviantart.com site.)

Wrap up: So, that’s my take on Brainiac 5’s character study! I mentioned some major and minor discrepancies between the comic and the cartoon. For example, when Brainy says “good luck” in issue #4 it is a reflection of his state of mind. However, he says “good luck” in “Sundown Part II” twice but nothing is out of the ordinary. The comic is definitely diverging from the cartoon. I’m waiting on Season 2 to get underway and for a few more issues of the comic to come out before I feature another character. I would like to feature one of the girls next. So far, Phantom Girl has had the best characterization. Don’t let me hog all the fun! I’d like to hear other people’s opinions.


Finally finished…so…happy * dies *

You have some very good insights, Lass Girl, and I can't wait for your opinions on the other characters. I also appreciated the quote from one of my posts.

I'd like to say some more but it's getting late, so bye for now!

I never saw that quote! That's awesome. Good analysis; looking forward to the rest.

In the Subs episode, we see another side of the Brainy / LL dynamic, as Brainy not-gently grabs his cannon-thingie out of LLs hands and perfunctorily shoves him out of the way.

I remember thinking that this was out of character for this version of Brainy (if, perhaps, perfectly in-character for some of the comic-book portrayals of the adult Brainiac 5), but given the treatment Brainy tends to receive from Lightning Lad, it's possible that Brainy has 'written him off,' as the only time we see Lightning Lad treating Brainy as a valued companion is when Brainy is unconcious and not there to see it...

Love reading characters studies. This one covered so much ground it's hard to remember what to comment on.

Here a few more observations on the character of Brainiac 5. Since the Justice League version was mentioned, I wanted to say I thought there was an interesting dynamic between Brainiac 5 and Bouncing Boy in the Far From Home episode. It reminded me of the dynamic between Spock and McCoy in Star Trek. In the Substitutes episode, I felt that Brainiac 5 was more short with people than in other episodes. He seemed annoyed at some of the substitutes trying out and, like Lightning Lad, was anxious to be rid of some of them. Leaves you wondering if he's only polite to people he respects or if something else was going on that made him not pay as much attention to how we was acting toward others. When he first met Dr. Londo in the episode where the Legion gained Timberwolf, he acted very respectful to the scientist at least until he found out what kind of experiments he was doing. In the Substitutes episode, he also seemed more concerned that he'd underestimated Star Finger than he was with the fact that he'd ignored the Substitutes when they needed help. He doesn't seem much for thank you's either, except mainly to Superman. He certainly did not congratulate or thank any of the Substitutes. We never did see if he thanked Timberwolf for rescuing him in Brain Drain. He also set off the elevator trying to leave Timberwolf behind in that episode. Did he just want to be alone with his favorite superhero Superman and not realize Timberwolf would be in danger? The other time he did seem genuinely thankful was when Saturn Girl said they were his friends and would be there for him at the beginning of Brain Drain. Reminded me of what she said to Lightning Lad in the episode about his home world though and, ironically, Lightning Lad didn't believe she meant it as that episode progressed. One of the parts I like best about Brainiac 5 is that he's truly evolved a good sense of humor. Liked the comment he made to Lightning Lad about getting the memo for the bake sale. I think humor like that shows he can think outside of the box. You would not expect a machine to have a sense of humor. He even told some bad jokes in Brain Drain about having to get to Zune really Zune (meaning soon).

Am looking forward to hearing more comments and more observations about the various characters. They're always a lot of fun to read and often spark some fan fiction story ideas.

Was thinking over some of the comments from earlier posters and what worked for me between the series and the comic book and came up with some more incites into the character dynamics. If you take what the original post said about Brainiac 5 not being accepted by his world as a fact, then in the comic book you can justify this and explain some of Brainiac 5's rationale. Brainiac 5 strikes me as having the type of personality I see in some computer programmers. He looks at everything as having to be logical and rational. If someone in charge makes a less than rational and less than optimal decision, he's going to be unhappy about it and unable to understand why the person is not doing what would make the most sense. If a coworker is doing a less than optimal job, Brainiac 5 feels he's going to end up having to clean up the mess afterwards and he also is not going to appreciate it. If someone does act intelligently and make sense, Brainiac 5 is going to be respectful of the person. In the case of meeting his teacher in the comic book, he was highly respectful because his teacher thinks in a way that makes sense to him, is more experienced and has possibly taught him things he didn't know. He thus looks up to his teacher like a mentor or a role model. We don't get to see what his relationship is with him family on Colu though. A typical human reaction to someone who is very bright is to either be jealous or to think the person is stand-offish because they're more into their thoughts and ideas than the average person (still waters run deep). This is probably the way the Coluans in the comic book see Brainiac 5. The Legion members, each having unique powers that possibly others may have been jealous of as well, can look to his skills as an asset and not feel envious. We do notice that Brainiac 5 acts respectful to those he considers intelligent (whether they are or not) such as with Dr. Londo and not so respectful with those he considers less so such as the substitutes (who have not yet learned to master their own powers).

This kind of personality would explain Brainiac 5's behavior on Winath very well. He felt that Cosmic Boy had the best plan which made the best use of his particular skills (fix the equipment). Lightning Lad was reacting emotionally, not thinking things through logically. He was trying to block falling meteorites with lightning bolts, dealing with the immediate problem (putting out fires so to speak), rather than finding a real solution. Bouncing Boy did make a contribution to saving people, but I'm sure Brainiac 5 felt the real goal was stopping the storm (the cause) and putting something in place to prevent future ones. Thus, he probably voted for Cosmic Boy for leader again and was surprised that Bouncing Boy was elected by many of the others. It's not that he wouldn't respect the goal of saving the population or Bouncing Boy's logical efforts to get that done. However, the real goal for Brainiac 5 was to fix the problem. Saving the people and not having a working solution in effect for future storms that would again threaten the population did not mean much to him. You have the situation where Lightning Lad doesn't always think things through before making leadership decisions. Add to that, the fact that he can also be somewhat insulting if Brainiac 5 (or others) encroaches on his leadership role by questioning illogical decisions. Of course, Brainiac 5 is just the type who'll speak out if he's asked to do something he doesn't agree with as being the most rational course. You can see why the two don't always get along. I think it also says something about Brainiac 5's personality that he'll strongly (and maybe even emotionally) defend when he doesn't agree with a leader's decisions, but he doesn't want to sink to Lightning Lad's level and just be insulting to the other person in general.

If you look at how the Coluans are portrayed in the TV show, they are very different from the comic book version and, thus, Brainiac 5's relationship to them is very different. In the TV show, they are represented more like the Borg or Replicators with a hive mind. Consider a 12th level intellect having to accept the ideas of a large hive mind that does not think in as evolved a manner as he does. The hive mind would not accept it if he came up with different solutions that he thought were more effective. He would have to be made to think like the group. This explains his greatest fear in the Fear Factor episode. Brainiac 5 wants to be an individual and make full use of his potential. His people want him to conform and be assimilated. He disconnected himself from the others in Brain Drain to avoid their forcing their will and decisions on him. He wants to be more human because humans can be very individualistic. Some human cultures prize very highly the ability to think for one's self and come up with meaningful solutions to situations. Of course, this characterization of the Coluans is totally different from the comic book version and the two views would have trouble coexisting in the same universe. In the comic book version, the Coluans are very much representative of the more human form we see them in. In the TV version, you have them acting more like the machines we see them as, not wanting originality and individual thought. After, considering the two versions, I'm beginnning to think the comic book version of the Coluans could have more potential for story telling.

The other place where the comic book characterization departs with the TV one is Brainiac 5's relationship to Saturn Girl. In the first comic book, it appears we jump to Brainy's viewpoint (hard to tell for sure in that issue) and his attitude to Saturn Girl is that she's just too emotional. In the TV show, he seems to highly respect Saturn Girl. Her skills are mental skills. She's had to develop her mind and her skills are something Brainiac 5 can't do even with a 12th level intellect. He seems highly respectful of them and even expected Saturn Girl to be able to read his mind when there was trouble in the Timber Wolf episode. We see how much he appears to look up to her in Brain Drain too. She appears far more logical in the show than Lightning Lad. I can see Brainiac 5 respecting her and valuing her rational influence on Lightning Lad. She also seems much more moral than Brainiac 5. She believes highly in respecting the privacy of others and doesn't believe in reading others' thoughts without permission. She finds Brainiac 5 spying on Superman in Phantoms and tells him it's not appropriate behavior. She can get into other's heads (reading minds or just using pyschology) and, thus, try to understand when they make mistakes or follow a less than logical course. This is something Brainiac 5 still needs to learn. In this case, I think I found the lack of continuity regarding Saturn Girl's and Brainiac 5's friendship in the comic book disconcerting and much preferred the TV characterization.

One other situation where we get a glimpse into Brainiac 5's personality is with Alexis. I felt Alexis was acting very spoiled and childish through-out the episode wanting all of Superman's attention. We see how far Brainiac 5's evolved. He feels hurt that Superman prefers to spend time with her over him, especially after he's given his word that they'd go on assignment together. I think that's a normal human reaction. However, when there's trouble and someone's life is in danger, despite his feelings towards Alexis, he tells Superman to go to her and help her out. That's the value system of a superhero. Alexis would not have done the same if Superman's friends were in trouble.

Look forward to hearing more thoughts from others on the various characters in the show. Enjoyed reading what's been posted so far and noticing things in the show and comic book in new ways because of it.

Great thread, Lass Girl!

Think we've seen some interesting character developments in Brainiac 5 in Message in a Bottle that they've slowly been building on since last season. It seems Brainiac 5 is just fine with there being some amount of casualties as long as it serves the greater good. I'm wondering if some of that comes from his Coluan background, since his friends don't seem so fine with the idea. We had Fear Factory, where Brainiac 5 was okay with sacrificing himself to free the others. Of course, he knew he'd be all right. We had the 1st episode of 2nd season where Brainiac 5 shows that he thinks it's heroic for himself or Superman X to make a sacrifice for the greater good. So, he probably would have sacrificed himself anyway in Fear Factory if this was any indication. We had Chained Lightning where Brainiac 5 is ready to sacrifice Ayla for the greater good of the galaxy. Good thing Vi had an alternative that helped everyone. Now we have Message in a Bottle where Brainiac 5 recommends destroying the weapon and saving whoever they can, even if that means destroying a city full of people. Of course, Superman is not at all happy with that scenario. The latest sacrifice was sacrificing himself by accessing possibly dangerous code to help save the day. I'm assuming he was unfamiliar enough with the technology that he could not have figured it out in time without accessing the files as a shortcut. With a 12th level intellect, you would think he would come up with some better plans than sacrificing some people to save others. In one of the Star Trek movies, they mention the Kobayashi Maru, a no win scenario. Brainiac 5's reaction is somewhat like Spock's was originally, sacrificing the lesser number to save the greater. I like Kirk's solution better, cheat if you have to, but find a win-win scenario for everyone. Guess that's a more human solution and requires thinking outside of the box. Brainiac 5 does not appear to have evolved to the point where he can do that yet, even with all his intellect. Good thing his friends are there to help keep the balance sometimes.