Brainiac 8 (Indigo) is a
fictional
superhero character appearing in
American comic books published by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
.
Publication history
Brainiac 8 first appeared in ''
Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day'' #1 and was created by
Judd Winick
Judd Winick (born February 12, 1970) is an American cartoonist, comic book writer and screenwriter, as well as a former reality television personality. He first gained fame for his stint on MTV's ''The Real World: San Francisco'' in 1994, before f ...
and
Alé Garza.
Fictional character biography
Indigo is a
Coluan and a member of the
Outsiders. Born in a distant future era, she comes to the 21st century badly damaged, and desperately looks for a cybernetic or mechanical organism capable of repairing her. In the process, she tries to install her self-repairing routines into the
Metal Men
The Metal Men are a group of superheroes that appear in DC Comics. The characters first appeared in ''Showcase'' #37 (March–April 1962) and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Boo ...
, but they are incapable of assisting her in maintenance. Then she turns to
Cyborg
A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. , but in the process, she damages him.
Attacked by the combined forces of
Young Justice
Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes.
The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...
and the
Titans
In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Gai ...
, she retreats and switches into an offensive mode. Although the combined forces of the young superheroes best her, adding further damage, she is able to activate a dormant
Superman robot
The Superman robots are fictional robots from the DC Comics Universe. The robots resembled Superman in appearance and abilities.
History Silver Age versions
Superman robots played a particularly dominant role in late 1950s and 1960s era Superman ...
before shutting down for repairs. Yet when the android comes after the young heroes (killing
Lilith Clay and
Donna Troy
Donna Troy is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the original Wonder Girl and later temporarily adopts another identity, Troia. Created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, she first appeared in ''The B ...
),
Red Arrow (then going by the name "Arsenal") briefly reactivates the young female droid and sends her to stop the Superman Android before shutting down again.
When Red Arrow (still calling himself Arsenal at the time) reforms the Outsiders, he claims the female droid, now called Indigo, as a teammate.
Her memory was supposedly damaged in the aftermath of her dramatic appearance; any remainder was wiped out by
S.T.A.R. Labs
Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories (S.T.A.R. Labs) is a fictional scientific research facility and organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It first appeared in ''Superman'' #246 (December 1 ...
. Indigo displays a very naive personality, guilelessly taking pleasure in the simple things in life, like doing laundry for friends, bowling, and silent movies. She often struggles to learn how to behave in society, and takes her cues from those she lives with. As she grows more integrated in her quest to earn the acceptance and forgiveness of
Nightwing and her teammates, she even manages to find love with
Shift.
It was revealed in that Indigo is actually Brainiac 8, and every bit the ruthless, inhuman villain that previous
Brainiacs were. Indigo as the Outsiders knew her is essentially a subprogram, designed by Brainiac 8's "grandfather", Brainiac 6, to endear her to the superhero community.
Brainiac 8 had been sent back in time to kill Donna Troy, because a living Donna would negate Coluan domination over the "organics" after the "
Infinite Crisis
"Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...
" events. After a beating by the combined forces of Teen Titans and Outsiders, the Indigo persona wrests control from Brainiac 8, and reveals herself to be a genuine personality. Weeping, she begs Shift to kill her before the Brainac 8 persona could harm the people she loves. Shift, in tears, transforms her molecular structure into flesh, killing her in the process.
The ''Origins and Omens'' back-up story indicated that Indigo might soon return, but writer Judd Winick left the book before this plot thread could be followed up on.
Indigo eventually returns in ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #98 as part of
Superboy-Prime's
Legion of Doom
The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in '' Challenge of the Super Friends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univer ...
. She now sports a cybernetic arm and eye, the origins of which are unexplained. During ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #100, she is once again destroyed by
Red Robin
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., more commonly known as Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews or simply Red Robin, is an American chain of casual dining restaurants founded in September 1969 in Seattle, Washington. In 1979, the first franchised ...
and
Robin.
In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "
DC Rebirth
DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the DC ...
", which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "
The New 52
The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...
". Indigo appears as a member of the
Fatal Five
The Fatal Five is a supervillain team of the 30th century in the DC Comics universe. They were created by Jim Shooter and first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #352 (1967) as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Fictional team history
Original ...
. While fighting Supergirl, she got torn into pieces by
Zor-El
Zor-El is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A Kryptonian, he is the brother of Jor-El, husband of Alura, father of Supergirl, and paternal uncle of Superman.
Traditional depictions of Zor-El in Golde ...
. Then, her remains were gathered and shipped to Mokkari from
Magog.
Powers and abilities
Indigo possesses an analytical computer-like brain, enabling her to think and perceive information at great speeds. As a unique inorganic being, she can fly, project force fields, and fire blasts of energy from her eyes or hands. Her physical capabilities are far beyond human limitations. She is also able to interact with and control any technology, no matter how modern.
Other characters with the name Indigo
* Indigo was also the name of a character in ''
DP 7
''D.P. 7'' was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics as part of its New Universe imprint. It ran for 32 issues and an ''Annual'' (January 1987), which were published from 1986 to 1989.
The title stands for Displaced Paranormals and ref ...
'', one of the titles of
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
' short-lived
New Universe
The New Universe is an imprint from Marvel Comics that was published in its original incarnation from 1986 to 1989. It was the first line produced by Marvel Comics utilizing a pre-conceived shared universe concept. It was created by Jim Shooter, ...
imprint.
* Indigo was another name used by the DC superhero
Deep Blue
Deep Blue may refer to:
Film
* ''Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads'', a 1992 documentary film about Mississippi Delta blues music
* Deep Blue (2001 film), ''Deep Blue'' (2001 film), a film by Dwight H. Little
* Deep Blue (2003 ...
.
* Indigo was also the name of a member of
Sovereign Seven
''Sovereign Seven'' is a creator-owned American comic book series, created by Chris Claremont and Dwayne Turner, and published by DC Comics.
Publication history
Launched in April 1995, ''Sovereign Seven'' was created by writer Chris Claremont a ...
.
* Indigo-1 was also the name of the leader of the
Indigo Tribe
The Indigo Tribe is a fictional organization that appears in DC Comics publications, primarily those of the ''Green Lantern'' series. In the DC Universe, it is one of the seven major groups known as the Corps of the emotional spectrum. The group ...
in ''
The Blackest Night
"Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Nig ...
'' crossover event in 2009. She and her tribe derived their power from compassion.
In other media
Indigo appears in a
season 1 Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012
* ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012
See also
*
*
* Season 2 (disambiguation)
* Season 4 (disambiguati ...
of ''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'', portrayed by
Laura Vandervoort
Laura Dianne Vandervoort (born September 22, 1984) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Sadie Harrison in the CTV teen drama series ''Instant Star'', Arla "The Bolt-Gun Killer" Cogan in the Syfy supernatural drama series '' ...
(who portrayed
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
on the TV show ''
Smallville''). She debuts in the episode "
Solitude". It is mentioned that she was previously known as Brainiac-8, is a Coluan and a possible descendant of original Brainiac. Indigo initially appears as a blonde human on video monitors, but attains a form closer to that of her comics counterpart when in the real world. Eventually crossing paths with Supergirl, Indigo hacks a secret military base and also teams up with Supergirl's uncle and enemy
Non. She reveals to Supergirl as she dies that she was the reason Fort Rozz and Supergirl escaped the Phantom Zone. Her plan is to destroy National City with a nuclear weapon, but she is killed by
Winn Schott, Jr. when he downloads a virus into her. However, Non later reanimates her. Indigo reappears in "
Myriad", now working with Non conducting Project Myriad. In the season finale "
Better Angels", she and Non try to kill all of the people in National City using Myriad. Indigo is killed for good during a final confrontation with the
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...
and Supergirl when the former rips her body in half. Before she dies, she reveals that she has locked the system to activate Myriad, so Kara and J'onn will have no choice but to watch everyone on Earth die. Indigo is ultimately defeated in death when Supergirl saves the world by flying Fort Rozz into space, pushing herself to her limits to push it out of the earth's orbit, saving the world.
Indigo appears as a playable character in the DC TV Super-Villains DLC pack in ''
Lego DC Super-Villains
''Lego DC Super-Villains'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales. The fourth installment in the '' Lego Batman'' series of games, it is a spin-off that focuses entirely on villains of the DC Univers ...
''.
References
External links
Indigoat DC Database
at DC Cosmic Teams!
Indigoat Comic Vine
Indigoat Writeups.org
{{The Outsiders
Characters created by Judd Winick
DC Comics female superheroes
DC Comics American superheroes
DC Comics characters with accelerated healing
DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
DC Comics robots
DC Comics cyborgs
DC Comics extraterrestrial supervillains
DC Comics female supervillains
DC Comics supervillains
Cyborg supervillains
Robot supervillains
Fictional androids
Fictional artificial intelligences
Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities
Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
Fictional extraterrestrial cyborgs
Fictional extraterrestrial robots
Fictional gynoids
Fictional technopaths