Brainwave or Brainwave Jr. (Henry King Jr.) is a character in the
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
Universe
The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...
, who is commonly portrayed as a
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
and son of the
supervillain
A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...
,
Brain Wave, along with primarily being a member of the
Infinity, Inc.
Infinity, Inc. is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
The first incarnation is mostly composed of the children and heirs of the Justice Society of America (JSA), making them the Society's analogue to t ...
Henry King Jr.'s version of Brainwave appeared in the first season of the
DC Universe
The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...
/
The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
series ''
Stargirl'', portrayed by
Jake Austin Walker
Jake Austin Walker (born June 24, 1997) is an American actor and singer. He is known for his roles as Jared Talbot in the Sundance series ''Rectify'' (2013–2016), Henry King Jr. in the DC Universe series '' Stargirl'' (2020–2021), and Liam ...
.
Publication history
Brainwave first appeared in ''
All-Star Squadron
The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its s ...
'' #24 (1983) and was created by
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...
,
Jerry Ordway
Jeremiah Joseph Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.
He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining ''Crisis on Infinite E ...
and Mike Machlan.
Fictional character biography
Hank King Jr. is the son of Hank King Sr. and
Merry Pemberton. As the second Brainwave, he is a founding member of
Infinity, Inc.
Infinity, Inc. is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
The first incarnation is mostly composed of the children and heirs of the Justice Society of America (JSA), making them the Society's analogue to t ...
, creating the group to bring honor to his family name. During the run of ''Infinity, Inc.'' Brainwave develops a relationship with
Jade
Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...
. He also absorbs his father's mental powers following his death, increasing his own powers and driving him insane.
Brainwave resurfaces years later as a member of the
Legion of Doom
The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in '' Challenge of the Superfriends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...
. He is possessed by
Mister Mind
Mister Mind is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Captain Marvel. Created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics, the character made a cameo appea ...
, who feeds on his mental energy.
In ''Justice League: No Justice'', Brainwave joins
Task Force XI, a team of psychics assembled by
Amanda Waller
Amanda Belle Waller (née Blake), also known as "the Wall", is a fictional character featured in some American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in '' Legends'' #1 in 1986 and was created by John Ostrander, Len We ...
to battle
Brainiac.
Powers and abilities
Both King Sr. and Jr. have a variety of mental powers. King Sr. was originally much stronger, but upon his death, he somehow passed his powers on to his son, vastly increasing King Jr.'s power level.
Chief among their powers is telepathy. Both are able to dominate many minds at once and cause people to see
illusion
An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people.
Illusions may ...
s, or even have complete control over them. Proximity seems key to the effectiveness of this power, even though it had no defined range. King Jr. mentioned how even strong wills could not resist him when he was right next to them. While many telepaths filter out the thoughts of others, King Jr. allows the millions of minds he constantly comes across to flow freely through his mind.
Lesser-used powers of the Kings include telekinesis, the creation of realistic three-dimensional holograms, and the ability to fire blasts of psionic energy.
Other versions
An alternate universe variant of Brainwave from Earth-2 appears in
The New 52
The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...
.
In other media
* Brainwave, with elements of
Brain Wave, appears in ''
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 T ...
:
Outsiders'' as a member of
Infinity, Inc.
Infinity, Inc. is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
The first incarnation is mostly composed of the children and heirs of the Justice Society of America (JSA), making them the Society's analogue to t ...
* Henry King Jr. appears in ''
Stargirl'', portrayed by
Jake Austin Walker
Jake Austin Walker (born June 24, 1997) is an American actor and singer. He is known for his roles as Jared Talbot in the Sundance series ''Rectify'' (2013–2016), Henry King Jr. in the DC Universe series '' Stargirl'' (2020–2021), and Liam ...
. This version is a Blue Valley High student, football player, ex-boyfriend of
Yolanda Montez, and boyfriend of
Cindy Burman. After his father
Henry King Sr. is hospitalized, Henry Jr. begins to visit him while he recuperates, during which the latter's powers begin to develop before fully manifesting after Cindy challenges
Stargirl. After researching his powers and his father's work, Henry Jr. begins to share his father's views on humanity. Shortly after Stargirl tries to convince him otherwise in her civilian identity, Henry Jr. kills his father's lawyer for trying to have him taken off life support before Henry Sr. wakes up from his coma. Upon discovering Henry Sr. killed his mother to ensure his loyalty to the
Injustice Society
The Injustice Society (a.k.a. the Injustice Society of the World) is a group of supervillains in the . They are the main antagonists of the Justice Society of America.
The Injustice Society first appears in '' All Star Comics'' #37 (October 1947 ...
, Henry Jr. chooses to fight him and makes peace with Yolanda before sacrificing himself to save Stargirl's
Justice Society
In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes'' of Justinian, a ...
.
* Brainwave appears as a character summon in ''
Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.
References
{{Infinity Inc.
Characters created by Jerry Ordway
Characters created by Roy Thomas
Comics characters introduced in 1983
DC Comics metahumans
DC Comics psychics
DC Comics superheroes
DC Comics telekinetics
DC Comics telepaths
Earth-Two
Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities