''Superman: Brainiac Attacks'' is a 2006 American
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
superhero film
A superhero film (or superhero movie) is a film that focuses on the actions of superheroes. Superheroes are individuals who possess superhuman abilities and are dedicated to protecting the public. These films typically feature action, advent ...
from
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 19 ...
. Released on June 20, 2006, as a marketing tie in with ''
Superman Returns
''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the sixth and fina ...
'', the film features
Superman battling the forces of
Lex Luthor
Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: April ...
and
Brainiac, and his relationship with
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...
.
Plot
Brainiac crash lands back on Earth and hijacks Lex Labs to collect Earth's data and amass the power of its weapons systems. Lois Lane and
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...
are sent to one of Lex Luthor's laboratories after Brainiac arrives on Earth on a meteor, successfully dodging attempts made by Luthor's satellite to destroy him in an attempt to boost his popularity against Superman. Superman shortly arrives and finds Brainiac downloading data from the computers with information relating to LexCorp weaponry. After a battle, Superman seemingly destroys Brainiac with his ice breath.
Witnessing the incident, and seeing how his satellite could be used as an effective weapon against Superman, Luthor finds Brainiac's still intact brain chip and uses it to reactivate him. He then proposes that Brainiac, with the technology of LexCorp as well as
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...
, defeat Superman, and then Luthor would step in to chase Brainiac away from the Earth, making him appear to be a hero, where he will then be free to conquer other planets, leaving Luthor in charge of Earth. Brainiac accepts the agreement, and proceeds to rebuild and improve himself.
Meanwhile, Clark Kent contemplates revealing his secret identity to Lois. The opportunity presents itself when editor
Perry White
Perry White is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the editor-in-chief of the Metropolis newspaper the ''Daily Planet''. The character maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards and ...
, due to staff shortages, sends both Kent and Lois to review a restaurant in Metropolis. During this time, however, Brainiac returns, injuring Superman and Lois with his Kryptonite rays. It is revealed that Lois has been infected with a kryptonite, metallic-based poison that if not treated, would prove fatal.
Feeling guilty, Superman obtains a sample of Lois' blood from the hospital and returns to the Fortress of Solitude to analyze it, discovering that the only cure for her condition is the chemical Argonium 44, obtained from the
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created ...
. However, Brainiac is able to locate Superman in his Antarctic retreat, and attempts to download the information of Krypton from his computer. Superman then initiates a self-destruct sequence and escapes to the Phantom Zone, with Brainiac presuming him to be dead.
Brainiac returns to Metropolis where Luthor awaits to fulfill their agreement. Jimmy investigates Lex and realizes that he is working with Brainiac. Brainiac, however, intends to kill Luthor to conquer Earth, and had even removed the self-destructive component that Luthor had planted should Brainiac betray him. Superman seemingly returns through a portal and cures Lois, but when bringing her out of the hospital, he realizes this is an illusion created by the Phantom Zone. After this, he is chased and attacked by several Phantoms before escaping.
Returning to Metropolis, Superman and Brainiac engage in a lengthy battle, during which Luthor is injured in the crossfire.
Mercy Graves discovers Jimmy looking for evidence against Luthor and brutally attacks him. Eventually he takes over one of Lex's robot exoskeletons and knocks her unconscious. Unfortunately, his camera is destroyed by his attack, preventing him from obtaining evidence of Lex's schemes. Superman seemingly defeats Brainiac and then returns to the hospital to cure Lois. But before Lois can take the cure, Brainiac attacks the hospital and smashes the cure, before Superman destroys him by breaking his brain chip.
With the cure now destroyed, Lois faces certain death. Superman, regretting never telling Lois his true feelings then embraces her. It is then that his tears, containing Argonium 44 that had healed him earlier, makes contact with Lois, curing her. She presumes him to be Clark, but Superman convinces her otherwise. Later, Superman recovers a piece of his destroyed Kryptonian technology, planning to use it to rebuild his fortress. He then vows to quit his job at the Daily Planet in an attempt to prevent future harm to his loved ones, should any of his enemies discover his secret identity.
The film ends with an injured Luthor facing criminal prosecution from his involvement in Brainiac's attack, and Lois racing to cover the appearance of
Mister Mxyzptlk
Mister Mxyzptlk (, ), sometimes called Mxy, is a character who appears in DC Comics' '' Superman'' comic books. He is usually presented as a trickster in the classical mythological sense. Mxyzptlk possesses reality-warping powers with which he en ...
in Metropolis. Seeing Lois' eagerness to put herself in harm's way to cover a story, Superman goes back on his earlier decision to quit the Daily Planet so he can be with her.
Cast
*
Tim Daly
James Timothy Daly (born March 1, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Joe Hackett on the NBC sitcom ''Wings'' and his voice role as Clark Kent/Superman in '' Superman: The Animated Series'', as well as his recurring role as ...
as
Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman
*
Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen (born May 5, 1940) is an American actor. He is known for his works in various science fiction, action and horror films, such as that of Bishop in the ''Alien'' film franchise, and Frank Black in Fox television series ''Millenn ...
as
Brainiac
*
Powers Boothe
Powers Allen Boothe (June 1, 1948 – May 14, 2017) was an American actor. He won an Emmy in 1980 for his portrayal of Jim Jones in '' Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones''. He also played saloon owner Cy Tolliver on '' Deadwood'', "C ...
as
Lex Luthor
Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: April ...
*
Dana Delany
Dana Welles Delany (born March 13, 1956) is an American actress. After appearing in small roles early in her career, Delany received her breakthrough role as Colleen McMurphy on the ABC television drama '' China Beach'' (1988–1991), for whic ...
as
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...
*
George Dzundza
George Dzundza ( ; born July 19, 1945) is an American television and film actor.
Early life and education
Dzundza was born in Rosenheim, Germany, to a Ukrainian-Jewish father, Roman Dzundza, originally from Kalush, Ukraine, and a Polish-Jewish m ...
as
Perry White
Perry White is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the editor-in-chief of the Metropolis newspaper the ''Daily Planet''. The character maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards and ...
*
David Kaufman as
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...
*
Mike Farrell
Michael Joseph Farrell Jr. (born February 6, 1939) is an American actor, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series ''M*A*S*H'' (1975–83). Farrell was a producer of ''Patch Adams'' (1998) starring Robin Willi ...
as
Jonathan Kent
*
Shelley Fabares
Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares (; born January 19, 1944) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her television roles as Mary Stone on the sitcom ''The Donna Reed Show'' (1958–1963) and as Christine Armstrong on the sitcom ...
as
Martha Kent
Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent, often referred to as "Pa" and "Ma" Kent (respectively), are fictional characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. They are the adoptive parents of Superman. They live in the rural town of Smallville, ...
*
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The New Batman Adventure ...
as
Mercy Graves
Production
The film was directed by Curt Geda, who worked on ''
Superman: The Animated Series''. The classic style was desired by Warner Bros, with Geda adding more humor and romance than previously explored in the animated series. Despite the film's visual style and much of its voice cast being the same as ''Superman: The Animated Series'', writer Duane Capizzi has stated the film was not intended to be part of the
DC Animated Universe
The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans referring to the creators and producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini respectively) is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated televis ...
.
Additionally, DCAU cast members
Clancy Brown
Clarence John "Clancy" Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles.
Brown's film roles include Viking Lofgren in ''Bad Boys'' ...
(Lex Luthor),
Corey Burton
Corey Gregg Weinberg (born August 3, 1955), known professionally as Corey Burton, is an American voice actor. He is the current voice of Captain Hook, Ludwig Von Drake, Dale and others for The Walt Disney Company, Shockwave on '' The Transformer ...
(Brainiac) and
Lisa Edelstein Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer
* Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
(Mercy Graves) are absent from the film, with
Powers Boothe
Powers Allen Boothe (June 1, 1948 – May 14, 2017) was an American actor. He won an Emmy in 1980 for his portrayal of Jim Jones in '' Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones''. He also played saloon owner Cy Tolliver on '' Deadwood'', "C ...
,
Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen (born May 5, 1940) is an American actor. He is known for his works in various science fiction, action and horror films, such as that of Bishop in the ''Alien'' film franchise, and Frank Black in Fox television series ''Millenn ...
and
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The New Batman Adventure ...
voicing their respective characters instead.
Notably, this depiction of Lex Luthor, rather than being the cold, calculating industrialist portrayed in ''Superman: The Animated Series'', seems to incorporate elements of
Gene Hackman's less serious portrayals of the character in live-action films, making Luthor more light-hearted and darkly whimsical.
See also
*
List of animated feature-length films
These lists of animated feature films compiles animated feature films from around the world and is organized alphabetically under the year of release (the year the completed film was first released to the public). Theatrical releases as well as ...
References
External links
Duane Capizzi on ''Superman: Brainiac Attacks'', Interview Conducted by Jim HarveyDirector Talks ''Superman: Brainiac Attacks''Superman: Brainiac Attacks - IGN*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Superman: Braniac Attacks
2006 direct-to-video films
2006 films
Animated Superman films
Direct-to-video animated films based on DC Comics
Toonami
2000s American animated films
2000s animated superhero films
Films directed by Curt Geda
American children's animated superhero films
Films with screenplays by Duane Capizzi
2000s English-language films