How did Brainiac take control of the Justice League in Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League?

Brainiac is propped up as the big bad in Rocksteady's live-service game, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Set in the same universe as the Arkham trilogy, Suicide Squad's events take place five years after the conclusion of Batman: Arkham Knight. As one would guess, the driving force of the plot is the eponymous mission to kill the Justice League, but why?

The mission to kill the Justice League involves the death of many beloved DC superheroes, including the unceremonious send-off for Batman, the final performance voiced by the late Kevin Conroy. Being the chief protagonist from the original Arkham trilogy, the death of the Caped Crusader has particularly become a controversial topic.

The context to justify these killings is that the superheroes of Justice League are not their regular selves but drones possessed by one Dr. Vril Dox, otherwise known as Brainiac.

This article will discuss the chief reason why you have to kill the Justice League in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and how Brainiac is at the helm of the crisis.

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How Brainiac is set up to be the villain of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Brainiac, as seen in the Superman vs Brainiac arc, serialized in 2008 (Image via DC Fandom)

Who is Brainiac?

The character Brainiac pre-exists the usage of the term "Brainiac" to denote a genius. He was first introduced in Action Comics issue #242 (July 1958) as an alien from Krypton, a one-off rival for Superman's extensive rogues gallery.

However, this first iteration was changed significantly when Brainiac was retconned for Superman #167 (published 1964). The revised origin of this character depicts him as a cyborg created by the android Tyrants of Colu as a tool of espionage.

This is not the only time Brainiac would have undergone retcons and redesigns, but his current adaptations in movies, games, and other comics chiefly draw inspiration from the five-issue Brainiac vs Superman story arc from Action Comics issues 866 to 870 (2008).

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Why does Brainiac take over the Justice League in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League?

Brainiac's role in Suicide Squad seems to be lifted directly from his mind-bending shenanigans in The New 52 issues. The game's version of Brainiac inherits the origin story and powers as rewritten for post-Crisis DC canon, alongside the Coluan alias of Vril Dox.

As the player soon finds out during the campaign, Brainiac has been gradually taking over the Justice League by brainwashing superheroes and turning them into mindless thralls.

The goal for this seems to align with The New 52 Brainiac's logic, where the collective psionic power of possessed superheroes can be enough to alter reality, rebuild Colu, and 'bring new order' to the world.

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