WARNING: Contains Spoilers for ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #7!

TRIGGER WARNING: Body Horror & Gore

DC’s Absolute Universe has just delivered one of the most disturbing twists on a classic Superman villain, completely reshaping fan perception of the character and making Doomsday’s grotesque body look like child’s play compared to this villain’s new design. Proceed with caution: this Absolute Superman issue unleashes 22 pages of pure body horror.

Jason Aaron, Carmine Di Giandomenico, and Ulises Arreola’s Absolute Superman #7 takes a break from the Man of Steel and instead fully focuses on Brainiac, who has been teased throughout the series. Before this issue, fans had yet to get a proper look at the iconic villain, with his appearances limited to obscured angles or distant shots.

For the most part, Brainiac remained a mystery. The only known facts about him were that he was part of the Research and Development department of Lazarus Corps, was deceiving others by posing as an AI program, and had kept his hobby of collecting bottled cities. Now, fans finally get a deep dive into Brainiac's origin, and it is disturbing to say the least.

Absolute Superman Reveals Brainiac's Body Horror-Filled Origin

Comic Page Comes from Jason Aaron’s Absolute Superman #7 (2025) - Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico & Ulises Arreola

This issue makes it clear that Brainiac is exceptionally powerful, capable of hacking into secure systems and launching attacks on human physiology that go far beyond grotesque, essentially turning people’s insides into their outsides. It is during one of these attacks that Brainiac’s true form is revealed, depicting him as a half-rotting, half-machine cyborg-like creature. This marks a stark departure from his typical appearance in Earth-Prime continuity, where he is portrayed as almost flawless in appearance, despite his alien nature. As a result, this Absolute version of Brainiac is especially unsettling, with his organic parts appearing to be in an advanced state of decay.

In addition to physically decaying, Brainiac is portrayed as mentally unstable, suggesting that his mind is deteriorating along with his body. Through a flashback, readers learn that Brainiac was once part of a Brainiac collective, essentially a hive mind. However, this particular Brainiac was ranked among the lowest in its social hierarchy, with his sole job and life purpose being to shovel "refuse," which are revealed to be decommissioned Brainiacs. He continues this task non-stop for 136 years, slowly beginning to decay himself. This offers an explanation for his grotesque form in the present-day narrative. Additional context reveals that he eventually rose to the highest station after becoming the last surviving Brainiac on his ship. How he ultimately came to Earth, however, remains a mystery.

Brainiac Just Became Superman’s Most Disturbing Villain

Main Cover by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola for Absolute Superman #7 (2025)

The fact that this Brainiac retains his characteristic intelligence, now combined with an elevated level of mental instability, makes him all the more terrifying. This version of Brainiac is sadistic to a degree that rivals Batman’s Professor Pyg, as he is shown mutilating his victims not only for experimentation but also for pure amusement. The narrative depicts Brainiac quite literally dismembering people to a state that is beyond sickening, all while keeping them alive and fully aware of what he is doing. Brainiac has always been a formidable adversary for Superman, but with his recent acquisition of Kryptonite and a level of mental instability that rivals the Joker, he is now more dangerous and disturbing than ever.

ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #7 is available now from DC Comics!