Superman may be finding his feet in the DCU, but one extremely well-reviewed take on the hero proves which character needs a chance to face-off against the Man of Steel. Ever since Superman debuted on the pages of the comics back in 1938, the character has been immensely popular.

Superman has since appeared in dozens of animated and live-action productions, with the hero facing off against a wide array of rivals. But one Superman movie from 2013 may hold the key to the character’s most exciting story yet.

Superman: Unbound Is A 100%-Rated Take On Superman Vs Brainiac

Brainiac Is One Of The Most Brilliant And Ruthless Villains From DC Comics

A few months before Man of Steel launched the DCEU timeline, Superman: Unbound was released, and proved to be a fascinating and thrilling take on the hero’s mythos. As part of the DC Animated Universe, this film went under the radar for many, but despite that, the movie earned a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

At its core, Superman: Unbound focuses on the conflict between Superman and Brainiac, though Supergirl does also play a key part in this story. Brainiac is a character that didn’t debut in comics until 1958, but when he appeared, the potential he had to rival the Man of Tomorrow was equally thrilling and terrifying.

Brainiac is a highly advanced being who wields his intelligence like a weapon, and even manages to capture the capital city of Krypton in both Superman: Unbound and the comics. The conflict between the cold and inhuman Brainiac and Superman highlights the humanity of the hero, and works well to showcase why a live-action movie should also take on this rivalry.

Why The DC Universe Needs Brainiac In Its Universe

The DCU Is The Perfect Place To Bring In Underappreciated DC Villains

Throughout the history of Superman on the big screen, he has often been pitted against his arch nemesis, Lex Luthor, and frequently goes head-to-head with General Zod as well. This has arguably become overly familiar to viewers – whereas a story akin to Superman: Unbound would be entirely new for live-action audiences.

At one point, there were plans to make Brainiac the main antagonist in a Man of Steel sequel, but that never panned out as the DCEU fluctuated and moved on to different stories before eventually fading out of existence.

But the DC Universe timeline could be the perfect place to introduce Brainiac in live-action, and thoroughly challenge Superman. With the DCU’s expansive and quirky nature, and the existence of aliens and a range of heroes and villains, Brainiac is ready to join the story in a future Superman movie, and the DCU is the perfect place to do it.