When the next DCEU movie finally hits movie theaters, it would behoove those behind the film to put one of the more intimidating villains in DC Comics lore into the story as one of, if not the big bad. Brainiac is one of those baddies that actually used to be one of the central evil-doers in the DC Comics universe, but these days, he's little more than an afterthought. While The Joker, and Apokolips have been at least talked about in several different DC movies, the character on television and movies has been relegated to someone who goes by the nickname, "Brainy" and added some comic relief to the CW's Supergirl before he became a romantic interest for one of the show's characters.
DCEU fans have to go all the way back to Smallville to see a live-action version of Brainiac that was actually a formidable foe to the superheroes of the world. That means it's well past time to bring him back into the collective conscientiousness of comic book fans and to put him on the big screen for the first time. Of course, in order to do the character right, they need to find the perfect actor that can give off the vibe of someone who is both maniacal and brilliant. While the character is often seen as a kind of living computer, there are several different ways he's been depicted over the years, which gives the DCEU a little bit of flexibility when it comes to picking the person to take on the role.
Clive Owen
Right off the bat, the mention of Clive Owen as someone who should take on the role of Brainiac might be a bit of a surprise to DC fans. He's not exactly someone who is well known as a superhero movie guy. However, he's been in more action movies than most might expect. That includes the science fiction classic Children of Men, though he didn't do a ton of fighting, that movie showed he has no real problem being at the center of some truly far out there adventure stories. Owen has the build and the voice that lends all the characters he plays the kind of gravitas that someone like Brainiac would need to have on the big screen. He's probably not someone who would portray the character as someone who has pipes and wires coming out of his head, but he could be the kind of super-android that could fade into the background, until he springs the trap on the heroes.
Ed Harris
In truth, it's hard to think of an actor who would be a better choice for Brainiac. Should the character take on the appearance that some of the more old-school comic book fans remember, Harris's nearly bald pate could certainly be factored in rather easily. His somewhat gaunt appearance also seems to be sort of perfect for what is basically a living computer. Speaking of "living computers" the role is one that he might have even been training and working for thanks to his turn as "The Man in Black" in the first couple of seasons of HBO's Westworld series. He was easily one of the best parts of the early going of that series as a truly foreboding character who seemed perfectly happy killing whoever and whatever he felt like with zero remorse. It doesn't seem like any stretch at all to say he could do that, even in the face of the DCEU's biggest heroes.
Cillian Murphy
Yes, it's true, Cillian Murphy would likely take on a different kind of Brainiac role than either Ed Harris or Clive Owen, but there is one version of the villain that the actor could play quite well. It's likely that a Murphy version of the villain could be even more compelling because of his portrayal. The Peaky Blinders star has no problem convincing his audience that he can be a cunningly smart person, but he's also got a kind of frenetic energy that could move Brainiac from cold and calculating, to frighteningly brilliant and murderous. He's also taken on that role a bit before in a DC comics movie. He appeared as the Scarecrow in the Christian Bale Batman films and while some might think that would mean that he couldn't take on the role of Brainiac, it appears that character isn't exactly canon anymore. If they really wanted to, they could even claim that was Brainiac posing as someone else, or they could even have Brainiac take on the face of that man for one reason or another. The nice thing about these kinds of superhero movies is that nothing is too far-fetched.
James Spader
Yes, it's a bit harder to think that James Spader might step into the role of Brainiac as some of the other potential candidates on the list. He's already well known for his role in the MCU thanks to Age of Ultron. It might seem extremely unlikely that he would make the jump from the MCU to the DCEU, but at the same time, the actor has shown he's more than capable of playing an evil robotic, and brilliant villain. It would certainly be interesting to see his personal spin on Brainiac after he did quite the job putting his own spin on Ultron. He's also someone who has shown that the character doesn't need to look like him, in order to give the character some real gravitas.
Michael Fassbender
There is another actor who would be well served to move from the MCU to the DCEU in order to play Brainiac. Michael Fassbender has already played one of the most renowned villains in the history of Marvel comics books in Magneto. He certainly gave that character his own spin on it that made him the center of attention whenever he was on screen. Fassbender has also played a rather evil and calculating android in Prometheus. It stands to reason the actor could bring some serious weight to Brainiac if he were to be one of the big bads in a DC Comics-based movie.