| Brain Storm | |
|---|---|
Cover art for Justice League of America #32 (December, 1964). Art by Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson. Brainstorm first appearance.
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Justice League of America #32 (December, 1964) |
| Created by | Gardner Fox Mike Sekowsky |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Axel Storm Alan Barnes Dominic Lanse |
| Abilities | Mental Powers through stellar energy helmet. |
Brain Storm is the name of three fictional characters appearing in the comics published by DC Comics. The first Brain Storm appeared in Justice League of America #32 (December 1964) and was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky.[1]
Brainstorm made his first live-action debut on the fourth season of The Flash, portrayed by Kendrick Sampson.
Axel Storm had created a special helmet that allowed him to absorb stellar energy, which he could use to create virtually anything which his imagination could conceive.[2] This invention having warped his mind, Brain Storm witnessed his brother Fred's apparent death. In his twisted ideals, Brain Storm had captured the Justice League so that they could witness him taking justice into his own hands and killing the man responsible for his brother's demise. Part of his plan involved stealing the powers and abilities from the Justice League members and redistributing them to random people. However, a side effect to Brain Storm's power was that whoever the power was used upon could also access the energy abilities and the JLA members were suddenly mentally linked to the people who had gained their abilities. Transporting them to Brain Storm's base, their arrival freed the Justice League from Brain Storm's trap and they fought against him.
They battled a group of stellar-energy powered threats, and came to realize who it was that Brain Storm blamed for his brothers death – the Green Lantern. However, Green Lantern explained that due to Brain Storm's interference with his attempt to capture Fred (who just robbed a bank), the combination of both their powers transported Fred to France and erased his memories.
Bringing Fred to them and restoring his memory, the Justice League convinced Brain Storm to end his vendetta against the Green Lantern. However, Brain Storm realized that escape was the best course of action and teleported away without a trace, leaving the JLA to turn his brother over to the police.[3]
Brain Storm soon returned however to plague the League once again. This time, he used his powers to give each team member a severe physical disability. Superman was struck blind, Flash's legs were fused together, Green Arrow suddenly had no arms, Green Lantern began to stutter both literally and mentally, and Hawkman developed breathing problems. In spite of these handicaps, the JLA managed to overcome the odds and fight back against Brain Storm. After the battle, Brain Storm restored all the JLA members back to normal.
Brain Storm retaliated though and used his power to create duplicates of himself. He also succeeded in capturing the League, turning all but Batman into his drone slaves. Finally determining which foe was the real Brain Storm, Batman knocked him out, relinquishing his control over the JLA members.[4]
Some years later, Brain Storm turned up again, this time without the benefit of his powers. He kidnapped the Terrorsmith in the hopes of using his powers to reactivate his own lost abilities. This plan proved unsuccessful however, and the Terrorsmith was able to escape.[5]
Brain Storm, or someone dressed like Brain Storm, was one of many costumed villains who attended Roulette's "House of Pain", although he did not participate in any of the exhibition events. It is unclear whether this was actually Brain Storm himself, or perhaps one of the other spectators who enjoyed dressing up as a famous super-villain.[6]
A different version of Brainstorm named Alan Barnes appears in S.T.A.R. Corps. A research volunteer with artificially generated psionic abilities created by S.T.A.R. Labs. He uncovers the true nature of the Mindgame computer and the Gamesman units.
A new Brainstorm debuted against Michael Holt, but is not related to the original. He is Dominic Lanse, a silicon valley scientist who was working on downloading unique intellects into machines. His success was reversed by an accident that let him reverse the process and transfer those intellects into himself.[7] But Mister Terrific is able to supercharge his mind with the T-Spheres rendering him unconscious. It is also revealed that this version is indirectly responsible for the death of Holt's wife.[8]
A version of Brainstorm appears in Legion Worlds comics.[9]
The Dominic Lanse incarnation of Brainstorm appears in the fourth seasonofThe Flash, portrayed by Kendrick Sampson.[10][11][12] This version is a telepathic metahuman who was created by the Thinker. With help from Amunet Black, the Thinker arranges for Lanse's capture to implant his consciousness in his body, killing him in the process. Using Lanse's body, the Thinker frames Barry Allen for his "murder", steals Kilg%re, Dwarfstar, and Black Bison's powers, and re-transfers his consciousness to Hazard's body. The Thinker later uses Lanse's powers to put a mental block on Killer Frost to negate hers until she regains them in the fifth season.
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