What is it with robots in comic books? They're either killing machines, emotionless slaves or gullible androids made to look like attractive women! You know, if you're one of those guys who finds blue skin and pink hair attractive. What do they call em'? Otakus? Retreading some familiar land, The Panel Biter would like to introduce you to Brainiac's disfunctional descendent, Indigo the Z-Lister.
First appearing in "Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1" Brainiac 8 was created by Brainiac 6 in the distant future to ensure his domination of Earth. How far in the future? Nobody knows, so nobody asks. The important part is her mission: to integrate into the superhero community, develop an alternate identity, and kill former Wonder Girl, Donna Troy, who Brainiac feared could disrupt his plans in the future. What ensues is a Terminator/Betrayal/Blade Runner story that begins when Brainiac 8 is sent back to the present and-in seemingly damaged condition-confronts Cyborg of The Titans. She begs Cyborg to aid in her repairs, but accidentally harms Cyborg and is attacked by Young Justice and The Titans. She tries to defend herself, but is forced to shut down due to added damage. However before shutting down, Brainiac 8-who's identity and mission are not yet revealed-activates one of Superman's robot duplicates.
Side Note!
You're probably asking a lot of questions: Who're Young Justice? What happened to Brainiacs one through five? When did Superman have robot duplicates? I'll answer the latter because it's the goofiest. So way back in Superman history, The Man of Steel created a batch of robots who look just like him. These robots guarded the Fortress of Solitude, acted as bodyguards for Superman's loved ones, he would even program a robot to appear next to him while he was Clark Kent to throw off suspicion that Clark Kent and Superman could be the same person. While most of these robots were decommissioned and held in the Fortress, The Titans just so happened to have one in their base at the time.
Back to the story!
After being reactivated and corrupted by this mysterious android, the Superman robot attacks the Titans/Young Justice and kills Lilith and Donna Troy before Roy Harper/Arsenal reactivates the android and orders her to destroy the Superman robot. Once she does, Harper shuts her down again. Some time later when Harper reforms The Outsiders, he claims ownership of the android and recruits her into the team under the name Indigo. With no memory of her life before reactivation, Indigo adapts to human society and grows a personality, taking pleasure in simple things like bowling and silent movies. She even falls in love with fellow Outsider and accidental Metamorpho clone, Shift. It is later revealed that while Indigo has taken a new personality, her identity as Brainiac 8 still exists in her programming and takes control of Indigo. After defeating both The Titans and The Outsiders, Indigo is able to take control back for a few precious moments. In those moments, Indigo feels great misery for the deaths she has caused and begs Shift to kill her before Brainiac 8 can resurface. Brought to tears like his artificial lover, Shift uses his powers to turn her organs into rejected replacements and she dies an merciful death. After her death, Shift returns to his "brother" Metamorpho and melds into him, thus ending his existence and his depression.
There will always be stories like hers, the question of what makes human truly human. The question of duty over desire. The question of free will. Indigo is not the only robot to live this life, both in DC Comics and Marvel Comics a fair share of human-like machines must face the challenges of being what they are and testing what they could be. Her distant relative Brainiac 5 overcame his programming and became one of the most reliable members of The Legion of Superheroes there is, but not all birds fly in the same direction. Although Brainiac 8 was a weapon, a destroyer, a instrument of one of the universe's greatest threats, she was also an Outsider, she was a hero, she was Indigo. Thank you for reading.
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