Brainiac 4

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Brainiac 4 was the mother of the Legion of Super-Heroes member Brainiac 5 (later 5.1) in post-Zero Hour Legion continuity.

From her birth, she suffered from a lack of emotion - even abandoning her son at birth in an attempt to find something emotionally stimulating. Living a variety of lives, from beggar woman to hero to gambler, she eventually became the leader of a terrorist group known as the Dark Circle, and found something that caused her to feel emotion - sending an entire fleet to its death. Eventually, her son found her - only to have Brainiac 4 tried to kill him in the expectation that, if killing strangers caused her to feel good, killing her son would make her feel better. After being stopped by Gates, she was committed to an asylum.

During the Underworld Unleashed event Vril Dox II sold the soul of a 30th century descendant to Neron. It is possible Brainiac 4's evil nature was the result.

Following the Mark Waid reboot, Brainiac 5's mother is not a villain. She briefly appeared as one of a number of Coluans suffering a sickness that reduced their mental abilities, as part of an attack on the United Planets. Dox calls her "Colu's foremost researcher", and mentions her singing him to sleep as a child. She is not referred to as Brainiac 4.

In neither continuity is her real name given, although it can be assumed her surname is "Dox".

[edit] Original Brainiac 4

The original version of Brainiac 4 was a male character known as Kajz Dox, who was the father of Querl Dox (Brainiac 5). As well, in the 1970's Legion comics, the supervillain Pulsar Stargrave once claimed to be the father of Brainiac 5.