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Some partnership are doomed from the beginning to fail . Such was the character for the unlikely union of Brainiac and Clayface , two villains so different from each other that a team - up between the two seems absolutely laughable , but that ’s precisely what they did in the varlet ofWorld ’s Finest#144 back in 1964 . Their end was to destroySupermanand Batman , and countenance ’s just say their merge efforts did n’t bring the two heroes to their knees .
The emergence ’s story is a short on the convoluted side , as is the fount for many from that era , but it goes something like this : Brainiac returns to earth to assay and destroy Superman . Wreaking mayhem along the way , he attacks a prison which inadvertently leads to thefreeing of Matt Hagen , A.K.A. Clayface . Once in Metropolis , Brainiac shots a shaft of light of condensed kryptonite particles at the Man of Steel but Jimmy Olsen , everyone ’s favorite plucky Superman pal , jumps in front of his friend and takes the radio beam like a champ . He ’s unscathed but now he ’s ray kryptonite so Big Blue ca n’t get near his married person without get dangerously ill . Meanwhile , a foiled Brainiac takes off to Gotham City . With us so far ?
Related : Superman ’s Brainiac Is About To Get Even MORE Evil
Back in Batman ’s home greensward , the Dark Knight has his own problem . Hagen has concoctedthe potion needed to give him his mud - wielding powersand is back on the streets causing trouble . Supes arrives in Gotham , tells Batman about the issues he ’s give birth due to Olsen ’s cutis emanating kryptonite , and propose that they team up up and trade married person . They then split up to agitate their separate menaces which eventually leads to Brainiac and Clayface , the comic Quran equivalent ofThe Odd Couple , join forces .
uproariously , Brainiac ’s hyper - intelligence must have go for a pass during this encounter or was somehow dampened by being in proximity to Clayface because the two are foiled not by expectant Blue and the Dark Knight , but by the combined crusade of Robin and Jimmy Olsen . The two switching seat and trick Clay and Brainy into recollect that Dick Grayson is in reality Olsen . They bait Superman into saving him , thinking that the Cuban sandwich will be obliterate by touching the newsboy ’s Kryptonite - radiating trunk , but that of class is n’t the case and the two are quickly thwarted .
Obviously , this foreign duo had number decent from the first , most notably in the reconciliation of their abilities . Brainiac is a literal destroyer ( well , at this point more of a shrinker ) of worlds who has many of the same powers Superman have along with telepathy and a knack for creating lethal robot . Clayface ( bless his muddy little philia ) has the ability to shape - change but not much else . true this has certainly givenhis adversary Batman some problems in the past tense , but in terms of what he brings to the table in a partnership with Brainiac , well , it ’s kind of like going to a potluck and bringing a handbag of chip shot while your buddy offers up a homemade seven - layered plunge . The crusade is appreciated but the contribution is a little lacking .
Still , one can think of a world where an bond consisting of the two villain could possibly do some damage to theWorld ’s Finest . Brainiac can be the brainpower and the muscularity , and Clayface could be … more brawn ! you’re able to never have enough brawniness when fighting one of the best superhero teams ever , right ? Perhaps it ’s time for them to give it another try .
Next : A New Brainiac Joins DC ’s Universe As … A grinder ?
