Talk:Brainiac

Fibonacci Numbers

This is most likely a coincidence, but it seems that every numbered Brainiac with the exception of Brainiac-12 (who logically would have been numbered as such solely to connect him to Brainiac-13), as well as a few others if given numbers that logically fit their place in Brainiac's history, fit the first several numbers in the Fibonacci sequence. Is this worth a mention? It's a bit of a reach for now, but I wouldn't be surprised if the next one we see calls himself Brainiac-21...

Requested move 25 July 2026

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: moved. The sole opposer's argument was countered by NOTDICT, DABDICT, and historical evidence that the word was derived from the character. So, there is consensus that the character is the primary topic. (closed by non-admin page mover) Thanks! —1isall (talk | contribs) 00:54, 1 August 2026 (UTC)

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• Brainiac (character) → Brainiac
• Brainiac → Brainiac (disambiguation)

– It doesn't take a brainiac to see that the comics supervillain is the primary topic for this word. While it may also be a synonym for genius, most people would likely specifically type "Brainiac" to find the supervillain. ᴢxᴄᴠʙɴᴍ (ᴛ) 00:10, 25 July 2026 (UTC)

Support per nom. All the other main entries are derivative of the comics character, whereas the synonym for the generic term may be found at its Wiktionary entry for those who want more about that usage and can easily point to the genius term in its own entry. The other instances do not remotely come close to exceeding the character in terms of notability. — Trailblazer¹⁰¹🔥 ^{(discuss · contribs)} 00:55, 25 July 2026 (UTC)

Note: WikiProject Comics/DC Comics work group, WikiProject Comics, WikiProject Fictional characters, and WikiProject Comics/Superman work group have been notified of this discussion. — Trailblazer¹⁰¹🔥 ^{(discuss · contribs)} 00:56, 25 July 2026 (UTC)

• Support per nom. Long-time clear primary topic, even before the character was set to be featured as the primary villain in the forthcoming Superman movie. BD2412 T 13:12, 27 July 2026 (UTC)
• Oppose. No, the commonest useage is to refer to someone who's brainy, not a supervillain. -- Necrothesp (talk) 15:30, 27 July 2026 (UTC)

  This isn't Wiktionary, and per WP:NOTDICT and WP:DABDIC, the content should point readers to articles on the subject matter and not start with basic dictionary definitions. The DAB starting with "Brainiac is a colloquial adjective used to describe exceptionally intelligent people. It may also refer to:" is in direct violation of this. The Wiktionary entry even says the term was coined for the Superman character, which is supported by Merriam-Webster, which states "etymologists think Superman's brainy adversary is the likely inspiration for the common noun brainiac. The term was not coined right away though. The comic-book series was launched in 1938 and the character Brainiac debuted in 1958, but current evidence doesn't show general use of brainiac to refer to a superintelligent person until the 1970s." For the DAB, it should point to the term as an adjective for something like genius, though the term itself is not used in many articles outside of the character. — Trailblazer¹⁰¹🔥 ^{(discuss · contribs)} 16:44, 27 July 2026 (UTC)

  The Oxford English Dictionary also explains that the term was coined for a device, see Geniac § Brainiac the same year as the character, but the term did not prominently exist in its current form as a sometimes derogatory adjective or proper noun until well after the character was introduced. — Trailblazer¹⁰¹🔥 ^{(discuss · contribs)} 16:50, 27 July 2026 (UTC)

  The sources say that etymologists consider the term in vernacular as coming from the character. Swordofneutrality (talk) 04:46, 29 July 2026 (UTC)

• Support per nom. The topics of the other articles as well as the noun derive only from the prominence of the original character. Swordofneutrality (talk) 04:46, 29 July 2026 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.