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* AntagonistTitle: The story is named after the threat whom Superman must fight.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theplaneteatertrilogy.jpg]]
''The Planet-Eater Trilogy'' is a ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' storyline told by Creator/MarvWolfman and Creator/CurtSwan in ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' issues #528-530 (February-April, 1982).
As the Daily Planet staff are discussing the frightening prospect of the newspaper being sold by its owner WGBS due to failing circulation, ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, who has recently reformed, comes to Earth bringing terrible news: one of his older, abandoned devices has gone out of control. Now it is running amuck and growing uncontrollably by devouring everything in its path: planets, moons, meteorites...and it will not stop until there is literally nothing left in the universe.
So, Superman and Brainiac must team up to stop the rampant, mechanical Planet-Eater. Though, the humongous machine blasts Superman back to Earth, his memory wiped out and his mind altered so his senses cannot recognize the planet-wide destruction caused by the Planet-Eater. Meanwhile, Brainiac finds out that his reprogrammed self is not cruel and cunning enough to devise a plan to destroy its monstrous creation.
----
!!Tropes:
* ApocalypseHow:
** Brainiac's Planet-Eater threatens to eat all matter in the universe.
** After taking control over the Planet-Eater, Brainiac uses its machines to unleash earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and tornadoes all over Earth.
* ApologeticAttacker: Superman apologizes before grabbing Brainiac and tossing him into his new planetoid.
* BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood: Previously, Superman had re-programmed Brainiac to rue his evil past and atone for his actions. Now he must de-program Brainiac back into being evil so he can help him stop the Planet-Eater.
* CombatTentacles: The Planet-Eater is equipped with several giant, four-pronged, orange tentacles that can digest anything into energy to power the central core.
* EarthShatteringKaboom: The Planet-Eater destroys an unnamed planet by activating huge whip-like beams which slice through the surface until it shatters.
* EnemyMine: Brainiac cannot stop one of his out-of-control creations, so he must team up with Superman to stop the Planet-Eater before it destroys everything.
-->'''Brainiac:''' ''"To think, my own creation nearly destroyed me! And now, to stop it before it destroys all living matter throughout the galaxy-- I must seek the aid of the man who was once my most dreaded foe!"''
* FailedASpotCheck: As flying towards the Planet-Eater, Superman is so lost in his thoughts regarding Brainiac's post-reprogramming good nature that he fails to notice a monitor light flashing on the planet's surface, and a hatch-door sliding open, before an energy beam strikes him.
* HangingByTheFingers: Several times Superman finds himself clinging to a metallic ledge to try resist the Planet-Eater's incredible gravity pull trying to drag him into its core and turn him into fuel.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: For the sake of stopping the monstrous planet-eating machine, Superman is forced to reprogram Brainiac back into being a villain, permanently this time.
* KryptoniteFactor: When Superman is traversing the Planet Eater's inner corridors, the humongous machine uses a light cannon powered by red sunlight to weaken him.
* MissingTime: As blasting him back into Earth, the Planet-Eater wipes Superman's memories out. When he comes around, Superman has forgotten everything he learned and did since he left Earth.
* TheNeedless: When Superman and Brainiac are getting ready to attack the Planet-Eater, the former asks the latter if he will be all right flying across the space void without a helmet. Brainiac replies he does not need to breathe because he is a computer.
* PlanetSpaceship: Brainiac devises a mechanical world-ship capable of travelling around the galaxy and swallowing whole planets.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: When Superman tries to approach the Planet-Eater alone, the machine blasts him halfway across the galaxy and back into Earth.
* SadisticChoice: After announcing he will use their machine to tear Earth asunder, Brainiac states he will save one city...and asks Superman which city wants him to spare.
-->'''Brainiac:''' ''"Soon your Earth will be torn asunder, totally destroyed-- just like Krypton was, eh? But I will save one city, even as I spared Kandor from Krypton's unexpected demise. Which city would you save if given the choice? Which city will I save, Superman-- New York? London? Moscow? Metropolis? "''
* ShoutOut: As telling Superman about the Planet-Eater, Brainiac quotes ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'':
-->'''Brainiac:''' ''"One of your Earthmen once said-- "The evil that men do lives after them.""''
* SpaceFriction: Averted. When Superman is being caught by the Planet-Eater's vacuum mechanism, he notes there is nothing to slow him down because there is not friction in space.
* SpinToDeflectStuff: Brainiac unleashes a barrage of red-sun laser beams to destroy Superman, so Clark wraps himself in his indestructible cape and whirls around to deflect the beams.
-->'''Superman:''' ''"They've got to be concentrated sun-rays designed to destroy me. But they won't, not if I spin quickly enough...and deflect the beams before they can do their damage."''
* SurveillanceAsThePlotDemands: When controlled by Brainiac, the Planet-Eater's cameras can display images of different catastrophes happening simultaneously in different planets.
* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: The Planet-Eater attempts to destroy its creator Brainiac by activating a barrage of lasers.
* UnexplainedRecovery: Brainiac gets dragged into the machine's core, which is supposedly a death warrant. He reappears shortly later, declaring his and Superman's alliance is over, and declining to explain how he survived.
* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Morgan Edge argues the Daily Planet series on "The Girl-friends of Superman" flopped because everyone know Superman only loves Lois Lane...for reasons Edge cannot fathom.
-->'''Morgan Edge:''' ''"Everyone knows old Steel-head only has eyes for Lane. Though only Heaven knows why."''
* {{Zeerust}}: Brainiac's super-advanced space-ship uses radio transmission to monitor Superman's actions.
----
''The Planet-Eater Trilogy'' is a ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' storyline told by Creator/MarvWolfman and Creator/CurtSwan in ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' issues #528-530 (February-April, 1982).
As the Daily Planet staff are discussing the frightening prospect of the newspaper being sold by its owner WGBS due to failing circulation, ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, who has recently reformed, comes to Earth bringing terrible news: one of his older, abandoned devices has gone out of control. Now it is running amuck and growing uncontrollably by devouring everything in its path: planets, moons, meteorites...and it will not stop until there is literally nothing left in the universe.
So, Superman and Brainiac must team up to stop the rampant, mechanical Planet-Eater. Though, the humongous machine blasts Superman back to Earth, his memory wiped out and his mind altered so his senses cannot recognize the planet-wide destruction caused by the Planet-Eater. Meanwhile, Brainiac finds out that his reprogrammed self is not cruel and cunning enough to devise a plan to destroy its monstrous creation.
----
!!Tropes:
* ApocalypseHow:
** Brainiac's Planet-Eater threatens to eat all matter in the universe.
** After taking control over the Planet-Eater, Brainiac uses its machines to unleash earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and tornadoes all over Earth.
* ApologeticAttacker: Superman apologizes before grabbing Brainiac and tossing him into his new planetoid.
* BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood: Previously, Superman had re-programmed Brainiac to rue his evil past and atone for his actions. Now he must de-program Brainiac back into being evil so he can help him stop the Planet-Eater.
* CombatTentacles: The Planet-Eater is equipped with several giant, four-pronged, orange tentacles that can digest anything into energy to power the central core.
* EarthShatteringKaboom: The Planet-Eater destroys an unnamed planet by activating huge whip-like beams which slice through the surface until it shatters.
* EnemyMine: Brainiac cannot stop one of his out-of-control creations, so he must team up with Superman to stop the Planet-Eater before it destroys everything.
-->'''Brainiac:''' ''"To think, my own creation nearly destroyed me! And now, to stop it before it destroys all living matter throughout the galaxy-- I must seek the aid of the man who was once my most dreaded foe!"''
* FailedASpotCheck: As flying towards the Planet-Eater, Superman is so lost in his thoughts regarding Brainiac's post-reprogramming good nature that he fails to notice a monitor light flashing on the planet's surface, and a hatch-door sliding open, before an energy beam strikes him.
* HangingByTheFingers: Several times Superman finds himself clinging to a metallic ledge to try resist the Planet-Eater's incredible gravity pull trying to drag him into its core and turn him into fuel.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: For the sake of stopping the monstrous planet-eating machine, Superman is forced to reprogram Brainiac back into being a villain, permanently this time.
* KryptoniteFactor: When Superman is traversing the Planet Eater's inner corridors, the humongous machine uses a light cannon powered by red sunlight to weaken him.
* MissingTime: As blasting him back into Earth, the Planet-Eater wipes Superman's memories out. When he comes around, Superman has forgotten everything he learned and did since he left Earth.
* TheNeedless: When Superman and Brainiac are getting ready to attack the Planet-Eater, the former asks the latter if he will be all right flying across the space void without a helmet. Brainiac replies he does not need to breathe because he is a computer.
* PlanetSpaceship: Brainiac devises a mechanical world-ship capable of travelling around the galaxy and swallowing whole planets.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: When Superman tries to approach the Planet-Eater alone, the machine blasts him halfway across the galaxy and back into Earth.
* SadisticChoice: After announcing he will use their machine to tear Earth asunder, Brainiac states he will save one city...and asks Superman which city wants him to spare.
-->'''Brainiac:''' ''"Soon your Earth will be torn asunder, totally destroyed-- just like Krypton was, eh? But I will save one city, even as I spared Kandor from Krypton's unexpected demise. Which city would you save if given the choice? Which city will I save, Superman-- New York? London? Moscow? Metropolis? "''
* ShoutOut: As telling Superman about the Planet-Eater, Brainiac quotes ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'':
-->'''Brainiac:''' ''"One of your Earthmen once said-- "The evil that men do lives after them.""''
* SpaceFriction: Averted. When Superman is being caught by the Planet-Eater's vacuum mechanism, he notes there is nothing to slow him down because there is not friction in space.
* SpinToDeflectStuff: Brainiac unleashes a barrage of red-sun laser beams to destroy Superman, so Clark wraps himself in his indestructible cape and whirls around to deflect the beams.
-->'''Superman:''' ''"They've got to be concentrated sun-rays designed to destroy me. But they won't, not if I spin quickly enough...and deflect the beams before they can do their damage."''
* SurveillanceAsThePlotDemands: When controlled by Brainiac, the Planet-Eater's cameras can display images of different catastrophes happening simultaneously in different planets.
* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: The Planet-Eater attempts to destroy its creator Brainiac by activating a barrage of lasers.
* UnexplainedRecovery: Brainiac gets dragged into the machine's core, which is supposedly a death warrant. He reappears shortly later, declaring his and Superman's alliance is over, and declining to explain how he survived.
* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Morgan Edge argues the Daily Planet series on "The Girl-friends of Superman" flopped because everyone know Superman only loves Lois Lane...for reasons Edge cannot fathom.
-->'''Morgan Edge:''' ''"Everyone knows old Steel-head only has eyes for Lane. Though only Heaven knows why."''
* {{Zeerust}}: Brainiac's super-advanced space-ship uses radio transmission to monitor Superman's actions.
----
