Originally aired January 15, 2009
Written by Geoff Johns
Directed by Glen Winter
In the aftermath of Doomsday's attack on Chloe and Jimmy's wedding, the Persuader arrives from the future to kill Clark, only for three members of the Legion of Superheroes—Rokk Krinn, Imra Ardeen, and Garth Wanzz—to appear and defeat the Persuader. The three young heroes soon realize that Brainiac has taken over Chloe once more, and they and Clark join forces to stop the Kryptonian supercomputer.
Tropes present in the episode:
- The Bad Guy Wins: Zigzagged. Brainiac loses, is beaten by the Legion and never bothers Clark for the rest of Smallville...but it does manage to kick-start Davis' turn into Doomsday.
- Breaking Speech: Brainiac gives one to Davis about his origins.Brainiac!Chloe: You're not Davis Bloome. You're not even human. Don't tell me the thought never crossed your mind. You were hatched by Kryptonian geneticists. Your DNA was designed to adapt to any world you inhabit. Now you no longer need your camouflage abilities. Those painful transformations you've been experiencing? They're the beginning of your metamorphosis.Davis: This is insane.Brainiac!Chloe: No. It's sad, from a human perspective—your naive romantic attraction to the human I chose to inhabit.Davis: Chloe, if you're in there anywhere, you know that the feelings that I have for you are real.Brainiac!Chloe: Feelings? That was just a program I was running to get you to me. Your journey's just beginning. Now it's time for you to incubate in your Kryptonian chrysalis. Once you emerge, there will be no more pain, no doubt. Only absolute rage and unparalleled power.Davis: Stay the hell away.Brainiac!Chloe: But you play a vital part in my directive. Once I get everything I need, you will eradicate the other Kryptonian and then the rest of the planet.Davis: I am not going to hurt anyone.Brainiac!Chloe: You have no free will. And you're destined to become what you really are—Doomsday.
- Fanboy: Garth is a big fan of Sup...er, Clark.
- Fangirl: His sister is also a big fan.
- Future Slang: Garth in particular uses "grife".
- For Want Of A Nail
- Gaia's Lament: Garth doesn't take well to Metropolis' pollution.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: The Legion commenting on how they've never heard of Canon Foreigner Chloe.
- Mythology Gag: Many, courtesy of Geoff Johns being the writer.
- The Legion tell Superman that in the future, there are many with anti-alien prejudice aimed at Superman. In Geoff Johns' first run on Superman, there was a Legion storyline dealing with similar issues.
- Rokk scolds Garth for acting like "a sub", after the Legion of Substitute Heroes.
- After defeating him, Rokk notes they'll reprogram Brainiac, and hopes he'll be more friendly. Brainiac 5 is a main member of the Legion, but "friendly" has never been a word used to describe him.
- The Paragon: Rokk tells Clark that he's the reason that aliens come to be accepted among humans in the distant future.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: The Legion decides to adopt this principle after Clark convinces Rokk, Imra, and Garth to find another, non-lethal way to save Chloe and stop Brainiac.
- Whole-Plot Reference: This episode shares lots of similarities with the Superman: The Animated Series episode "New Kids in Town."
