32 greatest Arrowverse superheroes, ranked

15. Brainiac-5

Oh Brainiac-5, you had us at hello.

The truth is that Jesse Rath’s portrayal of “Brainy” on Supergirl was perfect from the very first moment he appeared. Yes, he had an unusually large white wig and a pale blue skin tone that would make his green comic book counterpart look on in shock, but Rath’s intricately-acted performance brought the character to life in a heartbeat. And in the three-and-a-half seasons that followed, what he delivered as the techno-organic twelfth-level intellect was utter perfection.

The Legion’s “guy in the chair”, he was designated the same position in the DEO when he had to swap places with Winn Schott. However, as the show went on, Brainy began to spend more time in the field, wrestling bad guys (and in most cases defeating them by anticipating their moves before they even made them) and ultimately joining the Super Friends. One of the best things about his time on the show, however, was watching him form the friendships and bonds that he did with Kara, J’onn, Alex Winn and, of course, his beloved Nia.

One of the few characters that the Arrowverse got the balance right with, Brainy could slot into multiple roles whenever necessary. And even though not every storyline utilized him well (we’re looking at you Lexgate), Rath’s endearing, gentle, lovable and hilarious performance ensured that we could never stop smiling when Brainy was on-screen.