A new supervillain, Indigo, debuted on Supergirl season 1, episode 15, “Solitude.” But just who is she?
On ‘Supergirl’
Indigo is a former Fort Rozz prisoner who was imprisoned for trying to take down Krypton’s security. She and Non had a previous relationship, though Non’s loyalty to Astra apparently kept her away. With Astra’s death, Indigo reappeared and wanted to help Non destroy humanity. She is able to travel across the Internet, though that also proved to be her weakness when Winn infected her with malware, destroying her. However, Non was able to recover her using some mysterious technology.
Before her destruction, she revealed to Kara that she helped Kara escape the Phantom Zone. Aboard Fort Rozz, Indigo searched for a way out and discovered the sleeping Kara. She restarted Kara’s ship so Kara could exit the Phantom Zone and bring Fort Rozz with her. Without Indigo, then, Kara would still be sleeping there.
In the DC Comics
Indigo has a connection to Superman villain Brainiac. Brainiac, aka Vril Dox, is a super intelligent alien scientist — though in other stories he is considered a robotic being — from the planet Colu who travels the universe in search of intelligent civilizations to add to his collection. One part of his collection is the shrunken Kryptonian city of Kandor. Brainiac is able to transfer his consciousness into computers and has fought Superman on numerous occasions.
Indigo, aka Brainiac 8, first appeared in 2003’s Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1. She is a subprogram designed by Brainiac 6 (a descendant of the original Brainiac) to endear herself to the superhero community, thus serving as something of a Trojan horse for Brainiac 1. She was created in the distant future and sent back to the 21st century.
After conflict with the Young Justice and Teen Titans team that resulted in casualties for the heroes, she was eventually shut down. S.T.A.R. Labs rebuilt her and seemingly erased her past memories, so she joined The Outsiders. Her personality was naive as she tried to integrate with her teammates and human society as well as earn forgiveness for what she had done upon arriving in the 21st century. She found pleasure in simple things, and she even found love with a Metamorpho clone, Shift.
However, Indigo is eventually revealed as a traitor among The Outsiders as her personality reverted back to Brainiac 8. A sleeper agent, she was sent back in time to kill Donna Troy, aka Wonder Girl, because she would stop the Coluan Empire’s domination of organic beings after the events of Infinite Crisis.
After a battle with the combined forces of the Teen Titans and Outsiders, Indigo wrestles control from Brainaic 8, proving herself a distinct personality. She begs Shift to kill her before Brainiac 8 takes control again and harms her loved ones, so Shift transforms her into an organic being, which kills her.
She later returns as part of Superboy-Prime’s Legion of Doom, though she is eventually destroyed a second time by Robin and Red Robin.
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS.