It was later revealed that this version of Brainiac (like the previous ones) was merely a mentally-controlled probe of the real Brainiac, who was a living Coluan that had genetically and cybernetically enhanced himself. The true Brainiac lacked psychic powers, but still possessed super physical attributes, intelligence, and technopathy. He possesses a level of strength vastly surpassing that of a full-powered Superman; capable of easily overpowering the Kryptonian in a grapple and flooring him with a single punch, breaking his near-invulnerable skin by squeezing Superman's head with his fingers, and catching one of Superman's punches and crushing his hand until it bled, forcing Superman to his knees. His durability is also far greater than Superman's, shown when he absorbs several consecutive blows to the face from the Man of Steel without visible harm and later claims that Superman's punches did not hurt him at all. Even a concentrated and sustained burst of heat vision directly to Brainiac's eyes did not seriously debilitate him, though it inflicted noticeable damage. At one point Brainiac 5 warns that Superman would most likely die against Brainiac in a straight fight. "Superman Secret Files and Origins 2009" further state that Brainiac is "as strong and invulnerable as a Kryptonian."