In the wake of Brainiac's original attack on Metropolis, twenty people are left with dramatically changed brains. They have gained psionic powers, as part of Brainiac's plan to see if humans could serve as vessels for his people - the Coluans. The people thus modified are known as The Twenty. Another of the Twenty, Psycho Pirate aims to stop H.I.V.E. by amplifying his own powers with the mythological Medusa Mask.