Superman’s Lightning Powers Era Was One of DC’s Best

The Lightning Superman age of the late ’90s isn’t one of the Man of Steel’s most fondly remembered comic book tales, but read in its intended context, it a fun if silly short-term Superman adventure. Superman first began to take on electromagnetic powers in the “Power Shift” story, in which Superman is inundated with energy while fighting a villain. His body and powers then begin to transform, with Superman morphing into a new being comprised of electricity and carrying electromagnetic-based powers. Thus began the era of Lightning Superman in DC Comics. That era, of course, was not a permanent one, with Superman eventually reverting to his normal self and power set at the end of the “Superman Red/Superman Blue” story about a year later.

Superman comics have often told stories in which Kal-El loses his powers and has to triumph over the villain of the story through other means. The era of Lightning Superman is one of the most remembered instances of Superman’s powers not only disappearing but being swapped for a completely different set. Still, as polarizing as Lightning Superman was, his time actually came during a period of great overall storytelling in DC Comics, and he shouldn’t be remembered with scorn but with more of a smirk for taking the Man of Steel on such a bizarre adventure.

Lightning Superman’s Powers (& Weaknesses) Explained

Upon his transformation into a being of pure electricity, Superman’s powers ran the whole electrical gamut. In addition to being able to shoot bolts of electricity and absorb energy, Superman could also interface with electronic devices, completely alter his body’s appearance, use his powers to turn his body into a magnet, and zap as a bolt of lightning to get from place to place. Superman’s new powers also made him effectively intangible, allowing him to phase through solid matter, and in turn, for solid matter (like bullets) to phase through him.

Superman’s new electric powers didn’t come without their drawbacks, however. In turning into a sentient lightning bolt, Superman required a containment suit to keep himself intact without degrading into a simple spark of uncontrolled energy. Additionally, Superman had the ability to effectively turn his powers on and off, creating a tangible delineation between Superman and Clark Kent. When transformed into the latter, however, Clark was essentially human and thus completely susceptible to human injuries and fragilities, with his only protection in Clark Kent form being his ability to morph back into the Lightning Superman.

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DC Kept Lightning Superman Around For A While

Like The Death of Superman story that preceded it, DC Comics never intended for Lightning Superman to be a permanent change, but they also didn’t let the story go to waste in just one or two issues. Superman’s transformation into a electromagnetic superhero made headlines around the world upon its announcement, and DC kept Superman in that state for a full year. This allowed DC to have a lot of fun with the idea of a completely re-imagined take on Superman.

With his electric makeover, Superman’s change was felt through all of DC Comics, with Superman working alongside and leading the other heroes of the Justice League in his lightning form. One particular highlight was even Superman’s meeting with The Ray in Action Comics #773, with the former Man of Steel trying to understand his new abilities and weaknesses with the help of another energy-based hero, which itself introduced many DC readers to the lesser known character of The Ray (myself included.) Though DC ultimately never provided much in the way of clarity on why Superman had taken on electrical powers, they nonetheless committed to the idea as an extended one-off story in an admirable way.

Lightning Superman Is A Divisive But Fun Superman Story To Look Back On

No one who seriously reads comics ever actually believed that Superman was going to be Lightning Superman forever, anymore than The Death of Superman or Captain America being a HYDRA sleeper agent was ever seriously regarded as a permanent change. The fun of Lightning Superman lies in such a goofy idea as the Man of Steel becoming the Man of Electricity as an off-the-wall “What If?”, as much as the general idea of changing Superman’s powers completely. Looking back, Lightning Superman also occurred during a period of great creativity in DC Comics storytelling.

Overlapping with Grant Morrison and Howard Porter’s acclaimed JLA run in the late ’90s along with the marriage of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, and memorable Batman stories like “Cataclysm” and the subsequent “No Man’s Land”, the tale of Lightning Superman unfolded during a period of some of DC’s most iconic comic book stories seen in the ’90s (ditto for The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen that immediately preceded and in some ways led into all of it.) Lightning Superman shocked comic book readers (no pun intended) with the idea that the Superman they knew and loved was being turned into a completely different character, but that suspicion was never the intention or the logical takeaway. Superman becoming Lightning Superman was a fun side story of sorts in the Man of Steel’s extended legacy that allowed him to play with some completely new powers for a while and comic book readers to see a radically different take on Superman. The Man of Steel was always going to return to normal, but his days as Lightning Superman are still fun to revisit.

What is your favorite era of Superman? Let us know in the comments!