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Quote1 This is all so easy, making my dream... my ambition come true...! After today, I'll no longer be just another footnote in history... But the subject of an entire book of my own! Quote2
X-Ray Man src

The X-Ray Man was a minor Superman antagonist who attempted to nuke Washington, D.C. and failed.

Fredrik Schlaus was once a nuclear physicist in the employ of the United States Army who spent 2 years and $10,000,000 on a project to develop a "Phantom Ray," which would transform any person into an incorporeal wraith. When the military cut his funding due to lack of real results, Schlaus reacted violently and accidentally activated the ray, which blasted him. It was initially determined that the ray had no effect, and Schlaus fell into disgrace in both government circles and the scientific community. Years later, Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane visited the ratty apartment where a considerably older Schlaus resided, looking for an interview with the man in a series covering the lives of once-prominent but since-forgotten individuals. Schlaus told Lois his story before revealing that the Phantom Ray had a delayed effect on his body, and that he had the ability to transition into an incorporeal, super-powered form called the X-Ray Man, with the ability to control and project high-frequency EM radiation. He then confessed to having set fire to the Metropolis International Trade Center earlier that day and went on a rampage, easily holding Superman and the Metropolis Police Department at bay. The X-Ray Man next commandeered a U.S. Navy nuclear sub and fired two armed warheads at the Capitol Building, but fortunately Superman diverted the nukes into the sea. The X-Ray Man then decided to simply linger in the vicinity of Washington, D.C., knowing that his mutation would shortly end his life by causing him to spontaneously go up in a nuclear fireball. Lois and junior reporter Stephanie Edge uncovered that detail by going over Schlaus's old notes about the Phantom Ray and informed Superman, who convinced the X-Ray Man to spare Washington in exchange for satisfying himself with Superman's own demise. Schlaus agreed and promptly exploded into a mushroom cloud, although Superman made a last-second fade-out and fled the area with his super-speed before the radiation and shockwave could reach him. As a result, only Schlaus died that day.[1]

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  • This version of X-Ray Man, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.

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Footnotes


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Superman Villain(s)
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This character has been primarily an enemy of Superman in any of his various incarnations, or members of the Superman Family. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Superman Villains category."

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