Lightning (Earth-One)

Lightning
Mainstream Universe‎, 1950s-1986
Gallery
Real Name	Lightning
Other Aliases	Thunder
Affiliation	servant of Whirlicane
Base Of Operations	Metropolis
Status
Alignment	Bad
Identity	Secret Identity
Race	Android
Characteristics
Gender	Male
Origin
Universe	Earth-One
Creators	Elliot S. Maggin · Curt Swan
First Appearance	Superman #303 (September, 1976)
Appearance of Death	Superman #303 (September, 1976)

Lightning was a synthetic lifeform created by the criminal scientist Whirlicane.

History

Lightning was in effect two personalities; the electrically powered Lightning could transform at will into the monstrous, super strong Thunder! Lightning, however, was unaware of his own true nature, believing that he had been a petty criminal who Whirlicane had rescued from a life of obscurity and given super powers. Whirlicane sent Lightning/Thunder to attack his former employers, S.T.A.R. Labs, but Superman stopped his rampage and tracked him back to Whirlicane's lab. There, he revealed to Lightning that he was actually no more than a sophisticated robot by exposing the circuitry in his arm. Unable to cope with this revelation, Lightning went berserk, unleashing his full power in one burst and destroying both himself and the lab, as well as apparently killing Whirlicane.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Electrokinesis: As Lightning; able to generate and control electricity.
• Sound Manipulation: As Thunder; able to generate sonic booms from his hands.

Notes

• This version of Lightning, 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.
• The character Thunder is not to be confused with the Teen Titans member Thunder (Gan Williams) of the same name, or with Thunder Thunder (CeCe Beck) or Thunder (Anissa Pierce).
• The character Lightning is not to be confused with the Teen Titans member Lightning (Tavis Williams) of the same name.

Related

• 1 Appearances of Lightning (Earth-One)
• 1 Images featuring Lightning (Earth-One)
• Quotations by or about Lightning (Earth-One)
• Character Gallery: Lightning (Earth-One)

Footnotes

Superman Villain(s) 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."