> I've been re-reading my old post-crisis Superman comics and was wondering if the origin of Superman's electrical powers was ever explained. I always assumed it had something to do with his efforts to regain his powers following Final Night, but the robots in the Fortress of Solitude stopped recognizing his Kryptonian DNA before that (Superman #117). What was the source of the change and when was it explained.

It never really was. A few things happened that SEEMED to cause it, if you looked back. The teleporting into Kandor might have thrown his DNA slightly out of sync with its normal pattern.

Also, when his powers faded during FINAL NIGHT, he got shocked by some energy based lifeform some guys dug up in the Artic.

No real explanation, tho', and certainly none as to why the two energy versions of him (red and blue) merged and switched back to his nomral form (and powers) when they expended all their energy in one joint blast during the "visit" by the giants from some other realm.


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> P.S. Another less pressing question I've had is when did Lex Luthor deiscover he had cancer? What issue?

I'd only guess at maybe that happening as far back as 15 years ago.

It's been retconned out, anyway, since a flashback showed bald Lex being the one whose DNA was used to help create Conner.

By rights, it should have been "Lex Jr." since he was the one around at the time.

Seems the whole Lex Jr. thing (and the cancer) may never have happened.

This does leave open a question as to how dangerous kryptonite is to humans in the present timeline, tho' someone's recently said something about it "not being harmful to humans, at least not as bad as it is to Superman".