Livewire is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms, such as Text (literary theory), writing, Sound, audio, images, animations, or video, into a single presentation. T ...

produced by

DC Entertainment DC Entertainment is an American entertainment company that was founded in September 2009 and is based in Burbank, California. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery which manages DC Comics characters by working with other units ...

, and

American comic books An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. Created for '' Superman: The Animated Series'', the character appeared in March 1997 in '' Superman Adventures'' #5 (based on the animated series). Her first mainstream comic book appearance was in

' ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' #835 (March 2006). In animation, the character was voiced by Lori Petty in '' Superman: The Animated Series'' and ''

The New Batman Adventures ''The New Batman Adventures'' (often shortened as ''TNBA'') is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, which aired on Kids' WB from September 13, 1997 to January 16, 1999. Produced by Warner Br ...

'', and by Maria Canals-Barrera in ''

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

''. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. In live-action, she has been portrayed by Anna Mae Routledge in ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

'' and Brit Morgan in the

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series ...

series ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...

''.

Fictional character biography

DC Animated Universe

Introduced in a self-titled episode of ''Superman: The Animated Series'', Leslie Willis is a popular, yet controversial

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

radio

shock jock A shock jock is a radio broadcaster or DJ who entertains listeners and attracts attention using humor or melodramatic exaggeration that may offend some portion of the listening audience. The term is used pejoratively to describe provocative or ...

who takes cynical joy in ridiculing

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

during her broadcasts. On the third anniversary of her career, she hosts a rock concert at Centennial Park to celebrate despite a concurrent thunderstorm and public safety concerns. After lightning strikes the stage, Willis is transformed into an electrokinetic

metahuman In the DC Universe, a metahuman is a human with superpowers. The term is roughly synonymous with the terms '' mutant'', '' inhuman'' and '' mutate'' in the Marvel Universe and '' posthuman'' in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. In ...

. Following this, Willis forms a short-lived alliances with

Parasite Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted str ...

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

, and

Poison Ivy Poison ivy is a type of allergenic plant in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' native to Asia and North America. Formerly considered a single species, '' Toxicodendron radicans'', poison ivies are now generally treated as a complex of three separate s ...

. In the ''

'' episode "Hereafter", Livewire (voiced by an uncredited Maria Canals-Barrera) joins the Superman Revenge Squad, only to be defeated by the

. In ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'', she joins Gorilla Grodd's

Secret Society A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...

. Livewire also appears in the '' Superman Adventures'' tie-in comic, where she works with Professor Hamilton to stop Brainiac and eventually reforms.

Comics

Livewire is introduced into the main comics continuity in ''Action Comics'' #835 (March 2006), written by

Gail Simone Gail Simone (born July 29, 1974) is an American writer best known for her work in comics on DC Comics, DC's ''Birds of Prey (comics), Birds of Prey'', ''Batgirl'', Dynamite Entertainment's Red Sonja, and for being the longest running female write ...

and John Byrne. This version was born with her abilities, but did not gain her signature appearance until being struck by lightning. In '' Superman: Grounded'', Livewire attacks

Jimmy Olsen Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Superman, Clark Kent ...

and takes hostages in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

to get Superman's attention. It is subsequently revealed that her powers are deteriorating and she can no longer control them safely. Superman provides her with a special suit that resolves the problem and recruits her to join the

Supermen of America The Supermen of America is the name of two fictional superhero teams published by DC Comics. The original group first appeared in a special written by Stuart Immonen published in 1999, and a later mini-series written by Fabian Nicieza, which was ...

The New 52

In ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'' continuity reboot, Livewire joins the

Secret Society of Super Villains Secret Society of Super Villains (SSoSV) is a DC Comics title that debuted in May–June 1976. The series presented a group of DC's supervillains, mostly foes of the Justice League, Justice League of America. The series was cancelled with issue #1 ...

, and her origin is revised to be similar to her DCAU counterpart.

Powers and abilities

Livewire is a being of pure electricity able to absorb vast quantities from external sources. She can also manipulate electricity and generate lightning blasts of various intensities, with her strongest being able to weaken or stun Superman. She can also transform into living electricity to travel through electric currents and control electronic devices. Due to her powers, her primary weakness is water, as even a small amount will cause her stored energy to go haywire unless she has stored up enough power. At this or any stage, Livewire would have to be completely drenched in water to be fully depowered. Additionally,

silicon Silicon is a chemical element; it has symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic lustre, and is a tetravalent metalloid (sometimes considered a non-metal) and semiconductor. It is a membe ...

dust can also render her powerless due to its electrical resistance. When drained of her electricity, she reverts to her solid form and cannot use most of her abilities until she absorbs enough energy.

In other media

Television

Animation

* Livewire makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...

'' episode "Black Friday". * A teenage Livewire appears in ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen T ...

'', voiced by Britt Baron. This version is a member of the Outsiders. * Livewire appears in '' DC Super Hero Girls'', voiced by Mallory Low. This version is a teenage bully,

internet troll In slang, a troll is a person who posts deliberately offensive or provocative messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a forum, a chat room, an online video game) or who performs similar behaviors in real life. The methods and ...

, and member of the Super Villain Girls. * Livewire appears in ''

'', voiced by Aline Elasmar. This version is a member of the

Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in '' Challenge of the Superfriends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...

. * Livewire appears in ''

My Adventures with Superman ''My Adventures with Superman'' is an American animated superhero anime-influenced series based on the DC Comics character Superman. The series is developed by Jake Wyatt, produced by Warner Bros. Animation and animated by Studio Mir in South ...

'', voiced by Zehra Fazal. This version is a thief whose powers are initially derived from a special harness powered by an alien crystal before she later develops natural electrokinesis. Additionally, as of the episode "Olsen's Eleven", she has entered a relationship with

Heat Wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

Live-action

* Livewire appears in the ''

'' episode "Injustice", portrayed by an uncredited Anna Mae Routledge. This version is a small-time crook who, after being incarcerated, is recruited by Tess Mercer and tasked with searching for Davis Bloome alongside

Neutron The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , that has no electric charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. The Discovery of the neutron, neutron was discovered by James Chadwick in 1932, leading to the discovery of nucle ...

, Plastique, and Mercer's assistant Eva Greer. Livewire is later killed by an explosive implanted in her head off-screen. * Livewire appears in ''

'', portrayed by Brit Morgan. This version is a confident yet abrasive CatCo shock jock who acquires her powers after

, whom she had repeatedly denigrated on her radio show, is struck by lightning while rescuing her from a potential helicopter crash. Introduced in her self-titled episode, Livewire attempts to seek revenge on

Cat Grant Cat Grant is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. In live-action television, the character has been played by Tracy Scoggins in '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', Keri Lynn Pratt in ''S ...

for demoting her, only to be defeated by Supergirl and turned over to the

Department of Extranormal Operations Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

(DEO)'s custody. In the episode " Worlds Finest", Silver Banshee breaks Livewire out of the DEO to help her kill Grant, Supergirl, and Kara Danvers. However, the pair are foiled by Supergirl, a dimensionally-displaced Flash, and a group of firefighters and incarcerated at National City's newly developed metahuman prison. In "We Can Be Heroes", scientist Dr. Hampton kidnaps Livewire in an attempt to steal her powers and create an army of electricity-powered super-soldiers, but she escapes with Supergirl's help and they form a truce. In "Fort Rozz", Livewire agrees to help Supergirl and

Psi Psi, PSI or Ψ may refer to: Alphabetic letters * Psi (Greek) (Ψ or ψ), the twenty-third letter of the Greek alphabet * Psi (Cyrillic), letter of the early Cyrillic alphabet, adopted from Greek Arts and entertainment * "Psi" as an abbreviat ...

on a mission to the titular prison to gather information on

Reign A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., King of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia, List of Belgian monarchs, Belgium, Co-princes of Andorra, Andorra), of a people (e.g., List of Frankish kin ...

and later dies saving Supergirl.

Film

* An alternate reality variant of Livewire appears in '' Justice League: Gods and Monsters'', voiced by

Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American voice actress who has provided English-language roles for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as List of FLCL characters#Haruko Haruhara, Haruko H ...

. This version is a human terrorist who wields an electric beam gun. * Livewire makes a non-speaking appearance in '' Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse'' as a member of the

Video games

* Livewire appears as a boss in '' Superman: Shadow of Apokolips'', voiced again by Lori Petty. * Livewire appears as a boss in '' Superman: Countdown to Apokolips''. * Livewire appears in ''

DC Universe Online ''DC Universe Online'' (''DCUO'') is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game set in the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company and WB Games, the game was initiall ...

''. * Livewire appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''. * Livewire appears as a playable character in ''DC Legends''. * Livewire appears in '' Lego DC Super-Villains'', voiced by

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is an American-Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her extensive work in animation, voicing characters such as Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and related media, Susie Carmichael ...

. * Livewire appears as a boss in ''DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power'', voiced again by Mallory Low.

Miscellaneous

* Livewire appears in '' DC Universe Online: Legends'' #9 as an associate of Brainiac.''DC Universe Online: Legends'' #9 (August 2001) * Livewire appears in the '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' prequel comic. * Livewire appears in the ''

'' tie-in comics ''Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour'' and ''Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats''.

References

{{Batgirl 1997 comics debuts Comics characters introduced in 1997 Comics characters introduced in 2006 Characters created by Bruce Timm DC Animated Universe original characters DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics characters who can teleport DC Comics female superheroes DC Comics female supervillains DC Comics metahumans DC Comics shapeshifters Female characters in animation Fictional characters with electric or magnetic abilities Fictional radio personalities Fictional technopaths Superman characters Villains in animated television series