Strange Visitor, Superman's Childhood Friend Turned Superhero, Explained

Superman is well-known as a visitor from another planet, armed with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. With superhuman strength, vast speed, flight and invulnerability, the Man of Steel wields a set of powers that make him one of the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe. That changed at one point when the Last Son of Krypton randomly received electricity-based powers. This era of his publication history was largely reviled by fans, but it did lead to the introduction of a powerful ally.

Strange Visitor wasn't the Man of Steel himself, but rather a friend of his from Smallville. Intent on starting a new life, this lady embarks on a life that even she likely didn't foresee when she gains an incredible number of superpowers. This not only temporarily added another member to the Superman Family but also helped redeem one of the low points of Superman's post-Crisis continuity.

Who Was Sharon Vance, Strange Visitor From Planet Earth?

Strange Visitor debuted in Superman #149 and was created by Randall Frenz, Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema. Her backstory revealed that she was once Sharon Vance, a young lady from Smallville who grew up with Clark Kent, not knowing of his superhuman nature. During his youth, he had used his powers to save her from a perilous fall, an experience that proved to be life-changing. Unbeknownst to her or Clark, this was the very moment when the essence of Kismet, a god-like cosmic being, collided with Sharon's own being. From then on, she craved more than her mundane life but wasn't sure why.

As an adult, she would act upon these feelings of unfulfillment, by heading to Metropolis for a fresh start. Unfortunately, the plane she took was suddenly struck by lightning, a circumstance that threatened to kill everyone. It was then that Sharon and Kismet truly merged into one being. However, this newly created person had no real memory of who she was, though she now wielded superhuman electrical powers due to being composed completely of unstable electrical energy. Drawn to the laboratory of Superman's scientific ally Emil Hamilton, Sharon/Kismet was aided by the absent-minded professor and given a containment suit. Now able to properly contain her energy, the lady went about saving lives and acting like a superhero, using the name "Strange Visitor" that had been given to her by the media.

The Life and Death of Strange Visitor

Strange Visitor would go on to become a successful superhero, teaming up with Superman and learning to better harness her powers. Unfortunately, she began to exhibit some of the same instabilities that Clark Kent did when he had similar powers. The electromagnetic energy that Strange Visitor was composed of began to become erratic due to her unstable emotional state. This new development threatened to make her energy too volatile for the containment suit to handle.

Strange Visitor would regain control of herself and her memories after a fight with Parasite. This put her back on track, but sadly, her character didn't last much longer after that. During the Imperiex War storyline, Strange Visitor sacrificed herself to give Superman all of her energy. The plan was successful, as Superman finally had enough power to finally defeat the massive Imperiex. Unfortunately, this was the end for Strange Visitor, dying exactly two years after her introduction.

Given that she was essentially a short-term plot point to the infamous Superman: Blue storyline, it's no wonder that DC hasn't felt the need to bring Strange Visitor back in a significant way. Her having drastically different powers from Superman also doesn't help, as it makes her a somewhat odd member of the Superman Family. However, her oddness alone is a great reason to bring her back.

Why Has DC Not Used Strange Visitor?

Strange Visitor's uniqueness would allow her to join the Superman Family without stepping on any toes or being redundant. She wouldn't be just an altered version of Supergirl and Power Girl and she would be a refreshing homage to the electromagnetic premise of Superman: Blue. DC did briefly bring the character back in the New 52 continuity, though this was a new version of Sharon Vance. She had electrical powers, a similar design and a history in Smallville, but she had no connection to Kismet or have a history with Superman.

Being shunned from the Smallville prequel, her only appearance outside the comics was in Young Justice: Outsiders, though she was merely a powerless human. But with DC Rebirth bringing back so much of the old continuity, a Strange Visitor revitalization is possible. Although the likelihood of DC doing so seems to be somewhat slim at the moment.