From Harley Quinn to Renee Montoya, the DC Animated Universe has given birth to some of the most exciting new characters in recent DC history. And Livewire from Superman: The Animated Series was one of several successful conversions from the small screen to the printed page. Unlike those characters, however, it took her a lot longer to make the jump into her respective mainstream comic book universe.

Always portrayed as an irreverent shock jockey with similarly electric powers, Livewire's cartoon and comic counterparts have remained fairly consistent. With her debut cartoon making its high-definition debut on HBO Max, here's the backstory behind Leslie Willis and how she made a thunderous impact on Superman's world.

RELATED: Superman vs the Flash: Who Won the Man of Steel's Race With Jay Garrick?

Livewire in the DCAU

Livewire

Livewire first appeared in a 1997 Superman: The Animated Series episode of the same name. Initially, she was a human disc jockey named Leslie Willis who spoke horrendously concerning just about everyone, namely Superman. This gained her an unlikely fan in the form of Lex Luthor. She was adamant about hosting a concert celebrating her third year on the air, despite the inclement weather telling her otherwise.

Superman and the police tried to disband the raucous event, with a stray bolt of lightning from the concurrent storm passing through the Man of Steel and electrocuting Willis. She woke up much later in the hospital with a chalky skin tone, soon discovering her ability to control electricity. Blaming Superman for what happened, she pledged a vendetta against him as she drained electricity from Metropolis to maintain her powers.

Though she continued to gain immense electrical power, Superman eventually defeated her by dousing her with water. The character would go on to appear again in the series, teaming up with Parasite and later Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy in Batman's cartoon. She would go on to appear in several DC related shows and movies, both animated and live-action. These have included Young Justice, DC Super Hero Girls, as well as Superman-related shows Smallville and Supergirl.

RELATED: Batman Almost Stopped Superman From Saving the World

Livewire in the DC Comics Universe

Livewire Batgirl DC

Livewire theoretically debuted in comic books in Scott McCloud and Bret Blevins' Superman Adventures #5, an issue of the comic book series that was in continuity with the show. Though this was the same Livewire, she was many times shown in a more sympathetic light in these stories, even teaming up with Superman's allies to defeat other villains.

She would finally make her entrance into the DC comic book universe proper in Action Comics #835. This 2006 issue, written by Gail Simone and legendary Superman writer John Byrne, came out almost ten years after her original DCAU introduction. She was given a very similar storyline to that of the cartoon, though her powers were more latent than they were there. She still didn't care for Superman in this version, as well as for the much wholesome broadcaster Billy Batson. In this version, she's struck by lightning after climbing to the top of the station that she was fired from. This would upgrade her electrical powers, making her take her aggression out on the world, namely a weakened Superman.

She would appear at random throughout the rest of the pre-Flashpoint continuity, namely the conclusive "Grounded" story arc. There, she begins losing control of her powers, forcing Superman to clothe her in his former energy containment suit from the controversial "Superman: Red/Blue" storyline. This was a bit of full-circle storytelling, as many have compared Livewire's appearance to this version of Superman. She would be subsequently reformed and be inducted in the ranks of the "Supermen of America," seemingly staying a hero.

She briefly appeared in the New 52 continuity, having still vexed Superman in the past. It was revealed in the pages of Batgirl that this new version of Willis was a vlogger that got electrocuted after trying to conduct a prank by rerouting the city's power, giving her electrical abilities. Since then, she hasn't been a huge factor in the comics, but it's only a matter of time before she, like lightning, strikes again.

KEEP READING: Superman: Red and Blue #1 Delivers Short Stories Worthy of the Man of Steel