>>117396348Byrne introduced an alien who apparently stole powers. "Apparently" is the key word. He copied powers and implanted mental suggestions which prevented heroes from using theirs.
This was obviously Byrne's way of discarding the Silver Age trope that superpowers were like a charge of static electricity and could be drained and transferred.
Superman used logic. His powers came from absorbed solar radiation. Anybody stealing THAT would only wind up riddled with cancers.
As I recall it was Clark Kent, wearing Professor Hamilton's force-field belt, who eventually beat the snot out of the alien. Byrne was also scaling back on the "I feel sick and need to lie down" Kent persona.
Nowadays, if you need someone who can steal powers, how about a stacked woman with a southern drawl and a white streak in her hair?
