You're Not Ready For Microboy

[@NathanWeeks]

Ah yes, I remember Superboy. The acting, the writing, the costumes, the special effects; all things I wish that show had, but it just didn't.

[@wellesradio]

It ha writing. Actually it accomplished a lot of firsts for a Superman series, introducing the first television multiverse Supermen, including ones where he turns evil and rakes over the world.

[@jadenbryant9283]

​@@wellesradioand introduced Bizarro,toyman[albeit changing his name] and Mxyzpitlix in live action for the first time I believe

[@burntvirtue]

I hear ya but it's an 80s kids show

[@ProjektTaku]

@@jadenbryant9283 such a good Bizarro design with the face, way better than Smallville's.

[@jadenbryant9283]

@@ProjektTaku yeah admittedly bizarro was more like Ultraman at times

[@wise_girl9388]

Y'know, they really missed an opportunity to bring Microboy back for Smallville. He'd have fit in perfectly with the "freak of the week" style of the first season and there was already the one crazy dude with powers who was obsessed with Lana. They could have gone for two super-powered stalkers for Ms. Lang.

[@TitularHeroine]

That's an interesting idea. And he could've had a costume that was kinda cool.

[@jadenbryant9283]

​@@TitularHeroinedoubt that since smallvile [atleast until the later seasons sorta] didn't really do superhero costumes

[@Awestefeld6612]

On the comics the guy who would eventually become Master Jailer got powers from a robot and tried to defeat Superboy.. Love the early bronze age.

[@OmegaII]

that "one crazy dude with powers who was obsessed with Lana"? You mean many crazy dudes and some girls with powers, right?

[@mattyt1961]

@@OmegaIII thought he meant Clark :D

[@fredcampbell4066]

Hector might end up owning a small motel and take up taxidermy.

[@GenerationWest]

One thing I'm noticing is, "Wow, Microboy has a deep voice."

[@euansmith3699]

Another fun episode from Casually Comics. I like how Sasha matched her eyeshadow to Hector's costume.

[@OrpheusSpyros5]

I love the very Concept of both Microwave Man and Microboy. It would be interesting if they got Updated for the More modern DC Comics. Especially if they modeled them after Gothaman and Gothamgirl...

[@amanzeihedioha]

Microboy vs. Bibleman vs. Nightman concept pitch?

[@V..v..V]

Paste-Pot-Pete clears them all, unfortunately.

[@Ameute]

Where do I find this fanfic?

[@michaelthomas5433]

Bibleman wins.

[@Karlos1234ify]

A name called Micro -boy has so many unfortunate implications

[@RoyalFizzbin]

I think it’s brilliant; sets low expectations.

[@ctl6985]

"You're always gonna be a loser...like your father" "Hey mom, what is it that you say you do here?"

[@ZyxthePest]

I like the time travel ending in theory. I think Clark ominously saying that Hector would figure it out is what ruined it. Had he just said "This is the only place you'll survive, Hector. I'm sorry, but it's the only choice we've got." and then have Hector give some pushback before he sees the Wright bros and their plucky girl cousin. Then he could've given Superman a little nod and smirk and realize that everything might just be OK. Just that little bit of agency would've gone a long way. My favorite Superman stories are the ones where he can explain his hard choices in a very human way. There's a great idea here, but Superboy botched a lot of it's storytelling in general.

[@HubertMotleyJr]

Wait. It just hit me.. you don't think Lana was related to the Wright brothers do you? Because if she is supposed to be, that means Microboy was in love with his own future relative! 🤯

[@chrisbaker8533]

@@HubertMotleyJr Or, it's an alternate universe lana that was also transported back in time, but lost all her memories and was 'adopted' by the wright brothers, and raised as their 'cousin', just waiting for the day that she would... i've been watching way too much anime lately.

[@kemmdog4444]

They actually Weeping Angeled poor Microboy.

[@Raatcharch]

Your boundless enthusiasm for obscure bits comics-related stuff is why I love your channel. MOAR SUPERBOI PLZ

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

"Superboy becomes a vampire!" I need to hear about that episode. Dude's neck is like steel, that shouldn't work.

[@Dougeb7]

Excellent life-lessons can be gleaned from Microboy: 1) Remove yourself from abusive relationships. 2) Work on your own character before you seek super-powers. Unless you plan to be a supervillain. 3) Hire a professional costumer. 4) Forget any of Superboy or Superman's girlfriends. They're trouble.

[@JohnQ5]

I'm all in for a Superboy TV series retrospective.

[@davidtauriainen9116]

"I really want to impress Lana. I know! I'll call myself Microboy!"

[@nctpti2073]

The time travel solution is really problematic, since Hector knows all his modern engineering, meaning he could reaaaaaalllly mess up the timeline way too easily.

[@mightyrrt]

"At least partially a filthy lie" made me laugh out loud.

[@Arroyo2099]

yay my suggestion got made into a video. The show is actually really good. The second season is Pure Silver Age which featured the best Bizarro ever made and Yellow Petty. Seasons 3 and 4 were noir had some of my favorite episodes are two-parters like Know Thy Enemy and Roads Not Taken (in which you meet Nazi Superboy who has a costume like Red Son Superman) Oh and avoid Season 1...ugh so bad I made a whole retrospective on the show I would post the link but i don't want to be seen as a spammer

[@Gigas0101]

"A loser with nothing left to lose..." as he puts on the cheap looking mask, glowing with baby's first rotoscope effect. This is high art.

[@ProfessorHurt]

There are three things I remember about Superboy. #1 Lex going from college frat boy "pranker" in Season 1 to an absolute psychopath in Season 2 (played by now Sherman Howard) murdering folks left and right (he murders his frat boy best bud from Season 1 just for kicks. LIke WTF show?!). #2 The Dracula episodes (Season 1 and Season 2). #3 The inspired episode which has Michael J. Pollard as Mr. Mxyzptlk.

[@The_NaiveMelody]

fan theory. Micro boy was his own grandfather. His father was similar both in appearance and personality, could that not also suggest that his grandfather was himself? Release the microsaga cut.

[@jonadams5277]

I was thinking that, too. Maybe what made Hector's dad into the type of person Hector's mother berated him for being was Hector's dad taking after his own father... Who turns out to be Hector himself! I'm reminded of an old song, "I'm My Own Grandpa," but that took the concept in another direction.

[@The_NaiveMelody]

@@jonadams5277 it's very Futurama Fry esque

[@4thofEleven]

That's where I thought it was going with the constant reminder that he's 'just like his father'.

[@markchapman6800]

I was thinking that maybe he was Lana's (great-)grandfather, as in this kind of story characters instinctively know if they're related. 😁

[@oliveragag8576]

He sounds like he should be the Atom's sidekick.

[@NegaHumanX]

This makes me want to see a Spider-Man cartoon that goes into Doc Ocks origins and issues with his mom. It's the same kind of abuse, but hers comes from overprotectiveness instead of disappointment.

[@archmagefrey]

Candy corn. Truly the most heroic candy. I can see why he chose it as his costume inspiration.

[@darikhouseknecht4125]

Hell yes, more Superboy vids please! That show was absolutely ridiculous, but it also featured the only live-action versions of Bizarro, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Yellow Peri (don't ask) and a bunch of other characters for a LONG time. Also, just throwin' it out there: you know another forgotten character created by Cary Bates? That's right: VARTOX, Superman's crime-fighting, Sean Connery-looking space-bro! You HAVE to do a video on that guy!

[@haldon12]

I would have liked if more had been done with the idea that Hector equated super powers with being desired/desirable. Perhaps a little too complex for a short TV episode, but the idea that he's being berated for being a failure, and therefore equates being powerful/successful with being lovable/deserving of love is tragic, and potentially compelling.

[@gecko736]

Reminds me of Hal from Megamind

[@mattyt1961]

I like that in the show where the mother is eating a chocolate bar just before he fries his diary. Since (anecdotally) the microwave (for heating food) came about as the scientist melted a chocolate bar that may or may not have been in his pocket.

[@alexanderf8451]

Wild that a character as obscure as Microwave Man would get revisited like this.

[@billyheaning]

Is that the mom from You Can't Do That On Television? "Lisa! Donn't eeencccoouurrage yer moootttheerrr!

[@Alefiend]

The time-travel ending seems like it wasn't thought out. On the one hand, dumping a 21st-century engineer with the Wright Brothers could have extreme consequences for the timeline. On the other hand, there's the fact that we never hear from him again, which means all of his genius went nowhere, arguably making him the loser that his mother said he was. There may be room for something in between, but as you p9ointed out, shows like these didn't do nuance or subtlety very well.

[@miguelvelez7221]

"Next week... Superboy becomes a vampire."

[@rebeccakickass1776]

Please I would love to see that video 🙂

[@RealElMaximo]

"Frank Military" is tied with Clay Mann as the craziest/coolest name mentioned on Casually Comics. 😄

[@CasuallyComics]

I need Frank Military to play Major Force lol

[@kadegetslaid634]

As a huge fan of superman, HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS SHOW EXISTED

[@ProjektTaku]

not many do, nice Bizarro and Mr Mxy designs tho.

[@jadenbryant9283]

​@@ProjektTakuand also has Gillbert gottfried as toyman renamed nic-nax

[@ProjektTaku]

@@jadenbryant9283 nice

[@OmegaII]

It aired in syndication(no uniform station or airtime) in the early 90s, then rights issues meant is wasn't aired for years later. Ironically most people only know about this series nowadays cause they saw the original or because it actually was put on some steaming services cause all the companies buying each other sorted out the copyright issues by default.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

I remember watching this episode for the first time. I felt sorry for the girl who looked like Lana.

[@mndrew1]

Just from the thumbnail; not watched this yet; I'm getting a strong dread of the oncoming 'Captain Sunshine - Venture Brothers'-ness of it all.

[@musicreatively]

The time travel thing is interesting as an open ending for multiple reasons If you want a simple "good" ending then he helps the brothers and ends up with the cousin If you want a questioning ending then you could go along him thinking about how ominous the "you'll find out" is along with the culture shock of the actively different era. If you want to play more into the sudden addiction they explained, you could have him facing withdrawal symptoms in the past, or secretly gathering the things he'd need to make microwaves just to feel the high again. If you want it to be a closed loop, then anything that was futuristic tech in the show cannon may have been inspired or pushed forward however many years by the future boy who was sent back in time.

[@austinmeghu]

Microboy themed eyeshadow? Now thats dedication.

[@shinemoon4673]

Superman is addicted to yellow sunlight 😎

[@thejimg]

Funny how Microboy has a modified Marvin from the Super Friends logo on his chest, lol...

[@MechaTrekAD]

A friend of mine was in this series, lol. Ilan Mitchell Smith, who also played opposite Anthony Michael Hall in Weird Science, played Andy McCallister (who was originally supposed to be Pete Ross I think but for whatever reason they changed it). It made me smile to see him again here as its been years and years since we've spoken. Thanks for a trip down memory lane.

[@jazzmyn5804]

3:24 Hey, Kevin Kiner! He scored a lot of the animated Star Wars series. In confirming this fact, I also found out he scored Leprechaun by Mark Jones lol

[@jimgillespie6109]

There are two things I like about this series: One is the first season episode starring Sybil Danning as a succubus and the second is the teaser ad for the then-upcoming series. In the ad we see a typical '80s girl: beautiful, big hair, dressed in a tight party dress. As she lounges, we hear the announcer saying something about promoting the new Superboy series by giving potential viewers a sample of x-ray vision. The image fades, breaks up, and so on until it stabilizes. No, we don't get to see the girl, we get to see the circuitry in our TV sets. Maybe the best writing the series had! 😄

[@r4z0rv1n3]

Just gonna leave it out there Frank Military's voice kind of gives me the tingles. It's funny how I remember Superboy as a series existing but also how it feels like no one remembers it at all.

[@yaloolah42]

I've never heard of this show! I'm loving the dollar store Smallville vibes (I realize that these were probably the best they coudl do at the time.) I remember watching Smallville season 1 for the camp, and I don't know if it got better, but it was fun. I wouldn't mind seeing more of this.

[@mathieuleader8601]

my headcanon is that Microboy is the grandson of Prof Kelp from the Nutty Professor films

[@johnpjones182]

That's Academy Award Winner George Chakiris ("West Side Story") as the S.T.A.R. Labs scientist. The series featured some pretty decent guest stars: Stuart Whitman & Salome Jens as the Kents, George Lazenby (007!) & Britt Ekland as aliens posing as Jor-El & Lara, Michael J. Pollard as Mxyzptlk and Ami Dolenz as a proto-Livewire. It's been over 30 years since I've seen any episodes. I recall kinda, sorta liking it.

[@rodneylindsey849]

ABC definitely followed a pattern in Hector’s mom in the Lois & Clark : TNAS season 3 episode…Oedipus Rex…where villain of the week Herkimer Johnson had the exact same relationship with his mom Rowena Johnson, except he couldn’t live up to the admiration she had for his older brother Bad Brain Johnson … Never got into the campiness of the Superboy series, ( except how hot Stacy Haiduk was) although I am still a big fan of the before mentioned Lois & Clark ( Teri Hatcher 🤩) …If anything I’d prefer doing some dives into it & Smallville …Keep Up The Outstanding Work Sasha 🖖🏾

[@anionhero]

Okay... so, Superboy's solution is to take Microboy to the time of the Wright Brothers and drop him off with them. Yeah, I can't see anything bad happening to the timeline with this. SMH. I'm surprised they didn't do a follow up episode where Superboy learns history has been altered and now Hector is credited as the Father of flight instead of the Wright Brothers being credited for the first flight. Oops.

[@traesmith9822]

This looks like a 90s Saban production. Interesting to see that applied to western superheroes. I never heard of this... 4 seasons!?

[@aaronbarrios2061]

You know, given how many times his mother said “you’re just like your father” but his father wasn’t there, I was half expecting him to be sent back in time and become his own father in some sort of time paradox thing

[@mattthecatania]

Radioactive Man + The Ray = Microboy

[@kemmdog4444]

I don’t know how I missed this show.

[@logan825]

This episode is indicative of how our society has changed its view of the bullied. They wanted us to see him as a future serial killer when now that character would be seen as someone who needs our care. The fact that superboy finds him a world where he can be superior shows how ahead of the times the kryptonian has always been. Superboy approaches the boy with compassion and tries to find the most ideal solution without killing or eternal imprisonment.

[@cane6074]

That was makes Superman such great character, its not his powers that make him great, its his values and what he dose with those powers as well as drive not to compromise his values and how those values are challenged. Its also why Captain America is so well liked as well. Its a may be kind of hammy and seem to good to be true, but its just his sincerity and well meaningless that makes it so infectious. An exemplar of humanity best aspects, despite the fact that he not human which makes him even more remarkable.

[@timross5351]

It occurs to me that this wraps around! Dropped off in the early 1900's as a brilliant inventor with microwave powers, might he not end up becoming Metropolis' first super-villain, only to be abducted by aliens? This series fell victim to a curse I had back then. If there was a show I only saw infrequently, I'd end up seeing reruns of the same episonde every time! Thus, I only ever saw the Mxyzktplk episode twice...

[@lovelycrimeboy8368]

Not gonna lie, Microboy design looks like an early 90s Simpsons character.

[@jeremysmith4620]

Loner guys writing manifestos, that feel a relationship with a woman is forever beyond their reach, never end up well. To be honest, this scenario ending up with a guy in a yellow suit able to heat up Hot Pockets any time or place is probably the best any of these situations have ever ended. Remember kids, manifestos - not even once.

[@macsnafu]

Microwave Man had a great costume. Microwave Boy, not so much. Especially that thing on the top of his cowl.

[@Pille22]

So, Billy from the Power Rangers is in another series, that I have never heard of? Superboy, huh?

[@EdwardAlcantara]

14:46 RUNS lines with, doing lines is something totally different 😳

[@zacharyvanstanley9488]

Was that Lana’s ancestor? Does that mean Hector is her ancestor?!

[@trevorghalt1881]

Dang Microboy just took $2 with him back in the past and now he's probably rich, nice also already credit for being a good actor for acting in that dumb suit

[@WarmLillie]

I can’t stop laughing at Microboy, the name and suit ridiculous.

[@UncleMuin]

I completely missed this show, and I am regularly amused whenever someone brings it up or covers an episode or character.

[@gecko736]

If Hal from Megamind had made his own powers.

[@matthewhood7844]

I'm rewatching the first season of Heroes and when Stacy Haiduk showed up I thought "wasn't she Lana Lang on Superboy?" Then I watch your latest video and sure enough Haiduk as Lang .

[@lordtao5617]

Looks like the best part of this episode is that in the end. Hectors mom is completely unaware of what happened to her son. Serves her right really.

[@burntvirtue]

Great episode. This is the episode I remember most from watching it when it originally aired. I remember being fascinated with the odd mask and the way the M was molded off to the side on top of it. It stuck with me since I was 7, and I'm 41 now. Pretty crazy how impressionable our minds are during those formative years.

[@gddion]

fun (or potentially very boring) fact, when Gerard Christopher played Superboy he was almost four years older than Christopher Reeve was when he played Superman.

[@sanfransardine]

Note to self: bright yellow aura as signature power glow resembles banana or urine

[@kr555wizard]

I think they could have made his story more interesting if he was a small background character we saw in a previous episode, doesn't have to be many of them but example, have a plot where super boy has to do something before getting to lana's play and we have him bump into him on the way to talking to lana. have the mom be there and berate him, and clark say something like your song did well in the play. give microboy the idea that clark is his friend. And then have a small scene where maybe for a science project he and clark are partnered together and he talks about how he wants to be a great inventor like the wright brothers and acomplish not only his own dreams but his dad's dreams too. That way we get a bit more sympathy for him, and also give us a better idea of his character so on his highlight episode we can just focus on him gaining powers and his one sided love with lana. That would also explain why clark took him to the time of the wright brothers cause he was told by clark that they were his heroes.

[@dfailsthemost]

I remember a microwave man from a TV show. They ended up sending him back in time. But I hadn't remembered ever watching Superboy before. Weird. I'm glad you covered this because I have wondered what show it had been.

[@FriedGamer]

Ya’ know, Superboy dropped him off in the perfect time to be Metropolis first super villain

[@nosaisibor6450]

I think that they made his mother so bad so that he could be taken back in time with no misgivings. Also i remember him having a white costume did lois and clark have a remake of the episode, or am i just remembering it wrong. Because i think a version of him was sent into space and came back as the cyborg superman in the comics. I think

[@eddieboyky]

I love this channel so much! You never know what's going to pop up.

[@MyPhobo]

I also crave microwaves. (when they are filled with burritos)

[@RabbiJoeInJerusalem]

Not only did i watch the series, I collected the comic. Those were the days before Simonson's Man of Steel, so there was a week without Superman every month. It was pretty good Ty Templeton art until they gave up on original stories and just started adapting episodes.

[@bensneb360]

Lana Lang has had as many superpowered stalkers as Lois Lane has had marriages lol

[@JKevinCarrier]

Ah, the Superboy series. You kids today don't know how good you have it, with your streaming services and your extended cinematic universes. In the '70s and '80s, when a beloved superhero made it to TV, our expectations were...measured, to say the least. Not so much "I hope it's good!", more like "I hope it's not completely embarrassing!" No such luck in Superboy's case.

[@noy8940]

I was not aware of this shows existence until now

[@stevenvaleriojr1177]

This was a great episode. With 90s Superboy on the table, have you considered looking into Gilbert Gottfried's duel role of guest star on the show and writer on the accompanying comic? The comic is pretty bonkers.

[@orinanime]

I watched this show a lot when I was a little kid. I remember a few episodes. The Dracula episode. The Metallo episode. The Bizarro episode. I remember the changing actors. It was fun. Cheesy and silly. But fun.

[@grburr2]

Slim pickings for tv super-heroics in those days but as others have noted there’s a lot of fun to great episodes. Are you aware of the comic book series that followed the show’s continuity? Only ran 18 issues but it featured some of the last Super Family stories drawn by Jim Mooney and Curt Swan!

[@blackchibisan8116]

Can I just state again that I appreciate you just being a fellow nerd. It is refreshing in today’s day and age. Seriously.

[@TeruteruBozusama]

I don't know how to explain it, but I can see some of his acting in how NCIS LA episodes are set up..!

[@Konel333]

Cary Bates was a ridiculously prolific writer when I was a kid (in the 70s). He was one of the few comic book writer names my young mind remembered. I had no idea he wrote for the Superboy TV show much later. I remember the Superboy TV Show seemed like a strange choice since it came out *after* John Byrne's Man of Steel which clearly made the point that canon Superman was never Superboy when he was young, causing much trauma to my beloved Legion of Super-Heroes.

[@Reubentheimitator6572]

O Sasha, I knew neither of the SuperBoy television series nor of Frank Military as an actor playing MicroBoy and then going on to a producer. Thank you for introducing me to both that series and to Frank Military playing MicroBoy.

[@dcbandit]

Didn't know there was a Superboy show, sounds like what I was hoping Smallville would have been. I'll check it out! Smallville was fun, but it was severely lacking in Superboy/Superman appearances, at least in costume. I was really hoping Clark would don the Superboy identity, but nope, just Superman in everything but appearance or name. Even his "hero name" was pretty much just Sonic the Hedgehog's nickname, the Blue Blur. Still a good show, just kinda annoying that it never jumped the hurdle from Clark Kent to Superman.

[@Arroyo2099]

You should also check out the Metallo episode, such low tech to make him plus the actor hams it up quite a bit. Oh in his second appearance, it was the first time we ever see Red Kryptonite on screen. The first time it was ever used to make Superboy evil in continuity.

[@lanceyoung9955]

The guy is a scientific genuis and that's the best costume he could come up with?

[@PatrickDunning]

Oh wow. You just reminded me this existed. I know I watched this but man had you asked me if there was a live action Superboy series before Smallville I would have sworn this didn't exist... but now I remember.

[@fcm3d]

How did I miss this in my life? This is awesome.

[@yolispinner6653]

I would love if you did more videos on the show. I remember watching this as a kid.

[@dallasgrey4247]

Is this the inspiration for the second episode of Smallville? It really feels like it is, just with less irradiated bugs.

[@dramonmaster222]

Oh! Microboy in Microwaves! I was thinking something totally different.

[@austinmeghu]

Theres an issue of Nightwing where he makes out with Catwoman and it just had casually comics material written all over it. Another amazing video btw!

[@parkermacinnis3977]

I could imagine a much darker ending, with Microboy winning Lana's love, then snapping back to showing his mother opening the machine to find him burnt to a crisp. Most of the episode just a dying dream. Much too dark for this show, but I can definitely picture it.

[@Sted1000]

I think that was my favorite episode of this series, I remember it was made at UCF ( University of Central Florida ) and had alot of shots from downtown Orlando, there is a shot of SunTrust tower at 13:39 .....it was also the series that gave us Gilbert Godfrey as Nick-Nack. those were my favorite episodes. But also had and episode of Loise and Clark filmed a block from my cousins house

[@GLConvoy]

Love your lesser known villain videos. Been hoping you might do some of the failed ones they tried for Supes 90's villains like Massacre but especially on Conduit. The guy they tried so hard to be his new Lex only to fail horribly.

[@EliotHochberg]

There’s a much simpler solution to the story that would work a lot better, doesn’t require a mom who is a problem or a stereotype of a teen boy who doesn’t understand love and does something stupid because of love. He could be friends with Lana and his mom is relatively clueless. She supports his education, and he convinces her to spend money on his experiments. He creates this machine to give him superpowers. He is able to save his friend just like in the episode and at the end he meets Superboy. They talk a little, and super voice says that being a superhero can be tricky, he should be careful. He may want to do some training since he’s so new. Micro boy wants to take this advice to heart, but then on the radio he hears about two different dire situations. Superboy is gone to deal with the first one, but there’s nobody to help with the second one. Micro decides that his training will have to wait, And he increases the dose past the amount that he had calculated was sufficient. he is able to go and save the day, and even receives thanks from Superboy, and attention from Lana. Perhaps this is the first time he has thought about her as a romantic interest. But before he has a to consider that, he feels a sharp pain. It turns out that when he used too much microwave energy, it caused him to become to the energy. He is in pain from withdrawal just from a short amount of time without the microwave energy. he doesn’t understand it at first, but he is compelled to go back to his machine and fill himself up with microwave energy. It also turns out that if he doesn’t use his powers, the microwave energy will remain with him, and he will not have withdrawal. He tries to go about his day, but a couple of hours later, there’s another instant and he and Superboy rush there. When he gets there, he is overly aggressive with Superboy, and even starts to fight him. However, the cries of the victims break him out of his spell alongside Superboy asking why would he do this? the two of them are able to work together to make up for lost time from fighting and save people from whatever it was. Afterword, Superboy begins to give Micro a harsh talking to. Micro boy breaks down and cries, withdrawal is happening again. explains to Superboy what’s going on. Cut to Superboy and his science friend having reviewed Micro boy’s equipment. Together the three of them determine what is happening. It turns out that once Micro boy use his machine to give him the superpowers, the microwaves in the ambient radiation were what were causing his withdrawal symptoms. They determine that if he remains anywhere with this level of microwave radiation, he will die in under a month. Now there are two choices: they can either do the time travel solution as written, except that Micro boy is on board; or, he can move to an isolated island where microwave radiation is low enough that he can survive. He will no longer have superpowers either way,but it does leave open the possibility that he could heroically re-energize himself one last time, knowing that if he does so, that would end his life afterwards.