Early in the Legion's history, Garth is killed battling Zaryan the Conqueror and resurrected following the sacrifice of Proty, Chameleon Boy's shapeshifting pet.

At one point, Lightning Lad lost his right arm to a monster dubbed the "Super Moby Dick of space", replacing it with a bionic appendage.

During the "Five Year Gap" following the Magic Wars, Earth falls under the control of the Dominators and withdraws from the United Planets.

However, the Legion's history greatly revolved around Superboy, and that version of the character was retconned into being part of a "pocket universe", a solution that caused several continuity errors.

In this version, the Ranzz siblings gained their electric powers after becoming stranded on the barren planet Korbal and attempting to use the Lightning Beasts to recharge their cruiser, being rendered comatose for several months.

[6] Months later, Garth and Ayla awoke simultaneously to find that Mekt had awoken around a week earlier, displayed electrical powers like the Beasts, and vanished.

Shortly after, a bar-room brawl caused Garth to be arrested, but just as his cellmates were about to beat him up, Triad-Orange came and posted his bail - Brande wanted a word.

Brande, a follower of the 21st-century "Heroic Age", proceeded to talk the three of them into founding "a Legion of Super-Heroes", with Garth taking the codename Live Wire.

[7] Despite early tension between him and Saturn Girl, Garth's initial period with the Legion passed with little trouble, until his sister showed up.

Finally, as Mekt prepared to finish them off, Garth prompted Ayla to hold his remaining hand and let their powers run together freely.

[volume & issue needed] While he was recovering from the ordeal, and getting used to his artificial arm, he was contacted by Cosmic Boy, who knew that President Chu was up to something, but he didn't know what and thus had to play along with her wishes (which included keeping Live Wire off the team).

[volume & issue needed] Garth was killed during the "Legion Lost" storyline, sacrificing himself in battle with the Progenitor (actually an insane Element Lad).

[10] In the 2005 Waid/Kitson revamp, Garth Ranzz (again as Lightning Lad) remains a charter member of the galactic youth movement the Legion has become.

Made acting leader in the wake of the Lemnos crisis, it was Lightning Lad who signed the accord which officially named the Legion as an arm of the United Planets and saved hundreds of Legionnaires from being brutally deported by the Science Police.

This fact, and his dedication to the Legion's cause strains his relationship with Saturn Girl, eventually putting her in Ultra Boy's arms.

The events of the 2005–2006 "Infinite Crisis" storyline restored a close analogue of the pre-"Crisis on Infinite Earths" Legion to continuity, as seen in "The Lightning Saga" story arc in Justice League of America and Justice Society of America, and in the "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story arc in Action Comics.

In Doomsday Clock, Lightning Lad is among the Legionnaires who appear in the present after Doctor Manhattan undoes his alternations to the timeline, restoring the Legion and the Justice Society of America.

[14] In The New Golden Age, Lightning Lad is among the Legion of Super-Heroes members who arrive in the present and confront the Justice Society of America over their decision to recruit Legionnaire, a young, heroic incarnation of Mordru.