Max Dillon was a man originally defined by being held back from success. His mother smothered him, not wanting him to fail as his father did. While he held dreams of being an electrical engineer, he was convinced by his mother that he was not smart enough for the job, so he instead became an electrical lineman. One day, while working on an electric pole, a bolt of lightning struck it. Miraculously, based on how he was holding the wires, the two bolts canceled each other out, giving Max power over electricity, prompting him to take up a new job: as the costumed villain Electro.