John Corben, a mercenary and friend of Lex Luthor, is living a pretty darned good life in jail with gourmet dinners, etc. However, he's got a serious health problem. He's rescued by a doctor in a clever escape off the Alcatraz-like island prison and winds up being transformed in Luthor's facility, made into some indestructible bionic-metal man. Since kryptonite is one of the alloys being used in re-making Mr. Corben, the plan is to also destroy Superman once our new villain's operation is a success.
Corben, by the way, is the guy that sold that high-tech armor suit earlier in the series (episode three, I believe.)
The operation is a success and the new Mr. Corben is almost like Superman, except he doesn't have any human senses, like taste, smell etc. He tells Luthor he feels like someone outside his body looking in and has not been hungry or thirsty since the operation. Luthor replies, "The only hunger you will have will be for power and the only thirst will be for revenge!" I guess that about sums up Luthor's philosophy on life. He tells Corben his first assignment is, of course, to kill Superman.
What happens is interesting as the villain cyborg wreaks havoc in the city with his new powers. With kryponite in the middle of his chest, weakening Superman every time the latter gets close to him, how is this guy going to be stopped? That's the problem here. How it is resolved involves a neat little twist regarding Corben's attitude himself about his new and supposedly- better body.
Corben, by the way, looks just like '60s actor George Peppard, or like James Coburn.
