Following the company-wide crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (1985-1986), DC Comics rebooted large portions of its superhero universe, and many characters were given revised origins or reimagined natures in order to make them more relevant to modern comic book readers. In "Secret Origins" (vol. 2) #18 (1987), in a story presented by Andrew Helfer and Keith Giffen, the Creeper was given a new origin and it was now said Ryder's behavior while in costume was not simply an act. In this origin, Ryder is drugged against his will when he is then exposed to Dr. Yatz's technology. Whenever he summons his Creeper costume afterward, a side effect is that his mind reverts to the state it was in when he was drugged, thus causing the Creeper's strange behavior.