 This story established that the Miracle Machine was created sometime before the then "present" 1982 in another universe.In "Legion of Super-Heroes (v4)" #49 (early November 1993), after Matter-Eater Lad was cured, it is speculated that he still contains residue from the Machine.This might explain why he is always coming out of situations without much trouble from that point on, including his later career as a Senator.