Chemo is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in comic books published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. Debuting in the

Silver Age of Comic Books The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Silver A ...

, the character has appeared in both

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

s and other DC Comics-related products such as

animated television series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

and

trading card A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other t ...

Publication history

The character first appeared in '' Showcase'' #39 (July–August 1962) and was created by writer

Robert Kanigher Robert Kanigher (; June 18, 1915 – May 7, 2002)Social Security Death Index, social security #116-07-5117. was an American comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over ...

and artists

Ross Andru Ross Andru (; born Rostislav Androuchkevitch, June 15, 1927 – November 9, 1993) Part 1: Animation: We Leave the Army", p. 21. In 1948, Andru's first professional work as a comic strip illustrator was drawing layouts for the ''Tarzan (comics), T ...

and Mike Esposito. Chemo debuted in a story called "The Deathless Doom" in '' Showcase'' #39-40 (July–August & September–October 1962), being the adversary for DC Comics' new superteam the

Metal Men The Metal Men are a group of robot superheroes that appear in DC Comics. The characters first appeared in '' Showcase'' #37 (March–April 1962) and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru. Debuting in the Silver Age of C ...

. The character returned in ''Metal Men'' #14 (July 1965); #25 (May 1967) and #46-47 (July & September 1976). Chemo reappeared in ''

DC Comics Presents ''DC Comics Presents'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the DC Universe. A recurring bac ...

'' #4 (December 1978); ''

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

'' #342 (December 1979) and #370 (April 1982); ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...

'' #9-10 (December 1985-January 1986) and ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' #590 (July 1987). Writer

Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine (character), Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel sup ...

said in a 2006 interview: "I realized after doing that first story ith Chemothat here was a villain that was a physical match against Superman, so I kept bringing him back". The character was reimagined in ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...

'' (vol. 4) #5 (January 1997) and then appeared briefly during the ''

Our Worlds At War "Our Worlds at War" is a comic book storyline, published by DC Comics in mid-2001. OWAW was a crossover storyline that spanned several different books, including several books starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern ...

'' storyline in '' The Adventures of Superman'' #593-594 (August–September 2001) and in ''

Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

'' #36 (December 2001) and ''Joker: Last Laugh'' #2 (December 2001). Chemo featured as a major villain in the limited series ''

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...

'' #1-7 (December 2005-June 2006) and appeared in multiple forms in ''Superman'' #663 (July 2007). The character also appeared in '' Outsiders - Five of a Kind: Nightwing/Captain Boomerang'' (October 2007); ''

Salvation Run ''Salvation Run'' is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie into the company's major event series ''Final Crisis'' in 2008. Premise The series, which is based on a pitch from George R. R. Martin, follows a wor ...

'' #1-7 (November 2007–June 2008) and in ''

Booster Gold Booster Gold (Michael Jon "Booster" Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in ''Booster Gold (comic book), Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has be ...

'' (vol. 2) #13 (December 2008). Writer Mike Conroy noted "where would comic books be without those flukes, those accidents of fate which, although inexplicable to science, result in innocuous materials having a far-reaching impact on the world outside the laboratory?".

Fictional character biography

Chemo is a plastic vessel used by scientist Ramsey Norton to contain chemical by-products from his experiments. When Norton places the remnants of a failed growth formula in the vessel, it accidentally brings the vessel to life as "Chemo". After killing Norton, Chemo becomes an enemy of the

. In ''

'', Brainiac and

Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...

unleash Chemo on Earth-4, where he destroys

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and kills Aquagirl. It is defeated when Negative Woman shatters its plastic shell. In ''

'', Chemo assists the

Secret Society of Super Villains Secret Society of Super Villains (SSoSV) is a DC Comics title that debuted in May–June 1976. The series presented a group of DC's supervillains, mostly foes of the Justice League, Justice League of America. The series was cancelled with issue #1 ...

and the

Brotherhood of Evil The Brotherhood of Evil is a group of DC Comics supervillains, archenemies of the Doom Patrol, Justice League and Teen Titans. The Brotherhood of Evil appears in the third season of the HBO Max series ''Doom Patrol (TV series), Doom Patrol''. P ...

in attacking

Blüdhaven This page lists the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites Arrowcave The Arrowcave is the former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. Avernus Cemetery Avernus Cemetery is a hidden burial gro ...

. It covers the city with toxic waste, killing hundreds of thousands of people, before being defeated by Superman. In ''

'', the Joker and Gorilla Grodd retrieve and weaponize Chemo while on a prison planet. Rogue

New Gods The New Gods are a fictional extraterrestrial race appearing in the eponymous comic book series published by DC Comics, as well as selected other DC titles. Created and designed by Jack Kirby, they first appeared in February 1971 in ''New Gods'' ...

visiting the city of

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

capture three miniature versions of Chemo. Superman follows the true Chemo and discovers it to be a

LexCorp Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...

project. In ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'' continuity reboot, Chemo is created when a thief throws

Will Magnus Doctor William Maxwell "Will" Magnus is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A brilliant scientist who occasionally suffers from debilitating mental illness, he is responsible for creating the Metal Men a ...

' prototype responsometer into a vat of chemicals.

Powers and abilities

Chemo has very limited intelligence coupled with immense strength and durability. It can alter its mass, generate corrosive acid, and regenerate after being destroyed. On one occasion, Chemo is augmented after absorbing Superman's

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

, gaining strength comparable to his.

In other media

Television

* Chemo appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. * Chemo appears in the "Metal Men" segment of ''

DC Nation Shorts ''DC Nation Shorts'' is an animated series of shorts featuring characters from DC Comics from a variety of different titles that aired on Cartoon Network on Saturdays at 10/9c. Production In March 2012, the shorts premiered as part of the '' DC ...

''. * Chemo appears in the '' DC Super Hero Girls'' episode "#SuperWho?". This version was created by unlicensed toxic chemicals. * Chemo makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the ''

Creature Commandos The Creature Commandos are the name of several military special forces groups appearing in American comic book, American comic books published by DC Comics. Co-created by writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Pat Broderick, the team first appeared i ...

'' episode "Chasing Squirrels". This version is an inmate of Belle Reve Penitentiary.

Film

Chemo appears in '' Batman Unlimited: Mech vs. Mutants'', voiced by Dave B. Mitchell.

Video games

* Chemo appears in ''

DC Universe Online ''DC Universe Online'' (''DCUO'') is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game set in the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company and WB Games, the game was initiall ...

''. * Chemo appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''. * Chemo appears as a playable character in ''DC Legends''.

Merchandise

An action figure based on Chemo was released as part of the "Collect and Connect" line in

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...

's DC Universe Classics 6-inch line.

References

External links

Chemo
at Comic Vine {{Birds of Prey Metal Men Characters created by Robert Kanigher Characters created by Ross Andru Comics characters introduced in 1962 DC Comics characters with accelerated healing DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics robots Robot supervillains DC Comics shapeshifters DC Comics supervillains DC Comics male supervillains Fictional characters who can change size Fictional characters with nuclear or radiation abilities Fictional giants Superman characters Suicide Squad members de:Schurken im Superman-Universum#Chemo