Chemo is a

supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...

appearing in comic books published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

. 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 and an int ...

, the character has appeared in both

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

s and other DC Comics-related products such as

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

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 ...

Publication history

The character first appeared in ''

Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

'' #39 (July–August 1962) and was created by writer

Robert Kanigher Robert "Bob" 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 ...

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 ''

'' #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 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 Comic Boo ...

. 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 back ...

'' #4 (December 1978); ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

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

Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...

'' #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 National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics ...

'' #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, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men ( ...

said in a 2006 interview: "I realized after doing that first story

ith Chemo The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

that 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 Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...

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

Our Worlds At War "Our Worlds at War" was 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, a ...

'' 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 raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...

'' #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, a ...

'' #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 premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R. Martin, ...

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

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

'' 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 was originally the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

given to a plastic vessel used by scientist Ramsey Norton to contain the chemical by-products from his failed experiments. When Norton places the remnants of a failed growth formula in the vessel as his latest contribution, it accidentally brings the man-shaped vessel to life as "Chemo". After killing Norton, Chemo goes on a rampage until stopped by

Will Magnus Doctor Will Magnus is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Publication history He first appeared in ''Showcase (comics), Showcase'' #37 alongside his creations, the Metal Men and was created by Robert K ...

' robot team, the

. Chemo regenerates and returns, but is defeated each time by the Metal Men. On one occasion, the Metal Men team with the hero

to defeat Chemo, with the hero having another two encounters with the entity. During the ''

'', villains

Brainiac Brainiac is a colloquial adjective used to describe exceptionally intelligent people. It may also refer to: Culture Fictional entities * Brainiac (character), a fictional supervillain in DC Comics, and an enemy of Superman * Brainiac (story arc), ...

and

Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: Apr ...

use Chemo as a living weapon on

Earth-4 The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct used in DC Comics publications. The Multiverse has undergone numerous changes and has included various universes, listed below between the original Multiverse and its successors. The original ...

. Chemo destroys the alternate universe version of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and kills

Aquagirl Aquagirl (also Aqua-Girl) is the alias of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as the female counterpart to Aqualad and the junior counterpart of Aquaman. Originally, the first two incarna ...

by releasing large quantities of toxic chemicals into the ocean. The entity is dispersed and neutralized when the heroine Negative Woman shatters Chemo's plastic shell. During the ''

'' storyline,

Alexander Luthor Jr. Alexander Luthor Jr. is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Publication history Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character made his first appearance in ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' #1 (April 198 ...

's incarnation of 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 of America. The series was cancelled with issue #15 in July 1978, ...

employs the

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

to use Chemo as a living weapon by dropping the entity onto the city of

Blüdhaven This page list the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites * the Arrowcave – The former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. * Avernus Cemetery – A burial ground located in Central City for ...

. At the same time in the " Batman: Under the Hood" storyline,

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

sees Chemo hit Blüdhaven from a rooftop in

Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his allies and foes. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, the cit ...

. After Chemo covers the city with toxic waste, Chemo kills hundreds of thousands of people, but is stopped when Superman throws the entity into deep space. During the ''

'' storyline, Chemo is retrieved and used as a weapon by fellow villains the Joker and

Gorilla Grodd Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain character appearing in American comic books and other media published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. The character was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, and first appeared in ''Th ...

whilst 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 center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

capture a trio of multicolored miniature versions of Chemo. Superman follows the true Chemo and discovers it to be a LexCorp project. In

The New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...

, during the "

Forever Evil "Forever Evil" is a 2013–2014 crossover (comics), crossover comic book storyline published by DC Comics that began in September 2013 and ended in May 2014, consisting of an eponymous, central miniseries written by Geoff Johns and art by David F ...

" storyline, a flashback sequence reveals that Chemo is created when a prototype responsometer created by Will Magnus is thrown into a vat of chemicals by a thief. The Metal Men battle Chemo to protect Will Magnus and the local population, and while successful were apparently also destroyed.

Powers and abilities

Chemo has very limited intelligence coupled with immense strength and durability. It can alter its mass, replicate an individual's powers, and project hazardous corrosives on top of being highly radioactive. Chemo is capable of reforming itself after getting blown up. On one occasion, Chemo was briefly augmented when it absorbed fragments of Superman's DNA after he fell into a vat containing the currently dormant chemicals that comprised it, thus giving itself access to his strength level.''Action Comics'' Vol 1 #590 (July 1987)

In other media

Television

* An unnamed, monstrous synthoid resembling Chemo appears in the ''

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

'' two-part episode "Metamorphosis". This version is the result of an accident that fused the mind of

Simon Stagg Simon Stagg is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, serving primarily as an antagonist to the superhero Metamorpho in most comic book stories and their adaptations. He is responsible for turning Rex Mason ...

with a mutagen he was using to mass-produce his "

Metamorpho Metamorpho (real name Rex Mason, also called The Element Man) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created in 1965 by writer Bob Haney and artist Ramona Fradon. Metamorpho is a founding member of the Out ...

" project. Driven by Stagg's obsession to keep Rex Mason away from his daughter

Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sapphir ...

, the synthoid rampages through

and abducts her, but is vanquished by Mason with help from the

. * Chemo appears in the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...

. * Chemo appears in the "Metal Men" segment of ''

DC Nation Shorts ''DC Nation Shorts'' are animated shorts featuring characters from DC Comics that aired in a series on Cartoon Network on Saturdays at 10/9c. Production On March 3, 2012, the shorts premiered as part of the '' DC Nation'' block, produced by Warn ...

''.

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 action combat 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 w ...

''. * Chemo appears as a playable character in ''DC Legends''.

Toys

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

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

DC Universe Classics DC Universe Classics was an action figure toyline, a sub-line of the DC Universe (toyline), DC Universe toy brand manufactured by Mattel. They were 6-inch scale figures based on the fictional characters owned by DC Comics. The entire line was scul ...

6-inch line.

References

External links

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