Professor Achilles Milo is a fictional character appearing in
American 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 ...
.
Publication history
Professor Achilles Milo first appeared in ''
Detective Comics'' #247 and was created by
Bill Finger
Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 – January 18, 1974) was an American comic strip, comic book, film and television writer who was the co-creator (with Bob Kane) of the DC Comics character Batman. Despite making major (sometimes, signatur ...
and
Sheldon Moldoff
Sheldon Moldoff (; April 14, 1920 – February 29, 2012) was an American comics artist best known for his early work on the DC Comics characters Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and as one of Bob Kane's primary "ghost artists" (uncredited collaborator ...
.
Fictional character biography
Achilles Milo is a renowned
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...
who turned to crime.
[''Batman'' #112. DC Comics.] He used a variety of chemical and medical-related schemes to kill
Batman involving subjecting Batman to a drug that made him afraid of anything bat-shaped. After
Robin helped him get over his fear of bats, Batman tracked down Milo at his laboratory and handed him over to the police. While incarcerated, Milo developed a fear of bats.
Upon being apprehended again, Milo gassed Batman with a compound that made him lose his will to live.
When
Anthony Lupus visited him for a cure for his unbearable headaches, Milo gave him a drug that was derived from the
Alaskan timber wolf which turned him into a werewolf. Milo found that the headaches were causing the lycanthropy and manipulated him into doing his bidding in exchange for a cure. His latest assignment was to help capture Batman and then kill him. When Batman was trapped near Milo's secret laboratory, Milo is told by Anthony to give him the cure before his situation worsens. Milo just orders him to do his job. When Anthony turns into a werewolf, Milo is attacked by him where he is unable to control him and the cure he made was destroyed.
At one time, Milo took control of
Arkham Asylum and attempted to make Batman insane with yet another gas. When Batman tried to apprehend him, Milo was overpowered by the mad inmates, who had sided with Batman, and exposed to his own gas which drove him insane, and he spent some time in Arkham Asylum as a patient himself.
Batman consulted Milo on at least one occasion when he needed chemical expertise on a toxin given to him by
Joker. After that, Dr. Milo retired from criminal activity. He appeared in ''
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth'' where the gas had apparently worn off, but he couldn't convince anyone he was actually sane.
In ''
52'' week 41,
Ralph Dibny
Elongated Man (Randolph "Ralph" Dibny) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in '' The Flash'' #112 (February 25, 1960).
The character made his live-action debut in the fourth season of T ...
confronts an emaciated Doctor Milo, who appears without his lower legs and in a wheelchair, which is actually used to disguise the Silver Wheel of Nyorlath.
In ''
Batman R.I.P.'', a past hallucination induced by Professor Milo's gas is revealed to have inspired Bruce Wayne to create the 'back-up' personality of the
Batman of Zur-En-Arrh
Batman of Zur-En-Arrh is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. In the Silver Age story, the character is an alien named Tlano from the planet Zur-En-Arrh who decided to become a version of Batman for his own planet. The character's rea ...
, a more ruthless Batman personality designed to take over in the event of Bruce Wayne being psychologically attacked in such a manner as to render Batman out of action.
An apparently healed Professor Milo appears as the chief henchman and physician of a returned
General Immortus
General Immortus is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He has also been called "The Forever Soldier" or "The Forever General".
Publication history
He first appeared in '' My Greatest Adventure'' #80, the first ...
. Professor Milo is now in charge of granting artificial superpowers to Immortus' minions. In this capacity, he's able to internalize the
Human Flame's powers, removing his need for a special suit by embedding miniature flamethrowers into his skin. Milo is instructed by General Immortus himself to tamper with the pain receptors of his subject, making his boss able to inflict pain on his creations at will, and, eventually, shut them down completely. His master plan meets a major failure when his last subject Human Flame overcomes his control by sheer will, injures General Immortus, and tortures Milo to get an even more powerful body. Milo is spared since he redirects the Human Flame to S.T.A.R. Labs for experimental treatments. General Immortus asks him to rethink their new strategy for the future.
A still at large Milo (having severed his ties with General Immortus) returns to freelancing, offering his enhancement procedures for a hefty fee. He's contacted by Arthur Pemberton to heal the brain damage earlier inflicted in a fight against the
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...
to his daughter Lorna.
In 2011, "
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 ...
" rebooted the DC Comics universe. Professor Milo is seen at Arkham Asylum where he leads
Professor Pyg to an unpleasant fate. After
Maggie Sawyer
Margaret Ellen Sawyer is a fictional character that appears in stories published by DC Comics, and has been a supporting character in both Superman and Batman comic books.
The character appeared in the live-action series ''Smallville'', played b ...
had interrogated
Magpie,
Maxie Zeus, and
Ten-Eyed Man, all Maggie got out of them is that they blame Professor Milo for what happened. As Professor Milo is at Gotham International Airport preparing to board an airplane to Caracas, he is spotted by police officers causing him to release a vial of chemicals that drive the police officers insane. Batman was able to subdue Professor Milo and interrogate him on who gave him the information and needs to destroy Arkham Asylum. Before Professor Milo can come clean on the culprit, they are attacked by spirits. One of the spirits that attacks Batman and Professor Milo is Mister Bygone who blames Professor Milo for his emaciation and infusion of dark magic. Professor Milo is knocked out by Mister Bygone as Batman leaves with his body when the police arrive. When Batman meets up with
Jim Corrigan
Jim Corrigan is the name of three fictional characters that have appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics.
The first Corrigan initially appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #52 (February 1940), a deceased cop acting as host to the cosm ...
and
Batwing, Professor Milo is punched in the face by Corrigan who tries to get answers out of him as he explains to Batman that Professor Milo tried to summon a demon which enabled
Deacon Blackfire to open a hole in Hell. Batman puts two and two together and goes out to find
Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul, commonly pronounced correctly as ''Re'sh'', hence or ; "The Head of the Demon" or, in a rougher translation, "The Chief Demon". is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary o ...
.
In the "
Watchmen
''Watchmen'' is an American comic book maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987 before being collected in a single-vo ...
" sequel "
Doomsday Clock
The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe, in the opinion of the members of the ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists''. Maintained since 1947, the clock is a metaphor for threats to humanity ...
", Professor Milo was at Arkham Asylum when
Rorschach Rorschach may refer to:
* Hermann Rorschach, a Swiss psychiatrist
** Rorschach test, his psychological evaluation method involving inkblots
* Rorschach (character), a character from the comics ''Watchmen''
* Rorschach (comic book), a 2020 comic
* ...
was incarcerated there by Batman.
[''Doomsday Clock'' #4 (March 2018). DC Comics.]
Powers and abilities
Professor Milo is an expert at chemistry and alchemy.
In other media
Television
* Dr. Achilles Milo appears in ''
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'', ...
. In the teaser of the episode "Gorillas in our Midst!", he uses a group of trained rats to steal diamonds to fund his experiments, only for Batman and
Spectre
Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to:
Religion and spirituality
* Vision (spirituality)
* Apparitional experience
* Ghost
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...
to track him down. Milo attempts to fight the heroes using a strength-enhancing potion, but is defeated and left for the police. However, being more inclined to vengeance than justice, Spectre returns and transforms Milo into cheese, releasing his rats to devour him off-screen.
DC Animated Universe
Dr. Milo appeared in multiple series set in the
DC Animated Universe
The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans referring to the creators and producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini respectively) is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated televis ...
:
* Dr. Achilles Milo first appeared in ''
Batman: The Animated Series'', voiced by
Treat Williams
Richard Treat Williams (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor, writer and aviator who has appeared on film, stage and television in over 120 credits. He first became well known for his starring role in the 1979 musical film '' Hair'', and la ...
. In the episode "Cat Scratch Fever", under the orders of Roland Daggett, he engineers a plague to infect Gotham's stray pet population so that Daggett Industries can produce a cure. After
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Debuting as "the Cat" in ''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), she is ...
is infected by the plague, Batman uncovers the plot while looking for the cure, and battles Milo and his henchmen. Batman ultimately stops Daggett's plot and cures Catwoman, but Milo escapes. Milo later reappears in "Moon of the Wolf", where he is hired to create an untraceable
steroid for athlete Anthony Romulus, which, due to being derived from
Alaskan timber wolf hormones, begins to turn him into a living
werewolf
In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...
. Milo blackmails Romulus into destroying Batman in exchange for a cure, which Romulus inadvertently destroys in his werewolf form. Following Romulus' defeat and escape, Milo is loaded into an ambulance by the police, claiming that he won't be convicted of anything, although
Commissioner Gordon tells him "Don't bet on it".
** Dr. Achilles Milo later returns in ''
Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe ...
'', now voiced by
Armin Shimerman
Armin Shimerman (born November 5, 1949) is an American actor and author.
Early life
Shimerman was born into a Jewish family in Lakewood, New Jersey, on November 5, 1949, the son of accountant Susan and house painter Herbert Shimerman. When he wa ...
. He is seen as a member of
Project Cadmus. In "The Doomsday Sanction", Milo is demoted to a lower position by
Amanda Waller
Amanda Blake Waller (née White), also known as "the Wall", is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Legends'' #1 in 1986 and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and ...
after his research into
Dr. Kirk Langstrom's experiments produces a superpowered
warthog
''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly co ...
that destroys his lab. In revenge, Milo frees
Doomsday
Doomsday may refer to:
* Eschatology, a time period described in the eschatological writings in Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios of non-Abrahamic religions.
* Global catastrophic risk, a hypothetical event explored in science and fict ...
from his imprisonment with the intent to use him to kill Waller. Doomsday disobeys and instead crushes Milo off-screen, intending to kill
Superman instead.
Film
Dr. Milo appears in a flashback in ''
Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by
Sam Riegel
Samuel Brent Oscar Riegel, sometimes credited as Jack Lingo, is an American voice actor, director, and writer. He is a regular cast member of the web series ''Critical Role'', in which he and other fellow voice actors play ''Dungeons & Dragons' ...
. He is shown experimenting with a faulty teleportation device alongside Dr. Leo Scarlett and
Wade Magny during Batman's first year of crime-fighting. Although Batman is able to defeat him, he is unable to prevent Leo Scarlett from being "killed" by the teleportation device, leaving it as his single unsolved case. When Mystery Incorporated proposes Milo as a suspect behind the current Crimson Cloak mystery, Batman mentions his demise in a "rodent-related incident".
Video games
* A club called "Dr. Milo Cocktails" appears in ''
Batman: Arkham Knight''.
* Dr. Milo appears as a non-playable character in ''
Batman: Arkham Underworld'', voiced again by Armin Shimerman. He offers his services to the players after freeing Riddler from prison, upon the players building a laboratory in their hideout. After the laboratory is built, Dr. Milo can upgrade supervillain abilities when they level up. When the laboratory is improved, Dr. Milo can also create new abilities and invent gadgets for the supervillains and henchmen to use in battle.
See also
*
List of Batman Family enemies
The Batman family enemies are a collection of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters are depicted as adversaries of the superhero Batman and his allies.
Since Batman first appeared in ''Detecti ...
References
External links
Professor Miloat DC Comics Wiki
Professor Miloat Comic Vine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milo, Achilles
Characters created by Bill Finger
Characters created by Sheldon Moldoff
Comics characters introduced in 1957
DC Comics male supervillains
DC Comics scientists
Fictional chemists
Fictional mad scientists