Ace Chemicals
| Ace Chemicals | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | "Detective Comics #168" (February, 1951) |
| Created by | Bill Finger |
| In-story information | |
| Type of business | Conglomerate |
| Base(s) | Gotham City |
Ace Chemicals is a fictional business organization in the DC Comics universe. It was at Ace Chemicals plant where the Joker (when he was Red Hood) fell into a vat of chemicals, creating his trademark look of green hair, chalk white skin, and red lips.
Ace Chemicals is based in Gotham City. The plant is connected to Kane Chemicals, a company owned by the parents of Martha Wayne, which was then sold to Apex Chemicals, which then in turn became Ace Chemicals.
On the night of a heist of Ace Chemicals planned by the Red Hood gang, Batman learns of the gang's plan and intercepts them at the chemical plant. Batman confronts the gang's leader, the Red Hood, who is submerged in a vat of chemicals after the heist fails. In "Mystery of the Red Hood" and The Killing Joke, the Red Hood intentionally dives into the tank while trying to escape Batman; other depictions, such as the 1989 film, have Batman accidentally causing the Red Hood to fall into the vat.
The Red Hood survives, but exposure to the chemicals leaves him with green hair, chalk white skin, and red lips. The Red Hood's disfigurement causes him to suffer a fateful psychotic break and he becomes the Joker. Over the years, the Joker has revisited Ace Chemicals several times, and on occasion has even used it as a temporary hideout.
Ace Chemicals first featured in Batman: The Animated Series. The Ace company ran several establishments in Gotham City, including the Ace Chemical Plant and Ace Waste Disposal Plant. The Gotham chemical plant was the site of the accident that created the Joker, and seven years later to the day, also spawned the Creeper.
Ace Chemicals is first featured in "Deep Cover for Batman". It is still the place where the Joker is created but on a parallel earth, there was also known to be an Ace Chemical plant where the villain Owlman did exactly the same thing to the hero known as the Red Hood (an alternate Joker) who was using the chemical plant as a hideout; Owlman deliberately dropped the Hood into the vat of chemicals, creating the character's appearance, but keeping his sanity.
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