Chemical King
| Chemical King | |
|---|---|
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Adventure Comics #371 (August 1968) |
| Created by |
Jim Shooter (writer) Curt Swan (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Condo Arlik |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Place of origin | Phlon (31st century) |
| Team affiliations | Legion of Super-Heroes |
| Abilities | Can alter the speed of chemical reactions |
Chemical King is the name of two fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. The first was Mr. Lambert, who was murdered by Alfred Stryker in Detective Comics #27. The second character named Chemical King was a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th century.
Chemical King was born Condo Arlik on the planet Phlon (though some sources state he is from the planet Valdow). He is a mutant with power to act as a human catalyst; he can slow down or speed up chemical reactions.
Chemical King's name is first mentioned in the "Adult Legion" story in Adventure Comics #354, where it is engraved on a memorial statue which read that Chemical King had died sacrificing his life to prevent World War VII. The adult Legion stories were believed to be true glimpses of the Legion's future, and it was not until years later that they were revealed to belong to a different possible timeline.
In Chemical King's full debut (Adventure Comics #371), he is a member of the Legion Academy and works undercover to infiltrate the Legion of Super-Villains. After graduating alongside Timber Wolf, he becomes a full Legion member in Adventure Comics #372 (September 1968). Chemical King appears in few subsequent stories afterwards Plagued with self-doubts over the relative usefulness of his powers, he dies in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #228 (June 1977), when he sacrifices his life to stop Deregon, a Dark Circle agent and the governor of Australia, from starting World War VII, thus fulfilling the prophecy of his first posthumous appearance.
Later the sorcerer Mordru resurrects Chemical King along with millions of other corpses as part of a plan to conquer the universe. The "zombie" Chemical King displays limited imagination with his abilities, igniting pockets of methane gas and starting fires. He is readily disposed of.
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