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Chemical King

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Chemical King
Chemical King as depicted in Secret Origins #47 (December 1989). Art by Eric Shanower and Dave Cockrum.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAdventure Comics #371 (August 1968)
Created byJim Shooter (writer)
Curt Swan (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoCondo Arlik
SpeciesMetahuman
Place of originPhlon (31st century)
Team affiliationsLegion of Super-Heroes
AbilitiesCan alter the speed of chemical reactions

Chemical King is the name of two characters in the DC Comics universe. The first was Mr. Lambert, who was murdered under the direction of Alfred Stryker in "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate", the feature story of Detective Comics #27. The second Chemical King is Condo Arlik, a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st century.

Fictional character biography

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Chemical King was born Condo Arlik on the planet Phlon, the son of Darvon Arlik.[1] He is a metahuman with the ability to act as a human catalyst and manipulate the speed of chemical reactions.[2]

Prior to his debut, Chemical King is mentioned in "The Adult Legion" story in Adventure Comics #354 (1967), where his future self is stated to have sacrificed himself to prevent World War VII.[3] These stories were initially presented as the Legion's true future, with a later retcon establishing them to take place in an alternate timeline.[4]


In Chemical King's debut in Adventure Comics #371 (1968), he is a student at the Legion Academy and works undercover to infiltrate the Legion of Super-Villains. In the following issue, Adventure Comics #372, Chemical King graduates from the Legion Academy alongside Timber Wolf and joins the Legion proper. Chemical King is killed in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #228 (1977) while stopping Deregon, an agent of the Dark Circle, from starting World War VII, thus fulfilling the prophecy of his first posthumous appearance.[2][5]

Post Zero Hour

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Condo Arlik is resurrected following the 1994 storyline Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!, which reboots the Legion's continuity. He is depicted as a civilian reporter.[2][6] According to The Definitive Guide to The Characters of the DC Universe (2004), he is in a same-sex relationship with Lyle Norg, the Invisible Kid.

Post-Infinite Crisis

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The events of Infinite Crisis restores an analogue of the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Legion to continuity. Chemical King is killed and succeeded by Phlon native Hadru Jamik / Chemical Kid, who is genetically modified to replicate his abilities.[7][8][9]

Powers and abilities

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Chemical King is a metahuman who can manipulate the speed of chemical and energy reactions. As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, he is provided a Legion Flight Ring, which allows him to fly and protects him from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments.

In other media

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References

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  1. ^ Superboy #205 (December 1974)
  2. ^ a b c Wallace, Dan (2008), "Chemical King", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 80, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC 213309017
  3. ^ Adventure Comics #354 (March 1967)
  4. ^ Legion of Super-Heroes #300 (June 1983)
  5. ^ Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #228 (June 1977)
  6. ^ Legionnaires #59 (April 1998)
  7. ^ Adventure Comics #525 (April 2011)
  8. ^ Adventure Comics #526 (May 2011)
  9. ^ Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 7) #1 (September 2011)
  10. ^ Couch, Aaron (October 13, 2022). "DC's Legion of Super-Heroes Sets Voice Cast With Meg Donnelly and Harry Shum Jr. to Star (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  11. ^ "Chemical King Voice - Legion of Super-Heroes (Movie)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 3, 2024. 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.
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