In this video we take a look at the Metal Men's arch nemesis, the chemical menace known as Chemo! Chemo and the Metal Men were created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru. They are properties of DC Comics.
Ah, Chemo. My only issue with Chemo is that he was directly responsible for the destruction of Bludhaven and, as a result, is also responsible for the awful Battle For Bludhaven story-line. Other than that, I love the guy. He (and the Metal Men in general) represent the goofiness of comics perfectly. In what other medium would a walking chemical titan be seen as a respectable arch-enemy for a hero? Sadly, that lovable goofiness has limited his exposure to just Brave and The Bold and a mediocre Bat-Flick (I'm hoping that Justice League Action brings him in at some point). Also, about making him a Superman rogue...I'll respectfully disagree. If Chemo was to go through a Rogues-Gallery Transplant scenario, I'd put him against Supergirl. Like you admitted in the video, his best appearance was when he fought Supergirl, plus she has a much smaller list of rogues than the Man of Steel (off the top of my head only Reaction, Silver Banshee and Cyborg-Superman come to mind, and two of those were Pre-Crisis Superman rogues) and that switch could lead to Chemo showing up in the Supergirl TV show, thus exposing him (and the Metal Men) to a much wider audience.
Yeah that's also a good idea, make him a Supergirl rogue. Probably wont happen though. A Supergirl-Metal Men teamup where they fight Chemo would've been nice though. It could've payed homage to those classic bronze age Superman-Metal Men stories.
Before this video, I never even knew he was a Metal Man rogue. I had access to some old 70s comics of my dad's, and at least one had Supes vs the chemical monster, so, I had always assumed him to be from that comic.
I remember reading the Superman Metal Men comic with Chemo. I was at some convenience store down south, when I was a kid. Those panels of Chemo coming out of the ocean was epic to me. Art still holds up. Great review, GR.
I remember an issue released shortly after "Crisis on Infinite Earths" where they showed just how dangerous Chemo could be. In the story, Superman (as Clark Kent) fell into a vat of chemicals that were actually Chemo. After Clark Kent left the Vat, some of his cells were left behind. Chemo then started to duplicate Superman's cells chemically. This made Chemo extremely dangerous because when he was exposed to yellow sun radiation he gained all of Superman's powers (and also assumed Superman's shape). The Metal Men's normal tactic of puncturing Chemo's skin didn't work because he had become invulnerable. The Metal Men and Superman had to work together to stop Chemo.
@@smallfedoraproductions743it was that episode where Batman gets infected by brain and Aquaman and Atom(Ryan Choi) get inside Batman 's body to stop the infection
Chemo is one of about five truly decent giant monster characters that DC comics has, as opposed to Marvel's five dozen (at least). Thanks for the profile. BTW, while not exactly Chemo, I think the giant monster that Simon Stagg was changed into during the "Metamorpho" episode of the JUSTICE LEAGUE TAS series was an homage to the character.
@Caleb Mayfield A giant monster character us a character in a work of fiction that is not only a monster but also really, really big, hence a giant monster character.
I like Chemo and actually the concept of him is pretty scary. As a sentient walking chemical factory would be and it would pose a real danger to life on an epic scale. I would love to see Cheshire explored in a future episode of Underrated Rogues. Cheers! :)
I always loved the idea behind Chemo. I mean, I love poison and chemical themed characters so this is a given but I like that Chemo is this mindless and almost sympathetic monster that's always being used by other villains for their advantage. Chemo was never really that fleshed out in the long run but that's how he came across to me!
In the recent "Metal Men" miniseries they gave Chemo actual sentience and the ability to speak. At first it seemed like he was just a misunderstood monster as he seems. But when the Metal Mammals (another group of robots Doc made) relented in their attack, he turned on them, called them fools, and destroyed them. This time he was intentionally destructive, just for the sake of destroying things.
Showcase#39 was the first comic I was ever allowed to buy (my parents remembered the Horror Comics Witch Hunt of the 1950s and were suspicious of comics in general), at the age of 6. It introduced me to a lot of things: Science fiction, robots, superheroes, monsters, horror, and DEATH. It also scared me senseless. I was so frightened that I hid the comic at the bottom of my toy box -- and then kept going back and digging it out, reading it a little and returning it speedily to its prison. They tell me apes do the same thing with snakes in boxes. A snake in a box would have been a refreshing change compared to Chemo. He still remains one of the top figures in my personal Monster Pantheon.
Great villain for the Atom. Have the metal men as part o Atoms supporting cast. Or heck, maybe even make them villains of the Atom.I don't think that would be too much of a bad idea, seeing as how there are plenty of already existing super families in DC.
Chemo could be like a modern Mary Shelly Frankenstein Monster: a creature who only been shown hatred and fear learns to be a monster by those that can only view him as such.
Considering her interaction with Supergirl (when she was Linda Danvers, formerly Matrix), when Chemo reached out to her for understanding as he started to gain sentience. Supergirl cruelly told him he would never be more than a bunch of chemicals. At that, Chemo shattered at the thought that was all he would ever be. Later, Supergirl admitted that she felt shame that she rejected a creature in need. This is why she could become personal enemy for Chemo (although incident is likely no longer incontinuity).
I have to say, I kind of dig this villain, the first time I ever heard of him was from AT4W in the review for Battle for Blüdhaven, in that video he pronounced his name like chemotherapy, and I know that's not how you say it, but I actually like that better
I personally like chemo. He's really cool and super powerful. Also he's just a creation of a man who just wanted to cure all the world's sicknesses. But thank God he ain't that stupid or lame. His powers are awesome!!!!
Awesome video as usual!! Introduced me to a new character, and the Metal Men! as a huge DC fan, I didn't know about these characters, I feel a little ashamed I didn't, but I thank you for sharing ! Can't wait for the next time you report from Arkham Asylum ;)
The Metal Men were so underrated! If done correctly The Metal Men could be a fantastic movie! If Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy can be a hit film then the Metal Men definitely have a shot! The film needs a director like Brad Bird (Sorry if spelling is wrong!) His work on the Incredibles is a perfect template for the Metal Men! I would set the film in the late 1950's to early 1960's to give it a retro atomic age look! I would cast Colin Firth as Doctor Magnus. Chemo would definitely be the villain! I know it will never happen but it is cool to daydream!
Yes!!! Can't wait for you to do Ratcather. And as for chemo, he might return, along with the metal men. The group is still fairly popular, so they might get a mini series sometime next year. Fingers crossed.
Metal men are pretty cool i never got a hold of too many comics but i remember them from batman beyond and brave and the bold and other areas and it would be nice if they got some love. Also speaking of the beyond series while it was mostly just a cartoon it did have some great villains
Two other suggestions: 1) The Shark - a shark evolved to man one million years into the future, archenemy of Green Lantern; 2) The I that defeated the Justice League.
I know I’m gonna get a lot of weird stares, but after seeing his modern look, he just looks like something cuddly and I wanna hug him! I may have a problem...
I think a live-ish action movie (The Metal Men are done with CGI designed to look real but everything else is live action) would be the best for a Metal Men movie.
7:20 (in reference to a #MetalMen movie)"If it was Marvel, it probably would have happened already." 'Nuff said. Thank you, Mr. Rogues, for putting that out there, lol! #MakeMineMarvel
There has been talk of a Metal Men movie for years but it has been in development hell. However, I think it would work better as a TV series set in on an Earth without superheroes. In the miniseries "Multiversity", on one version of Earth there were no superheroes so Doc Tornado built some. They were basically a combination of The Justice League and The Metal Men. IIRC among the members were Iron Superman, Lead Batman, Platinum Wonder Woman and Mercury Elongated Man.
Given that the Metal Men are barely even background characters as it is, Chemo could fully join Superman's rogues gallery and the status quo wouldn't change at all.
"the Metal Men are never going to get big" As a HUGE Metal Men fanboy, you have no idea how much that statement hurt me. It is true that the Metal Men aren't likely to catch on anytime soon. Though I personally feel that it has far more to do with the fact that DC is often not interested in doing anything with them then any lack of marketability they might have.
Here are my updated selections: *Houngan - Teen Titans *Gearhead - Batman *Human Flame - Martian Manhunter *Major Disaster - Green Lantern *Riot - Superman *DR. Destiny - Justice League *Angle Man - Wonder Woman *Girder - Flash *Shaggy Man - Justice League & Maxie Zeus - Batman.
Can't believe myte! You always surprise me! Good ol' Chemo!! Just another sugestion for the list, Heat Wave! Btw myte what do ya think about Injustice 2? 3 more days till it comes out!
Heat Wave is a great character, but I dunno if I'd say he's underrated, he's got a pretty solid rep. I'll think about it though! I'm not into fighting games like I used to be, so I havent given that game much attention. I think it's awesome that Scarecrow is in it though! I might buy it when it goes down in price.
the only thing I knew about chemo was literally watching him in giving bats a ride in robot chicken adult swim xD, wich was hillarious bythe way bI didn´t know who he was, but now I know thanks man.
Aquaman's got some real underrated villains, not to mention comic runs. But then that can be said for every non superman/flash/batman villain from DC. Fisherman has some great fun stories, and the 60's run of Aquaman is really damn fun, if you enjoyed what you read of Metal Men you'll dig that. Has some of the best cover art i ever saw in a single run as well. I'm getting sidetracked. But still, there's a few good rouges for Aquaman, here's hoping Mamoa and the film gets more interest for the character.
aces man, just a point, Dredds completely chronological so the best place to start in order to get absolutely everything is right at the start (case files 1) but if you wanna go all in on where it gets really good go with the Apocalypse War (case files 5).
I dunno - I've been hearing persistent rumors about a Metal Men movie being in the cards for several years now. Maybe it'll never happen, but once the Justice League film finally comes out, it's not impossible that DC might seek to expand their filmic universe with more minor characters - and given Marvel's extreme success with the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, a comedic superteam like the Metal Men might stand a decent chance of getting a release. If they do, of course, then Chemo, as their arch-enemy, would be a natural choice for the bad guy.
Well, yeah, they haven't exactly had the best track record lately - but they finally did get a decent film in with Wonder Woman, and Joss Whedon is finishing up Justice League, which is intriguing, so there's a bit of hope for the future, anyway.
No it was totally not on purpose that he became a living creature. He just happened to be shaped like a humanoid instead of like a testtube or a cylo. Fun villian
Ah well I've been thinking about doing a special video where I list my top 20-50 Bat-comics.. Maybe on my 1 year anniversary in July! As for now I can recomend Gerry Conway's run from the early 80s. It will be released in HC this summer. A really underrated era in Batman's history. Chuck Dixon's stuff from the 90s is also really good and pretty overlooked.
Adam Aksoy if mysteries are your thing, I highly recommend The Long Halloween, and Zero Year (not entirely a mystery, but still one that keeps you on your toes)
See Chemo still ranks as my most bug-fuck villain ever if for no reason than I can make no sense of his origin. How can this man be such a talented chemist and still hit on the idea of mixing all his failures together in a single container?
The Scientist used the Chemo container to taunt himself with his own failures. It turned out to be a very foolish action and he paid for it with his life.
Is Chemo self-aware, or more just a mindless force of destruction? He's talking in some of these panels, but, that may just be the person controlling him speaking through it.
Pair the chemical brute up with an empathic metahuman child, able to communicate with it on some rudimentary level; they can be the Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur of DC No, I am not seriously suggesting this.
I think he should be a Shazam/Captain Marvel rogue. I once saw a top 10 list of Shazam villains and... other than Black Adam and maybe a few others, Shazam is sorely lacking in interesting rivals.
Well how my kid got to know him is my kid was looking at the batman unlimited movie called giants or something my kid looked him up and that's how my kid got to know him
his origin, and visual look are attractive. But he has no personality. This kind of characters bore me. Maybe not Alan Moore, but any good writer could do great things with this character.
No it was totally not on purpose that he became a living creature. He just happened to be shaped like a humanoid instead of like a testtube or a cylo. Fun villian
