Name of several supervillians
Comics character
Doctor Alchemy
|
---|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/63/Doctor_Alchemy_%28Albert_Desmond%29.png/220px-Doctor_Alchemy_%28Albert_Desmond%29.png) Albert Desmond as Doctor Alchemy, as he appeared on a splash page of
The Flash
# 764 (October, 2020)
Art by Will Conrad
|
|
Publisher
| DC Comics
|
---|
First appearance
| (Albert Desmond)
Showcase
#13 (April 1958) (as Mr. Element)
Showcase
#14 (June 1958) (as Dr. Alchemy)
(Curtis Engstrom)
The Flash
(vol. 2) #71 (Feb. 1992)
(Alexander Petrov)
The Flash
(vol. 2) #202 (Nov. 2003)
|
---|
Created by
| (Albert Desmond)
John Broome
Carmine Infantino
|
---|
|
Full name
| Albert Desmond
Dr. Curtis Engstrom
Alexander Petrov
|
---|
Species
| Metahuman
|
---|
Notable aliases
| (Albert Desmond
and
Alexander Petrov)
Mr. Element
(Curtis Engstrom)
Alchemist
|
---|
Abilities
| Transmute any substance into any other substance
Transform the molecular structure of the human body
|
---|
Doctor Alchemy
is a name used by three different
supervillains
appearing in
American comic books
published by
DC Comics
. The most notable was Albert Desmond, who originally used the name of
Mister Element
.
The character appeared as a recurring cast member on
The CW
television series
third season
of
The Flash
played by
Tom Felton
. The character makes his cinematic debut in the
DC Extended Universe
film
The Flash
, played by
Rudy Mancuso
.
Publication history
[
edit
]
The character of Albert Desmond, created by
John Broome
and
Carmine Infantino
, first appeared in
Showcase
#13 (April 1958) as Mister Element.
[1]
His second, and more frequently used, identity of Doctor Alchemy first appeared in
Showcase
#14 (June 1958).
[2]
: 92
The Alchemist made his first appearance in
The Flash
(vol. 2) #71 (Feb. 1992) and was created by writer
Mark Waid
and artist
Greg LaRocque
. The character of Alexander Petrov made his first appearance in
The Flash
(vol. 2) #202 (Nov. 2003) and was created by
Geoff Johns
and Alberto Dose.
Fictional character biography
[
edit
]
Albert Desmond
[
edit
]
Desmond, originally Mister Element, as appeared in
The Flash
#216 (June 1972). Art by
Dick Dillin
(pencils) and
Dick Giordano
(inks).
Albert Desmond
is a lowly chemist who suffers from
dissociative identity disorder
. Desmond has two distinct personalities: one major driving personality and another criminally inclined one.
[3]
Under his darker personality, he applies his knowledge of chemistry to create the identity of Mister Element. He creates elemental weapons such as bulletproof silicon to shield his cars, and discovers a new element, Elemento, a magnetic light with which he sent the
Flash
into space.
[2]
: 92
After being sent to jail as a result of his first encounter with the Flash, he learns of the
Philosopher's Stone
from his cellmate. He escapes jail, finds the Philosopher's Stone, and uses its power to transmute elements to restart his criminal career under a new identity ? Doctor Alchemy. Eventually his good personality resurfaces, causing him to quit crime and hide the Philosopher's Stone. Shortly after, a new Doctor Alchemy appears and is revealed to be his astral twin
"Alvin" Desmond
, with whom he shares a psychic link. It was later revealed that "Alvin" was a construct of the Stone created by Albert's criminal personality. When Albert confronts and defeats "Alvin", he resumes the identity of Doctor Alchemy.
[4]
While he was incarcerated, both of his costumed identities were used by others: Curtis Engstrom using the Philosopher's Stone as the Alchemist and Alexander Petrov using the Mister Element identity.
[2]
: 92
Curtis Engstrom
[
edit
]
Dr. Curtis Engstrom
is an advisor on the project when
S.T.A.R. Labs
acquired the Philosopher's Stone with intentions of using one of its fragments in their microscopic medical computer.
[5]
He stole the computer with the help of a small-time crook, Moe "Mouthpiece" Miglian, but he was later arrested. After escaping from prison, Engstrom donned his own Dr. Alchemy costume and set out to retrieve the microchip that had been taken from him by Miglian, calling himself the
Alchemist
. After being defeated, Engstrom and Miglian were both sent to prison.
Alexander Petrov
[
edit
]
Alexander Petrov
is a
criminologist
working for the
Keystone City
Police Department. But in order to advance his career, he uses one of Albert Desmond's weapons used as Mister Element to freeze the lab supervisor solid. Petrov is promoted to replace the dead supervisor and discovers he likes the thrill of killing. He continues to eliminate members of the department he sees as "threats" to his position, using the weapon and ice-based effects. He uses the effects and his position as head of the crime lab to shift suspicion to
Captain Cold
. His plan comes undone when profiler
Ashley Zolomon
enters his office as he is putting on his mask. The
Flash
is able to stop him from killing Zolomon, but Captain Cold interrupts them before the Flash can take him into custody. Captain Cold kills Petrov for breaking one of the rules of the
Rogues
' code of "ethics" ? never frame another Rogue for your own crimes.
[6]
Powers and abilities
[
edit
]
As Mister Element, Desmond dons a suit equipped with an
oxygen mask
and selects the model of
carbon
as his suit emblem.
Doctor Alchemy possesses the Philosopher's Stone which once belonged to
Merlin
. By pressing the stone in various points, he has the ability to transmute any substance into any other substance (e.g., steel into rubber, or oxygen into carbon monoxide) and also possesses the power to transform the molecular structure of the human body, having once turned the Flash into a being of water vapor.
[2]
[4]
Albert Desmond can also control the Philosopher's Stone from a distance via telekinesis.
Other versions
[
edit
]
Flashpoint
[
edit
]
In the
Flashpoint
reality, Mr. Element's gun, among others, is used by
Oliver Queen
, who runs Green Arrow Industries, to combat
Vixen
's daughter.
[7]
In other media
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
- Doctor Alchemy and Mister Element make non-speaking cameo appearances in the
Justice League Unlimited
episode "Flash and Substance".
- Julian Albert Desmond
/ Doctor Alchemy appears in the
third season
of
The Flash
(2014), portrayed by
Tom Felton
and voiced by
Tobin Bell
.
[8]
This version is a British forensic scientist,
Barry Allen
's rival in the Central City Police Department (CCPD), and was created by a time aberration caused by the creation and erasure of the "
Flashpoint
". In the past, Desmond led an archeological team to locate the
philosopher's stone
, intending to use it to resurrect his dead sister. While Desmond finds the stone, his team was killed and he began to experience blackouts, during which he was called upon by
Savitar
to become his servant "Alchemy" and use the stone to restore
metahumans
from the "Flashpoint" timeline. Eventually, Desmond is apprehended by Allen and
Jay Garrick
, who discover his identity and use him to contact Savitar via the stone. After being saved from Savitar, Desmond makes amends with Allen and briefly joins Team Flash to defeat Savitar before moving back to the United Kingdom.
[9]
Film
[
edit
]
Albert Desmond appears in
The Flash
(2023), portrayed by
Rudy Mancuso
.
[10]
This version is a member of the Central City Police Department and co-worker of
Barry Allen
and
Patty Spivot
. Additionally, an alternate reality version of Desmond who became Allen and Spivot's roommate makes a minor appearance.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016).
The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe
. DK Publishing. p. 344.
ISBN
978-1-4654-5357-0
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Beatty, Scott (2008).
The DC Comics Encyclopedia
. New York:
Dorling Kindersley Publishing
.
ISBN
978-0-7566-4119-1
.
- ^
Rovin, Jeff (1987).
The Encyclopedia of Supervillains
. New York: Facts on File. p. 84.
ISBN
0-8160-1356-X
.
- ^
a
b
Who's Who in the DC Universe
#6 (Aug. 1985)
- ^
The Flash
(vol. 2) #71 (Feb. 1992)
- ^
Geoff Johns (
w
),
Alberto Dose
,
Howard Porter
(
p
). "Ignition (parts 2 through 6)"
The Flash
, vol. 2, no. 202-206 (November 2002 ? March 2003).
- ^
Flashpoint: Green Arrow Industries
#1
- ^
Bucksbaum, Sydney (July 23, 2016).
"Comic-Con: Flashpoint Debuts in First Trailer for 'The Flash' Season 3"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
2016-11-02
.
- ^
Leane, Rob (September 26, 2017).
"The Flash season 3 recap"
.
Denofgeek
. Retrieved
November 21,
2019
.
- ^
DC Film News (May 15, 2023).
"First look at Barry Allen with Patty Spivot and Albert Desmond"
.
Twitter
. Retrieved
2023-05-22
.
External links
[
edit
]