Chemo

Chemo is a walking (literally) advertisement for the dangers of the improper disposal of chemicals. Professor Ramsey Norton was an ambitious scientist with a desire to cure the ills of the world through the use of his advanced intellect and liberal application of chemicals. Unfortunately, Norton was not as bright as he thought he was and his experiments in ending famine and disease were met with constant failure. Hoping to spur himself, Norton poured the results of his failed experiments into a large man-shaped plastic shell. The circumstances under which Norton acquired this container have not been revealed, but one doubts that these were standard issue in the laboratory supply catalogue.

One evening after depositing the remains of his latest experiment, a failed plant growth formula, into the plastic shell (which Norton had nicknamed Chemo in a nifty bit of foreshadowing) and subsequently filling it up (Norton's To-Do List: Pick-up new Giant Plastic Man-Shaped Figure), Norton fell into a despondent sleep at his work bench. He awoke sometime later to find that the combination of chemicals within Chemo had interacted to create a rudimentary form of life which was animating the plastic shell. Though this in and of itself would have been worth a Nobel Prize (Scientist creates Life in Lab), the fact that this new life had a decidedly evil bent and a penchant for destruction took Norton's name out of the running.

Chemo began to rampage, spewing forth noxious chemicals and and doing major property damage from his incredible strength and size. Chemo's rampage was ended when it was opposed by the robotic heroes the Metal Men. Chemo has subsequently fought the Metal Men on a number of occasions, always meeting with defeat. It has also fought with Superman as part of the Suicide Squad formed by President Lex Luthor. During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Chemo's actions were responsible for the death of Aquagirl.