Albert Desmond (New Earth)

Doctor Alchemy
Mainstream Universe‎‎, 1950s-2011‎
Gallery
Real Name	Albert "Al" Desmond
Main Alias	Doctor Alchemy
Other Aliases	Mister Element
Relatives	Alvin Desmond (twin brother) Rita Desmond (ex-wife) Peter Desmond/Herman Desmond (father) unnamed mother
Affiliation	formerly Rogues, Injustice League
Base Of Operations	Central City
Status
Alignment	Bad
Citizenship	American
Marital Status	Divorced
Occupation	Professional Criminal
Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	5' 11"
Weight	171 lbs (78 kg)
Eyes	Green
Hair	Red
Origin
Universe	Earth-One · New Earth
Creators	John Broome · Carmine Infantino
First Appearance	Showcase #13 (March, 1958)

With this Philosopher's Stone I can transmute any element into any other. I bet your heart wouldn't work so good, if it was... oh, say... coal!

— Doctor Alchemy

Albert Desmond was a CCPD forensic scientist. He suffered from multiple personality disorder where, like Two-Face, one side was a harmless citizen, the other personality was a dark criminal. Utilizing his knowledge of chemistry and using the Philosopher's Stone, Desmond worked under the guise of Mister Element and later Doctor Alchemy.

History

Rogues

After being sent to jail by Flash, Desmond somehow found the Philosopher's Stone, which had the ability to transmute one element to another. After using the Stone to escape, Desmond restarted his criminal career under the new moniker of Doctor Alchemy and clashed with Flash many times, but was defeated every time.

Eventually, Desmond's good personality resurfaced and he quit crime and hid the Stone. However, a new Doctor Alchemy appeared, who turned out to be Alvin Desmond, Albert's identical twin whom he shares a psychic link with. It was later revealed that the "twin" was a construct of Albert's evil by the Stone itself. The construct was eliminated, though Albert became Doctor Alchemy again and joined the Rogues.

Keystone Kops

Albert Desmond setup a lab in Gotham City that was discovered by officers Andrew Kelly and Donald Peak during a regular check-up on two children reported for suspicious behavior. When the chemicals spilled and mixed when attempting to remove the children from the hidden lab, a chemical fire set Andrew Kelly on fire. Donald Peak reported the flames emitted no heat. It was discovered the trap was set as an experiment by Albert Desmond to transform someone into a grotesque and powerful creature. The creature was eventually stopped by the GCPD and Batman.

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

• Alchemy
• Chemistry
• Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic): Dr. Alchemy's an average athlete and combatant.

Weaknesses

• Multiple Personalities
  

Paraphernalia

Equipment

As Doctor Alchemy:

• Philosopher's Stone

As Mister Element:

• Various gimmicks related to chemistry, as gold lines, sodium and magnesium capsules, a special liquid which dissolve ferrous metals, etc.

Weapons

• Element Gun (As Mister Element only)

Notes

• Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.
• Other characters have also used Desmond's gimmick. A S.T.A.R. Labs scientist named Doctor Curtis Engstrom briefly used the Philosopher's Stone as The Alchemist during the period Desmond was cured.
• More recently, Alexander Petrov, a Keystone City police scientist, became the new Mister Element. Although he used Desmond's original element-gun, and a variant of the costume, he attempted to confuse things by using the gun to freeze things, thereby implicating Captain Cold. He was killed by the real Cold.
  

Trivia

• Al's father Professor Peter Desmond was an astronomer investigating a star known as the Dragon's Eye. Al Desmond's wife Rita believed the star's instability affected her husband's sanity.
• A fake Dr. Alchemy claimed Al's father's name was Herman Desmond.

Related

• 86 Appearances of Albert Desmond (New Earth)
• 22 Images featuring Albert Desmond (New Earth)
• 3 Quotations by or about Albert Desmond (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: Albert Desmond (New Earth)

External Links

• Dr. Alchemy/Mr. Element at Flash: Those Who Ride the Lightning

Footnotes

Holy anachronisms, Batman!
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Rogues Gallery This character is or was a member of the Rogues, a loose collection of enemies to the Flash, in any of its various incarnations. They are a team of highly effective super-villains with their own internal code that prevents them from killing speedsters. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Rogues Gallery members category."

Flash Villain(s) This character, team, or organization, is or was primarily an enemy of any or all of the various incarnations of the Flash. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Flash Villains."

Injustice League member This character is or was a member of the Injustice League, a villainous counterpart to the Justice League, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Injustice League members" category.

Blue Beetle Villain(s) This character, team or organization, is or was primarily an enemy of the Blue Beetle Legacy in any of its incarnations. Including Dan Garrett, Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes as well as any alternate universe equivalents. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "Blue Beetle Villains" category.