Ace Chemicals

Ace Chemicals is a fictional business organization in the DC Comics universe. It was at Ace Chemicals plant where the Joker (when he was Red Hood) fell into a vat of chemicals, creating his trademark look of green hair, chalk white skin, and red lips.

Fictional history

Ace Chemicals is based in Gotham City. The plant is connected to Kane Chemicals, a company owned by the parents of Martha Wayne, which was then sold to Apex Chemicals, which then in turn became Ace Chemicals.

On the night of a heist of Ace Chemicals planned by the Red Hood gang, Batman learns of the gang's plan and intercepts them at the chemical plant. Batman confronts the gang's leader, the Red Hood, who is submerged in a vat of chemicals after the heist fails. In "Mystery of the Red Hood" and The Killing Joke, the Red Hood intentionally dives into the tank while trying to escape Batman; other depictions, such as the 1989 film, have Batman accidentally causing the Red Hood to fall into the vat.

The Red Hood survives, but exposure to the chemicals leaves him with green hair, chalk white skin, and red lips. The Red Hood's disfigurement causes him to suffer a fateful psychotic break and he becomes the Joker. Over the years, the Joker has revisited Ace Chemicals several times, and on occasion has even used it as a temporary hideout.

In other media

Television

Batman: The Animated Series

Ace Chemicals first featured in Batman: The Animated Series. The Ace company ran several establishments in Gotham City, including the Ace Chemical Plant and Ace Waste Disposal Plant. The Gotham chemical plant was the site of the accident that created the Joker, and seven years later to the day, also spawned the Creeper.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Ace Chemicals is first featured in "Deep Cover for Batman". It is still the place where the Joker is created but on a parallel earth, there was also known to be an Ace Chemical plant where the villain Owlman did exactly the same thing to the hero known as the Red Hood (an alternate Joker) who was using the chemical plant as a hideout; Owlman deliberately dropped the Hood into the vat of chemicals, creating the character's appearance, but keeping his sanity.

Gotham

Ace Chemicals appears in the season 2 episode "A Dead Man Feels No Cold" of Gotham. It is a chemical plant from Wayne Enterprises and one of the two places where Victor Fries acquires supercooled liquid helium for his weapons.

The Flash

Ace Chemicals was featured in the season 2 episode "Back to Normal" of The Flash. Barry and his team fought Griffin Grey in one of the warehouses.

Film

Live action

Tim Burton's Batman

Ace Chemicals featured in 1989's Batman, but was renamed Axis Chemicals. Mob boss Carl Grissom orders his right hand man, Jack Napier, to raid Axis Chemicals to remove any evidence of its ties to Grissom's criminal empire. Grissom secretly sets Napier up to be arrested as punishment for Napier's affair with his mistress, Alicia. During the robbery, Napier has an encounter with Batman that results in him falling into a vat of chemicals, which transforms him into the Joker. Later, Joker uses the plant to manufacture his Smilex toxin, before the facility is blown up by Batman.

DC Extended Universe

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Ace Chemicals was not mentioned but could be seen in the background during the Trinity fight with Doomsday. It also appeared in a Turkish Airlines advertisement for the film.^[1]

Suicide Squad

Ace Chemicals appears in a flashback for the 2016 film Suicide Squad.^[2]

Animation

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Ace Chemicals featured in Batman: Under the Red Hood in a flashback. Batman chases the Red Hood to the Ace Chemical Plant; the site of the first Red Hood's transformation into the Joker.

Video games

Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu

Ace Chemicals is featured in game Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu.

DC Universe Online

Ace Chemicals is featured in DC Universe Online located in the Otisburg district of Gotham City. T.O. Morrow is using Ace Chemicals as his hideout while he produces various creations and experiments which were originally intended for the Joker until Morrow betrayed him and began using his creations to create his own army of mutants.

Batman: Arkham City

The condemned Ace Chemicals office building (not the factory itself) is featured in Batman: Arkham City as one of the many buildings that were encased inside the walls of Arkham City when it was constructed, and its roof is the place where Bruce Wayne has the Batwing deliver his Bat-Suit near the beginning of the game.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

Ace Chemicals is featured in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.

Batman: Arkham Origins

Ace Chemicals is featured in Batman: Arkham Origins, the Joker can be seen walking through the chemical plant in the Red Hood outfit in a twisted flashback as he talks to Dr. Harleen Quinzel.

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

Ace Chemicals is featured in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, level "Big Trouble in Little Gotham".

Batman: Arkham Knight

The main facility of Ace Chemicals is featured in Batman: Arkham Knight. Aided by the Arkham Knight's militia, Scarecrow takes over the building in order to mass produce his fear toxin. Upon learning his location, Batman heads to the facility to capture him and rescue the workers that were taken hostage, coming face to face with the Arkham Knight for the first time. Batman manages to rescue the surviving workers and ultimately confronts Scarecrow; however, the villain distracts him with both his knowledge of Barbara Gordon's whereabouts, threatening her life, and the fact that he has produced enough fear toxin in Ace Chemicals to cover the entire Eastern seabord. Taking advantage of Batman's hesitation, Scarecrow locks him up in the control room and escapes, leaving the building to detonate. Batman manages to reduce the fear toxin cloud's radius with a neutralizing agent and to escape before the facility is destroyed, but is exposed to a concentrated dose of fear toxin in the process.

References

External links