Chronos is the name of two fictional characters of DC Comics, both supervillains who take their name from the Greek personification of Time and have the ability of time travel and can manipulate history. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the Villain character type commonly found in Comic books, Action movies and In Greek mythology, Chronos ( Ancient Greek:) in pre-Socratic philosophical works is said to be the personification of Time. This article details time travel itself For other uses see Time Traveler.

History

David Clinton

Chronos
As drawn by Paris Cullins and Dell Barras in Blue Beetle volume 6 issue 9. Paris Cullins is an African-American Comic-book artist best known for his work on DC Comics ' Blue Devil and Blue Beetle Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional, American Comic book Superheroes published by a variety of companies since 1940
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	The Atom #3 (1962)
Created by	Gardner Fox Gil Kane
In story information
Alter ego	David Clinton
Team affiliations	Secret Society of Super Villains Suicide Squad Injustice Gang Injustice League Crime Champions
Notable aliases	The Time Thief
Abilities	Time travel, Time manipulation

Considered by some to be the arch-nemesis of the Atom (Ray Palmer), Chronos started his career as petty thief David Clinton who attributed his consistent incarceration to his timing, or lack thereof. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company In Comic books and other stories with a long history first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a Fictional character. Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (Speed Saunders was initially credited to "E Eli Katz ( April 6, 1926, Riga, Latvia – January 31, 2000, Miami Florida, United States) who The Secret Society of Super Villains ( SSoSV) is a group of Comic book Supervillains that exist in the DC Universe. The Suicide Squad is a name for two fictional organizations in DC Comics Universe. The Injustice Gang (also known as the Injustice Gang of the World) is a group of fictional Supervillains in the DC Comics universe. The Injustice League is the name of two Fictional teams of Supervillains in the DC Comics Universe. The Atom is a Fictional character, a DC Comics superhero introduced during the Silver Age of comic books in Showcase To improve his timing, he studied the rhythm of time pieces and by practice he learned to synchronize each of his actions with the beat of the prison clock. Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμός - rhythmos, "any measured flow or movement symmetry" is the variation of the length and accentuation of For other uses see Time (disambiguation Time is a component of a measuring system used to sequence events to compare the durations of By the end of his sentence he had developed an extraordinary sense of timing which he resolved to use to further his criminal career. In the sociological field, crime is the breach of a rule or Law for which some governing authority or force may ultimately prescribe a Punishment He then adopted the colorful costume and alter ego of Chronos, the Time Thief. Clinton had acquired an unhealthy fascination with time and he developed a series of gimmick weapons and deathtraps based on time pieces (clocks with blades as hands, flying sun dials). In marketing language a gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons A deathtrap is a Literary and Dramatic Plot device in which a Villain, who has captured the Hero or another sympathetic character

Chronos made his debut in Ivy Town, but was defeated by the Atom. He next tried to steal a collection of historic Hungarian clocks, but was again defeated. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic The Atom has since thwarted all of Chronos' plans. Each appearance or new crime prompted an evolution in Chronos' weaponry. His study of time led to more intricate and revolutionary inventions—lenses that prevent people from seeing certain events (e. A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate Axial symmetry which transmits and refracts Light, converging or diverging g. his getaway vehicle or another specific object), circuitry embedded in his costume that could control the local flow of time (freezing people in time or altering his own perception of time), and ultimately a fully functional time machine (before it and the designs were destroyed). This article details time travel itself For other uses see Time Traveler. One story suggests that Chronos may have been receiving help from a future version of himself, but it is unknown at what relative time frame that Chronos came from. The future is commonly understood to contain all events that have yet to occur Another story, published in World's Finest Comics #321 (1985), suggests that Chronos made the transition from a mere thief with a time gimmick to a full-fledged time traveler after becoming acquainted with the mysterious Dr. World's Finest Comics was a Comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986 Fox (perhaps named after Gardner Fox), a criminal scientist who had never been apprehended and who was described by Chronos as "the greatest mind since Einstein. Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (Speed Saunders was initially credited to "E Albert Einstein ( German: ˈalbɐt ˈaɪ̯nʃtaɪ̯n; English: ˈælbɝt ˈaɪnstaɪn (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955 was a German -born theoretical "

Chronos eventually stopped stealing for his own gain and began stealing to finance his time research. Research is defined as Human activity based on Intellectual application in the investigation of Matter. The Atom had always thwarted Chronos, but he had decided to turn his back on humanity and had retreated to a peaceful seclusion with a group of six-inch tall aliens in the Amazonian jungle. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus Peace, in the modern usage is a concept defined by the ideal state of relationship as absence of hostility at the international level that of a War. See also List of extraterrestrials in fiction In Popular cultures Life forms -especially intelligent life forms that are of extraterrestrial The Amazon Rainforest (Brazilian Portuguese: Floresta Amazônica or Amazônia; Spanish: Selva Amazónica or Amazonía Jungle usually refers to a dense Forest in a hot climate such as a Tropical rainforest. Chronos had more success without the Atom, but he brought himself to the attention of the Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) when he tried to blackmail one of the employees of Kord Inc. Theodore (or Edward "Ted" Kord is the second version of the Blue Beetle, a fictional Superhero who was originally published by Charlton Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ^[1] He also fought the Beetle during Darkseid's anti-hero riots. Darkseid is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. During one struggle against the Beetle, Chronos was hurled 100 million years into the past where he encountered a time-lost Captain Atom. Captain Atom is a fictional Comic book Superhero. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in He later met a time traveling Superman who Chronos manipulated into helping him get home. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon

Upon his return to the present, Chronos was able to use his technology to manipulate the money markets to amass a fortune. Technology is a broad concept that deals with a Species ' usage and knowledge of Tools and Crafts and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt However, Chronos' illegal endeavors were discovered and he was returned to prison. He was freed by the Calendar Man to work with the Time Foes, but was captured by the Teen Titans. Calendar Man (real name Julian Gregory Day) is a DC Comics supervillain For an overview of the Teen Titans team (including more details on the comics listed below see Teen Titans Various Superhero groups by the name Teen Titans Out of desperation and humiliation, Chronos took a drastic chance — he accepted an offer from the demon Neron and exchanged his soul for the metahuman ability to travel through time. Neron is a Fictional character in the DC Comics ' universe. Neron was a Demon prince of great power The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living However bargains with Neron are never fair and Chronos found that each journey through the timestream accelerated his aging. The timestream is a Metaphorical conception of Time as a Stream, a flowing body of Water. A man who should have been a healthy adult became an aged senior citizen. Health is a state of complete physical mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the Average life span of Human beings and thus the end of the human life cycle. Clinton's efforts to bypass this flaw - passing his artificial age onto youths and intercepting other time travelers in an attempt to acquire their technology - brought him briefly into conflict with the Legion of Super-Heroes, in a somewhat confusing and often non-linear sequence of events. This is about the DC Comics superhero team For the animated television series based on this see Legion of Super Heroes (TV series.

All the experiments and Neron's "gift" had taken a toll on Clinton's body and be began to lose touch with any sense of the "now. In scientific inquiry an experiment ( Latin: Ex- periri, "to try out" is a method of investigating particular types of research questions or " He had trouble staying localized in time and appeared to fade away into nothingness. His disappearance was enough for him to be declared dead and speculation has suggested that he may have slipped into "The Void" of time. A funeral of sorts was held and his research was passed on to the second Chronos (Walker Gabriel).

Time travel being what it is, David Clinton's legal death has not meant the end of his presence in the DC universe; he has made several appearances since, such as during the Identity Crisis, when he claimed to have traveled forward from a point in time shortly before his final disappearance. Identity Crisis is a seven-issue Comic book Limited series published by DC Comics in 2004, written by Brad Meltzer This foreknowledge of his own (suspected) demise led to a somewhat subdued, even morose, demeanor.

In The All-New Atom #12, it was revealed that the wacky Anagram guy that has been testing and helping Ryan Choi (The New Atom) is none other than Chronos himself. He now plans on helping Ryan find Ray Palmer, the original Atom.

The cover of DC Universe Special - Justice League of America shows Chronos as a member of Libra's Secret Society of Super Villains. Libra is a Fictional character, a Supervillain in the DC Comics universe.

Walker Gabriel

Chronos #1 (March 1998). Art by Paul Guinan.

Walker Gabriel got possession of Clinton's research after his death. He became the second Chronos and was the lead character of a short-lived comic book series published by DC Comics, acting as both a hero and a criminal depending on circumstances, and often running afoul of the Linear Men. The Linear Men are Fictional characters a fictional superhero team in the DC Comics universe He was eventually revealed to be the son of a temporal theorist who had worked with Clinton and created Chronopolis, the city beyond time. The series ran for 12 issues (including a DC One Million crossover numbered 1,000,000) between March 1998 and February 1999, and concluded with Gabriel wiping himself from history, to save his mother's life. DC One Million was a crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1998. The nature of Chronopolis, however, meant he still existed despite not being born.

Recently, Gabriel briefly appeared in the pages of JSA (2005); there, he was killed by Per Degaton when he was struck by a car a decade before receiving his time-travel powers. The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics Superhero group the first team of superheroes in Comic book history Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Per Degaton is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Supervillain who can travel through time However, given that Degaton's other escapades at the time were reversed, it's likely that Gabriel's demise was as well. It is not clear how this fits with his removing himself from time.

Other media

In an issue of Justice League Adventures titled "Wolf's Clothing," Chronos (not the latter version below) captured the Justice League and plots to auction them off to the highest bidding villain. While Batman and Superman had their own cartoon series and comic book follow up the rest of characters in DC Comics would appear in the following comics often In another issue called "The Moment," Flash and Atom discover that he's traveled to the past to prevent the death of his brother Bobby, but his interference threatens to wreck the timestream.

Another version of the character appeared in the Justice League Unlimited animated series in the two-part episode "The Once and Future Thing". Justice League Unlimited (or JLU) is the name of an American animated television series that was produced by and aired on This is a list of animated series, which are television series produced by means of Animation. He was voiced by Peter MacNicol. Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954 in Dallas Texas) is an Emmy Award winning American actor In this incarnation, David Clinton is a man from the future (or rather, from the time of Batman Beyond). Batman Beyond (known as Batman of the Future in Europe, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and He was a small, meek physics professor who was ostracized by his peers for his theories on time travel. However, Clinton had secretly perfected a time-traveling device. Aware of the problems of time paradoxes, he tried not to use his device to do anything that would adversely affect the timestream; instead, he began collecting items from the past at the points when they would no longer be missed (e. g. Cleopatra's comb). Eventually, the incessant hectoring from his wife Enid (played by Mindy Sterling) forced Clinton to retreat to the past. Mindy Lee Sterling (born July 11, 1953) is an American Actress.

Chronos in Justice League Unlimited

After failing to steal Batman's utility belt, he attracted the attention of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern, accidentally pulling them into the Old West. Justice League Unlimited (or JLU) is the name of an American animated television series that was produced by and aired on Batman 's utility belt is the most characteristic portion of Batman's costume, much like Wonder Woman 's Lasso of Truth, or Green Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created John Stewart is a Fictional Superhero, a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps. Clinton's time belt was stolen by a local villain named Tobias Manning, so Clinton helped the heroes defeat him after they sprung him from Manning's prison. Terra-Man (real name Toby Manning) is a Fictional character and Supervillain who appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics Once free, the power-hungry Clinton retreated to the timestream to make himself, "the undisputed master of space and time", and adopted the Chronos identity. The three Leaguers followed him to the Batman Beyond timeline, only to find the world bizarrely altered (with the Titanic and the Leaning Tower of Pisa alongside Gotham's architecture, amongst other things). Chronos' irresponsible actions had started making time collapse. Batman and Green Lantern teamed up with the remaining roster of the Justice League Unlimited: (Warhawk, Static, Terry McGinnis, and the future version of Bruce Wayne). Warhawk is a fictional character created for the DC Animated Universe, voiced by Peter Onorati. Static is a Fictional Superhero created by Dwayne McDuffie, John Paul Leon, and Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics Terrence "Terry" McGinnis ( Batman II, The Tomorrow Knight) is a Fictional character, Superhero, and Protagonist of the They forced the now-fearful Enid to tell them where Clinton was - in the jail from the Old West that Clinton had brought to the future, where he slept every night (presumably because his six months in the jail cell were a vacation away from his nagging wife, and therefore far more comfortable to him). After a fearful battle with much life lost, Green Lantern and Batman chase Chronos into the timestream. Chronos' final intended act would be to return to the beginning of time, and therefore become a god. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. The heroes catch up with him, and Batman inserts a disc into Chronos' belt that reverses everything that had happened. Green Lantern and Batman return to the present day, Wonder Woman has no recollection of such events ever happening because of her non-existence during the future segment, and Clinton himself became time-loop trapped in his argument with Enid, looping over and over for seemingly all eternity.

References

External links

• Chronos overview from artist Paul Guinan who also has a page on Chronopolis
• Killing Time with the Creative Team of Chronos: Paul Guinan Interview