Chronos (character)

This article is about theDC Comicscharacter, based on the mythologicalCronus.For theMarvel Comicscharacter, seeKronos (comics).

Chronosis the name of severalsupervillainsappearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byDC Comics.These characters take their name from theGreek personification of timeand have the ability to time travel. He is thearchenemyof theAtom.

Chronos
Chronos as depicted inBlue Beetle(vol. 6) #9 (February 1987). Art byParis Cullinsand Dell Barras.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Clinton: The Atom#3 (November 1962) Gabriel: Chronos#1 (March 1998)
Created by	Clinton: Gardner Fox Gil Kane Gabriel: John Francis Moore Paul Guinan
In-story information
Alter ego	David Clinton Walker Gabriel
Team affiliations	Clinton: Anti-Justice League Secret Society of Super Villains Suicide Squad Injustice Gang Injustice League Crime Champions Time Foes A.R.G.U.S. Time Masters
Notable aliases	Clinton: The Time Thief
Abilities	Genius-level intellect Skilled hand-to-hand combatant Expert thief Use of high-tech gadgets Time travel

Publication history

The David Clinton version of Chronos first appeared inThe Atom#3 and was created byGardner FoxandGil Kane.In 1974, Chronos was a founding member of the Injustice Gang.

The Walker Gabriel version of Chronos first appeared inChronos#1 and was created byJohn Francis MooreandPaul Guinan.

Fictional character biography

David Clinton

Thearchenemyof theAtom,Chronos started his career as petty thiefDavid Clinton,who attributed his consistent incarceration to his lack of timing. 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. By the end of his sentence he had developed an extraordinary sense of timing which he resolved to use to further his criminal career. 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). He liked to give time related puns, such as "Time is golden!" when spraying golden gas atGreen Lantern.

Chronos made his debut in Ivy Town, but was defeated by the Atom when he tried to steal anatomic clockbecause of an idea ironically given to him by Ray Palmer. He came close to deducing the Atom's secret identity when he realized the Atom attacked him soon after Ray saw him, and succeeded in capturing the Atom and placing him inside a watch. The Atom escaped the watch while Chronos was breaking into a vault, and used a trick to make him think he was wrong. However he escaped from jail by adapting a guard's watch, making the ticks so loud they broke open his cell door. He next tried to steal a collection of historicHungarianclocks which each had a gem hidden inside, but was again defeated. 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—lensesthat prevent people from seeing certain events (e.g. his getaway vehicle or another specific object), circuitry embedded in his costume that could control the local flow of time, an hourglass of concentrated time that could speed points up briefly and even make bricks next to a bank vault crumble in a few seconds, and ultimately a fully functional time machine (before it and the designs were destroyed). 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. Another story, published inWorld'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. Fox, a criminal scientist who had never been apprehended and who was described by Chronos as "the greatest mind sinceEinstein".Pre-Crisis Chronos was a member of the Crime Champions, a trio of Earth-1 villains who teamed up with a trio of Earth-2 villains to commit robberies, then escape to the other world using a vibratory device theFiddleraccidentally discovered. Chronos is able to escapeWonder Woman,BatmanandGreen Lanternafter stealing a million dollars from the Powers City Bank. When the Earth-2 Crime Champions impersonate the Earth-1 Crime Champions, theIcicleimpersonates Chronos with the help of the Wizard's Tibetan magic, and fought Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, making them touch rubber, animal, and glass as part of a spell to trap the JLA. On Earth-2 Chronos tries to steal a rare clock from a lighthouse, and uses his vibratory watch to putAquamaninto a coma, butSupermanis able to revive Aquaman and captures Chronos, crushing his watch. The JLA and JSA are captured again and magically placed in cages in space, but with the aid of the Green Lanterns escape and return to Earth. Chronos tries to help the Fiddler find an Earth-3 with his chronological knowledge, but is defeated by theMartian ManhunterandBlack Canary.

Chronos eventually stopped stealing for his own gain and began stealing to finance his time research. 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 theAmazonianjungle.Chronos had more success without the Atom, but he brought himself to the attention of theBlue Beetle.Clinton's niece Angie was Ted Kord's personal secretary, and Chronos used her apartment as a hideout against her wishes..He also fought the Beetle duringDarkseid's anti-hero riots. When Chronos met Kord's Beetle again, it was because he had shunted the entire city of Chicago onto a "time siding" so he could help himself to vast mineral deposits that were there before the city was built. During that struggle against the Beetle, Chronos was hurled 100 million years into the past where he encountered a time-lostCaptain Atom.He later met a time travelingSupermanwho Chronos manipulated into helping him get home.

Upon his return to the present, Chronos was able to use his technology to manipulate the money markets to amass a fortune. Chronos's illegal endeavors were discovered and he was returned to prison. He was freed by theCalendar Manto work with the Time Foes, but was captured by theTeen Titans.Out of desperation and humiliation, Chronos took a drastic chance — he accepted an offer from the demonNeronand exchanged his soul for the metahuman ability to manipulate time. However, Chronos discovered that his abilities accelerated his aging with each use. Clinton's efforts to bypass this flaw - passing his artificial age onto youths with a special glove of his own creation and intercepting other time travelers in an attempt to acquire their technology - brought him briefly into conflict with theLegion of Super-Heroes.

All the experiments and Neron's "gift" had taken a toll on Clinton's body and he began to lose touch with any sense of the "now". 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 theIdentity Crisis,when he claimed to have traveled forward from a point in time shortly before his final disappearance. This foreknowledge of his own (suspected) demise led to a somewhat subdued, even morose, demeanor.

InThe All-New Atom#12, the wacky Anagram guy that has been testing and helpingAtom (Ryan Choi)is revealed to be none other than Chronos himself. In issue #20, he is revealed as the mastermind behind all of the strange occurrences surrounding Ivy Town since the start of the series. His vengeful goal is to destroy everything that Ray Palmer loved.

He's able to do so by joining forces withLady Chronos,a new companion and lover who once was Jia, Ryan's love interest in their college years. With Jia's intimate knowledge about Ryan, he was able to add a further layer of credibility to his ruse, faking years of correspondence and epistolary friendship between Ryan and Ray Palmer, spurring Ryan to follow in Palmer's footsteps only to disgrace him in the eyes of Ivy Town, shaming the Atom's legacy forever.

With some help from the real Ray Palmer, Ryan is eventually able to overcome the couple, and prevent David and Jia from messing again with Ivy Town.They retreat into the timestream, where they are noticed byStarrowho, after being thwarted in his attempts to gain total domination over time by enslavingRip Hunterand hisTime Masters,retaliates by dominating Chronos' and Lady Chronos' minds, using them to travel in time and putBooster Goldagainst Rip, eradicating theTime Masters.

Post-Flashpoint,David Clinton is an agent ofA.R.G.U.S.who specializes in time travel. He was tasked with finding Booster Gold;however, he had apparently failed his mission and was captured by theOutsiderof the newly formedSecret Society of Super Villains.Green Arrowdiscovers him as a captive while pursuing Professor Ivo. Professor Ivo states that the engine that Chronos is stuck in is activated. Chronos causes a temporal neutral field to envelope the manor, causing it to freeze in place throughout time, while the Earth turns - which means that the Earth moves, not the manor. Chronos was eventually rescued by the Justice League of America.

Chronos travels to early-Happy Harbor and intercepts the God of Superheroes, Ahl as he descends to Earth from Final Heaven. Chronos holds him hostage against theJustice Leaguewho eventually defeat him.

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 theLinear Men.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 aDC One Millioncrossover numbered 1,000,000) between March 1998 and February 1999, and concluded with Gabriel wiping himself from history, to save his mother's life. The nature of Chronopolis, however, meant he still existed despite not being born. Still, due to an unclear series of events, it appeared in fact two Walker Gabriels existed: one outside of time, one within it, but only up to the point when he removed himself out of it. After that, the timeline streamlined and only the time-traveling Chronos remained. Gabriel had many encounters with members of the Linear Men and also metDestinyof theEndlessduring this series.

Gabriel briefly appeared in the pages ofJSA(2005); there, he was killed byPer Degatonwhen he was struck by a car a decade before receiving his time-travel powers, but as is the case when Degaton's adventures end in failure, his death was reversed.

Gabriel most recently had a cameo inSuperman Beyond 3D#1 as an inhabitant ofLimbo.

Powers and abilities

Chronos possesses genius-level intellect and is an expert in hand-to-hand combat.

Equipment

Chronos makes use of clock-themed devices.

Other versions

InJLA/Avengers,Chronos is among the enthralled villains defendingKrona's base in #4. He is defeated by theWasp.

In other media

Television

• The David Clinton incarnation of Chronos appears in theDC Animated Universe(DCAU) seriesJustice League Unlimitedtwo-part episode "The Once and Future Thing", voiced byPeter MacNicol.This version is a meek physics professor from the future era depicted inBatman Beyondwho despite being ostracized by his peers for his theories on time travel, secretly created a time travel belt. Wishing to avoid time paradoxes, he travels through time to collect past artifacts at the points where they would no longer be missed amidst disapproval from his wife, Enid Clinton (voiced byMindy Sterling), who feels he should be using his belt to improve their lives. However, he attracts the attention ofBatman,Wonder Woman,andGreen Lanternwhen he travels to the present to steal one of Batman's utility belts. As the heroes pursue David through time, he grows increasingly unstable and power-hungry and starts calling himself Chronos. After reaching David's home time period, the heroes join forces withStatic,Batman II,Batman's future self, and Green Lantern's sonWarhawk,but David's actions cause time distortions that erase Wonder Woman and Static from existence. With help from a fearful Enid, the remaining heroes confront David, but he attempts to escape to the beginning of time and rewrite history to make himself a god. Nonetheless, Batman and Green Lantern catch up to him and place a disk into David's belt that undoes his actions and traps him in a time loop of his last argument with Enid before he began time-traveling.
• The David Clinton incarnation of Chronos appears in theBatman: The Brave and the Boldepisode "Sword of the Atom!".
• An original incarnation of Chronos appears in thefirst seasonofLegends of Tomorrow,portrayed byDominic Purcelland Jordan Davis and voiced bySteve Blum.This version is a temporal bounty hunter employed by theTime Mastersto capture former memberRip Hunter,who went rogue and formed theLegendsto stopVandal Savage.After several encounters, the Legends later discover Chronos is an older version ofMick Rory / Heat Wave,who they abandoned after he betrayed them and the Time Masters found and brainwashed to help them track the Legends. The Legends eventually defeat, capture, and successfully rehabilitate Rory.
• The David Clinton incarnation of Chronos appears inJustice League Action,voiced byAndy Richter.This version utilizes various time-based gadgetry, including a wheel-like vehicle, bombs that slow time in a radius around them, and a gauntlet that gives him limited precognition and the ability to create time portals.

Miscellaneous

• An unidentified Chronos appears inSuper Friends#22.
• An unidentified Chronos appears inJustice League Adventures.A future version of Chronos convinces the Justice League to release his present self from prison after showing them a recording of the former's version of Superman confirming that Chronos has reformed. TheFlashand the Atom later learn that Chronos traveled back in time to prevent the death of his brother Bobby in a major city fire, only to threaten the timestream after creating multiple versions of himself over several repeated attempts to change history and prevent his brother's deaths. As time starts to break down from the strain, the Flash and Atom are only just able to convince him to stop by bringing a past version of Bobby into the present to help Chronos come to terms with his death, the elder Chronos vanishing as his present self promises Bobby that he won't let himself become that obsessed old man. After being returned to prison, Chronos is visited by a woman claiming to be his future daughter, who assures him that things will eventually be all right.

External links

• Chronosoverviewfrom artist Paul Guinan who also has a page onChronopolis
• Killing Time with the Creative Team of Chronos: Paul Guinan Interview