The Original Black Nerd Collection

The Original Black Nerd Collection

1973 - Chemistro 1 AKA Curtis Carr

From the OBN Collection

LC Hero for Hire 6

Chemistro is a supervillain name that has been used by three different characters in the Marvel Comics universe. The first original Chemistro was Curtis Carr, a brilliant scientist who invented the alchemy gun. This device could transform any substance into another by firing a beam of energy.

Curtis Carr was born in Kansas City, Kansas, and worked as a chemist and research scientist for Mainstream Motors, a company that produced cars and motorcycles. He created the alchemy gun on company time but intended to keep it for himself, believing it was too dangerous to be mass-produced. However, his boss Horace Claymore claimed that the gun belonged to the company and fired Carr for insubordination. Angry and bitter, Carr adopted the persona of Chemistro and used his alchemy gun to wreak havoc on Mainstream Motors and extort money from them. He also clashed with Luke Cage, the Hero for Hire, who Claymore hired to stop Chemistro. During their fight, Chemistro accidentally shoots his right foot with the alchemy gun, turning it into steel. The steel foot soon crumbled to dust, leaving him crippled and in pain. He was arrested and sent to prison, where he was beaten by his cellmate Arch Morton into revealing the secrets of his alchemy gun.

Carr befriended Luke Cage in prison, who felt sorry for him and helped him get medical attention. Carr also invented a device that could neutralize the effects of his alchemy gun, which he gave to Cage to use against Morton, who had escaped from prison and became the second Chemistro. Cage defeated Morton with Carr’s help and returned the alchemy gun to him.

Later, Carr was released from prison and got a job at Stark Prosthetics, a division of Stark Enterprises in Denver, Colorado. He developed a prosthesis for his missing foot and created a high-tech suit that enhanced strength, durability, and mobility. He also designed a jamming rifle that could counteract the effects of his alchemy gun. He adopted the alias of High-Tech and became a vigilante who fought crime in Denver. He also confronted his younger brother Calvin, who had stolen his alchemy gun and became the third Chemistro. He teamed up with Iron Man and Jim Rhodes to stop Calvin and the Wrecker, who the Kingpin hired to attack Stark Enterprises during the Acts of Vengeance event. However, Calvin managed to destroy Curtis’ left foot with the alchemy gun, forcing him to make another prosthesis.

As High-Tech, Curtis Carr continued to work for Stark Prosthetics and fight crime in Denver. He also helped Iron Man during the Armor Wars II storyline when Firepower attacked him. He later appeared in Civil War: Front Line, where he was shown to be working on a project called Project: Alchemy, which involved using nanotechnology to create artificial limbs for amputees.

Some little-known facts about Curtis Carr are:

– He is one of the few Marvel characters who have used both hero and villain identities.
– He is one of the few black characters depicted as scientists and inventors in Marvel Comics.
– He is one of the few characters who have been able to create devices that can manipulate matter at a molecular level.
– He is one of the few characters who have redeemed themselves after being villains.
– He is one of the few characters who have overcome physical disabilities and become superheroes.
– He has never appeared in any other media besides comics.

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