The Nature of Chemical X

by Rolland Therrien <rolland.therrien@videotron.ca>

"The RowdyRuff Boys" episode of PowerPuff Girls featured Mojo Jojo using what was basically soiled toilet water as the base with which to create his infamous creations, the RowdyRuff Boys.  While some have theorized this means the Boys were basically made out of crap, there is an alternate explanation.  Most importantly, there is the fact Mojo Jojo, after sniffing the contents of that toilet bowl, states it's "Pure Chemical X!"  Most transcriptions make Mojo Jojo say "Chemical Ecks," but since he was able to use the substance to create the Boys, we can safely assume that there was Chemical X inside that jail's sewer system.  But this realization leads us to ask the question no one's ever asked before: What the heck is Chemical X anyways?

The Origins of Chemical X

The fact that Mojo Jojo is able to use raw sewage as a base for creating the RowdyRuff Boys leave us with the following theory: Chemical X is a mutagenic compound found in...Toxic Waste.  Yes, this means the Girls themselves basically owe their existence and powers to a compound born of Industrial Waste, but since we're never told what Chemical X is or where the Professor got it from, there is no reason this theory would be incorrect.

Also, this explains why Monsters seem to pop out of nowhere in Townsville, the "Monster Island" explanation set aside.  Elmer Sglue becomes a Paste-Monster after accidentally ingesting a fly which absorbed irradiated toxic matter.  Twiggy the Hamster becomes a huge monster after falling into a barrel of toxic waste floating in the sewer system.  Those two incidents clearly show that Townsville, for all it's beautiful appearance, doesn't have a good track record when it comes to environmental friendliness, which is possibly due to the general incompetence of the average Townsviller.  And it's apparently paying the price with the creation of huge mutant monsters.

With Chemical X being a product of Industrial Waste, we can assume that Professor Utonium, amongst other projects, discovered this mutagenic compound, and was working on a way to refine and recycle it somehow.  When Mojo Jojo, by inadvertence, made the Professor spill Chemical X into the "Perfect Little Girl" formula, the Mutagenic Compounds interacted with the Formula and created our famous little heroines.  Mojo Jojo, however, didn't have the luxury of a science lab and a beaker of refined Chemical X at his disposal in Prison, so he made due with the best he could find, a toilet-full of toxic waste and raw chemical X.

It is also probably that there is a correlation between the refinement of the Chemical X and it's effects on the "Mutants" it creates: in it's raw, unrefined form, it's highly unstable and eventually wears off, but when refined, it's effects are permanent.  Sglue and Twiggy, who didn't stay mutated longer then one episode, or the RowdyRuff Boys, who originally blew up after their first kiss.  It is probable they would've eventually self-destruct sooner or later from stress, and only exploded when kissed due to incredible mental stress.

Chemical X and Super-Powers

The inherent instability of Chemical X, when observed, also explains why the Girls seem to gain and then lose abilities from episode to episode and season to season.  Handblasts, X-ray vision, thunder projection, energy auras...  These are all powers displayed in earlier episodes by the Girls, which are later on never seen.  Only Blossom's Ice Breath and Bubbles' Hyper-Sonic scream seem like constants, and even Blossom's Ice Breath was temporarily replaced by Fire Breath for a time.  It's highly possible, from that evidence, that the PowerPuff Girls' abilities are not YET fixed, and that their bodies are still developing the "right" array of abilities to support their crime-fighting abilities.  It's probably that the RowdyRuff Boys, if allowed to progress normally, would go through such an "evolving" phase, gaining and losing extra abilities almost at random.

There are, however, and few standard abilities that seem to come with Chemical X mutations.  Amongst the "Created", such as the PowerPuff Girls, RowdyRuff Boys, and apparently all fan-made variations, powers such as supersonic flight, super-strength, invulnerability and energy vision seem to be constants.  Amongst the "Mutated", gigantism, along with super-strength and invulnerability, seems to be the one constant: Chemical X made mutants, such as Elmer and Twiggy, almost always grow to sizes normally impossible under the square-cube ratio, and become giant rampaging monsters, as relative to their original sizes (Which is why Twiggy was only about 14 feet tall, as opposed to Elmer, who became many stories tall).

Mutant Aggression

The way Chemical X seems to always produce rampaging monsters when unrefined might also hint at the substance's dark side: It most likely has a negative side-effect on mutated subjects, driving their aggression through the roof, making them highly destructive and violent.  This explains why the RowdyRuff Boys, barely newborn, immediately felt the need to fight something, and felt no remorse about acts such as throwing around school buses full of children.  They were so blind with berserker rage, they only saw targets, not people.

The PowerPuff Girls, also powered by Chemical X, also seem to have this aggressive instinct driving them, tempered only by their motivation for crime-fighting and doing good.  And even then, all of the girls have clearly displayed moments where they lost control of themselves and attacked things for no reason at all, such as poor Rainbow the Clown, even after he was redeemed.  Seeing as he was freed and apparently in good terms with the girls during their birthday afterwards, it's probable they apologized and released him sometime afterwards.  It is possible that the refinement (and possible dilution) of the Chemical X used in their creation makes their aggressive instincts less powerful, and thus more manageable on a long-term basis.

In later seasons, the PowerPuff Girls begin to show more restraint in their responses towards individuals temporarily corrupted by power, such as the school kids to whom Mojo Jojo sold super-power granting drugs in Mojo Jonesin'.  Seeing as how those kids soon let their powers get to their heads, it's obvious those drugs included Chemical X in their make-up, making them highly aggressive and suggestive to Mojo Jojo's influence.  Understanding how the Chemical X powers make one highly aggressive, the Girls apparently understood the kids weren't fully responsible for their own actions.

The link between Aggression and Power can clearly be seen with Buttercup, who is both the most physically powerful of the PowerPuff Girls and their most aggressive member.  Another example is the "Bubblevicious" episode.  There, Bubbles originally has problem with what would be an easy Level 2 combat scenario, but after forcing herself into a Level 11 ordeal, she taps into her aggressive instincts and easily vanquishes her holographic foes.

The RowdyRuff Boys, being originally made with pure, unrefined Chemical X, were incredibly aggressive straight from their first moments.  It is also possible that it was this purity of the Chemical X used in their creation which granted them greater physical power then the Girls, fueled by their aggressive instincts, which were also greater then the Girls' own.  Thus, the Girls were unable to defeat them in face-to-face combat.

When considering the above deductions, we can now fill in the holes left by the writers, and tie together most of the PowerPuff Girls continuity, turning mistakes into the pieces of a pattern.  What seems like differences in behavior from one season to another become examples of character growth. Apparent continuity errors become examples of random mutations.  And a show made up of episodes which seem unlinked at first glance become parts of a larger series, showcasing the growth and evolution of our beloved heroines.

My Response

This article makes a very good attempt at trying to explain the nature of Chemical X and its effects.  However, I personally think many of the observations made can be explained differently.  For example, the PPGs "cruel streak" I identified at the end of the first season and throughout the second season could just have been a matter of writing style.  As the as the characters (and the writers) "matured," the style of the episodes changed, too.  Also, the girls excused the kids in "Mojo Jonesin'" because Mojo put something extra into the Chemical X to make them evil.

What I do agree with (to some degree) is the explanation that the toilet that helped bring the RRBs to life contained some kind of toxic waste.  We've already seen two definitive examples where toxic waste and the Townsville sewer system were connected.  Mojo does call the toilet contents Chemical X, but he also prefaces that by saying that he is looking for something as potent.  Perhaps Chemical X and toxic waste are two different substances with the same potency, but opposite effects.  A sort of yin-yang relationship like everything else in The RowdyRuff Boys episode.  Good and evil; male and female; etc.

I once saw a fan of the legendary "B-movie" director Roger Corman answer a question about Roger's infamously bad movies.  The fan was asked how he could like movies with so many continuity errors, plot holes, and downright mistakes.  For example, in one scene it may be nighttime and in the next scene it's the daytime.  Another example would be a character that was killed-off 20 minutes ago is now back without any reason given how.  His answer to the interviewer was that Roger's movies were not flawed.  In fact, they're perfect.  It's up to you to figure out what the heck is going on.

Maybe one day there will be an "official" explanation, but until then, we'll keep guessing!

UPDATE:

I received a message from: "Detective Kemper" <mystery@pokeyoaksfanfic.com>  regarding an interview with Amy Rogers where she was asked about the whole toilet incident.  Here is what the Detective had to report:

Regarding a recent issue concerning the Rowdy Ruff Boys and toilet water... Amy and the staff were aware of a certain Rowdy Ruff Boys website where the staff was criticized for having the Boys created with toilet water as a substitute for Chemical X. Well, here's the rationalization the crew came up with (Yes, they do actually talk about stuff you post on the net, so remember, you never know who's watching):   a. Mojo Jojo got his great intellect after exposure to Chemical X.   b. Therefore Chemical X is in his system.   c. Therefore Chemical X would be in his poop.   d. Therefore Chemical X would be in his toilet water in his prison cell.   e. Conclusion, the toilet water had genuine Chemical X in it. So we can also conclude that unlike other monkeys who merely fling their poop, Mojo Jojo uses it for world domination. Isn't that just so like him though.

Hmmmm... Not exactly the best explanation, but I guess it will do.  I suppose Chemical X is high in fiber.  That's why it isn't absorbed by the digestive system.  I bet those kids from "Mojo Jonesin'" had the trots for days!  In all seriousness, this sounds like they're making up an explanation after the fact.  Can't blame them really.  Who knew this episode was going to be so big?

If you want to read the whole article, click here.  It will require a free subscription to the group.