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Think of this as a fire extinguisher for objects that... act up.
 
Artie, "Pilot"
Elements03

Neutralizer, also known as "the purple stuff" and "goo," appears in various episodes as a glowing, purple liquid with an apparently high viscosity.

History[]

The exact origins of Neutralizer are never explained and, as such, are unknown. However, Warehouse 9 was known to safely collect artifacts too dangerous for human contact (if not most or all artifacts in general) through the use of a giant purple swamphen. As such, it is possible that modern Neutralizer originates from, or is at least based on, the giant purple swamphen.

In the crossover episode "Crossing Over", the Eureka-based scientific institution Global Dynamics provided the Warehouse with an upgraded formula of Neutralizer created using alkalizing agents in 2010.

Workings[]

Exactly how neutralizer functions is unknown, but it does cause any artifacts or anything that affects artifacts to be neutralized.[1] When reacting with an artifact a burst of electricity can be seen. It can be assumed that neutralizer also neutralizes any electric charge an artifact may have.

As revealed in "Crossing Over", Neutralizer's usefulness is not limited to artifacts alone; Trevor Grant, having traveled through time from 1947 to 2010, was creating a temporal wormhole due to the two time periods being pulled together by his unstable molecules. He was injected with upgraded Neutralizer in an attempt to stabilize them and prevent further temporal distortions; in the end, specialized nanites purged the exotic particles from Grant's body, but it is uncertain whether the Neutralizer had any real effect or helped in the process.

Besides stabilizing and rendering artifacts and molecules inert/stable, Neutralizer seems to have a euphoric effect when exposed to living organisms; in Magnetism, when Artie was forced to douse Pete and Myka in Neutralizer to prevent their intensifying negative energies from agitating nearby artifacts, the two agents instantly ceased their fighting and burst into laughter and playful behavior (why this seems to only occur when exposed to the skin and not injected is unclear). From this, it could be assumed that Neutralizer may act as a positive/positively charged force against the negative/negatively charged force of artifacts, if not such force in general, in a literal and/or emotional sense.

Usage[]

Warehouse agents have used neutralizer both in the Warehouse and out in the field. It is a vital tool for artifact hunting as it neutralizes the effects of an artifact.

In "Second Chance", as a shard of Spartan Armor was lodged inside of Cody Bell's chest and could not be safely removed, Neutralizer was injected directly into his bloodstream to reverse the shard's effects. In "Crossing Over", Trevor Grant was given doses of Neutralizer to stabilize his molecules and keep him from ripping a wormhole between 2010 and 1947.

When Neutralizer is used and renders an artifact inert, it gains a particularly foul smell, described as "when something bad goes bad."

Forms[]

Forms / Equipment Explanation Seen In
Gloves The purple gloves that all warehouse personnel use, which have some form of neutralizer in them. These gloves are used whenever handling an artifact to keep it from interacting with its handler.

For Seasons 1-4, these gloves were plain purple rubber/nitrile. For season 5, the gloves became fabric and featured Warehouse 13's logo.

  • Most episodes
Bags The bags that field agents use also have a form of neutralizer in them. These bags are meant to store any artifact that can be fit in them, which promptly neutralizes them.

As stated in Of Monsters and Men they are "neutralizer grid polyethylene static bags."

  • Most episodes
Goo Containers of neutralizer in this form are kept throughout the warehouse in case of any artifacts that “act” up. They can be transported in portable bucket canisters for field agents to use, either to immerse the target artifact in, much like their bag counterpart, or to throw upon the artifact if it is too large to be encased in the aforementioned container.

Neutralizer can also be pumped into neutralizer stations located throughout the Warehouse in the case of an artifact's activation, where it is to be sprayed from a hose-like nozzle.

  • Most episodes
Aerosol and Mister Creates a fine layer of neutralizer over an artifact to cancel out direct effect emanations. These are easily portable and useful for neutralizing artifacts too big for a bag or bucket without the need of dumping a large amount of neutralizer over an artifact and creating a mess.
Sprayer Similar to pesticide or herbicide backpacks, neutralizer can be stored in portable containers and sprayed from an attached nozzle.
Ear Plugs Purple ear plugs worn to protect against artifact-produced or artifact-enhanced sound, such as a siren artifact or the sonic booms created by Chuck Yeager's Favorite LP.
Glasses Purple-tinted glasses that block the effects of visually-activated artifacts such as Rembrandt's Frame.
Goggles Similar to neutralizer glasses, these goggles can be used to protect against artifact-related visuals. Agents are required to wear them at all times while inside the Ovoid Quarantine.
Boxes Purple cardboard boxes used to contain artifacts for storage without the risk of interaction or being seen, or to contain artifacts too large for bags during transport.
Tongs Rubber or wooden tongs to hold artifacts when gloves are unavailable or when extra protection is needed. Available in small or large versions.
  • TBA
Cloth Purple cloth used to wrap artifacts for handling without activating them as an alternative to static bags.

Comes in different varieties and hues, likely due to different fabrics being required for different uses (e.g. softer fabrics to prevent scratching, thicker fabrics for polishing/wiping/drying, etc.).

Folders A translucent purple plastic document folder used for holding document artifacts.
Goo-Nade Created by Claudia Donovan, Goo-Nades are useful for neutralizing multiple artifacts at once.
Goo-Zooka Created by Claudia Donovan by modifying a bazooka found in the Schoningen Armory. It can fire a highly pressurized capsule of neutralizer with great force to neutralize artifacts over a great distance.
Ray Gun Possibly created by Claudia Donovan and/or H. G. Wells. It fires a concentrated beam of neutralizer, though whether it is light/energy, liquid neutralizer, or a combination of the two us unknown. Likely for long-distance and precision neutralization.
Scrubber "This scrubber nullifies psychically triggered artifacts by really getting down to all those pesky, hard-to-reach pores".
Sprinklers A less viscous form of neutralizer that can be sprayed on specific places in the Warehouse to put out artifact "flare ups" or to cancel negative energy. These are controlled via the Office's main computer and can be deployed anywhere needed.
Containment Fields Fields of purple light that surround each artifact within the Dark Vault that contain their effects within a certain radius, preventing them from influencing or activating outside of the light. However, the artifacts are still active within the containment field itself and are not entirely neutralized.

The Ovoid Quarantine is filled with and surrounded by purple lights, implying the entire area is one large containment field for new or particularly active artifacts.

The containment fields within the Dark Vault were likely replaced or now work along with the new neutralizer lights installed by Artie once he upgraded it to resemble Paracelsus' design.

Stability Field Neutralizer is pumped throughout the warehouse, stabilizing the artifacts within it and preventing them from activating entirely on their own. This field cannot control all of the artifacts, nor can it prevent an artifact from activating entirely, so containers and distributors of neutralizer are still needed.

Limitations[]

There are certain occasions, in which an artifact cannot be neutralized.

Nevermore04

One reason is that the artifact is a bifurcated artifact (two or more parts). For example, Edgar Allan Poe’s Quill Pen and Notebook. In this case the neutralizer will be ineffective and the two parts of the artifact need to be brought together.

Nevermore07

There are also circumstances in which the neutralizer is ineffective at neutralizing the artifact, so the artifact needs to be destroyed, so the neutralizer can work on the pieces. (James Braid’s Chair). It is not known if an artifact has ever completely been destroyed because the neutralizer cannot control it.

Toxicity[]

Temporary external exposure to both active or spent Neutralizer by humans appears to be otherwise harmless, even when large quantities are applied.[2] If ingested, however, Neutralizer will cause hallucinations.[1]

Contrary to this, it has been shown twice that if injected into the bloodstream of a person, there are no side-effects (at least none shown on-screen). However, as both instances involved the upgraded formula provided by Global Dynamics, it's likely that this toxicity was removed.

Trivia[]

  • In Chapter 5 of Grand Designs, when the Gooery was beginning to flood, Claudia described the Gooery/Neutralizer (or possibly the overabundance of Neutralizer alone) smelt like "crayons gone bad."
  • The purple hue of Neutralizer may be rooted in the color's cultural significance:
    • Amethyst, a purple variety of quartz, originates from the Greek word "amethystos", meaning "not drunken." Amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness, which is why wine goblets were often carved from it.
      • In two myths, the Green god of wine and intoxication (Dionysus) wept over the body of a woman named Amethystos, who had been transformed into white stone or crystallized quartz, his tears staining the stone purple.
    • In ancient times, particularly around the Mediterranean, it became the color of kings, nobles, priests, and magistrates, likely because at the time it was very expensive to make and only the extremely wealthy could afford its use.
    • Alexander the Great (when giving imperial audiences as the basileus of the Macedonian Empire), the basileus of the Seleucid Empire, and the kings of Ptolemaic Egypt all wore Tyrian purple.
    • In the West, purple or violet is the color most associated with piety and religious faith.
    • Purple is the color most often associated with the artificial and the unconventional. It is the major color that occurs the least frequently in nature, and was the first color to be synthesized.
    • Purple is the color most associated with ambiguity. Like other colors made by combining two primary colors, it is seen as uncertain and equivocal.
    • In Chinese painting, the color purple represents the harmony of the universe because it is a combination of red and blue (yang and yin respectively).
    • The color purple plays a significant role in the traditions of engineering schools across Canada. This fascination with purple is commonly attributed to the story of the sinking of the Titanic, in which the purple-clad Marine Engineers remained on board to delay the ship's sinking.
    • Purple haze refers to a state of mind induced by psychedelic drugs, particularly LSD. It is said to have originated because the first LSD manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Sandoz was contained in purple capsules.
    • Purple squirrel is a term used by employment recruiters to describe a job candidate with precisely the right education, experience, and qualifications that perfectly fits a job’s multifaceted requirements. The assumption is that the perfect candidate is as rare as a real-life purple squirrel.
    • In parapsychology, people with purple auras are said to have a love of ritual and ceremony.

Gallery[]

References[]

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