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Shadow Cabinet (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Shadow Cabinet is a team of fictional superheroes created by Milestone Comics
and published by DC Comics
. They first appeared in Shadow Cabinet #0 (January 1994), and were created by Dwayne McDuffie
, Robert L. Washington III and John Paul Leon
. Almost all of the original run, issues #4-11 and #13-17, were written by Matt Wayne
.
of many of these clandestine missions led to their being described as "the JLA
as run by the CIA".
Various Cabinet members may be sent on "deep-cover" missions lasting months, or even years (during which time some choose to defect), their total membership at any time is known only to their leader.
The base of operations for the Shadow Cabinet is the Shadowspire, a subterranean complex within the Himalayas and typically accessible only via the Shadowslide, their teleporter (so named because, if the subject's origin is not in complete darkness at the time of teleport, the machine overloads and cannot be used for up to an hour).
An all new Shadow Cabinet has recently emerged in the Post Infinite Crisis
DC Universe in pages of Justice League of America. After attempting, for some unknown reason, to abduct Doctor Light
they find themselves in conflict with the Justice League.
Red Dog recruits Dharma as his replacement, but his activities do not end there. Dharma is slain by one of his own people and Red Dog steps in to bring him back to life. Red Dog disagrees with Dharma's efforts to take over the world and re-forms his own Cabinet to stop him.
has led to his fear that he may be causing the very disasters he is trying to prevent - in the words of one agent, "What about the man who died? His future could have been important too. Did you check?", to which he was forced to respond "I can't think about that right now".
The Cabinet makes an appearance in 'Blood Syndicate' #20 when Dharma fires Oro, who has been a Syndicate associate, police officer, and a Shadow Cabinet operative. He is allowed to keep his costume and receives one month severance pay deposited directly into his bank account. Dharma even gives Oro advice to "Take the left" as Oro teleports out.
The teleportation technology is maintained by powerful telekinetic and engineer Thomas Hague, better known as "Mechanic." Another notable employee is Payback, a spy for the independent superhero Icon
. Icon also has evidence that Dharma had been involved in the 'Big Bang', a riot which, due to altered tear gas, ended with dozens of fatalities and superpowers granted to the survivors.
He would not treat further departures from the Cabinet as gracefully as Oro's. When Cabinet operatives Iota, Donner, and Blitzen leave to form the unofficial team Heroes
, Dharma sends a Cabinet attack squad. This group is led by Iron Butterfly.
(as chronicled in Final Crisis
), the space-time continuum was torn asunder, threatening the existence of both the Dakotaverse and the mainstream DC universe. The being known as Dharma was able to use energies that he harnessed from Rift (upon that being's defeat in Worlds Collide
) to merge the two universes, creating an entirely new continuity. Only Dharma, Icon and Superman
are aware that Dakota and its inhabitants have actually existed in a parallel universe. In the revised continuity, the Milestone characters have apparently always existed in the DC Universe
.
and Static
, fail to meet his expectations, he turns to the only course he believe is left open to him; awakening and harnessing the powers of the god-like being Rift. However, the very act of absorbing the being's powers causes widespread destruction to the universe, destroying the Milestone Earth. Thus the cause of the apocalypse he foresaw was his own attempts to stop it. However, all is not lost, as his new powers allow him the opportunity to bring about his universe's rebirth. The effects of Darkseid's death during the Final Crisis of a neighboring universe gives him the chance to merge the remnants of the Milestone Universe into the DC Universe, retroactively combing their histories, and giving the Milestone characters the chance to live anew.
Star Chamber is a rogue faction which disagrees with Dharma, all its operatives have defected from the main group. Star Chamber also included several new recruits, Holocaust
, Harm, Rocket
and Xombi
, although all of them left the group during the Shadow War.
and Rocket
were working with them when they confronted the Justice League
.
Milestone Media
Milestone Media is a company best known for creating Milestone Comics and securing an unheard of publishing and distribution deal with DC Comics and the Static Shock cartoon series. It was founded in 1993 by a coalition of African-American artists and writers Milestone Media is a company best known...
and published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. They first appeared in Shadow Cabinet #0 (January 1994), and were created by Dwayne McDuffie
Dwayne McDuffie
Dwayne Glenn McDuffie was an American writer of comic books and television, known for creating the animated television series Static Shock, writing and producing the animated series Justice League Unlimited, and co-founding the pioneering minority-owned-and-operated comic-book company Milestone...
, Robert L. Washington III and John Paul Leon
John Paul Leon
John Paul Leon is an American comic book artist, known for his work on the Milestone Comics series Static, and the Marvel Comics limited series Earth X.-Career:...
. Almost all of the original run, issues #4-11 and #13-17, were written by Matt Wayne
Matt Wayne
Matt S. Wayne is an American writer of comic books and television. Wayne is probably best known for his work on the animated series Justice League Unlimited and The Super Hero Squad Show, and writing and editing comic books for Milestone Media....
.
Publication history
In the Milestone Comics universe the Shadow Cabinet is a secret organization of superhuman beings acting to protect the world by neutralizing potential threats while they are still relatively harmless - "to save humanity from itself, no matter what that requires". The covert nature and dubious moralityMorality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
of many of these clandestine missions led to their being described as "the JLA
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
as run by the CIA".
Various Cabinet members may be sent on "deep-cover" missions lasting months, or even years (during which time some choose to defect), their total membership at any time is known only to their leader.
The base of operations for the Shadow Cabinet is the Shadowspire, a subterranean complex within the Himalayas and typically accessible only via the Shadowslide, their teleporter (so named because, if the subject's origin is not in complete darkness at the time of teleport, the machine overloads and cannot be used for up to an hour).
An all new Shadow Cabinet has recently emerged in the Post Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
DC Universe in pages of Justice League of America. After attempting, for some unknown reason, to abduct Doctor Light
Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi)
Doctor Light is a fictional comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe.Kimiyo Hoshi is a distinct character from the DC villain of the same name...
they find themselves in conflict with the Justice League.
Red Dog
Red Dog, a powerful Irish sorcerer, is the leader of the Shadow Cabinet from the late nineteenth century until the mid twentieth. Several of his people include 'Bent Nature', 'Ether', 'The Magnate' and 'Munition'.Red Dog recruits Dharma as his replacement, but his activities do not end there. Dharma is slain by one of his own people and Red Dog steps in to bring him back to life. Red Dog disagrees with Dharma's efforts to take over the world and re-forms his own Cabinet to stop him.
Dharma
Dharma, otherwise known as Harry Chawney, has the power to perceive the past and future of any object he touches. He has perceived countless apocalypses, and is ruthless in acting to prevent them, whatever the cost. In theory, he knows the ultimate consequences of whatever action he sends his operatives to perform; however, the impossibility of considering every factorChaos theory
Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including physics, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the...
has led to his fear that he may be causing the very disasters he is trying to prevent - in the words of one agent, "What about the man who died? His future could have been important too. Did you check?", to which he was forced to respond "I can't think about that right now".
The Cabinet makes an appearance in 'Blood Syndicate' #20 when Dharma fires Oro, who has been a Syndicate associate, police officer, and a Shadow Cabinet operative. He is allowed to keep his costume and receives one month severance pay deposited directly into his bank account. Dharma even gives Oro advice to "Take the left" as Oro teleports out.
The teleportation technology is maintained by powerful telekinetic and engineer Thomas Hague, better known as "Mechanic." Another notable employee is Payback, a spy for the independent superhero Icon
Icon (comics)
Icon is a fictional superhero, a comic book character published by DC Comics. An original character from DC's Milestone Comics imprint, he first appeared in Icon #1 , and was created by Dwayne McDuffie and Denys Cowan...
. Icon also has evidence that Dharma had been involved in the 'Big Bang', a riot which, due to altered tear gas, ended with dozens of fatalities and superpowers granted to the survivors.
He would not treat further departures from the Cabinet as gracefully as Oro's. When Cabinet operatives Iota, Donner, and Blitzen leave to form the unofficial team Heroes
Heroes (comics)
The Heroes are a team of fictional superheroes created by Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics. The team debuted in Heroes #1 , and was created by Matt Wayne and ChrisCross.-Publication history:...
, Dharma sends a Cabinet attack squad. This group is led by Iron Butterfly.
DC Universe
An all new Shadow Cabinet has appeared in the pages of Justice League of America. Following the death of DarkseidDarkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
(as chronicled in Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
), the space-time continuum was torn asunder, threatening the existence of both the Dakotaverse and the mainstream DC universe. The being known as Dharma was able to use energies that he harnessed from Rift (upon that being's defeat in Worlds Collide
Worlds Collide (comics)
"Worlds Collide" is an intercompany crossover event presented in July 1994 in the Milestone Comics titles and the Superman-related titles published by DC Comics. A one-shot comic title of the same name was written by Dwayne McDuffie, Ivan Velez Jr...
) to merge the two universes, creating an entirely new continuity. Only Dharma, Icon and Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
are aware that Dakota and its inhabitants have actually existed in a parallel universe. In the revised continuity, the Milestone characters have apparently always existed in the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
.
Milestone Forever
In the 2010 limited series Milestone Forever, which details the end of the original Milestone universe before its merger into the DCU, the truth behind Dharma's actions is shown. It is revealed that he was responsible for the Big Bang, hoping to create powerful beings capable of preventing a fast approaching apocalypse whose cause he could not determine. When his last two prospects, HardwareHardware (comics)
Hardware is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. An original character from DC's Milestone Comics imprint, he first appeared in Hardware #1 , and was created by Dwayne McDuffie and Denys Cowan...
and Static
Static (comics)
Static is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics and a member of the Teen Titans. An original character from DC's Milestone Comics imprint, Static first appears in Static #1 and was created by Dwayne McDuffie and John Paul Leon.-Publication history:McDuffie has stated...
, fail to meet his expectations, he turns to the only course he believe is left open to him; awakening and harnessing the powers of the god-like being Rift. However, the very act of absorbing the being's powers causes widespread destruction to the universe, destroying the Milestone Earth. Thus the cause of the apocalypse he foresaw was his own attempts to stop it. However, all is not lost, as his new powers allow him the opportunity to bring about his universe's rebirth. The effects of Darkseid's death during the Final Crisis of a neighboring universe gives him the chance to merge the remnants of the Milestone Universe into the DC Universe, retroactively combing their histories, and giving the Milestone characters the chance to live anew.
Modern team
- Bad Betty - a cyborgCyborgA cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
who was sent on a deep-cover mission to infiltrate organized crime. - Blitzen (Valerie Kameya) - is superhumanly fast as the result of a substance she developed herself. A Japanese biochemistBiochemistBiochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
who is in a lesbianLesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
marriage with Donner, later joins HeroesHeroes (comics)The Heroes are a team of fictional superheroes created by Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics. The team debuted in Heroes #1 , and was created by Matt Wayne and ChrisCross.-Publication history:...
.
- Donner (Gerri Brauer) - is superhumanly strong and resistant to injury. The German granddaughter of a NaziNazismNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
geneticist, in a lesbianLesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
marriage with Blitzen, later joins HeroesHeroes (comics)The Heroes are a team of fictional superheroes created by Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics. The team debuted in Heroes #1 , and was created by Matt Wayne and ChrisCross.-Publication history:...
. - Epiphany - appeared only once, upon being recalled from a deep-cover mission.
- Iota (Isadora Wellington-Smythe) - is an international jewel thief with the ability to shrink herself and other objects.
- Iron Butterfly (Kahina Eskandari) - is a PalestinianPalestinian peopleThe Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
with ferrokinetic control of any and all metalMetalA metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
lic substances. - Payback (Kevin Franklin) - a Bang BabyBig Bang (comics)This page is about the Milestone Comics event. For the Caliber Comics imprint see Big Bang ComicsThe Big Bang is a Milestone Comics event published by DC Comics. The event was first chronicled in Blood Syndicate #1 by Dwayne McDuffie, Ivan Velez Jr. and Denys Cowan, and Static #1 by Dwayne...
able to transform into large yellow-green skinned monster with superhuman strength and durability. - Plus (Bina & Apurna Chawney) - are the teenage sisters of Harry Chawney (Dharma). Apurna is an energy being and lacks physical form; Bina uses this energy to fly and manipulate objects.
- Ramjet - is a retired mercenary possessing superhuman strength and the power of flight. He first appeared upon being recalled from a deep-cover mission. Ramjet was later part of the Shadow Cabinet operatives ordered to destroy the Heroes.
- Sideshow (Ramon Rand) - is a photojournalist who is able to transform any part of his body into the equivalent body part of any other animal species; this enables him to recover instantly from intoxication.
- Starlight (Stella Maxwell) - is a college math major turned human pulsar with various electromagnetic abilities, later joins Heroes.
- Twilight - both a living portal into another dimension, and the man forever trapped within that dimension, Twilight resembles a silhouetteSilhouetteA silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
of a chubby man wearing a top hat. His whole body is covered in a texture that resembles the cloudy sky. He therefore strongly resembles a walking Magritte paintingRené MagritteRené François Ghislain Magritte[p] was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images...
. His personal dimension is also home to a collection of peculiar supernatural creatures which he has painstakingly acquired over the years; he can, at will, release them in the hopes that they will carry out his wishes (however, he has no direct control over them). At one point, other operatives entered Twilight in the hopes that Dharma would not be able to perceive them; however, whether this worked is not known. - Windshear - is capable of mentally creating whirlwinds of varying size and strength. She first appeared upon being recalled from a deep-cover mission. Windshear was later part of the Shadow Cabinet operatives ordered to destroy the Heroes.
Star Chamber
Holocaust (DC Comics)
Holocaust is a fictional character in the Milestone Comics universe. Created as part of the Blood Syndicate for Milestone Media, the character has since gone on to become a gangster and supervillain.-Publication history:...
, Harm, Rocket
Rocket (comics)
Rocket is a fictional character a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. An original character from DC's Milestone Comics imprint, she first appeared in Icon #1 , and was created by Dwayne McDuffie and Mark Bright.-Publication history:...
and Xombi
Xombi
Xombi is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Xombi #0, , and was created by John Rozum and Denys Cowan.-Fictional character biography:...
, although all of them left the group during the Shadow War.
- Ash - able to artificially induce rapid aging in inorganic objects, turning them to dust. Ash can induce this effect by touch or at a distance if the target is within line of sight. She also can telekinetically control any dust in her vicinity. Thus, Ash can create blinding dust storms or project dust as focused, high speed streams that rapidly erode their targets.
- Funyl - able to teleport himself or others via funnel-shaped teleportation portals.
- Headmaster - psychic abilities including mind controlMind controlMind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
, characterized by a number of devices of various shapes which orbit his head. - Rainsaw - a living cloud of several million microscopic razor-sharp fragments of metal capable of flying through the air at hurricane speeds. Rainsaw is capable of tearing through armor plating in less than a second. He can also turn his cloud-like form into any continuous shape imaginable. Rainsaw can revert to a roughly humanoid form, in which he is capable of limited shapeshifting such as turning his hands into buzzsaws.
- Slag - superhumanly strong with fire manipulation abilities.
- Transit - able to teleport people and objects she touches over great distances. Transit is unusual for a teleporterTeleportationTeleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
since she cannot teleport herself and must rely on other means for travel. - Wytch -
DC Universe
A whole new Shadow Cabinet has appeared in the DC Universe proper. Although not officially part of the Shadow Cabinet, HardwareHardware (comics)
Hardware is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. An original character from DC's Milestone Comics imprint, he first appeared in Hardware #1 , and was created by Dwayne McDuffie and Denys Cowan...
and Rocket
Rocket (comics)
Rocket is a fictional character a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. An original character from DC's Milestone Comics imprint, she first appeared in Icon #1 , and was created by Dwayne McDuffie and Mark Bright.-Publication history:...
were working with them when they confronted the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
.
- Blitzen
- Donner
- Iota
- Payback
- Starlight
- Iron Butterfly
- Twilight
- Gloria Mundi
- Dharma
- Sideshow
- Mechanic
- IconIcon (comics)Icon is a fictional superhero, a comic book character published by DC Comics. An original character from DC's Milestone Comics imprint, he first appeared in Icon #1 , and was created by Dwayne McDuffie and Denys Cowan...
External links
- Shadow Cabinet Bios - Shadow Cabinet Bios page, part of Milestone the Milestone section of International Hero .co.uk
- The Milestone Rave - includes a Shadow Cabinet comic book index and issue details.
- Shadow Cabinet at the DC Database Project