| Shadow Cabinet | |
| Publisher: | DC Comics |
| Debut: | Shadow Cabinet #0 (January 1994) |
| Creators: | Dwayne McDuffie (writer) Robert L. Washington III (writer) John Paul Leon (artist) |
| Base: | Shadowspire |
| Members: | Blitzen Dharma Donner Gloria Mundi Iota Iron Butterfly Mechanic Oro Payback Plus Sideshow Starlight Twilight |
The Shadow Cabinet is a superhero team 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.[1] Almost all of the original run, issues #4-11 and #13-17, were written by Matt Wayne.
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".
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 emerged in the post-Infinite Crisis DC Universe in pages of Justice League of America. After attempting to abduct Doctor Light they find themselves in conflict with the Justice League. It turns out that Icon and Superman were secretly working together and the two teams end up joining forces to save the universe as Dharma brings together the DC and Milestone universes into one unified continuity.[2]
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, 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 factor 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".[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
An all new Shadow Cabinet has appeared in the pages of Justice League of America.[6] Following the death of Darkseid (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.[7] [8]
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, Hardware and Static, fail to meet his expectations, he turns to the only course he believes 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, although not all is 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 combining 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.
A whole new Shadow Cabinet has appeared in the DC Universe proper. Although not officially part of the Shadow Cabinet, Hardware and Rocket were working with them when they confronted the Justice League.