It is safe to say that in the world of comic books, the two biggest giants of the industry have to be Marvel and DC Comics. The powerhouse titans of the industry have led the world of comic books for years, and while many other popular and notable companies have risen since then, Marvel and DC still remain the top tier.
Something that happens often in the industry is one of these two companies will find themselves absorbing or taking on other company’s creations, much like DC taking on Milestone Comics and their creation, Shadow Cabinet. Here are the ten most powerful members of Milestone and DC Comics’ Shadow Cabinet.
10 Hardware
One of the first heroes of Shadow Cabinet worth mentioning is Hardware, otherwise known as Curtis “Curt” Metcalf. Curt was born a child prodigy and into a working-class family. He was discovered at age 12 by a businessman named Edwin Alvin Sr., who sponsored Curt through school and saw the boy grow into a genius.
After Curt discovered Edwin wouldn’t be giving Curt royalties for his creations and that Edwin was involved in illegal activities, Curt used the resources and equipment provided by Edwin’s company to become Hardware, fighting a one-man war against his employer in the process.
9 Iota
This next member of the group was unique in that she began her life with powers by using them to become a criminal, but would later become a powerful member of Shadow Cabinet. That hero is Isadora Wellington-Smythe, aka Iota. Iota was an Australian scientist who gained the ability to shrink herself and other objects in a lab accident.
However the lab accident also seemingly took the life of her husband as well. While a rich woman, Iota suffered from kleptomania and took to stealing, until she was brought in as a member of the Shadow Cabinet and later the group Heroes.
8 Kobalt
A powerful member of the Shadow Cabinet that has disappeared since the Dakotaverse became part of the larger DC Universe is Kobalt. While technically a hero, he had taken on a feared stance against criminals as a ruthless vigilante with no limits, and some criminals even theorized the “hero” was also a cannibal.
Using this to strike fear into his enemies, Kobalt carried a vendetta against the St. Cloud organization but later discovered his enemy, Cloud, was not aware of the illegal activities of others in his organization. He has also been interrupted in battle by the hero Hardware.
7 Sideshow
The next hero on the list has a tragic story that delves into the villainous acts of a father. Ramon Rand, aka Sideshow, was the son of a man named Arthur Rand, who built his cosmetics company into the largest chemical supplier in the nation.
Having ignored Ramon most of his life, Arthur discovered his son had rebelled against him and became a photojournalist for alternative media companies. However, Ramon found his world turned upside down after discovering one of his father’s plants was performing horrific animal testing. Employees discovered Ramon and threw him into a vat of animal mush, transforming him into a mutant with animal powers.
6 Xombi
One hero who became a part of the DC Universe after the events of Final Crisis, which saw Darkseid’s demise, was the hero Xombi. Otherwise known as David Kim, Xombi was a Korean-American scientist who developed what was known as a nanotechnological virus which could perform extensive tissue regeneration and repair.
Xombi gained power over this virus after he was attacked and injected during a break-in into his lab by the villain Dr. Sugarman, who had tried to steal the untested virus. Battling the shadow worlds, he joined Rocket as part of Star Chamber and became one of the heroes to merge into the larger DC Universe.
5 Plus
One of the more interesting aspects of the comic book world is when a powerful hero will see members of their family step up with powers of their own, or an inkling to join in their heroic careers. Often fans will see heroes become parents, like Superman and Batman, or siblings like the Wonder Twins emerge into the spotlight.
The Dakotaverse is not without its own family shared heroics, even including the all-powerful leader Dharma. Dharma had twin sisters who became the hero Plus, who were able to generate force fields and fly, making them valuable members of Shadow Cabinet.
4 Rocket
Interestingly enough, despite serving as the sidekick to the powerful Icon, this next hero was the protagonist of the series the two starred in. Raquel Ervin, aka Rocket, grew up in Dakota’s poorest and most crime-ridden area of the city known as Paris Island.
Raquel dreamed of being a writer, but couldn’t find the motivation. However, while she and her friends were robbing the home of Augustus Freeman IV, she discovered his alien origins and convinced him to become Icon, and to take her on as his sidekick. She used his escape pod’s inertia winder to manipulate kinetic energy out in the field.
3 Blitzen
While not at the same level as Speed Force wielders like Barry Allen or Wally West, the Dakotaverse brought in their own version of a speedster in the form of powerful team member Blitzen, aka Valerie Kameya. Having developed a secret formula that not only allowed her to physically move at lightning speed but for her mind to move that fast as well, Blitzen joined the Shadow Cabinet soon after.
Blitzen is also notable for being in an openly lesbian marriage with fellow hero Donner, making her a strong LGBT hero. She later helped form Heroes, but would later rejoin Shadow Cabinet after merging with the DC Universe.
2 Dharma
The second most powerful being in the Shadow Cabinet is not only the team’s official leader but the hero responsible for merging the Dakotaverse into the DC Universe. That hero is Dharma, aka Harry Chawney. Originally gifted with the ability of precognition, Dharma identifies as neither good or bad but is willing to do what’s necessary to protect the world.
Dharma later gained reality-altering powers and dimension bending abilities after the event World’s Collide and brought about the Big Bang in Dakota. He helped merge his world with the DC Universe after Final Crisis and the defeat of The Rift, with only himself, Icon, and Superman remembering the previous universes.
1 Icon
The most powerful hero by far of the Shadow Cabinet and the Dakotaverse is Icon. Born Arnus from the planet Terminia, he was forced to crash land and blend in with humans in the South in the mid-19th century. Raised as the son of a slave, he joined the underground movement and fought in the civil war under the name Augustus Freeman.
Fighting for justice using his alien powers from the shadows, in the modern era, Arnus eventually took on the name Icon and became a hero, with Rocket as his sidekick. He’s also a good friend of Superman and immune to prosecution from the Green Lantern Corp thanks to his alien status.