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In the fictional universe of Milestone Comics, 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 morality of many of these clandestine missions led to their being described as "the JLA as run by the CIA".
The Cabinet's eponymous comic book began in 1995 and lasted nineteen issues (#0-#18); they have appeared in other Milestone comics both before and after that time.
Members
As 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.
- Harry Chawney, aka Dharma, is the Shadow Cabinet's current leader. Recruited by Red Dog (the founder of the Cabinet's 19th-century incarnation), Chawney is able to perceive the total 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.
The base of operations for the Shadow Cabinet is the Shadowspire, a subterranean complex within the Himalayas and typically accesible only via the Shadowslide, their teleporter.
Other members of the Shadow Cabinet:
- Kahina Eskandari, aka Iron Butterfly, is a Palestinian ferrokinetic (telekinetic control of any and all metallic substances)
- Mechanic is a Vietnam veteran, and a powerful telekinetic. He does not go on field missions, and instead stays in Shadowspire, the Cabinet's Himalayan base, operating the Shadowslide.
- Isadora Wellington-Smythe, aka Iota, is an international jewel thief with the ability to shrink herself and other objects.
- Gerri Brauer, aka Donner, is superhumanly strong and resistant to injury. The granddaughter of a Nazi geneticist, she is married to Blitzen.
- Valerie Kameya, aka Blitzen, is superhumanly fast as the result of a substance she developed herself. A biochemist, she is married to Donner.
- Ramon Rand, aka Sideshow, is a photojournalist who is able to transform any part of his body into the equivalent body part of another species; this enables him to recover instantly from intoxication. It has been speculated that he is unable to be completely of any one species at a time.
- Kevin Franklin, aka Payback, is a bureaucrat who is able to transform into a large greenish-brown monster.
- Stella Maxwell, aka Starlight, is an astronomer with various electromagnetic abilities.
- Bina and Aputra Chawney, aka Plus, are the teenage sisters of Harry Chawney. Aputra is an energy being and lacks physical form; Bina uses this energy to fly and manipulate objects.
- Oro
- Slag
- Windshear
- Bad Betty
- Twilight
- Ramjet
- Red-Dog
- Ether
- Munition
- Bent Nature
- The Magnate
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