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Emil Hamilton was the director of S.T.A.R. Labs. Initially one of Superman's most valuable allies, he later turned against the Man of Steel and joined Project Cadmus in an attempt to keep the power of the Justice League in check.
History[]
One of the most brilliant scientists on the planet, Hamilton was renowned for his inventions. When Superman appeared as the hero of Metropolis, he and S.T.A.R. Labs formed a research partnership, since Hamilton shared Superman's dedication to justice and was quick to see how his talents could benefit Superman's efforts.
Hamilton made several key contributions to Superman's cause, including:
- Diagnosing the effects of, and defenses to, Kryptonite;[4]
- Inventing the Anti-Kryptonite suit which Superman used to protect himself;[5]
- Retrofitting Superman's Kryptonian ship to be spaceworthy again;[6]
- Reproducing a Phantom Zone projector to capture the rogue Kryptonians Jax-Ur and Mala;[7]
- Guiding Superman in sabotaging Darkseid's plan to transform Earth into a fiery planet like Apokolips.[8]
As one of Superman's closest allies, Hamilton was perhaps the most affected when Superman turned rogue after being brainwashed by Darkseid. Even more unsettling to him was when Superman escaped custody and brought a severely injured Supergirl to Hamilton for medical treatment. When Hamilton confessed that he was reluctant to do so for fear of being charged with treason, Superman, in a flash of angered desperation, threatened him into cooperating. Although Superman immediately apologized for his rash act, Hamilton was shaken by the revelation, even when free of the brainwashing, Superman was still capable of such wrath. Already thinking ahead, Hamilton took the opportunity to steal a sample of Supergirl's genetic material.[9]
Cadmus[]
Sometime after Superman was cleared of all charges, Hamilton willingly approached Project Cadmus and offered his services in creating weapons to counter the power of Superman and the other metahumans of the Justice League.[3] Hamilton's primary role was that of staff geneticist, assigned to create super soldiers who could match the League's powers.
By far the most formidable weapon he created was Galatea, a clone of Supergirl who was artificially matured to be physically older, and thus stronger, than Supergirl (though not, it is likely, than Superman).[10] Hamilton was also responsible for creating Doomsday,[11] a flawed clone of Superman, and the Ultimen.[12]
Hamilton initially deceived both Superman and Supergirl about his role in Cadmus, and also played a part in their plans to frame the League and incite them to violence. This included staging a theft from S.T.A.R. Labs of weapons-grade Kryptonite which later showed up as part of a device installed beneath Lexor City, Lex Luthor's charity housing development for low-income families. This led to an embarrassing incident in which Superman (during a fight with Captain Marvel) tore Lexor City apart, convinced that the device was a bomb Lex planned to use against him, when in fact it was a harmless energy source.[13]
When Superman confronted Hamilton inside a Cadmus facility, Hamilton refused to deny or defend his actions, insisting that the world needed protection from the likes of Superman. However, there were sometimes indicators that Hamilton felt remorse for what he had done, especially when he saw the ruthless and deceptive methods of his superiors. During the above confrontation, as soon as Superman left, Hamilton sagged, as though exhausted.[3] Likewise, just before Galatea left Cadmus to lead an attack on the Watchtower, she hugged Hamilton and said, "Goodbye, Daddy". As she left, his face clouded, as he realized how low he had sunk: creating a sentient being for the sole purpose of being a weapon.
During the attack, when Amanda Waller realized that Luthor had double-crossed Cadmus and stolen much of its cutting-edge technology, Hamilton made a quick examination of the technology and realized that it enabled Luthor both to frame the Justice League for attacking Earth, and to build himself an android body that would give him superpowers.[14] Afterward, Luthor's plan was thwarted and Cadmus was disbanded.[15] Hamilton's activities after that are unknown.
Background information[]
On Superman: The Animated Series, the creative team disliked Emil Hamilton, with Bruce Timm considering having Darkseid kill off Hamilton in "Apokolips... Now!," "but none of us really liked him anyway, so we figured if we killed him it would be 'Oh, thank you, Darkseid."[16]
Appearances[]
Superman: The Animated Series
- "A Little Piece of Home"
- "Feeding Time"
- "Stolen Memories"
- "The Main Man, Part I"
- "Two's a Crowd"
- "Blasts From the Past"
- "The Prometheon"
- "Action Figures" (Cameo)
- "Solar Power"
- "Monkey Fun"
- "Brave New Metropolis"
- "Bizarro's World" (Cameo)
- "Apokolips... Now!"
- "Legacy"
Justice League Unlimited
- "Fearful Symmetry"
- "Ultimatum"
- "The Doomsday Sanction"
- "Clash"
- "Question Authority"
- "Flashpoint"
- "Panic in the Sky"
References[]
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External links[]
- Emil Hamilton at Wikipedia
- Emil Hamilton at the DC Database
Project Cadmus | |
---|---|
Members | |
Leader | Amanda Waller |
Sponsor | Lex Luthor |
PR / Manager | Maxwell Lord |
Division Heads | |
Genetics | Emil Hamilton |
Psychology | Hugo Strange • Moon |
Splicing | Milo |
Mysticism | Tala |
Military Tactics | Wade Eiling |
Agents | |
Captain Atom • Doomsday • Galatea | |
Ultimen | Downpour • Juice • Shifter • Long Shadow • Wind Dragon |
Task Force X | Captain Boomerang • Clock King • Deadshot • Rick Flagg • Plastique |