Project Achilles was a military operation funded by Lex Luthor to track down Superman's activities.
History
Lex Luthor claimed that Project Achilles was founded from the moment Superman first appeared in Metropolis[1]and had been monitoring him ever since.
Project Achilles was headed by General Hardcastle, who harbored a distaste for the Superman, and turned to Luthor for financing.
When Luthor found out that Superman was missing, he convinced General Hardcastle that he was up to something, and advised him to be alert. When Superman laid siege upon Metropolis, Luthor equipped General Hardcastle with a Kryptonite warhead missile to deter Superman permanently.[1] The Kryptonian survived, however, and was taken with Supergirl, who was also injured, into a military prison. There, Luthor convinced Hardcastle that the two aliens were too dangerous to be kept alive, so they decided to kill them with a Kryptonite injection. Though, thanks to Lois Lane's timely interference, Superman and Supergirl broke out of prison.[2]
After this, Project Achilles was shut down and General Hardcastle forcibly retired.[3]
Background information
Project Achilles takes its name after Achilles, a Greek mythological hero who was invulnerable in all of his body except for his heel. During the Trojan War, Achilles was killed by having a poisoned arrow shot into his heel. The term "Achilles' heel" has, since then, come to signify a person's principal weakness. Project Achilles could also arguably have the purpose of uncovering Superman's weaknesses.
See also
Reference
Superman: The Animated Series
Justice League Unlimited
- "The Doomsday Sanction" (Mentioned Only)