Project Cadmus

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Cadmus is a secret division of the United States government dedicated to researching and counter-balancing metahumans in the world. It follows in direct suit with several of the conspiracy theories posed by The Question, and its tracks are covered with significant black ops.

The Conspiracy

Origins

No one knows for sure when the Cadmus Conspiracy began, but it is speculated to have taken place well before it was explicitly exposed in “Doomsday Sanction.” Not only have others hinted at its existence before the Justice League became fully aware of it (Batman in "Ultimatum;" The Question in "Fearful Symmetry"), but evidence has been found to trace Cadmus’ origins back to the beginning of the DCAU itself.

It is believed by some that Cadmus (although “Cadmus” was not its given name at the time) was initially a part of the Central Intelligence Agency, as a means of researching the metahuman development from a distance. The Question hints that the Illuminati had ties to Cadmus’ foundation, linking it to his universal conspiracy theory. Whether or not such a theory is true, the government has taken actions to securing means of counter-acting supernatural occurrences long before the appearances of Batman or Superman.

The Growth of the Cadmus Conspiracy

In Batman: the Animated Series episode “On Leather Wings,” Dr. Kirk Langstrom genetically alters his DNA to make him into the Man-Bat. The process was later termed in Batman Beyond as “splicing,” and it is revealed in Justice League Unlimited that the CIA confiscated Langstrom’s notes, which fell into the possession of Cadmus and Dr. Milo.

Cadmus would not receive official sanction from the United States President until the events known as "A Better World" occurred and were prevented by the Justice League. Operating covertly, Cadmus worked to further implement their plans of combating metahumans and making preparations for a possible metahuman attack. Such events that give evidence to Cadmus’ work include episodes in Batman: the Animated Series: “Cat Scratch Fever,” “Moon of the Wolf,” and “Tyger Tyger.”

Both Superman: the Animated Series and Static Shock present some very subtle hints of the government’s involvement in acquiring metahuman assets. In Static Shock episode, “Shock to the System,” it is surmised that there was an accident on the docks of the City of Dakota that resulted in an exponential leap in the metahuman population when 17% of the city’s kids and adults were transformed into “bang babies.” The superhero, Static, has speculated that the “Big Bang” was sanctioned, and possibly orchestrated, by the government and Edwin Alva.

Superman: the Animated Series episodes “Where There’s Smoke” and “Legacy” shed some light on the government’s concern with superhuman adversaries and allies. In “Where There’s Smoke,” Volcana is a part of a government organization that took control of her when she was young. In “Legacy,” the government takes strong action against Superman but ultimately falls short due to lack of substantial weapons.

Since then, it is speculated that Cadmus has been secretly playing its hand into the affairs of superheroes and supervillains alike. And while it is not a physically active government force, Cadmus has remained determined to furthering its research about the metahuman population. The only person to ever minutely catch on about the Cadmus Conspiracy before it was exposed was The Question.

Cadmus Exposed

After learning that the Justice Lords took over the world in an alternate timeline, the United States government officially allowed Cadmus to implement a plan for counter-acting metahumans. The secretive division received increased funding now that the Justice League members (and super-powered individuals in general) were seen as a threat.

Amanda Waller took the stand to be the front for Cadmus, posing as its official voice when conversing with the Justice League. In Justice League Unlimited episode “Fearful Symmetry,” Supergirl, along with Green Arrow and The Question, seek to uncover a hidden plot within a government facility. A piece of the plot has been presented as Galatea, a clone of Supergirl. When the fight between Supergirl and Galatea moves into an unstable ground, an unknown member of Cadmus (or, possibly, the CIA or the Illuminati) receives a call and ends with the fight by detonating Galatea.

Further developments in enhancing Cadmus’ assets were the confiscation of the “Dark Heart materials,” which the Justice League defeated but were surprised when Cadmus officials took the remaining pieces. The debated takedown of “Doomsday” explicitly showed Cadmus’ true colors and their distaste for metahumans and those of the Justice League. Cadmus believed they were just too powerful to depend on.

Lex Luthor, former arch nemesis of Superman, became an integral part in Cadmus’ developments, possibly providing further funding. However, Luthor was exposed by The Question as only wanting to use Cadmus’ resources to recreate the AMAZO android. When the Justice League confronted and thwarted Luthor’s plan, Amanda Waller of Cadmus saw that the Justice League were not as great a threat as they initially speculated. The man-hunt for the Justice League members was called off.

Cadmus Today

The Central Intelligence Agency has made it very clear that the government wants as much information on metahumans as possible. Therefore, the Cadmus Department has become dedicated to the research of metahumans and intelligence operations regarding metahuman actions. Throughout the remaining episodes of Justice League Unlimited, Amanda Waller and Cadmus were depicted as an ally of the League.

However, General Wade Eiling, a former member of Cadmus, was, when reassigned to a desk job, furious with his superiors’ acceptance of the Justice League and still believed that they were a threat. Breaking into Cadmus Headquarters, Eiling stole and took a “super soldier serum” that transformed him into a dark-skinned brute. He claims that, if Superman and the Justice League ever get out of control, he’ll be waiting to take them on.

Other than the aforementioned, Cadmus remains in the shadows, providing intelligence to government officials when the need arises. Bruce Wayne has hinted that they’ve covertly put a stop to several world-threatening plans without the public becoming aware; sometimes, Cadmus may enlist the help of a metahuman to perform such a task.

Members

• Amanda Waller
• General Eiling
• General Hardcastle
• Dr. Hugo Strange
• Dr. Milo (deceased)
• Dr. Emil Hamilton
• Tala (imprisoned in mirror, later released by Grodd)
• Maxwell Lord
• Lex Luthor
• Dr. Moon
• Special Agent James Carver

Cadmus Agents

• Doomsday (imprisoned the Phantom Zone)
• Galatea (possibly deceased)
• Captain Atom (Turned aganist Cadmus during attack on Watchtower)
• Task Force X
  • Captain Boomerang (resigned)
  • Clock King
  • Deadshot
  • Rick Flagg
  • Plastique (possibly deceased)
• The Ultimen (deceased, cloned into army)
  • Wind Dragon
  • Shifter
  • Downpour
  • Long Shadow (left to join the Justice League, deceased)
  • Juice

Cadmus Studies

• Doomsday
• Galatea
• Royal Flush Gang
• Ultimen
• Volcana
• Terry McGinnis (see Project Batman Beyond)
• Joker may have used Cadmus technology on Tim Drake in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Background Information

The organization that would later be called Cadmus has it's origins in the early 1970's as the D.N.A. Project (and sometimes simply as "the Project") in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133, one quarter of Jack Kirby's "Fourth World" titles. The group's ethically questionable, though well-intentioned, experiments would frequently cause Olsen and his comrades (many of them products of The Project) no small amount of grief. This was due, in part, to the machinations of the Fear Factory, essentially an evil counterpart to the D.N.A Project, backed by none other than Darkseid, master of Apokolips. It existed, in part, to provide some superhuman muscle for Darkseid's other Earth-based project, Intergang.

The D.N.A. Project made a return to comics in the Superman family of titles (Superman Annual #1, 1988), where it was re-named "Project Cadmus" after the hero of Greek mythology who "grew" warriors from the teeth of a dragon.

By the time Cadmus made its appearance in Justice League Unlimited, all connection to Kirby's "Fourth World" and New Gods had been replaced with that of the Suicide Squad/Task Force X and elements of DC Comics Checkmate, taking on a much more sinister role than its comic book counterpart.

References

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