Warning: Spoilers for Milestone Universe: The Shadow Cabinet #2!The star ofStatic Shockis far from the first hero in Milestone history. The popularity of his DC Animated Universe cartoon from the 2000s has made some fans assume that Virgil Hawkins is the first hero of DC Comics' imprint universe. Alternatively, some fans think Icon -the Milestone equivalent to Superman- is the first superhero to arrive in the Milestone continuity.
Both assumptions are wrong, as neither Static nor Icon are Milestone’s first hero. As revealed inMilestone Universe: The Shadow Cabinet#2 by Joseph P. Illidge, Darryl Banks, Atagun Ilhan, Christopher Sotomayor, and ANDWORLD Design,the first superhero in Milestone continuity is the leader of the Shadow Cabinet himself, Dharma.
Dharma even says so himself while speaking to Rocket within the Shadowspire:“Your ‘Icon’ was not the first superhero in the world … I was.”
Who Is Dharma, Milestone’s First Superhero?
DC Comics Origins and Powers, Explained
Dharma can best be described asthe puppeteer behind the Milestone Universe, and the multiverse at large, having orchestrated the superhero origin stories for heroes like Static, Hardware, Icon, and Rocket, among others. He even orchestrated The Big Bang thatgave Static his powers. Hailing from the shadows, he has manipulated the universe to his will, even before this revamped version of Milestone. Previously, inDC’sFinal Crisisevent, Dharma appeared and merged the Milestone Dakotaverse with DC’s main canon, reshaping everyone’s memories to think that the Milestone characters were always part of DC’s continuity.
Dharma makes his on-panel debut inHardware#11 by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Bob Smith, Prentis Rollins, Joe Brozowski, ChrisCross, Jason Scott Jones, David Montoya, and Dave Sharpe. During the contemporary iteration of Milestone, Dharma returns in “Blood Syndicate: Epilogue” by Geoffrey Thorne, Sean Damien Hill, Anthony Fowler Jr., Juan Castro, Wil Quintana, and ANDWORLD Design forMilestone 30th Anniversary Special.
His Machiavellian philosophies have depicted Dharma as a character with shades of gray, at times making questionable decisions that paint him as a downright villain. As to which side of the hero vs. villain fence he lands on as part of this rebooted Milestone Universe remains to be seen. Outside of being a master manipulator,Dharma harnesses the power to see the past, present, and future all at once,specifically by touching any object around him. That power explains why he is so adamant about taking controversial steps to protect the future of the multiverse.
Why Is Dharma Assembling the Shadow Cabinet in Milestone’s New Continuity?
And What Is Dharma Scheming?
Like in the previous iteration of the Milestone Universe,Dharma is the founder and leader of the Shadow Cabinet, which can be described as the equivalentof Marvel’s Illuminati factionor even a more privatized version of theJustice League(who actually faced off with the Shadow Cabinet in 2008’sJustice League of America#27 by Dwayne McDuffie, Ed Benes, Norm Rapmund, Drew Geraci, Robert Hunter, Pete Pantazis, and Rob Leigh). The greatermystery of this new series, though, is why Dharma is building the Shadow Cabinet for this revamped Milestone Universe. He has been vague about his plans since his on-panel return.
“Is It a Team? A Network? A Beginning.": DC’s Powerful New All-Black Super-Team Teases Milestone’s Return to the DCU
DC Comics' new all-Black super-team, which debuted during Beast World, may signal the return of Milestone heroes like Static to DC’s main continuity.
Dharma returned in “Blood Syndicate: Epilogue” fromMilestone 30th Anniversary Special,alluding to plans for all of Milestone’s heroes. He refers to Static as his hope for the future, Iron Butterfly as his sword, the Blood Syndicate as his arsenal, Hardware as his weapon master, and Icon and Rocket as his shield. Rocket and Icon haven’t spoken since the events of Icon vs. Hardware, but he’s now attempting to recruit Rocket. Static fromStatic Shockwon’t be far behind, but whatever nefarious plans Dharma has in store remains to be seen.
Static Shock
Cast
Created by Dwayne McDuffie and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Static Shock is a 2D-animated superhero show centered around Virgil Hawkins, a 14-year old hero who uses his electromagnetic powers to fight crime. The four-season series is based on the Milestone superhero Static, and it takes place in the DC Animated Universe alongside other popular series like Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League: Unlimited.
