Project Cadmus

Project Cadmus is a fictional government genetic engineering project in the DC Comics Universe. It was created by Jack Kirby as The DNA Project in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 (October 1970), and was run by the former Newsboy Legion. Its notable creations included the Golden Guardian (a clone of the original Guardian) and Dubbilex, a powerful telepath who resembled a tall grey alien with horns. The non-human creations of the Project were referred to as "DNAliens", and were largely the creations of Dabney Donovan, a "mad scientist" who left the Project because he felt they weren't taking genetics far enough.

Related Topics:
Fiction - Genetic engineering - DC Comics - Universe - Jack Kirby - Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen - Newsboy Legion - Golden Guardian - Clone - Dubbilex - Dabney Donovan

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The Project had an "opposite number" in the form of the Evil Factory, a monster-creating project set up by Darkseid as part of Intergang and run by two of his servents called Simyan and Mokkari. They were killed, but Donovan subsequently cloned them.

Related Topics:
Darkseid - Intergang

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Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths the DNA Project was reintroduced as Project Cadmus, named after the Greek legend of Cadmus, who created warriors from the teeth of a dragon. The Post-Crisis version made its first appearance in Superman Annual #2 (1988). It was responsible for the creation of the new Superboy, cloned from genetic material obtained from both Superman and Lex Luthor. Dubbilex subsequently became a supporting character in the Kid's own title, set in Hawaii.

Related Topics:
Crisis on Infinite Earths - Cadmus - Superboy - Superman - Lex Luthor - Hawaii

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Cadmus was supposedly destroyed in a Superman story called The Fall of Metropolis, which featured a "clone plague". However, the Project had simply taken advantage of this to go underground. Westfield was, however, killed.

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In Superboy #57, the Project was put under new management, following the Newsboys' retirement. The new project head was Mickey "the Mechanic" Cannon, a former Suicide Slum resident with a reputation for being able to "fix" anything, a car or a country. The new head of genetics was Dr Sterling Roquette, a teenaged genius with a crush on the Guardian. Dabney Donovan was also brought back, under armed guard. Cannon made Cadmus more open to the public.

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Shortly after this the Project temporarily came under the control of the Evil Factory, now revealed to be part of an organisation called The Agenda, run by Lex Luthor's ex-wife, the Countessa.

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When Luthor became President, Cannon and the Guardian became uncomfortable with the amount of government pressure on the Project. Following the Imperiex War, the entire project disappeared. The current whereabouts of its members is unrevealed.

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