The Cadre is a
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
supervillain
A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero.
Supervillains are oft ...
group, except for members of the Cadre of the Immortal, most of whom were redeemed and became heroes by story's end.
Publication history
The Cadre first appeared in ''
Justice League of America
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
'' #235 (February 1985) and were created by
Gerry Conway
Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, t ...
and
Chuck Patton
Francis Chuck Patton is an African-American comics artist and animator. He is best known for his work on DC Comics' ''Justice League of America'' in the 1980s, specifically for the period in which the team relocated to Detroit and was staffed wit ...
.
Fictional team history
Overmaster's Cadre
A cosmic alien villain known as the Overmaster began to test humanity's fitness to inhabit Earth.
He summoned a bunch of villains to him and gave them superpowers, and the villains became the Cadre. The Cadre has fought the
Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
on different occasions and has been through many incarnations of their group. Several members have died and new ones were recruited.
The original
Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
defeated the Cadre, after which the Overmaster vanished. Years later, he returned, acting through heralds such as the
Aryan Brigade, the New
Extremists
Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied shar ...
, and the Cadre of the Immortal.
Cadre of the Immortal
There was also another version of the Cadre called the Cadre of the Immortal; this version was made up of international
metahuman
In DC Comics' DC Universe, a metahuman is a human with superpowers. The term is roughly synonymous with both ''mutant'' and ''mutate'' in the Marvel Universe and '' posthuman'' in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. In DC Comics, the term ...
s deluded by an agent of the Overmaster that claimed to be
Prester John
Prester John ( la, Presbyter Ioannes) was a legendary Christian patriarch, presbyter, and king. Stories popular in Europe in the 12th to the 17th centuries told of a Nestorian patriarch and king who was said to rule over a Christian nation lost ...
, the Immortal. He then announced his intention to destroy the Earth in one week, erasing
Central City
In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central city ...
from the planet and stopping all deaths and births across the globe as proof of his power. The Justice League invaded the Overmaster’s spacecraft and used its technology to reverse all effects of the Overmaster’s activities. The Mahayogi was killed while freeing JLI member
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
from mind control. After the truth was revealed Seneca and Osiris joined the JLI in their battle against the Overmaster, but have not been seen in the DCU since.
Overmaster was accidentally killed by Will Everett III, the second
Amazing Man, after the Justice League member
Ice
Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...
had been killed by the villain. Following this event, the League moved into the Refuge, Overmaster’s space station, making it their new headquarters.
Second Cadre
Another version of the Cadre was formed with various members of minor DC villain groups such as the
Extremists
Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied shar ...
.
Third Cadre
Another version of the Cadre, led by
Doctor Polaris
Doctor Polaris is an alias used by two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
Publication history
Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, the first Doctor Polaris, Neal Emerson, made his first appearance in ''Green ...
, was later formed and fought the
Power Company
An electric utility is a company in the electric power industry (often a public utility) that engages in electricity generation and distribution of electricity for sale generally in a regulated market. The electrical utility industry is a major pr ...
.
Membership
There were different incarnations of the Cadre. They are:
Members of Overmaster's Cadre
* Overmaster - A vaguely
Galactus
Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of ...
-like 580 million year-old alien. He was accidentally slain by
Amazing Man.
* Black Mass - Former M.I.T. physicist with gravity control powers.
* Shatterfist - Korean martial artist whose fists could shatter anything. He was slain by
Ice
Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...
.
* Crowbar - Former Detroit gang leader with a metaphysical crowbar.
*
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...
- Used a robotic suit that allowed him to throw baseball-sized explosives with great force. He was killed by an
OMAC.
* Nightfall - Wristbands create a null-field, absorbs light and kinetic energy.
*
Shrike - Mental patient with a sonic scream and wings. Shrike died on a mission with the
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...
.
Members of the Cadre of the Immortal
* Prester John - Aka the Immortal. He wanted to rid the world of modern technology, but was killed by the Overmaster for failing to defeat the
JLI.
* Ewald Olaffson -
Ice's brother and servant of the Overmaster.
*
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
- Former JLA member from India.
* Mahayogi - A Hindu wraith and servant of the god Shiva, he gave Maya her powers.
* Druid - An English villain, died at end of story.
* Phalanx -
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
hero wearing Roman armor who could create duplicates of himself.
* Mohammed Ibn Bornu - North African hero with an electronic spear that fired bolts of lightning, he rode a flying robot horse.
* Musashi - A super powered Japanese warrior hero.
* Seneca - Superstrong
Native American hero.
* Xiuhtecutli - Aztec styled
Mexican warrior woman with solar powers.
*
Osiris
Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...
-
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
ian hero wearing golden armor, believed he was
Osiris
Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...
re-incarnate.
Members of the Second Cadre
*
Ice
Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...
- Deluded by the Overmaster and eventually killed.
* Devastator - Armor and a powerful trident, critically injured
Booster Gold
Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in ''Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has been a member of the Justice League.
...
.
*
The New Extremists
*
Aryan Brigade
Members of the Third Cadre
*
Doctor Polaris
Doctor Polaris is an alias used by two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
Publication history
Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, the first Doctor Polaris, Neal Emerson, made his first appearance in ''Green ...
- Magnetic powers, healed Black Mass and reformed the team.
*
Starshrike - Resembles the original version with similar powers and wings.
*
Shatterfist - American martial artist whose fists could shatter anything.
* Black Mass - Former M.I.T. physicist with gravity control powers.
* Crowbar - Former Detroit gang leader with a metaphysical crowbar.
*
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...
- Could throw a baseball (or a bomb) really, really fast.
* Nightfall - Wristbands create a null-field, absorbs light and kinetic energy.
In other media
* The Cadre appear in ''
Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...
'', consisting of Shatterfist, Black Mass, Fastball, Nightfall, and Crowbar. Following their introduction in the episode "Clash", Shatterfist takes part in
Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...
's Meta-Brawl in the episode "Grudge Match" while the other members join
Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain character appearing in American comic books and other media published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. The character was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, and first appeared in ''Th ...
's
Secret Society as of the episodes "I Am Legion" and "Dead Reckoning".
* The Cadre make cameo appearances in the ''
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker (character), Joker in ''Batman: The An ...
'' tie-in comic ''Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour'', consisting of Nightfall, Black Mass, Fastball, Shatterfist, and Maya. Throughout their appearances, Nightfall is revealed to be in a relationship with
Livewire.
References
External links
DCU Guide: The Cadre
{{Justice League characters
Characters created by Gerry Conway
Characters created by Chuck Patton
Comics characters introduced in 1985
DC Comics supervillain teams