Warning: Spoilers for Milestone Universe: The Shadow Cabinet #2!The star of Static Shock is far from the first hero in Milestone's history. The popularity of his 2000s DC Animated Universe cartoon has made some fans assume that Virgil Hawkins is the first hero of the DC Comics print universe. Alternatively, some fans think that Icon – the Milestone equivalent of Superman – is the first superhero to arrive in the Milestone continuity.
Both assumptions are wrong, as neither Static nor Icon are Milestone's first heroes. As revealed in Milestone Universe: The Cabinet of Shadows #2 by Joseph P. Illidge, Darryl Banks, Atagun Ilhan, Christopher Sotomayor and ANDWORLD Design, The first superhero in the Milestone continuity is the leader of the Shadow Cabinet himself, Dharma.
Dharma himself says this while talking to Rocket inside the Shadowspire: "Your 'Icon' wasn't the world's first superhero... I was."
Who is Dharma, Milestone's first superhero?
DC Comics Origins and Powers, Explained
Dharma can best be described as the puppeteer behind the Milestone Universeand the multiverse in general, having orchestrated superhero origin stories for heroes like Static, Hardware, Icon, and Rocket, among others. He even orchestrated the Big Bang that gave Static his powers. Coming from the shadows, he has manipulated the universe to his will, even before this revamped version of Milestone. Previously in D.C. Final Crisis Event, Dharma appeared and merged the Milestone Dakotaverse with the main DC canon, reshaping everyone's memories to think that Milestone characters were always part of DC continuity.
His Machiavellian philosophies have portrayed Dharma as a character with shades of gray, sometimes making questionable decisions that paint him as an outright villain. It remains to be seen which side of the fence between hero and villain he lands as part of this rebooted Milestone Universe. In addition to being a master manipulator, Dharma harnesses the power of seeing the past, present and future all at once, specifically touching any object around you. This power explains why he is so adamant about taking controversial steps to protect the future of the multiverse.
Why is Dharma assembling the Dark Cabinet in the new Milestone continuity?
And what is the Dharma scheme?
As with the previous iteration of the Milestone Universe, Dharma is the founder and leader of the Shadow Cabinetwhich could be described as the equivalent of Marvel's Illuminati faction or even a more privatized version of the Justice League (which actually faced off against the Dark Cabinet in 2008 Justice League of America #27 by Dwayne McDuffie, Ed Benes, Norm Rapmund, Drew Geraci, Robert Hunter, Pete Pantazis and Rob Leigh). The biggest mystery of this new series, however, is why Dharma is building the Shadow Cabinet for this revamped Milestone Universe. He has been vague about his plans since his return to the panel.
Dharma returned in "Blood Syndicate: Epilogue" by Milestone 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 weapons master, and Icon and Rocket as his shield. Rocket and Icon haven't spoken since the events of Icon vs. Hardware, but now he's trying to recruit Rocket. static Static Shock won't be far behind, but whatever nefarious plans the Dharma has in store remain to be seen.
Milestone Universe: The Cabinet of Shadows #2 is now available from DC Comics.