| The Cabal | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Secret Invasion #8 (January 2009) |
| Created by | Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Leinil Francis Yu (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Member(s) | Current members: Namor Thanos Maximus Terrax Corvus Glaive Proxima Midnight Black Swan Maker Former members: Norman Osborn The Hood Taskmaster White Queen Doctor Doom Loki |
The Cabal is asecret society ofsupervillains andantiheroes appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. A villainous counterpart to theIlluminati, the group was formed in the "Dark Reign" storyline shortly after the "Secret Invasion" event.
The Cabal first appeared inSecret Invasion #8 and was created byBrian Michael Bendis andLeinil Francis Yu.[1]
During a presentation shown by Bendis during the 2008 convention season, a picture was made public of a secondIlluminati group consisting of villains and former villains.[2] Presented in the same pose as the cover ofIlluminati #1, this group was revealed to includeNamor,Doctor Doom,Emma Frost,Loki,The Hood, andNorman Osborn. Namor is revealed to be affiliated with two different Illuminati groups simultaneously allied with both heroes and villains.
Uncanny X-Men writerMatt Fraction mentioned in an interview that theUncanny X-Men annual in January would explain how Frost was invited into the team.[3] Loki was revealed to have dealings with Doom in the pages ofThor, and Namor was shown to have formed an alliance with Doom at the end of his last limited series. Namor had previously been aligned with Doom in the 1970s seriesSuper-Villain Team-Up. A past connection between Frost and Namor was presented inUncanny X-Men Annual #2, where it was revealed that Frost and Namor shared a brief romance while attempting to recruit Namor into theHellfire Club as the new White King.
The group, referred as the Cabal in certain interviews[4] and inMarvel Spotlight: Dark Reign, first appeared at the ending ofSecret Invasion #8 when Osborn greets the villains after gaining control of theFifty State Initiative program.[5]
The Cabal parallels the original Illuminati and Bendis has said "[t]he idea was, in the original pitch, that there was a secret group, a cabal, that got put together that was the mirror image of the Illuminati, with five or six characters who almost mirrored the other group."[5]
The Cabal are acknowledged by other villains as an extremely powerful group – evenDracula sought an agreement from Doom that the Cabal would allow him to conquer theUnited Kingdom without interference.[7] However, Doom betrays Dracula and free his captive,Meggan.
The Cabal ultimately falls apart due to conflict between its members.[8][9][10][11] Osborn, the Hood, and Taskmaster are apprehended, Frost and Namor rejoin the X-Men, Loki's body is destroyed, and Doom remains ruler ofLatveria.
During the reborn Illuminati's quest to save Earth from the incursions, the moral cost begins to overwhelm the members, except Namor. When the Illuminati decides to give up, Namor forms a new Cabal alongsideThanos,Maximus,Corvus Glaive,Proxima Midnight,Terrax, andBlack Swan to destroy alternate earths and prevent incursions.[12] When the final incursion occurs, the Cabal escape in a specially designed life-pod.[13][14]
An alternate universe incarnation of the Cabal from Earth-2099 appear inMarvel 2099, consisting ofNorman Osborn, Bruto Olafsen, Manfredi, Chief Woland,Crossbones, andCarnage.[15]
Two incarnations of the Cabal appear inAvengers Assemble.[16]
The Cabal appears in the comic book prequel forMarvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, consisting of Doctor Doom,Magneto, MODOK, theSuper-Skrull, andTaskmaster as well asCapcom charactersAlbert Wesker andAkuma.
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