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| The Cathexis | |
|---|---|
 The Cathexis as depicted inJLA #54 (July 2001). Art byBryan Hitch. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | JLA #52 (May2001) |
| Created by | Mark Waid Bryan Hitch |
| Characteristics | |
| Inherent abilities | Sixth-dimensional nature |
TheCathexis are a race of sixth-dimensional beings from theDC Universe.
Originating from the sixth dimension of theDC Universe, the Cathexis are an advanced and powerful race, capable of creating sentient energy beings and wielding remarkable power in their own right. Wishing to expand their power, they created Id, a sentient energy field capable of modifying reality based on the wishes of those it made contact with and subsequently modifying the vibrations of subatomic particles to grant wishes, and unleashed it upon Earth.[1]
Upon arriving in this dimension, Id acts as a malevolentgenie, granting any wishes that it sensed to give the wish-maker precisely what was asked for without giving them precisely what they wanted. As its first wish in this dimension, it latched on to the strongest superhuman mind it could find,Superman, just as he was wishing that those superhumans who had two lives did not have to cope with such pressures. As a result, he,Batman,the Flash,Green Lantern,Plastic Man, andMartian Manhunter are split into their human and superhuman identities;Wonder Woman andAquaman are unaffected due to lacking secret identities.[2][3]
However, both halves of the heroes become aggressive and unstable due to lacking the balance of the other. While investigating the apparent resurrection of the deceasedMetamorpho, the League meet the Cathexis for the first time and learn about Id; Metamorpho had been brought back by his son Joey's wish, but Joey had unfortunately wished that his father was back rather than alive, and so Id had translated his wish as such.[4] Using the residual 'Id energies' left from the wish, the Cathexis reverse the wish and explain the situation to the League. Accompanied by the League, the Cathexis track Id to Los Angeles. With Id captured by Wonder Woman and the Flash, the Cathexis show their true colors and turn on the League.[5]
Eel O'Brien - realizing the problems being faced by the divided Leaguers - gathers the League's civilian identities together. The six confront the Cathexis while Eel attempts to reverse Superman's original wish. However, enough time has passed that there is not enough energy to fully reverse the wish. Wonder Woman, taking a last desperate gambit, tricks the Cathexis into separating her soul from her form, her spirit form thus able to reveal the truth to her six split teammates - that they are stronger together than apart. Using Id's power, the Flash divides the Cathexis from two six-dimensional creatures into four three-dimensional ones who are easily defeated by Batman. With this achieved, the Leaguers wish for Id to destroy itself and banish the Cathexis back to their dimension, lacking the knowledge to ever recreate Id.[6]
One of the most bizarre enemies that the JLA faced was in JLA #52-54 by Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch, Paul Neary, and Laura Martin. Waid and Hitch created a story that highlighted the bizarre elements of comic books in a very cinematic way. Sixth-dimensional beings using an invisible wish machine wreaked havoc on the world.
In that JLA story, the Cathexis, who inhabit the Sixth Dimension, created Id, an energy field that granted wishes. It briefly altered reality and showed split the League's superhero personas and secret identities into to different people, so readers saw a Superman without Clark Kent, a Batman without Bruce Wayne, and so on.
The Cathexis were six-dimensional aliens seeking to use a device that granted wishes called the Id. The Id split the Justice League into two people, the super-hero and the secret identity. Of course, it didn't go very well, as neither could exist well without the other, and the Cathexis couldn't be stopped without the JLA members whole, the superpowers balanced by humanity.