The Cabal
Roster: Mike Powell, Jim Zafar, some guy named Vinnie, Paul Trent, Johnny Leone, Harry Lennox (Savage Steel 1), and Officers Jacobs, Florio, and Stone, along with several other unnamed cops.
First Appearances: Mike Powell: Darkhawk 1, Jim Zafar: Darkhawk 3, The Cabal assembled: Darkhawk 4
Disbanded With Extreme Prejudice In: Darkhawk Annual 2; survivors were arrested in Darkhawk 50.
Favorite Quote: "You were always a moron, Lennox. But when you swiped the Savage Steel armor and tried to play hero with it ... you lost us the tin suit! And now there's rumors that you were helpin' the late, unlamented Mike Powell work against us. You and Vale -- you're both corpses." (Darkhawk Annual 1, as three jailed Cabal members started wailing on a former Savage Steel.)
What's Their Problem?: The Cabal is a group of police that felt that the "good guys" needed an edge in the war against crime. To that end, they banded together and helped create Savage Steel, a murderous vigilante meant to be judge, jury and executioner. Their ruthless attacks on those they consider to be criminals have provided several headaches for Darkhawk, the Punisher, and Iron Man.
Abilities: Like most subversive groups in the Marvel U, they had a pretty good information system. Every member of the Cabal was or had been a police officer, and therefor were well versed in criminology and possessed enough fighting savvy to give Darkhawk something of a fight.
Heroes They Kept Running Into: The Cabal clandestinely fought those they saw as criminals, and so tried to avoid heroes. However, their agent, Savage Steel, fought Darkhawk, the Punisher, and Iron Man. One of their former number, Jim Zafar, took on the role of Savage Steel for himself after several members were killed when a bomb they were working on exploded. An attempt at re-creating the Cabal went sour when they were infiltrated and exposed by Mike Powell, the father of Darkhawk.
People That Don't Think They're So Bad: If he hadn't been on their hit list, the Punisher would have liked these guys just fine. Other than the first two men to wear the Savage Steel armor and the FBI, no one else knew these guys even existed.
Most Despicable Act:: The Cabal tried to kill some of their less radical members, including Jim Zafar. For all the Cabal's clout, though, Savage Steel himself (themselves) is (are) responsible for most of the underworld deaths the group is credited with.
By Aaron (Tornado) Thall and Jeanne Burch
