Foes of the Superwomen of EVA #19: The DNAngels

"As NERV's battles against the otherworldly creatures they codenamed 'Angels' wore on, the organization's central location of Tokyo-3 was graced with the presence of more 'superwomen' (who were secretly certain women and teen girls either directly or peripherally involved with NERV) seemingly every day. Growing more unnerved by this phenomenon, NERV's secret backers, the sinister cabal known as SEELE, sought to create countermeasures against the superwomen should any of them (or the various intelligence agencies around the world) grow curious about what was really going on behind the scenes. To that end, they brought in American scientist Dabney Donovan, a geneticist who was fired from the U.S.-based Project: Cadmus due to his growing megalomania over how there should never be limits in understanding the potential of the genetic code. Joined by his colleague Amanda Spence, Donovan secretly collected DNA samples from the battle sites in Tokyo-3 where the superwomen were involved in battles with various super-criminals (some of whom were even hired by SEELE). Using some of these samples, along with the cloning techniques and technology utilized in the creation of both the 'Ayanami series' and the Nephilim known as 'Kaowru Nagisa' (as well as the aborted Project: Shikinami), Donovan and Spence were able to create a trio of superpowered and highly-skilled 'security guards', for SEELE's secret Japan base. The two scientists dubbed their creations the 'DNAngels'.

SEELE never got to see the DNAngels in action due to the Cabal's defeat at the hands of both NERV and the superwomen, the latter of whom would band together as a team called the Justice League. Not wanting their work to 'go to waste', Donovan and Spence, along with their former U.S. military liaison General Good, secretly took over the Japanese SEELE facility and used it as the headquarters of their newly-formed organization, the Agenda, with the goal of creating powerful armies of cloned metahumans that could be sold for commercial use to the highest bidder. Among their earliest 'customers' were another secret organization called the Council, who tasked them with creating a clone army based on Paul Kirk, a World War II-era vigilante who was one of a number of individuals over the years to use the alias 'Manhunter'. Their plans were uncovered thanks to the investigative work of one of the Justice League's members, Batgirl (secretly heiress Mayumi Yamagishi), in-tandem with Japanese intelligence agent Ryoji Kaji and U.S. covert operative Thomas Tresser, known by the codename Nemesis. Guided by the evidence collected, the League raided the Agenda's headquarters, dealing with the cloned security forces along the way. It was during this battle that some of the team first encountered the DNAngels, and soon realized their genetic material went into their creation after noticing their similar powersets.

The League's next clash with the DNAngels would take them to the United States when the Agenda attempted to take over the main branch of Project: Cadmus and their scientific facilities, some of which housed their particular cloning technology, which had been used to resurrect another WWII-era hero in the Guardian. The League would be unexpectedly aided not only by the Guardian himself, but also the U.S. government's 'off-the-books' team known as Task Force X, whose overall leader, ruthless intelligence official Amanda Waller, had a vested interest in Project: Cadmus's work. Thanks to their combined efforts, Donovan, Spence, Good, and their followers were arrested; the League, with the Guardian arguing on their behalf, negotiated for the DNAngels to be let into their custody, to which Waller reluctantly agreed.

Having felt sorry for the trio due to their own experience with clones (with two of their own, Wonder Girl (secretly former NERV Evangelion pilot Rei Ayanami) and Power Girl (a clone of another former pilot in Asuka Langley-Sohryu, the League's own Supergirl) being such themselves), the League took them in due to wanting them to have a better life, one that was the furthest from what they were originally created for. Encouraged by both Wonder Girl and Power Girl, the DNAngels accepted their offer and returned with them to Tokyo-3. The DNAngels would end up taking on positions with the League's support staff in their headquarters at Metro Hall, in addition to finding their own ways in the world.

The DNAngels consist of:

1. Seraph - the serious and calm, yet caring 'eldest sister' of the trio, who while very mission-oriented has a tendency for overworking herself and being self-critical. Possesses abilities similar to both Supergirl and Power Girl, with the addition of a form of 'tactile telekinesis' and energy-projection powers in lieu of the heat vision and 'freeze breath' powers possessed by both half-Kryptonians. Works as head of security at Metro Hall, where she now goes by the name 'Sera Paku'.

2. Epiphany - the neutral, relatively easy-going 'middle sister' of the trio, with a tendency to be the voice of reason between the other two. Possesses abilities similar to Wonder Girl, with some minor form of telepathy from Miss Martian (secretly Hikari Horaki, one of the good friends of the pilots and their classmate at school). Now goes by the name 'Peni Ezoe', and works as part of the IT team at Metro Hall alongside another artificial being in their care, the former creation of the cybernetic alien Brainiac known as Indigo.

3. Cherub - the playful, cheerful 'youngest sister' of the trio, making her the most friendly and outgoing of them. Possesses similar abilities to the Flash (secretly former Evangelion pilot Mari 'Illustrious' Makinami), giving her a tenuous connection to the Speed Force. Works as a tour guide for the more public areas of Metro Hall, where she goes by the name 'Sherri Aburame'."

*Author's Note(s)*

Kicking off 2024, the theme for this 'wave' of foes is all about 'genetics', whether involving cloning or simple enhancement. For the DC half of this 'wave', I decided to reinterpret a trio of characters who originally debuted in the 1990s Superboy title. While keeping the key points of their origins intact, I also threw in the involvement of Dabney Donovan due to his essentially being DC's answer to Marvel's Miles Warren when it comes to clone stories. I also put in elements of the legendary Archie Goodwin-Walt Simonson Manhunter story arc from 1974 just to add to the fun, given its use of clones as a plot element.

As for the anime characters serving as the visual basis for this take on the DNAngels (seen on my DeviantArt profile), the idea actually came to me in the waning hours of 2023. Before then, some time ago I'd gotten into the first Cells at Work! series, and earlier last year had started watching its 'side-story' Cells at Work! Code Black. The main White Blood Cell (Neutrophil 1196) and two of her comrades (1212 and 8787) worked considerably well for my purposes, with the only things that needed doing was taking the kanji off their hats and adding color to their character models corresponding to the DNAngels. I based their 'family dynamic' partly off of the Whitewing sisters (Palla, Catria, and Est) from the Fire Emblem games. And for one final note, Cherub's new name is another small DC Comics wink-and-a-nod: it's a play on that of actress Sherry Alberoni, who voiced Wendy Harris in the very first incarnation of Hanna-Barbera's DC Comics-based Saturday morning cartoon series Super Friends.