Miles Craven (Wildstorm Universe)

A decorated hero during the Korean war, Miles Craven was later recruited into the then newly-established Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and went on to serve as a key intelligence adviser to the Pentagon during the Vietnam conflict.

During the 1960s, Craven founded a 'shadow network' within the Defense Department named International Operations (I/O), to deal with the rising number of criminally inclined super-powered beings (SPBs). Shortly after Craven founded I/O, two US defense projects were attacked by Daemonite aliens: An atomic submarine launch facility and the launch of a communications satellite named Icarus 5. In the wake of these attacks, Craven was manipulated by power-broker Saul Baxter (the Kherubim Lord Emp) into founding a covert seven-member team whose remit was, officially, to track down and capture unidentified life forms (ULFs). However, Baxter's real purpose for this unit, named Team One, was to cover up any facts that might surface about the Kherubim the next time a Daemonite appeared. Baxter stacked the team with Kherubim: including Mr. Majestic (Majestros), John Colt (Yohn Kohl), Lucy Blaize (Zannah, also known as Zealot) and Marc Slayton (Backlash, who was at the time unaware of his Kherubim heritage). Human members included Henry Bendix and Isaiah King.

Following the destruction of Team One, and the apparent deaths of Baxter and John Colt, Craven and Bendix were summoned by the United Nations (UN) shadow council, the MJ-12. The council revealed that aliens had infiltrated Team One and asked Craven and Bendix to join its crusade against such extraterrestrial influence. No doubt with the help of the MJ-12, Craven went on to become National Security Czar of the United States, while Bendix was appointed 'Weatherman' of the UN's new superhuman response team, Stormwatch.

Bendix and Craven also collaborated with General Zebulon McCandless to form a cabal within the US Government, concerned with monitoring and responding to the planet's growing number of costumed post-humans. This so-called 'Holy Trinity' oversaw an update of a covert World War Two operation codenamed 'Paragon' and the establishment of 'Number of the Beast' (NOTB) post-human holding, cloning and experimentation facilities across the United States.^[1]

In 1967, Craven recruited maverick researchers Alexander Devereaux and Nicholas Robertson (working on alien conspiracy theories and time travel, respectively) for what became the Puritans' 'Project: Flashback', a plan to travel back in time and undo the alien influences on Earth's history. Craven also recruited agents Elijah Sterling and Andrew Stansfield, who both had previous experience fighting an alien, to develop the paramilitary wing of the Puritans.

In addition to his work in combating alien infiltration and SPB proliferation, Craven used his position as National Security Czar to develop a number of other unsanctioned projects, including 'Project: Genesis'. Craven recruited Docters Simon Tsung and Gabriel Newman to develop the Gen-factor, a genetic agent capable of bestowing superpowers on human beings. Craven used his new Team 7 covert strike force, amongst others, as Guinea-pigs for Project: Genesis.

After Team 7 rebelled and left I/O, and after the next generation of Gen-active superhumans were removed from I/O's custody by Craven's former deputies John Lynch and Ivana Baiul, Craven used material from Project: Genesis in Project: Renaissance. Craven's health was failing, and this new project was aimed at cheating death. Craven used a new team of Gen-12 superhumans, named the Brotherhood, to hunt down former members of Team 7 and extract elements of their Gen-factor. With the help of Yohn Kohl (masquerading as Kaizen Gamorra), these extracts were infused into a clone body. Just before his murder at the hands of the former members of Team 7, Craven's consciousness was downloaded into this 'Gen-Omega' clone. However, the clone body turned out to be unstable, and was destroyed by Dr. Tsung's adopted gen-active son, Sigma.

Shortly after Craven's death, an Internal Security Services (ISS) investigation into his activities was sabotaged by a mysterious young woman named Mariah Craven (possibly Miles' daughter), who appears to have been working for the MJ-12 council. Further investigation into Project: Genesis was blocked by Ivana Baiul, who returned to I/O after Craven's death and took over his position as Director of I/O.

While the database of US SPB monitoring agency Paranormal Search Investigations (PSI) appears to record the death of Henry Bendix, it currently lists Miles Craven's status as "Location classified": Perhaps surprising, given that PSI's new operations director Marc Slayton witnessed Craven's execution at the hands of the Team 7 alumni, some time before Bendix's death.

Miles Craven (Wildstorm Universe)

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