Metropolis is more than a world class city. It is seen as the premier city of the world. It’s where people go to make their dreams come true whether in the field of business, art or science. It is called the “City of Tomorrow” due to the numerous advances made in various fields of business that populate the city.

While known first and foremost for advances in the scientific field Metropolis is also a major center of business, culture and education. There are few places in the world that you can go where someone does not know the city’s name. It is the best that the United States has to offer and it has no peer. If Metropolis stops the world stops and takes notice.

With that in mind the criminal element in Metropolis goes beyond the organized crime that has a tight grip on Gotham City. Corporate espionage is the least of someone’s worries with the number of scientific firms that have made their home within Metropolis. While numerous most are usually acquired and absorbed into the larger firms that dominate the city.

Listed below are several of the key players in Metropolis that one would find notable not only for their accomplishments nor their contributions to the City of Tomorrow, but because their innovations and discoveries are often the source of many of the problems that the citizens run afoul of.

• LexCorp – Originally organized as an aerospace engineering firm, LexCorp has become one of the world’s largest, most diversified multinational corporations. Under the astute – some would say, ruthless – management of its founder, Lex Luthor, LexCorp grew and prospered, absorbing scores of smaller businesses. Despite being the current sitting President of the United States LexCorp continues to prosper under the current CEO extending its reach across the globe. The success of LexCorp has been largely due to its diversified holdings, which has allowed it to weather the ups and downs of the economy. With holdings from financial institutions to breweries and its continued dominant presence in the scientific field LexCorp has continued to yield success and profits for its founder, Lex Luthor. From its meager beginnings on the top floor of the Daily Planet building to the 307 story LexCorp Towers which dominate the Metropolis skyline there are few in Metropolis or the world that have not been touched by the corporation. Often targeted as practicing unfair and sometimes monopolistic business practices LexCorp has continued to grow bigger and stronger while maintaining a lean and efficient workforce wish has pushed envelope in every field they found themselves involved in.
• Hamilton Technologies – Based out of Suicide Slum Hamilton Technologies is a research and development firm owned by Professor Emil Hamilton, who had previous been employed by S.T.A.R Labs and the US. Government. Hamilton Technologies is notable for being connected with Superman due to the close connection between Professor Hamilton and the Man of Steel.
• Project Cadmus – Project Cadmus is a scientific research center located just outside of Metropolis. It is primarily known for its achievements in genetic engineering and its human cloning capabilities. The project was founded by doctors Dabney Donovan, Reginald Augustine, and Thomas Thompkins. The Cadmus facilities were originally constructed in a large, abandoned aqueduct outside of Metropolis. The goal of the Project Cadmus is to push the envelope of genetic research sometimes to the detriment of its own members.
• Stagg Enterprises – Simon Stagg is an inventor and the founder and CEO of Stagg Enterprises. His company is responsible for pioneering new, innovative methods in the fields of engineering, chemistry and genetics. Stagg Enterprises has offices in New York, Los Angeles and Metropolis. Stagg while brilliant and respected inventor has often found himself the target of investigation by numerous entities for methods that have been deemed unscrupulous at best and illegal at worst. Despite the labels Stagg as yet to be charged of a crime and continues to operate his business across the United States.
• S.T.A.R. Labs – S.T.A.R. (Science and Technology Advanced Research Laboratories), is a research organization founded by a scientist named Garrison Slate, who wanted a nationwide chain of research laboratories unconnected to the government or any business interests. Slate succeeded not only on a national scale, but an international one as well: S.T.A.R. Labs maintained facilities in Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan as well as in the United States, with the total number of facilities numbering between twenty and thirty at last recorded count with its central branch being located in Metropolis in the borough of New Troy. S.T.A.R Labs is seen as one of the premier scientific think tanks in the world and continues to innovate without falling prey to aggressive nature of the government or private corporations. It like many other research firms has often been sought to be acquired by LexCorp and has consistently resisted acquisition providing an alternative to for those seeking work in the field of science. Like Hamilton Technologies S.T.A.R. Labs has also been closely connected to Superman providing assistance and expertise as needed.
• WayneTech – Wayne Technologies is the biggest single branch underneath the Wayne Enterprises umbrella of companies. It has always been there but only in the 1990’s did it start to skyrocket as more and more innovations were made and new things were discovered. Few remember the scandal over thirty years ago where Wayne Technologies was involved in a covert espionage technology operation. To some Wayne Technologies has a bad name even though the PR office has managed to make the public forget the whole incident. The knowledge and the information gleaned from that operation wasn’t lost and with more research, WayneTech has become the forerunner in cybernetics and biotechnologies, rivaling LexCorp and Drake Medical.

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