Superheroes

A superhero is a blanket term given to any figure with powers beyond that of normal human beings who chooses to put their powers into public works such as crimfighting and global security. Even the simplest study of history shows that across the world there have been figures of enormous power, serving as beacons of hope to the everyday man. But the "superhero" as we now know it is a very modern phenomenon.

Their presence was felt among the populous, and the superhero would reign for decades. To many they seemed ageless, frozen forever in constant battle with their countless nemeses. So many stories were told about these figures, from biographers to tabloids, that it's nearly impossible to tell which stories happened and which ones didn't. Their biographies became even more muddled once the existence of the multiverse was discovered. Superheroes would find alternate universes, with alternate versions of themselves. Many universes had instances where figures like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman existed but Captain America, Spider-Man and Bruce Banner were only fictions, and vice-versa.

## History

### **1930s: The Golden Age**

The first being to belong to this pantheon of heroes was also the figure who gave it its name. Superman, the last of a human-like species from the now extinct planet of Krypton first made his public appearance in 1938 in the American city of Metropolis. Superman set the standard for all heroes after him, from his selfless attitude to his distinctive costuming - based on the fashions of his native Krypton.

Superman's appearance would be followed by the appearance of the vigilante Batman, a mere myth from his appearance in 1937. While there had been sightings of the mysterious vigilante for at least a year before Superman's appearance, the two Heroes would team up for the first time at the New York World's Fair to battle the Ultra-Humanite.

In the late 1930s, New York came under attack by the Sub Mariner. The police sent the Heroic Android the Human Torch, after the Atlantean. This was the first recorded battle between two Superheroes.

### **1940s: The War Years**

In the time before and around America's entrance into World War II, many Heroes would independently or secretly combat the Nazis. The reason for this is unknown but a popular conspiracy theory is that they were engineered by the government. The superhero was seen as a powerful military tool. America, for example, perfected the Super Soldier serum that would create the figure of Captain America. Contact with the Island of Themyscira resulted in the introduction of the Amazon Wonder Woman. The draft for Superheroes resulted in Heroic alliances being formed to combat the Nazis with the most prominent being the Invaders, Led by Captain America and including Bucky Barnes, Human Torch, his younger brother Toro and the brief alliance of Namor the Sub Mariner. The Captain and his Invaders, under the direction of President Wayne, would prove instrumental in making the first blows against Nazi Germany while at home the Lindbergh administration worked to keep America out of the war.

There was also the Justice Society of America which boasted a massive roster. Unfortunately, due to Hitler obtaining the Spear of Destiny, he was able to cast a spell preventing Super Heroes from invading Germany, resulting in the Allies relying on Soldiers to take the country.

However the post war landscape would result in Superheroes suddenly losing popularity, largely due to the short term of President Mike Thingmaker. The government continued to push laws against Superheroes, which culminated in several lawsuits from attempted suicides prevented by Heroes, following the dismantling of the Euthanization Chambers introduced by President Winthrop. After numerous lawsuits, including two aimed at the Super strong Mr.Incredible. Superheroes in America were forced to retire and enter witness protection. Only the vigilante Batman, the Diplomatically immune Wonder Woman, and the government sponsored Superman remained. Members of the Minutemen(a non powered hero group tasked with dealing with problems at home during the war) and the Justice Society of America were forced to retire as well.

### **1950s: The Off Years**

Throughout the 1950s, several tragic events befell the retired Superheroes. Members of the Minutemen were murdered, committed suicide, or incarcerated. One member of the JSA, Hourman, refused to retire and was chased onto rooftops by police before being killed in a fall along with several officers. The Supervillain Syndrome invited several superheroes to an island under the pretense of defeating a robot called the Omnidroid. This would however prove to be a trap that sadly many Heroes fell for and met their demise while their killer, the Omidroid would be rebuilt immune to how it was defeated before. By contrast, Great Britain was much more welcoming to Superheroes, which it had not had during the war and was delayed by the Big Brother Years. Heroes like Captain Britain and Miracleman emerged. Russia's only Superhero Starfire(who chose to rename himself Red Star following a meeting with a member of the Teen Titans using the same alias), found his energy absorbing abilities began to become unstable and retired for some years to attempt to contain himself. The US Government's attempt to introduce a new Captain America after the disappearance and believed death of Steve Rogers's failed.

### **1960s: The Silver Age**

    New Superheroes began to appear in the 1960s, just as the laws against them were lessened and the multiple alien invasions of the 1950s made people question the laws against them. However, there was still a fear of Communism headed by Senator Iselin, including against the Heroes who had no public identity. Regardless, new Heroes would surface. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman would be joined by newcomers in old roles such as Barry Allen as the new Flash and Hal Jordan as the new Green Lantern. All these heroes would come together with the Government to battle the massive creature known as the Centre, which thanks to their combined efforts would be defeated. The Heroes and the Army became fireforged friends, helped by the election of John F. Kennedy(secretly a mutant), who was very supportive of Superheroes. The result was the formation of the first superhero team since the Justice Society, the Justice League.

There was a rise in science related accidents which gave birth to heroes like the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, and Peter Parker as the Amazing Spider-Man. The government commissioned SHIELD to form its own group which became the Avengers, though they would later become independently funded under Anthony Stark. Captain America was also discovered and revived in this time after being under Suspended animation. By contrast, prejudice against Mutants rose, which would be fought and endured by the mutant team, the X-Men. Young Heroes formed the Teen Titans. The previous laws banning superheroes was revoked, following an international incident in which the supervillain, the Screenslaver attempted to attack several UWO Leaders. Britain however, experienced a decline in 1964 when a creature called the Mass would injure and kill many Heroes in an intense battle. In America however the Superheroes had reached another peak, with the election of James Norcross, who became the Superhero, Super President. Politics continued to enter the fray once heads of state such as T'Challa, Victor von Doom,Arthur Curry and Black Adam fought the battles of the superhuman community. The Vietnam War caused Captain America and other heroes led by him to turn on the government, sparking the first Superhero Civil War.

### **1970s:**

In the early 1970s, Earth became involved in the Kree-Skrull War. The end of the Silver Age is debated, but some say the Silver Age ended with a snap, but what that snap was is of debate. The supervillain, the Green Goblin kidnapped Gwen Stacy, and a conflict between the criminal and Spider-Man resulted in her death when the Heroes's web shot to catch her snapped her neck. This incident was witnessed by Phil Sheldon, who himself was saddened by the death though he did not blame Spider-Man. There was the passing of the Superhuman Registration Act following the destruction of Sokovia and a Superhuman caused explosion in Stepford, Connecticut. This resulted in a Superhuman Civil War, eventually breaking the Avengers. However, If the Silver Age had a true end, it may have been the battle with the Mad Titan Thanos. Thanos obtained a mystical element called the Infinity Gauntlet and killed half the universe, though this would be undone, the conflict saw many casualties and left many scars on the Superhero community.

### The 1970s

Superheroes continued into the 1970s, though many of them were much older, many such as Wonder Woman and Captain America remained active, aging slower, while others like Batman and the Flash had passed don their mantles to their successors and former sidekicks. Others like Superman had a combination of both to thank. Captain America, however would discover President Richard Nixon was the Leader of the Secret Empire after preventing Edward Blake from assassinating Carl Wernstein and Bob Woodward. He watched the President commit suicide in front of him, a sight which shocked the Captain into retiring for some time. The Keene Act was passed in 1977, and non government Superheroes were outlawed, leaving only Dr.Manhattan(Who's power had grown over the years to the point he was now onto a god), Superman and Edward Blake.

### The 1980s

Several Events marked what seemed to be the end of the Reign of the Superheroes, most occurring in or around 1985. The first was the return of Bruce Wayne to the role of Batman following the death of Jason Todd. The government sent Superman after his former friend. The battle resulted in Batman's seeming death.

However, It was the multiverse that would put an end to the heyday of the superhero. From 1985-1986 multiple realities were rocked in a partial multiversal collapse caused by the Villainous Anti-Monitor. The universes most affected were ones with large superhero populations, and this reality was no different. During the crisis, a large band of supervillains took advantage of the conflict, and combined their efforts in a final solution against the superheroes. However, the Superhero Supervillain war was put aside when the Anti-Monitor attacked once more. In the end, all but one reality was destroyed and many Heroes and Villains perished.

Superman would be next. Several of his enemies launched a series of attacks on the Man of Steel, forcing him to relocate himself and those close to him to the Fortress of Solitude. The final assault would be held there against a Brainiac damaged in the Crisis, and Lex Luthor, who erected a shield around the Fortress preventing outside interference from other Heroes. While the Villains would meet their end, Superman was horrified by being forced to kill and removed his own powers to live a happy life with Lois Lane.

Finally came, the destruction of New York City in what seemed to be an Alien Invasion. This resulted in America and the Soviet Union putting aside their differences to face the Invaders. Dr. Manhattan fled the Universe and was subsequently blamed for the attack by Adrian Veidt.

All these events, resulted in a group of villains, using a combination of advanced science and multidimensional magicks, to turn Pillars used against the Anti-Monitor into tuning forks for a powerful mind control device. Most of the superheroes in our world were erased from our memory and relegated to fiction. The figures, once worshiped, were now seen to never have existed. For years the villains used the world as a secret playground, living in luxury while keeping low profiles so as not to attract superheroes from other universes.

### The 1990s

However, the 1990s would see the rise of more violent superhumans, lacking the morals of their predecessors. While Superman was content with living a normal life, the passing away of Lois Lane and the destruction of Kansas in a freak accident in which the Superhero Captain Atom was split open, causing a Nuclear explosion. Superman returned, leading a new Justice League which include some old members. The elderly Batman however refused and in fact formed his own group called the Outsiders to oppose them. Superman's League arrested both the violent metahumans of the 90's and Supervillains equally. Batman seemed to form an alliance with Lex Luthor and his villain cabal, only to overthrow them, ending their reign. However, a break out at the Superhuman prison housing those defeated by Superman's League would result in the UN nuking the prison to eliminate the threat once and for all. Many heroes were killed, but Superman was convinced to instead rebuild relations with the people of the world.

### The 2000s

Around this time the age of superheroes began to show hints of a comeback. In 2005 the multiverse showed signs of expanding - rebuilding realities that were destroyed twenty years before. It was also during this time that the rest of the secret supervillain society was brought down by heroes from other realities and the true history of the superhero was revealed. By the beginning of the 21st century, the old days of bright costumes and battles of pure good and pure evil were gone. While superheroes still fight in other realities, the age of the superhero ended here. However, in 2006 it was discovered that several individuals were showing signs of the mutant/metahuman gene that proved to be a catalyst for the superhero movement. But what seemed to be a return of the superhero instead was a foreshadowing of the return of a different era of heroes and monsters, when the Awakening of Magic occurred in 2011. Even stranger, dead Heroes seemed to be returning including the Avengers in 2011 and the Justice League. It seems the age of Heroes has come again.

## **Author's Notes-Events**

Comic Events are listed here:

**1985-1986:** **Crisis on Infinite Earths-**Involved nearly every Hero and Villain in existence in this Universe.

**1986: Legends**-Darkseid sent Glorious Godfrey to Earth to discredit Superheroes. Justice LEague International and the Suicide Squad were formed.

**1988: Millenium-**Doesn't happen.

**1988:Cosmic Odyssey-**Ends with Darkseid obtaining a portion of the Anti-Life Equation

**1991: War of the Gods-**Circe manipulated many pantheons into a war, which was fortunately averted.

**1992: Eclipso: The Darkness Within**-Doesn't Happen.

**1992-1993: The Death and Return of Superman-** The original Superman appears to die but secretly survives. Doomsday is permanently killed. Coast City is destroyed. Mongul is killed. Connor Kent debuts.

**1993: Knightfall-**Bruce Wayne's Batman is crippled by Bane.

**1993: Bloodlines, Trinity-**Don't Happen.