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Mankind is a young creature. Even on earth, there are countless other creatures that predate him. However, even in a time of a hundred thousand years, a mere eye-blink by the standards of geological terms, let alone astronomical terms, its timeline is so unimaginably complex and tangled it is all but impossible to make sense of it for even the most dedicated observer. However, an attempt shall be made here.
For I am Uatu, the watcher, and I perceive and remember all. I was born to observe, and shall continue to do so even unto the end of time.
In the beginning, the universe was created by some manner of supreme being, or perhaps a group of less then perfect beings working in concert. None know exactly, despite claims to the contrary, and so this is best left to philosophy. Nonetheless, this being or beings put things in motion, much of which would remain beyond the comprehension of even beings such as I, an unreachable goal to humanity, or so I assume. For though I have witnessed every event, from their beginning to their end, I have and never shall know what it is to be human.
Four and a half billion years ago, out of the wreckage of stars was formed a world, a mere crust upon an inferno of molten rock. It formed a core and eventually an atmosphere, and began the complex process that would lead to ideal conditions for one day supporting life. Of course, many worlds have the potential, but never the opportunity. But Earth was chosen, perhaps by the same force that made the stars and set the limits of the possible, and life did begin there.
Shortly after this process began, a being took up residence on the planet. It was a being that defied existence as any can hope to understand, given it was not composed of matter, energy, or in point of fact, any material that existed whatsoever. But despite this impossibility, it nonetheless persisted in existing and chose Earth as a suitable place for it's needs. Shortly after arriving, it went to sleep. It still slumbers now, dreaming terrible dreams, awaiting the starts to be right.
But in regards to the process of development, and in the story I will now tell, this being is entirely irrelevant. Despite it's presence, the earth would slowly develop and support life, and many beings would come to call it home, beings of startling diversity and disposition. Periodically, they would be scythed from the surface by ice, gas, inundation or falling rocks impacting from space, shaking up the delicate systems that formed the environment to such an extent that by the time they recovered the world had moved on without them, onto new things, new designs, new lifeforms.
Nonetheless, this rock would go on to be the birthplace of mankind, of that rarest of miracles, intelligent life. Much of the actual process does not interest us, as a complete report on the slow and gradual process to come just this far detracts too much from the purpose of this, understanding mankind's past. The environmental qualities that led to their bodies tell us why humans are, but not what humans are, for example. Enough to know that they did develop, adapt, and in time, even thrive. Instead of adapting to their environment, mankind forced it's environment to adapt to it, and strived to greater and greater heights.
Since recorded history began, some fifty thousand years ago, there has always been more to the world then has been guessed by those trying to understand it. Much of this can be glimpsed in the stories they tell, the tales they make, and words that have been passed down in folk-lore and the collective unconscious to form a sort of racial memory. There is a secret history of the superhuman and fantastic, purposefully hidden from the eyes of those who live in the world of the mundane, by a vast and incomprehensible conspiracy that keeps the knowledge for itself, purposefully isolating humanity from the wonders and terrors that are actually present on Earth. Traces of these wonders can be found, but the reality is warped and somewhat sinister.
History when it comes to the truth is something with few facts but much conjecture, even for an impartial observer whom nothing is hidden from. Little empirical evidence is to be found, and less still can be made sense of. Even if one sees everything, how can they hope to unravel the complex and tangled series of events that lead to results? But there is enough to see one thing that few people can bring themselves to truly accept. Man are not alone in the universe, or even this planet. More to the point, they never have been, even from the start.
In the most distant mists of the past, some hundred thousand years ago, the Celestials arrived. I know them of old, just as they know of me. The Celestials are alive, but not in a way that makes much sense to us biological beings, they are an enormous and enigmatic race of unfathomable purpose and power, whose designs even I fear to guess. They visited Earth, at the time a sea of life, where they found a species called Homo erectus (so named because they walked upright, the distant ancestors of humanity). They made a few changes to the world, in order to better serve their mysterious purpose. First, they influenced the chosen species at a genetic level, furthering their evolution for reasons known only to them, as well as implanting several latent genes that would remain dormant for a long time. Once they had done with humans, they created two other races, the Eternals, who would be the immune system of the planet, and the Deviants, beings who each was a fresh roll of the genetic dice, creating limitless diversity. They then built the city of Olympia on the South Pole, and departed. When the Deviants multiplied beyond what could be supported and began a conquest of the world, twenty thousand years after their genesis, they returned and culled them, leaving them almost totally extinct.
It is not known if this is unrelated or caused by the Celestials behavior, however it was after this second arrival that humanity began to develop a purpose, a historical inevitability that took physical form, in the 'spirits of the century'. Each one had a lifespan of a century, and would live out the events that humanity itself struggled with. While all had a tremendous effect on the times they live in, few made it into recorded history beyond off-hand mentions and the occasional observation in folk-law.
Humanity began to evolve and build society, cities, and the trappings of civilization, forcing the planet to their designs rather then make the most of its natural state. And so the city of Archon was built, secrets better left undiscovered were found, black magic and necromancy were first used, and the worst of humanities propensity towards hate and violence was uncovered. After the fall of Archon, Atlantis came to power, forming the first major Empire on which the sun never set as it stretched around the entire globe, before it sank beneath the waves and it's people were forced to adapt to life beneath the seas, it's satellite kingdoms finding themselves suddenly independent and free to pursue their own destinies, beginning the age of High Adventure, of Nemedia and Aquilona and the the other kingdoms, that at last gave way to the kingdoms of Mesopotamia and Babylon, both of which would fall to Egypt, the people of the Nile founded by two trapped aliens resolving to make the best of their situation. It was then that the wizard Shazam created Black Adam to be humanities protector (not trusting the often absent Gods or the mysterious Eternals), but he proved to be far too dangerous to be allowed to remain and so was banished (for a time) and forgotten.
However, despite their growing levels of understanding, at the time humanity were still primitive, and ignorant of the planet around them, of it's history, and of those who lived upon it. What they did understand was as much a product of superstition as fact, and they were ignorant of the wider universe. Unfortunately for them, other beings were not so ignorant of humanity. Perhaps humanity would have been wiped out completely by a more advanced race, never having come within inches of it's potential, but for chance, as the races that did look down upon them proved benevolent.
The Asgardians, one of four great powers among the Third World, along with the Olympians - another of the powers, both took an interest in Earth beginning four thousand years before Rome, in the city of Mesopotamia, and began to guide humanity when whim took them, teaching them aspects of their science and knowledge, only slivers, but enough to jump forward development at a rapid pace. Both would grow to care for humanity in their own way, and did their best to help and protect them, even from themselves. However, two thousand years ago, the Third World was destroyed, and the Fourth World rose in it's place, the old gods almost eradicated but for precious few survivors who managed to escape the fate of being dissolved into raw firmament to build the next generation of gods.
For a while the Eternals covered for the now absent heavens, however increasingly they were not needed as humanity took on a life of it's own. The Roman Empire, commanded by Julius Caesar proved unbeatable, and by 50 B.C stretched all the way from Britain to outer Mongolia (bar one defiant village in Amorica, Gaul), under the tactical brilliance of Julius Caesar, who married the last of the Ptolmic pharaohs and beget a dynasty that would last five hundred years. But for said tiny village, he could have been said to rule the majority of the world. But it was not to last forever, and Rome was split into the two empires, one to be wiped out by the germanic tribes and the Huns, the other to slowly change to the point it had become a middle eastern nation.
However, with Rome gone, there was a sudden power vacuum, and nations regained their independence all at once. Some of them did better then others. In Britain, the kingdom of Camelot was founded, with the help of Merlin Satanspawn, and the bastard son of Uther Pendragon acting as regent. Percy the Black Knight helped protect it, and for a time it flourished as the last bastion of civilization in a darkening world, fighting off hordes of saxons other invading armies while promoting a better way of life then rule of the strong. Indeed, Arthur more then anything wanted to destroy the idea that Might made Right. However it was not to last and Mordred betrayed his father and destroyed the kingdom, plunging britain into dark ages once more. Merlin would wander for a time, bitter and lost, before being the first being to be made The Doctor by the wizard Shazam, meddling again in human history.
It is now that the Kherubim and Daemonite war comes to earth. They crashed millennia ago after a skirmish between their exploratory vessel and a Daemonite warship near Earth's orbit, and have since been grounded there. Lord Majestros of Khera, their defacto leader decided that as long as they were here, they could make use of it, and so put their powers and knowledge to work. However, this did not see widespread use, as for the most part they would work with an individual rather then put it into mass production.
The Renaissance came and went, the Industrial revolution began, and humanity continued to exponentially develop in all the areas of science and culture. Wars were fought, men lived and loved and died, and the world moved on again. However, society didn't necessarily keep up with innovation, and that would go on to cause problems.
In the seventeenth century, mad scientists ran the world. Badly. The landscape was ravaged by superweapons, death-rays, armies of clockwork soldiers and genetic abominations, and that was just the start. Steam and clockwork engines served every purpose imaginable, maps changed overnight as they battled for supremacy, and monsters were created, all because it seemed a good idea at the time. However, their madness proved their own undoing, as one by one they were burned to death by angry mobs, turned on by their own creations, or caught in explosions as their devices malfunctioned. Eventually, towards the end of the century, all but the best died out, and the left a power vacuum in europe. That, more then anything, led to a new age of empires.
Nations grew in size and power, settling in parts of the world previously undiscovered. Some, like America, went on to become independent, others were throughly conquered. It was a time of ideas, and the birth of globalization. Britain was the Empire on which the sun never sets, modeling itself on ancient Atlantis. The Ottoman Empire was on the decline, and the world was coming to focus on Europe. The frontiers were being pushed back, and new discoveries were constantly rolling in. Metahumans existed on the fringes, using their gifts as best they could to preserve themselves.
This was the age of the zeppelin, the ocean liner, the flying-boat airliner, and the skyscraper. Progress seems unstoppable and the future is bright, though economic downturns and shortages conspired to keep the lower classes from appreciating them.
The war of the worlds, shortly after the turn of the century when martians from Mars invaded Earth, is largely what inspired the trend of individual enhancement, although contact with extra dimensional creatures stretches all the way back to the dawn of man. However, before the war against the martians, they were not something that concerned human beings. They were simply something that existed. The war changed that, but the effects were not felt for some time after, even considering the formation of the 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'.
Contact with other worlds had occurred in the past, but for the most part this was limited to extremely advanced species who used Earth for their own reasons, some idealistic, some brutaly pragmatic, a few even malevolent. Humanity had always simply weathered them, they did not seek them out or look for them, simply making the best of their situation. But as man would not be a slave to his environment, so he would not allow other beings to define his existence.
The first contact with an alternative reality intended by humanity was in 1920, where a stable portal was created through the Bleed, and contact was made with Sliding Albion, an advanced, although stagnant, imperialistic society. The two cultures met cordily, and there was a period of peace and cultural exchange, although after World War One almost all the remaining monarchies had vanished.
In the meantime, humanity continued to develop at an outstanding rate, sending up the first satellites of what would soon be a global communications network, creating limitless free energy utilizing heretofore unavailable substances, and embarking on projects to change the landscape of the world.
It was also a time of cultural change. Cities were rebuilt, largely to facilitate humanities growing innovations and changing lifestyle, as well as rebuilding being a cheaper alternative to upgrading. For a long time in Europe, cities would be left abandoned as construction was begun elsewhere of a newer, more developed city. Skylines became filled with towering, dream-like structures, and other formerly impossible feats of engineering. London, for example, installed cavorite in Buckingham palace after some considerable reinforcing of the structure, allowing it to hover over New London. It also lead to many new cities in America, such as Star City, Gotham, Metropolis (that would go on to become the nations capital) and several others, as the older cities were abandoned.
But humans remained humans. The drive to become more really began with World War 2, when Germany was taken over by Grand Arcmage of the Thule Society Adolf Hitler. The war was not truly a new war so much as a carry on of the first, under new management. The society in the background was much the same. Germany, with their growing obsession with ethnic purity and superman complex, desired to reach the 'sum of human potential', that set off a genetics race. Furthermore, Hitler acquired the spear Longinus, allowing him to use it as a focus to write the destiny of his people.
Huge breakthroughs were made in building 'better soldiers', through therapy, experimentation, regimes and breeding, even cloning, the Nazi's slightly ahead at first, but the gap rapidly closing as the other nations threw their might behind it, and the nazi's getting side tracked by dead ends (billions were wasted on the search for the 'homosexual gene'). Captain America was the first great success, and was seen as the poster-boy of the projects. Rogers proved to be more then capable, and his officers came to rely on him as much as a battalion of their best men.
Shortly after, the wizard Shazam awoke from his meditations in the Himalayas, and walked into parliament in full regalia, proclaiming that Winston Churchill is the promised savior 'returned in the hour of greatest need', and then stays on as a war advisor, even participating during the Blitz, with Captain Britain arriving shortly after as well. The Howling Commandos, the Blackhawks, and several other special soldiers were inspired by this new way to fight a war, and soon began appearing on every front. More then that, Majestic decides to interfere in human affairs when the Nazi’s ally with another of his people’s ancient enemies (the Chitauri), and, along with 'The Big Three' (Majestic, Miracle Man (a failed attempt at making Captain Marvel), and The High) come to the allies aid. In short, the dawn of the 'Superhero'. The phrase was first coined shortly after.
It was this time, that Order 666 was given to several inner ranking Nazi higher echelons. They were to win the war by any means possible, no matter the cost. They focused on the occult while the allies focussed on science, leading to armies of robots fighting armies of superhuman zombies, supermen fighting mad archangels bound with infernal runes, and other, less easy to describe things. Major Montana Max, Grigori Rasputin, the host of the first of the Ogdru Jahad and all the creations of Wolfenstein were geared towards building an army that could defeat the Allies. They ripped a hole in reality, stepping through to the ruins of an advanced and dead civilization, and used what they found on the other side to great effect, as well as making contact with said alien race (the Chitauri). They are also aided by several less the scrupulous beings with agendas of their own, including Vandal Savage and Ra's Ah Ghul, however The League of Shadows betrayed Nazi command in the early stages, killing many of the high command and leading them to be replaced with the Nazi's supersoldiers.
The Japanese don't have a program as such, leaving that to their allies. Just the same, they did have several figures who filled that role helping out, and the Emperor was secretly removed. Furthermore, they mannaged to make an alliance with a race of extraterrestrials formed of living, sentiant metal, known as the Decepticons. Using what they could glean fom the study of their allies, they reverse engineered their technology to build weapons and robots far ahead of the rest of the world, giving them (at the time) seemingly unbeatable tanks and warmachines, complete with minds of their own, in the form of AI's. Equally usefully, their long distance communications and transportation took off, even discovering micro-chips and crude shielding tecnology. They break alliance with the rest of the Axis before long, and attempt to carve out an empire in Asia, ignoring Europe completely. However, they lose heart, particularly after Hiroshima, and the assasination of the Emperor, and surrender.
In 1943, after the invasion of Russia, Red Skull tired of Hitlers mistakes (as well as the man being essentially a laughing stock, having being badly beaten up by several Heroes who came just shy of killing him by luck more then anything else, and several time-travelers launching assassination attempts), executes him on National Television, and takes command himself, using the military to seize all means of production and supplies, and turning Germany into a dystopian state practically over night, rigidly controlling every aspect in the process, and turning all the industrial power to war. The Nazis were no longer making administrative mistakes, and the war stretched on for four and a half more years, devastating much of Europe, and ending in 1948. The German people were largely doing their very best to aid the allies in every way they could or were totally crushed by fear by this point, but Red Skull pointedly said he did not need, nor care about, their approval.
Finally, the end of the war came, as Germany could no longer support it’s efforts, and Nazi high command begin making their escapes. They will go on to be a threat for a long, long time. Berlin was occupied, and Red Skull vanished, along with Captain America. An official statement claimed he was killed during the fighting, but even in those days that was recognized as unlikely, and conspiracy theories abounded. The truth is, he took a job with Stalin, and started making the system more efficient (both the nazi and the communist felt that loss of life was largely incidental). He’d still be there for decades to come.
We then hit a stop. With no longer any such motivation pushing people forward, the development of super-humans lost priority, and the industrial capacity instead geared towards repairing the damage. The Superheroes in this are the early heroes, groups like the Minutemen, ordinary people dressing up and fighting crime. Usually, not even organized crime, just pickpockets and other petty criminals, gangs and delinquents. They generally didn’t last long, and are seen as essentially stunts, not worth taking seriously. Just the same, they did manage to inspire plenty of detractors. The powerful individuals who had emerged go back into seclusion, no longer needed. Majestic returns to his people and the civilization they are trying to build, while others integrate back into the world. Miracleman, for example, launches a successful corporation.
Progress in terms of Superheroes stops... until the sixties when it takes off again. The Vietnam war was underway, and the militaries are not proving up to the task of pacifying the region. Then, in less then a few months apart, Dr Manhattan and Superman Red Son arrive on opposite sides, and suddenly the Cold War took on a whole new dimension. Red Son proved to be easily the most powerful known being, far beyond any pre-existing class (Including Majestic, or even the deities that had visited earth long ago), while Manhattan was essentially the same, near omniscient and capable of producing energy to change molecular structures, making him, from an outsiders perspective, able to warp reality on a whim. However, while Manhattan's powers made him detached and uncaring, considering himself above normal people and unable to relate, Red Son's had the opposite effect, making him an altruist who did all he could to support his fellow man, and changing the Soviet Union to become what it had always presented itself as. With Stalin's death (Red Skull had vanished shortly before, untraceably) Red Son took over as General Secretary, and began fixing the problems that plagued the Soviet Union.
Now in the world at large, there is a drive to expand, and so they do, building several teams, and revitalizing old programs. More to the point, several heroes appear on their own, and it was that, more then anything, that prompted the worlds governments first began to become aware of the tremendous threat that they represented, a threat perhaps more real then conventional weapons, as individuals possessing destructive capabilities beyond anything humanity had access to existed, and were answerable to nobody.
The first initiative was to create superheroes of their own. At first, these results were less then spectacular. The Comedian, for example, was heralded as the new Captain America in media explosions, but he was largely a propaganda front, and aside from being tough and well built he had little real weight in the circles he moved in. They received a lot of media attention, but in the scheme of things were not particularly significant.
It was also the first incarnation of Stormwatch. America created SHIELD, England created STRIKE (At first directly under and answerable to Parliament, but later given independence and with Jenny Sparks (Spirit of the 20th century) put in charge and given autonomy), and several other agencies came into existence, all at the same time, for the same purpose: Controlling, monitoring, and dealing with threats that the rest of the nations reserves were not equipped to handle.
STRIKE soon collapsed, and instead a new group was formed, the MIB under Cecil Stedman. They would work to keep the realities of the world from leaking onto the news too much, as if there is one thing humanity craves, it’s stability. Their job was making the world appear to be safe and secure, and many of the things blamed on the conspiracy are in fact directly the fault of this organization.
Meanwhile SHIELD, headed by war-hero and hardcase Nick Fury and General 'Thunderbolt' Ross saw things differently. If that's the way it was going to be, then they would have better superhumans then anyone else, and over the next decades the two of them were largely responsible for all America's varying superhuman programs. But it all began with Weapon X, essentially (at the time) colonel Stryker, colonel Wraith, and a drinks tab trying to overthrow the Soviet Union. However, SHIELD grew in power over time, and they eventually formed their own unit of specialist military personnel, G.I Joe, as well as a division to reverse engineer the weapons and technologies utilized by the regular threats to Earth.
The Doctor, at this time a man named Dr Steven Strange, decided to take a more overt hand on the world stage. Cutting all links with his previous groups and affiliations, which he had only maintained out of tradition, he takes a hand in improving the state of life the world over, first with medicine and spiritual healing, then more overtly.
Chinese national Shang-Tsung launched the 'Strongest Under the Heavens' tournament, where it is won by an old man, Jackie Chun. He appeared from nowhere and was a total unknown, and vanished again soon after, however he did star in a few B-grade movies in the one year he was known, most of which went on to become cult classics and began an industry of poorly envisioned martial arts movies, where metahumans utilized their powers for entertainment.
Finally, the Space Race was won by a third party candidate. Professor Cuthbert Calculus, alongside a few scientists and old friends of the professor succeed in building a functional rocket ship in Syldavia (backed by the governments generous contribution) and getting it not only to the moon, but to the dark side, take pictures and return, months before either the Americans or Russians had anything quite workable. Tintin, a Belgium reporter, had the honor of being the first human to meet me, and I retain fond memories of the young man.
The seventies came next. And they begin on an exciting note, as Elijah Snow, the ghost of the 21st century, actually tracked down Red Skull and confronted him. If their was any justice in the world, the nazi would have at last answered for his crimes, but it didn't go well for the archeologist, and the nazi vanishes again, leaving Elijah stranded in The North Sea. He would go on to help found several organizations and cause chaos and destruction in South America, although, upon determining that the goals of said groups were all doomed to failure, cut all ties to them and, upon consideration, give up nazism as well, trading it for a new concept of his own creation. In much the same time, Elijah rethinks his purpose, and decides it is not merely to uncover the lost and forgotten secrets, but also to bring them to light, and improve the world with his discoveries rather then hoarding them.
Of course, the great equalizer was about to come, and put a new perspective on the superhero arms race. A special comet passed the Earth during the 70s. The comet gave off special radiation that would turn many humans on Earth into Seedlings, people with (latent) superhuman powers find them coming to the fore. They were Mutants, and it was as the celestials had intended.
They were not the first. Some were manifested far earlier, although their powers were increased by the comet, and among them were two intellectuals, Charles Xavier, and Eric Lesherr. The two of them had been in contact for a long time previously, and had become close friends and confidants, and so with the coming of the comet that they concluded that humans were out-evolved. They could not compete with the new, emerging race, that shared their DNA but was not truly among the rest of the world. The two went on to form a group of such people, build their own island, civilization, and everything else, and waited for the world to follow them. The two friends slowly began to come at head, their radically different ways of acting at odds with each other.
Meanwhile, SHIELD finally began to have success. Their creation of the 'ultimate assassin' had less in the way of concrete results then their soviet counterparts. The best result they could get was Slade Wilson, who escaped with his brother in tow and went into buisness for themselves, and James Logan, a mutant of unclear origins. The few that they did keep were more or less useless. But Fury managed to poach Bendix, who proved far more capable by not worrying about things like morals or ethics, and having access to all sorts of DNA taken from various members of the superhuman community, makes some truly spectacular breakthroughs.
The eighties were a period defined entirely by relentless growth. Nixon, during his second term, had Dr Manhattan intervene in the Vietnam war, finally winning the war for the Americans. It was the first actual use of superheroes in war since the second world war, and the world was shocked. Russia retaliated with an EMP nuclear missile, cutting all power in America and blotting out the sun for three days, as well as destroying Washington DC. It was largely this that led to test ban treaties, mostly regarding posthuman limitation and nuclear proliferation. However, the balance of power was shifting, America in something of a decline, while The Soviet Union was on the rise.
Increasingly, America was finding itself in debt and unable to produce enough, necessitating it sinking further in debt. Worse, the Soviet Union was going the other way with Red Son in charge, and it's borders were spreading, peacefully, mind, but surely and steadily.
The greatest under the Heaven's tournament is opened again, and this time won by Son Goku, after a tremendous fight with a being who claimed to be a reincarnated Demon King Piccolo, first vanquished in the Han dynasty. The being was vanquished, and Son Goku vanished with him, never to e heard from again.
Two groups, under the auspices of the Directory of Mainland Technology Development, attempted the same mission, faster then light travel. Both consisted of four people, a pilot, a scientist, and two assistants, and would be using the same type of ship, departing with in seconds of each other, to attempt the same result, the first foray into what was called 'the N-Zone', later renamed the Bleed. The results were nothing more then a quirk of fate, but while the group led by Reed Richards came to New Genesis and were bombarded by one wave of cosmic rays, the group headed Randall Dowling were bombarded by the same radiation, but ended up in a very different place.
It was what first drew the lord of Apokolips, God of Tyranny and king of the fourth world, Darkseids', gaze to earth, and when they returned, both found themselves with very different missions. It was also the moment of the first successful defection from The Soviet Union, in the form of Latveria, headed by Victor Von Doom. It was followed by Vorozheika, headed by the Eternal Druig, lord of nightmares.
Charles Xavier and Eric, now calling himself Magnetto (and abandoning human culture completely) finally part ways. Their split was far from pleasant, and Magnetto becomes something of a dark messiah, as well as engaging in acts of terrorism against the western world for mutant rights. The two would go on to find themselves at odds constantly.
Superheroes were appearing everywhere by this point. The Hulk's first rampage is stopped by a man who calls himself Superman, and soon becomes America's favorite son, given that he embodies the values and qualities that people had began to think were gone from the world. Decency, justice, truth, and doing the right thing. And in all the world's history, there was never another man his equal. He would go on to become one of the worlds most identifiable constants, and become an international figure of incredible acclaim.
Around the same time, Bendix went rogue. To match all the 'superheroes' he sets himself up as the opposite. Approaching Red Skull and Destro, a prominent arms dealer, funded by Lex Luthor, he began an army of his own, and Stormwatch found themselves in a fight beyond their capabilities. However, he is eventually stopped, though it's a near thing.
More Superheroes were appearing, and less want to have anything to do with any government at all. Themyscira appears in the greek archipelago, a remnant left by the Olympians when they favored the world with their residence, the entire island snapping into existence seemingly out of nowhere, and many of the previously neutral super-beings find themselves having been surpassed without their notice and no longer relevent. Princess Diana, or 'Wonder Woman' as she calls herself, is sent as an emissary, and is given a seat on the United Nations. At the same time, King Namor of Atlantis is officially recognized.
The global blocs are becoming increasingly tense, and Mutually Assured Destruction came into play, with the doomsday clock ticking closer and closer due to tensions rising. Red Son has annexed more of Europe, absorbing it into his growing state that stretches from china all the way to Germany. Meanwhile, America’s economy is struggling, with no real production and most of the manufacturing done in India, the national debt out of control, and quality of life is spiraling down, leading to a crime wave. Nixon, deciding that there is no other option, resolves to attempt to wipe out the Union before they can do the same to him, and prepares to press the red button.
Fortunately, he never does. A former hero, once part of the second Minutemen, Ozymandius now going by Adrian Veidt, foresaw this, and puts a plan he prepared for this eventuality into motion. Realizing that humanity had begun fixated on perceived differences, he realized he had to engineer an event that would make them look elsewhere. He had a complex plan that would cause a ceasefire, by engineering a cosmic threat and forcing mankind to band together. Initially, he planned to fake one, but then had a better idea, and using a complex signal actually brought one.
That night, within minutes of Nixon having come to his decision, a silver streak could be seen in the sky as the herald of Galactus came. An hour before the order to fire the nukes was given, Galactus came to Earth with the intention to devour it, sparing nobody. The embodiment of entropy had intended to devour the planet, but was stopped (by Reed Richards, Eljah Snow, and Superman), and, graciously admitting defeat, left after the promise to never devour the Earth. Dr Manhattan, suddenly forcibly shown that for all his power, he is still a long way from being as enlightened or powerful as he had always assumed he was, left Earth to explore the rest of the universe and learn more. Humanity, realizing how close destruction had come, agreed to a ceasefire, and for a while things looked good.
It was an illusion. It had turned everyones gaze outward, to look for an enemy amongst the stars instead, and so the Earth begins to become involved in galactic events, despite it’s desire to remain alone. S.W.O.R.D is formed, replacing the now long defunct MIB.
The first Kree-Skrull war flares up, with the alien officer Captain Pluskommander Geheneris Halason Mahr Vehl arriving and mankind finding themselves involved almost by default. However, the earth mannages to pass through the battles mostly unscathed. Due to the circumstances of their victory, however, the Skrulls come to see Earth as a holy site, and begin infiltration. Both superheroes, politicians, and people of a less tangible evidence are abducted and replaced with Skrulls assuming their identities (Elvis Presley among them). This would not come to head for some time.
Worse, the Kerubians, long allies of Earth (if for no other reason then convenience in their ongoing interstellar war) were wiped out almost completely by the Vitrulmites, along with several other worlds on friendly terms (Almerac, Tamaraan, Thanagaar) when they resist the warlike races expansion efforts, leaving the ones on Earth as the sole remaining survivors of the species. Majestic leaves earth with all the companions he could convince to join him and attempts to get revenge, returning a few months later, alone and badly beaten, his companions all killed. Fortunately, internal problems and administrating concerns slow the Empires expansion. Majestic, not appeased, makes a deal with several specialists on Earth, and creates the Legacy virus, that wipes out almost the entire population of his new enemies, and spreads too fast to be combated. In no time, the Vitrulmites are all but extinct as well.
Nick Fury in response to all this, formed his own team, 'The Avengers' as the American equivalent of 'The Winter Guard'. As it is formed, to the surprise and delight of everyone, Steve Rogers, 'Captain America' is pulled from the ocean, frozen solid, and successfully revived. He is placed in charge of the team. The team soon cuts ties with the government, and the independently wealthy members begin funding it.
China at last completes it’s own project, and announces ‘the great ten’. Led by a clone of Guan Yu, a man famed in his life for his fidelity, honor, nobility, and ability to rout an entire army by himself. As the nation was, at this point, a subsidiary of the Soviet Union, the team for the most part is of little importance, until the second revolution swept through China, and the nation declared it's independence.
Charles Xavier, Informal Leader of the World's mutant affairs, was assassinated. The killer was never found by the worlds authorities, however I can tell of an unrecognizable corpse is found, torn apart from inside, not long after. With his death, organized mutant rights plummet, and the brotherhood takes over as the primary agency working to further mutants. Mostly through terrorist actions. Many of the X-men default to The Brotherhood. But once more Earth's problems were miniscule besides the universe's own issues.
Thanos created the infinity gauntlet, and so achieved omnipotence. Fortunately, he did not destroy the universe in the end, as much due to his own flaws as due to the abilities of those in the universe to stop him, and was stopped, but not permenently. He returned shortly later, and began once more working towards his goals.
It was at this point that Japan completed the Knightmare and other 'mecha' giant robots with human pilots based on the principle of Decepticon technology mixed with several other concepts. Tony Stark worked as a correspondant, and at the time made several improvements to his own armor.
Black Adam’s first and greatest rampage began when his lover is killed. Having been ruling Kahndaq with an iron fist, he abandoned all he had achieved to find those responsible. He began at Latveria, smashes into Russia to battle the Winter Soldiers then Red Son himself, and after being halted then driven back deflected and veered into China, where he was forced out again, and left to devastate much of Europe, proving almost impossible to stop. Eventually he was brought down, at considerable cost, and the process of rebuilding began.
Barely a week later, The Authority was reformed by Jenny Sparks, and the world begins to take a darker tone. Gone are the old days, now the world seems perpetually at war with itself. The Authority, however, proved to be very much a decisive force in the world; while their success at protecting the Earth from various extranormal threats and international terrorists was unparalleled, their simultaneous use of lethal force and willingness to topple dictatorial regimes favored by one power bloc or another kept tension high. However, for the first time in forty years, the US is matching The Soviet Union. By the turn of the millennium, America is more unstable then ever before, going through no less then four presidents in a year ( was impeached, the next two were assassinated, the first by the renegade superhero group the seven guns, the second by )
The Skrull Secret Invasion came to head, over the course of which many Skrull infiltrators are identified and dealt with. The Skrulls had been undertaking a long-term, well-planned subversive infiltration since the war, and they are finally ready to move. They are eventually dealt with, by Norman Osborne of all people, although it was a near thing.
Humanity was invited to join the coalition of planets by Thaedus, the founder and ruler of the group, and after a summit meeting humanity agrees. It's a period of development, and once more we make great leaps and bounds in terms of progress.
Unfortunately, this was also a time of galactic unrest, as the Sinestro corps war began, as the mad lantern rallied himself an army of the most fearsome beings in the galaxy and declared war on the peace-keepers in the name of law and order. The war ended with the matter undecided, and thousands dead on both sides. All was going according to his plan.
Hawksmoor and Magnetto cut a deal, and mutants are finally given the recognition and status that satisfies him. In exchange, he goes legitimate. Eric Lensherr actually goes on to become a senator, proving that there is no such thing as bad publicity.
And then, all of a sudden, The Authority are taken out of operation one by one by a shadowy self-proclaimed terrorist who goes by the name 'V', who is never identified, found, or even satisfactorily established as dead or alive. Never giving them a chance to strike back he immobilizes them through a series of perfectly taken care of incidents, taking out most of the administration who supported them in the process with assassinations and blackmail. Eventually, Hawksmoor is forced into a corner, with the only way out being to stand down, and restore democracy to America, with free elections.
Lex Luthor is elected president by a landslide. He dismisses Fury from Office, and makes Norman Osborne secretary for defense and head of SHIELD. Not because he trusts him, simply because it provides him with the perfect fall guy for the more morally questionable policies his administration undertakes. Leaning hard on congress and the senate he continues the economic reforms the Authority had begun, revolutionizing several industries and rebooting the economy. However, his primary motivation was simply forcing Superman into a situation he couldn't effectively fight back. Secretly, he begins the Mankind Liberation Front, an alliance with several other powerful figures, with the intention of removing the Mutant gene, 'foreign articles' from the genepool, and otherwise eliminate all metahumans and aliens. He was, however, perfectly willing to use metahumans as pawns in order to do this.
I am the Watcher, and I have seen more then any other being can claim. All that has happened, every molecular event, happened with an observer. And now, you know enough to make sense of the dark days to come...