INTERNAL REPORT ONLY
DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
Doctor Heinz,
Please find enclosed my own report on the history, geography, and present status of metahumans. I hope that you will put this information to good use in the future.
The Golden Age
No description of Superheroes could start without speaking of the Golden Age. In ancient times, Supers might have been worshipped as gods, or burned as witches. One might say the modern era is not so different. The Golden Age was the defining feature of a post war America. When individuals with unique, extraordinary powers came into view, they came into a country replete with wealth, centered upon the idea of individualism and exceptionalism, and fresh out of the most morally concrete conflict the world had ever known. In such an environment, it comes as little surprise that the country was primed to accept these 'super' men as new paragons of truth and justice.
While the earliest of Superheroes did their work in plain clothes, the now well-known trope of the secret identity emerged as a means of protecting oneself, both from villains; and from liability, as will become important later. However superheroics could be expensive work. Many supers, particularly those who came to prominence as war heroes first, became sponsored by a Federal Government eager to promote their ideal of the American Way. Others gained lucrative marketing sponsorships, while still others sold the rights to their image and story to media companies. In all cases, the bright spandex associated with supers developed as a way of increasing that brand power. Superheroes were as much about what they meant to the people as they were about the actual lives they saved. I refrain from judgement as to the merit of this.
The Golden Age lasted a little over a decade, though some argue it should be recognized as having started in 1938 with Nimble Jack, the first superpowered individual to gain notoriety in the US Army. In that case, the Golden Age could be said to cover almost two.
While the heroic side of the Golden Age was made up primarily of biological superheroes, known supervillains were rare. While biological villains such as Lady Lightningbug did exist, the vast majority of villains operating in the Golden Age were either unaugmented themed foes such as Bomb Voyage, Supersonic Sue or Baron von Ruthless, who committed otherwise mundane crimes with an unusual gimmick, or mad scientists, such as Baron von Steamer (no relation, oddly).
The Golden Age saw the formation of countless heroic teams and famous heroes. A few notables include:
Nimble Jack: First known Hero to gain notoriety, first emerged as a common sergeant in the US army. Raised to the rank of Captain for heroic endeavors, leading to a later deluge of 'Captain X' copycats.
Meta Man: Known for the power to copy weaker versions of other Supers' powers. Briefly headed the Bureau of Metahuman Affairs' 'Meta Group' overseeing Super activity across the US. Eventually pushed out after concerns over foxes in the henhouse following the passage of the SRA. Died in an elevator accident during an attempted rescue.
Gamma Jack: Known for militantly super-supremacist views, later turned to villainy. His comments were brought to light during the SRA era, leading to increased anti-super sentiment.
The Phantasmics: Federally sponsored super-group serving as an international task force.
Gazerbeam: Prolific if antisocial hero known to have led (and led to the disbanding of) not one but two acclaimed hero teams: the Phantasmics and the Thrilling Three, which he joined and eventually led into dissolution following the death of former leader Dynaguy and the passing of the SRA.
Elastigirl: A-List superheroine known for breaking the glass ceiling and helping to begin a flood of female Supers in the latter half of the Golden Age. Fate unknown.
Boss Awesome: Notable as the only 'A-List' superhero ever to break into the major leagues without biological powers. In his day, Boss Awesome kept pace with the greats of the era with nothing more than a utility belt and gumption. He is presumed alive, but presently retired.
Mr. Incredible: The 'world's strongest man' was once acclaimed for his acts of heroism nationwide, among the cream of the crop and greatest heroes of the era. He was simultaneously known for being the catalyst for the end of the Golden Age due to multiple lawsuits filed against him.
(A number of blotted lines and false starts litter the remainder of this section.)
With the exception of Boss Awesome, retired, and Elastigirl, Unknown, all heroes listed above can be considered deceased.
The SRA
The Superhero Relocation Act was the inevitable result of dozens of superhero lawsuits costing the government billions, but to see where the act truly began to gain traction, one should look to the case of Oliver Sansweet. Sansweet was the president of the Municiberg National Bank until the day he attempted to take his own life. Earlier that day, tabloids had reported that the bank had been caught in the act of laundering money from the USSR, a fact which was later disproven but had long been suspected. The articles caused a run on the bank, undoubtedly the catalyst for Sansweet's attempted suicide. After throwing himself from the roof, Sansweet was tackled through the fifty-third floor window by Mr. Incredible, an action which saved his life despite causing massive internal injuries. The following day, Sansweet filed suit against the famed superhero in federal court, claiming that Incredible's actions had been unwanted, unreasonable, and 'caused him daily pain'. After an intense six month battle, Incredible settled out of court for an undisclosed sum of money believed to have cost the government 'millions'.
Sansweet v Incredible opened the floodgates for further litigation against superheroes, ranging from legitimate grievances to frivolous suits that sought to jump on the bandwagon. Superheroes from Dynaguy to Hypershock found themselves owing millions, most of which the government or major corporations sponsoring heroes found themselves on the hook for. Public opinion quickly turned against masked vigilantism in general. After a few years of settling for their sponsored heroes in court, the federal government quietly passed the Superhero Relocation Act, which granted heroes amnesty from their past actions while simultaneously making any further public acts of heroism illegal. Specifically, it granted an exemption to nationwide Good Samaritan Laws, ensuring that any superhero caught with their identity known (by this point, the identity of most heroes was known to the government) would have to pay damages from their own pockets. In addition to making superheroics a financially ruinous venture, it also quietly gave local governments the green light to begin executing anti-vigilantism laws, which had in many cities been on the books for years but never enforced.
Following the end of the Golden Age, most supervillain attacks were dealt with by deployment of the National Guard. Supervillains initially celebrated when heroism was made illegal; very few were celebrating six months later. Most Supers and mad scientists could stop one man with a gun. Very few could stop three hundred, and it is much easier to heal from bare knuckles than bullets.
Kronos Activities
Syndrome, real name Buddy Pine, was once considered a vanguard for a new era of heroics, one based on rapidly advancing technology rather than biological power. This was as he intended. Syndrome spent many years-
(there is further blotting and scrawls throughout)
-systematically hunting and eliminating retired supers, eventually paving the way for his 'heroic' saving of Metroville from the famous Omnidroid. Syndrome later developed the 'rogue, compromised' Omnidroid into smaller units to serve as all-purpose robots. In fact, the Omnidroid was created by him, defeated by him, and was used as-
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-an instrument of murder against dozens of inactive supers. Syndrome financed his plans through lucrative arms deals of his own inventions to the US government, though he retained his most powerful tools for himself. Syndrome stated that he intended to use his technology to create a world where any human could be super through advanced technology. However, I now believe this to be nothing more than the idle posturing of a man obsessed with eliminating and surpassing the legacy of superheroics. When presented the opportunity to achieve his stated aims, he chose to hoard his resources for himself.
Cape vs Super
The term Super came first, and was originally a generic term for heroes. However, as most heroes of the Golden Age were biological in nature, the term gradually became conflated into meaning those with innate superhuman powers.
The term 'Cape' arose as an alternative following the landmark 'Pine v State of Nevada' case, in which it was ruled that tech-based superheroes were not legally Supers, and thus could claim financial immunity under Good Samaritan laws as Supers once did prior to the SRA. What many do not know is that Buddy bribed his way through the Nevadan court system, ensuring not only that he would win the case, but that he would be able to create a new name for superheroics- literally. Syndrome himself coined the term 'Cape' for technological or generic superheroes, and it was primarily through his advancement of the term that it entered common usage.
How Supers Form
The precise biological mechanism behind the formation of natural superpowers is very poorly understood by medical science. While several studies have been performed, a great many of these were done when the science of genetics was still in its infancy, and further examinations into the topic have not yielded greater insight. Companies such as Sycorax and Gen-U-Tech have both published papers on the 'metahuman genome' to examine the natural mechanisms of some powers, though again, many of the ones that are more esoteric in nature remain poorly understood. While modern science can hypothesize a mechanism by which an individual may breathe fire, the mechanism by which one can copy another's powers cannot even be fathomed at present.
Individuals born of superpowered parents are likely to inherit superpowers. They may exhibit the same powers as their progenitor, related powers, or entirely distinct powers. Children of Supers can also be born with no powers, suggesting an inheritable genome with variable expression.
Some Supers are born with seemingly spontaneous powers, with no apparent Super lineage. Powers frequently appear near the onset of puberty.
In addition to natural born Supers, Supers can also form through unknown spontaneous means, usually in response to radioactivity or other life-threatening circumstances. It is unclear if this represents a potential trigger for Super genes, or if the underlying genetic code is in some way changed by these occurrences.
Second Age of Superheroes
Sometimes referred to as the Silver Age. The silver age began with the landmark Pine v Nevada case, which established that Tech-based Supers, or 'Capes', were exempt from the SRA and could therefore fight lawsuits asserting damages to bystanders' persons or property. This led to a new upswell of technological heroes, or heroes who relied primarily on skill and wit. Boss Awesome remained active in this period, becoming the only major Golden Age hero to remain active past 1961.
With biological heroes still illegal (not to mention soured on the idealism that permeated the Golden Age) most biological Supers of the time were active criminals, a near perfect reversal of the Golden Age. Prior to his capture by Syndrome, former hero Gamma Jack became infamous as a heel-turn supervillain following the act's passage.
Notable individuals to emerge on the scene in this era include both Syndrome and Shego.
Modern Super Scene
Despite heroics remaining illegal, the United States at present enjoys an extremely active hero scene, owing in part to the recent paradigm shift and the rising in prominence of certain notable corporations. Where previously the United States government could enforce its laws as they saw fit, megacorporations such as Xanatos Enterprises and Drakktech now exert enough influence on local governments and law enforcement that the response to most acts of heroism- or villainy, for that matter- is to quietly ignore it. As a result, both tech 'Capes' and biological Supers have begun to return to active work.
The defining feature of the modern era is blurring of moral lines. Shego, formerly an internationally wanted supervillain, currently stands as CEO of one of the world's most powerful corporations. Super teams such as The Pack serve at the will of corporate overlords. Sky High has completely removed heroics from its curriculum, favoring a 'morally agnostic' approach. Biological Supers, hero or villain, must either join with the power blocs responsible for this state of affair or face widespread persecution for their activities.
Until last year, Kronos Corporation and Drakktech were engaged in a large-scale shadow war over the status of Supers. Syndrome ruthlessly enforced the SRA, taking any opportunity to allow the 'bugs' in his Omnidroid AI to eliminate Supers found on his territory. Shego blatantly flouts the SRA, with states under her sway simply not enforcing the law and throwing out cases raised against Supers.
Following the events of the Sands Gala, Kronos has restructured and is no longer providing meaningful support to anti-Super resources. Based on their public announcements, I expect a severe about face in Olympia policy within the coming months, effectively removing the primary limiter on Super activity in general and Shego in particular.
Modern Drakktech
While Shego is known as a relatively pragmatic woman, she is also famed for a strong temper. Much of her time in the last few years has centered around opposing Syndrome and his works; if his downfall allows Shego to complete her goal of establishing a nationwide Super scene under her supervision, I am unclear on what if anything she would do next.
Modern Sky High
Sky High is the primary education system for natural born Supers. Universally respected, it intakes both new blood and the children of Supers from across the country and molds them into what the modern Super world requires: cold, amoral operators prepared to do whatever necessary to accomplish their goals. Classes are still split into traditional 'Superhero' and 'Sidekick' tracks, but ultimately there is little heroism left in the curriculum.
Sky High operates with state of the art antigravity technology, and can at any given time be found floating somewhere over Drakktech or Super-neutral territory. Reclusive Principal Grayson is known to be on the outs with Shego at the moment due to the events of the Sands Gala. In my professional opinion this seems unlikely to last due to the massive impetus for the foremost producer and foremost employer of Supers to get along: both need the other. While the powerset of Ms. Grayson has previously been unclear, recent events suggest some form of technopathy.
Modern San Fransokyo
San Fransokyo is currently a major hub of Cape activity. Unlike Drakktech, which contains primarily biological Supers, SF's scene is overwhelmingly tech based. This is likely due to the presence of the internationally renowned San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, which ensures a large number of impressionable, excitable young people with brilliant minds are given intense scientific training and concentrated in a small geographical area.
San Fransokyo has always had some degree of Cape activity given its sheer size. However, the election of Governor Kevin, whose reasonable policies and affable demeanor have kept him incumbent since, allowed the scene to truly begin to flourish. Governor Kevin is known to be sympathetic to Superheroes, and often looks the other way in their persecution. Coupled with the Pine v Nevada case exempting tech-based heroes from the SRA, San Fransokyo is perhaps the most Cape-friendly city in the nation. This has come in handy with defending against the recent St. Canard breakout, to say the least.
Recent Events in the Cape Scene
Obviously, the three most noteworthy events of the current Super world are the St. Canard Breakout, the Sands Gala, and the recent buzz around repealing the SRA.
While the majority of St. Canard inmates were Toon villains, a topic I will not be going into here, several non-Toon Supervillains were also incarcerated there, some of which had questionable convictions. Among the escapees are superpowered crime boss Alexander Paine, wanted vigilante 'Go Go' Tomago, and Z-list supervillain Khaka Peu Peu.
In addition to releasing more villains onto the scene, the breakout arguably contributed to the current upswell of support across the West for repeal of the SRA. People tend to like the sound of superheroes better when their cities are full of logic-defying villains immune to bullets.
The Sands Gala is noteworthy primarily for the end of Kronos' anti-super agenda and the rise of Olympia. While the full ramifications of these events are yet to be seen, it seems likely the Deavors intend to champion Super rights in an overwhelming reversal of previous strategy.
Both of the previous events ensured that Doom's push for repealing the SRA, which I assume to be a fairly transparent attack on our own public relations, was far more successful than even he had anticipated. The repeal of the SRA seems likely to become the hot-button issue of the coming election, and current evidence suggests other movers and shakers are already beginning to line up for or against the bill.
While Doom has placed us into an awkward spot, it is not irrecoverable. Whether you choose to support the SRA repeal in order to avoid Doom's PR attacks, oppose the repeal to avoid looking suggestible, or find some third avenue, my greatest advice is to act quickly. It will prove difficult to appear genuine in any respect once all other groups have dug in positions.
