History of the World

THE MYTHIC AGES 
The mythic ages were a time of heroes and gods, beings with superpowers and abilities. Hercules, Thor, Achilles, Buddha, Son Tun the Monkey King, Jesus, Mohammed, King Arthur, Valkyries, Asuras, Devas, Rakhshasas and Djinni. Beings touched by the Gods themselves. But as time wore on, these demigods passed into myth and legend.

HISTORY 
History records other heroes, lacking superpowers but no-less heroic. Usually, these heroes use guile and cunning, and often must wear masks to protect their true identity. Robin Hood, the Scarlet Pimpernel, the Three Musketeers, Zorro.

THE 19TH CENTURY 
Even into the 19th century heroes defended the innocent without the aid of supernatural powers. The Cavalier (my analog of Lone Ranger), Vermillion Vixen (a female Zorro), Sherlock Holmes, and Wong Fei Hung of China.

THE TUNGUSKA EVENT
In 1908, a large large explosion rocked a remote region in Siberia. The explosion was caused by an inter-dimensional rupture. The rupture leveled the surrounding terrain for dozens of miles. An expedition sent to the site found a strange material. The glowing metallic liquid was later named "Tunguskite". Tunguskite showed bizarre alien properties and even reacted to and could be remotely manipulated by human thought. Several nations vied to obtain samples of Tunguskite.

THE THIRTIES 
The early 20th century continued this tradition with men like the Conscience, the Whisper, the Blue Ace, the Crimson Dragon, and the Black Spider. These heroes used their wits, brawns, and weapons to fight the criminal underworld in the late-night shadows of justice.

THE GUARDIAN 
The Guardian appeared in 1939. The Guardian could fly, lift buildings, and withstand a direct hit from a tank cannon. The god-like beings of old had returned. The Guardian explained that he was the beneficiary of an extra-dimensional entity that endowed him with powers and knowledge from another world, and that he had been chosen to be the Guardian of the Earth.

THE FORTIES 
Soon after, more super-beings made themselves known, supplanting the costumed night-crawlers of the thirties with garish costumes and personas unafraid of the light of day. Some became heroes and champions, others became monsters and deviants. The Guardian was soon joined by the likes of Maxima the warrior princess of Lemuria, the Timekeeper, and others. Together they formed the Liberty Defenders.

With the advent of World War II, the good super-beings, taking on the mantle of superheroes, lent their aid to the Allied cause, fighting against Ubermensch of the Axis, creatures created in laboratories or through dark magic.

THE INTER-DIMENSIONAL WEAPON ATTACK 
In 1944, Japanese saboteurs established a secret base on the Pacific coast of southern Oregon. There they activated an experimental inter-dimensional device, meant to allow instantaneous transport of troops from Japan to the US mainland as part of a surprise invasion. The device failed, resulting in a massive event similar to the that in Tunguska in 1908. The event created a crater which was filled in with sea-water, creating what is today Sunset Bay. The event also left behind a residue of inter-dimensional matter that became known as American Tunguskite. Subsequent research of American Tunguskite created the quantum metal known as Mysterium.

THE FIFTIES 
After the war, many of the aging superheroes settled down and retired. The government, who found the super-beings useful during the war, now looked upon super-beings with apprehension. Laws were passed that required the registration and control of super-beings, and lone costumed crime-fighters all but disappeared. UNITED was formed, and with it AEGIS. The immortal Guardian had retreated to his orbital Citadel, pledging himself to guard the Earth against newly discovered extraterrestrial threats.

THE SIXTIES 
The sixties saw the use of super-beings as secret agents by organizations such as AEGIS and the evil SPIDER. Costumed crime fighters began to make a comeback, though this time more low-key and down to earth.

THE SEVENTIES 
In the late sixties and early seventies, the Guardian's defense of the Earth was not enough. Earth was invaded several times by beings from other worlds and dimensions. The inter-dimensional menace XOXOX came to Earth to drain the world of all its souls. After a fierce battle involving most of Earth's extant super-beings, XOXOX was defeated and permanently changed by the telepathic young girl responsible for his fall, a counter-culture heroine named Mary Gold, aka Flower Child. From that point on XOXOX pledged his existence to spread love and happiness to the world. Little did Flower Child imagine that her simple act would cause the world so much annoyance in the future.

THE EIGHTIES 
The eighties saw the return of the violent masked vigilante hero of the thirties. This time, the hero was better armed, better trained, and lacked the style of their predecessors. What they lacked in panache, they made up for with firepower and lethality. Vigilantes like Eliminator, the Butcher, and the Triggerman laid waste to organized crime while staying one step ahead of the legitimate law.

THE NINETIES 
Like the forties, the nineties saw the return of super-beings, supplanting the vigilantes of the previous decade. With the reversal of the superpower control laws of the fifties, and the fall of communism, masked superheroes once again felt safe to fight crime in the light of day. UNITED has even set up a special program known as LEGENDS to empower these super-beings with international police status, effectively empowering them as super-powered consultants to local law enforcement bodies around the world. Each team is known by a Greek letter designation such as Alpha Team, Beta Team, Gamma Team, etc. These teams are sent to trouble-spots around the world to maintain peace and order during trying times. Meanwhile, Guardian maintains his vigil over the Earth from his Citadel in space, though he intervenes little anymore nowadays. The older, more mature Guardian prefers diplomatic relations with other worlds and the guidance and training of new heroes he chooses as his pupils.

A NEW MILLENNIUM 
With the passing of the Millennium a new generation of heroes has risen to defend the people of Earth. Superheroes like Paragon, Apex, and Flash-Bang have joined the likes of Redlight/Greenlight and Amber in the west coast metropolis of Pacific City. Will they be able to protect the citizenry from the menaces of super-deviants such as Dr. Necrosis, Panzer, Freeze-Frame, and other dastardly villains?