Bruce Wayne was the heir to two distinct people of Gotham City, New Jersey – Thomas Wayne and Martha Kane. Wayne was an ethical businessman and proprietor of Wayne Enterprises, a company that was in a constant battle for dominance against Stark Industries. Thomas Wayne had no interest in a corporate war when the city of Gotham continued to dive into corruption, anarchy, and filth; making it his mission in life to give as much as he took, the businessman founded the Wayne Foundation. The foundation was Thomas’ sub-organization that handled charities around the poverty-stricken and those who needed rehabilitation – it was here where Leslie Thompkins, Alfred Pennyworth, and Martha Kane met Thomas. The four became quick friends and together with their places in Gotham society strived to make it better. Thomas Wayne would end up marrying Martha within the next three years of meeting her.

Bruce Wayne for the most part had a good and privileged childhood, although on a vacation to Oceania an incident with a group of bats terrified the young boy for quite some time – something he would never forget through his life experiences. However, tragedy hit the Wayne family when Bruce witnessed the murder of his parents at the hands of Cyrus Gold and Joe Chill; the two staging the “robbery” to put an end to Thomas Wayne’s invasive mission to clear Gotham of poverty & crime. Bruce was left there only as the appearance of a rookie police officer arrived on the scene. This would be the makings of Bruce Wayne as he is today. With Thomas & Martha Wayne dead, Bruce Wayne had few options and during the reading of Thomas Wayne’s Last Will and Testament he discovered the Wayne Estate in a surprising move would not be left to the Kane family of which Bruce had been connected to through his mother but rather Alfred Pennyworth. A security contractor for Wayne Enterprises and several other companies; Alfred had since his initial meeting of Thomas Wayne gone from the best in 20th century security to a socialite and this sealed the deal. Alfred’s friendship with Thomas led to his acquisition of Wayne Manor and the guardianship of young Bruce Wayne. This Will of Thomas Wayne infuriated Martha Wayne’s Brother Jacob Kane; and splintered the family even more—a thing that a young Bruce Wayne did not need.

Bruce’s friendship with his cousins Katherine and Elizabeth grew distant and when Bruce became more aggressive and detached with every year until he was eventually sent to military school; specifically the Samuel Lane Military Academy for Youths. This is where Bruce Wayne met Lane’s daughter, Lois Lane; and learned his discipline that he would later learn to centralize in his mission as Batman. At the age of eighteen, Bruce opted out of the academic school despite what it had taught him for a more personal goal: prepare himself for his war on crime. With the discipline he had received at the military school he now realized to center himself on a goal. Bruce Wayne used his college fund his parents had left him (one out of two trust funds) to study criminology, psychology, and business—testing out of each course when he absorbed the knowledge needed. It was around this time that Edward Nashton became the majority shareholder of Wayne Enterprises when Lucius Fox bowed out of the company to start his own after meeting investor, Jack Drake. After his formal education ended Bruce then looked to the east; and he left for the eastern hemisphere to learn pursuits of the body.

Bruce traveled the world learning from a variety of men and women in his pursuit to obtain the skills to become a spirit of justice on Gotham City. This inspiration never teetered but it didn’t take until Bruce Wayne met the one man that would change his life: David Cain – Cain found Bruce on one of his missions to discipline himself but after a run-in with criminal individuals in Bangkok it triggered something in the self-destructive (but skilled) Bruce Wayne. Bruce was at the end of his ropes as he found himself being tortured after weeks of attacking drug lords in Bangkok. That was when he was found by him, a man who had actually been sent to destroy the cartels himself as a member of the League of Shadows. He took Bruce in as a potential candidate before the leader of the group that at the time ran its organization out of Bialya: The Demon's Head, Ra's al Ghul.

What happened between meeting Ra's and leaving the League of Shadows was complex as Bruce was groomed to be one of the society’s top operatives. That was until Talia, his daughter, died on a mission in Qurac and the impending result was in a induced state of grief Henri went insane as he began a vicious turn, and Bruce found himself unwilling to follow the same self-destruction he once felt inside especially after Ra’s re-purposed his society into one of violent discord rather than patient dissent. Bruce did not leave however until he discovered through the history of the guild that The League of Shadows itself had been responsible for the death of his parents and all of his recruitment was all patiently planned. But Bruce did not act out in a burst of rage; but a sense of clarity and resolve. Burning all of his bridges he completely abandoned the League of Shadows—and looked back… back to Gotham. He had seen evil and it had manipulated him- he knew how to face it and now it was time to start his mission against the thralls of evil and the darkness it utilized to corrupt his home.

Returning home twenty-five years after he was born was simple enough. As Alfred welcomed him back with open arms, the press began to chatter about the return of Gotham’s prodigal son—though Bruce had much more ambitious plans for his return to Gotham. Wayne then looked to his father’s legacy; the Wayne Foundation as his public responsibility. However, in the darkness Wayne knew he had more power than what a charity and welfare program could do and took to the streets with a ski-mask and his bare hands. His first few weeks of vigilante justice came through the event of several near-death scenarios and wondered what he was doing wrong. A documentary that Alfred was watching as he came back home about bats triggered the memory and Wayne had an answer – looking to the television serials he watched as a kid he begins to become Batman. After speaking to Lucius Fox, a former Wayne Enterprises R&D specialist and founder of the technological advancement firm called FoxTech; everything changed.

The Dark Knight, The Batman debuted. Beginning to work ferociously against the crime families of Gotham and soon anyone else. This began Bruce Wayne’s triple life as Batman, Bruce Wayne, and Matches Malone. Bruce begins to date Julie Madison some time during this first year. In time, a group of people (Detective Katherine Webb, Lieutenant James Gordon, and the lawyer team of Harvey Dent & Julia Pennyworth); become vital assets in the start of Bruce’s quest to clean up Gotham City as the corrupt members of legal society begin to be pushed out. The Roman Empire begins to lose its hold on Gotham as Carmine Falcone is sentenced in prison and Gotham’s criminal underworld falls apart as several crime families and syndicates fight for the Roman Empire’s lost territory and strength. This war is not without its casualties as Harvey Dent's wife; Gilda Dent is attacked by Roman mobsters. This has a detrimental effect on DA Harvey Dent, but he attempts to power through as he tries to rebuild Gotham as best as he can as he wants to raise his daughter in a Gotham free of chaos and determined by order. In the smoke of the aftermath of the ordeal Carmine Falcone is sent to Blackgate Prison with no possibility of parole and the Roman Empire’s hold on Gotham begins to fall apart.

The following year in 2002 shows promise as the criminal factions of Gotham fight amongst themselves as they stake claims on the territory left weakened by the incarceration of Carmine Falcone. Left with a deteriorated hold on the underworld, Mario Falcone steps up to aggressively hold Roman territory. This of course, makes criminal trade much easier to infiltrate and manipulate to Batman’s favor. However this also causes suspicious behavior in actions spearheaded by Yuri Dimitrov which cumulates in a heist at Ace Chemicals which the caped crusader quickly stops. An investigation into Dimitrov leads him to nearby Bludhaven which is where he discovers something that could implicate his father’s company when experimental Wayne Enterprises technology falls in the hands of The Blockbuster Gang who intend to use it to annihilate their rivals, The Red Hood Gang. Working with former JSA member, John Law aka The Tarantula, Batman races against time to defuse the situation and restore peace to the city. In the aftermath, the technology is stopped but not before the leader of the Red Hood Gang is murdered in a crossfire between the corrupt police and both gangs. The death of Willis Todd would be one of Batman’s first failures which becomes clear as Willis’ son, Jason, is left with no family and shipped off to the Bludhaven foster care system as his father lies dead from a police sniper.

Returning to Gotham, it is clear to Batman that he needs to find out how Wayne Enterprises technology got into the hands of the Dimitrovs who sold it to the Blockbuster Gang in the first place— but before he can continue the investigation tragedy hits as a string of murders are reported by Victoria Vale regarding the production of a movie adaption of Basil Karlo’s “The Terror”. It becomes another race against time as the niece of Alfred Pennyworth, Daphne Pennyworth, is involved in the production and thus a target. In no time at all Batman comes to blows with the mysterious “Clayface” who is discovered to be the disgruntled Basil Karlo himself who refuses the producers to ‘ruin’ his story at any means possible—he is apprehended and sent to Blackgate Prison.

Returning to the case, he goes back to the source of the Bludhaven incident: Yuri Dimitrov. After a vicious conflict in Dimitrov’s nightclub the answers seem to fall into place, but only to ask more questions and for Batman betray the trust he gave out to his father’s business partner— Edward Nashton. The dark knight reminds himself to not act impulsively as he plans out the confrontation between himself and Edward Nashton; after research put into Nashton’s activities he discovers this enigma of a man is funneling and laundering money for his own benefit. In the end with a confrontation and a call to Detective Katherine Webb he is incarcerated. This event becomes a catalyst as Stephanie Nashton, Edward's young daughter becomes obsessed with who Batman is.

December exploited a truth to Bruce as all of the ties to one case he had been working for as it happens that Yuri Dimitrov and Edward Nashton's criminal activity links to a concerning foreign element in the city which reveals itself to be the League of Shadows itself, who have apparently survived Bruce’s attack on them when he was a member. The investigation explodes come Christmas Eve when Henri Ducard reveals to Bruce that he had indeed survived and he because of such treachery by Bruce intended to use Gotham as the blueprint for his new world but not before dealing the same punishment to Bruce that he had received at his hands and the penthouse he was throwing his party at is filled with a deadly nerve toxin—in the aftermath he is rescued by a man called Wesley Dodds who gives an antidote to those infected. Dodd’s reveals to Bruce that he’s been following a trail of strange chemicals, thefts at ACE chemicals, and other such things for several months and believes that Ra’s al Ghul intends to make Gotham suffocate on the toxin through the water supply or controlled infections of some sort. It is later revealed that Dodds is the vigilante detective known as “The Sandman”. In the end the two work together and foil the League of Shadows plot.

What happened next, some would say was inevitable as the presence of the ‘superhero’ was met with its antithesis—the ‘supervillain’. Much like in other cities around the world, Gotham’s underbelly revealed its madness to fight the righteousness of the Dark Knight. As the clock revealed a new year so did it reveal The Joker who took it into his capable hands to give a declaration back at Batman that there was nothing he could do to stop the chaos that would follow. It was here at the Gotham City Fairgrounds where The Joker revealed himself as he creates an event that would shake Gotham—the Haly’s Circus Massacre. Individuals like Gillian Loeb lose their life during this event. The massacre was random and unpredictable, something Bruce soon discovered as he found himself on patrol on the opposite end of the city. The Batman would arrive at the chaos only to realize that The Joker had disappeared without a trace into the January darkness as if he had never existed in the first place.

In the resulting months, as if following the Joker’s madness comes a wave of criminals who intend to use Gotham as their playground. The first of these happenings is with the psychopathic Niccolai Tepes who reveals his intentions with Gotham as he believes himself to be a “vampire” and fashions himself as what the Gotham Gazette refers to as “The Monk” due to the religious imagery surrounding his cult. This begins a race against time as he announces his next target: Zatanna Zatara— who happens to be the daughter of one of Bruce’s former mentors making the case all the more imperative. Tepes’ obsession with Zatanna ends with the appearance of Batman and he is taken to Arkham Asylum as an end result.

Following his battle with The Monk, Batman then has to deal with a psychopathic scientist named Karl Hellfern only weeks later. Hellfern’s intent is much more grandiose than Tepes as Batman soon comes to realize as the mad doctor attempts to use an experimental poison to extort money from the Gotham high society with the help of his assistant. Julie Madison is poisoned during the investigation and soon it becomes another race against time. Guilty of Julie being involved in the mess he soon discovers Hellfern’s identity and is upon his doorstep where he makes short work of him and his plans. As the work of the Batman continues to spread so does his reputation due to articles springing up from the Gotham Gazette which glorifies the vigilante as he protects the city from villain after villain. The next threat erupts almost on call on the streets of Gotham as a police officer named Adrian Wentworth has a mental breakdown and finds himself murdering a sales clerk immediately after sexually assaulting her. This begins a string of repeated crimes as the former police officer loses his mind. As Bruce attempts to figure out his pattern the media taunts the serial rapists with a press report that calls him “Sick Nick” which leads him to go further into his own depraved criminal actions. It comes to a point when Marcie Cooper witnesses the murder of her father but not before Nick makes it apparent that he’s content with making the teenaged girl watch him violate her mother. Batman arrives at the last second and curses that his abilities and transportation have stunted him from making such a crime not occur. Marcie becomes obsessed with the chaos of Gotham and becomes unhinged—she is admitted into Arkham Asylum months later.

With three psychopaths emerging out of nowhere Batman decides to ask a professional for his views on what was happening to Gotham so in the darkness of the night he reveals himself to Doctor Harleen Quinzel, a dedicated member of Arkham Asylum. This begins a sort of confidential relationship with the Asylum between Batman and Dr. Quinzel who is oddly all the eager to help him in his understanding of crime to prevent it, but not before trying to psycho-analyze the Dark Knight first. While his leads of the instability of The Monk, Dr. Hellfern, and Officer Wentworth lead to dead ends it seems that somebody in the city was creating such monsters or so he begins to believe.

Nearing the end of the year on Halloween, the Joker reveals himself once again as he intends to use the holiday as he ignites a bomb scare by leaking information to the Gotham Gazette that thirty-seven bombs will go off anywhere between one hour to twenty-four hours. A televised journalist announces this to the public and stirs a panic in which the Joker hijacks a local news channel to announce he will be holding a “sort of party” at Robinson Park where he intends to burn a variety of cash at large amount to celebrate the “end of Gotham”. Batman pushes himself as he finds and disables each of the bombs. The Joker is gone by the time all of the bombs are found and disabled—as if he continues to mock Batman himself with his games.

For several weeks preluding the beginning of the year, a particular case involving a string of arsons has been one of precedence for The Dark Knight. Insisting he is ready, Dick Grayson tries to find a way to put the pieces together as the police remain stumped by the actions with no real quality leads to divulge into. Using “outside of the box” thinking and his own deductive reasoning, Dick finds himself realizing that the arsons were not arsons but actual assassination attempts and that the primary suspect is one man—Garfield Lynns. A former Gotham City Fire Department member who later became Carmine “The Roman” Falcone’s number one “eraser”. Batman is impressed and commends Richard on the fact he caught on to something he overlooked—a rare event. In the confrontation with Lynns; Robin debuts and Lynns is arrested by Detective Webb before he can cause more harm thus beginning the era of the dynamic duo.

It seemed with a new era for Batman it meant a new era of crime for Gotham as well as the mysterious “Penguin” and the elusive “Scarecrow” became apparent in the city’s underworld regarding illegal arms distribution for the former and dangerous narcotics distribution for the latter. The era of the Roman Empire had been replaced by a new one—criminals who were likened to mythic figures similar to how Batman was perceived as one himself. Bruce himself becomes worried about his mission even with the addition of his new ‘soldier’ in Dick Grayson: could he ever truly stop crime if it rebirthed itself stronger and quicker? Still he combated crime to the best of his ability despite his doubts given the circular nature of crime. 2004 would prove to be a year of massive work against criminal factions for the dynamic duo when the mysterious “The Freeze” causes havoc at the local branch of Stagg Industries in Gotham City—using their cryogenic technologies to demand ‘retribution’. As Batman & Robin deal with Freeze the truth of Stagg’s criminal actions against them are revealed as well the identity of the villain in Dr. Nora Fries, but Batman quickly makes it a point that the civilians put in danger are not fair exchange for Freeze’s husband’s life being stuck in limbo. The conflict is put to an end and Nora soon finds herself apprehended by the police as she soon finds a new home in Blackgate Prison.

The height of the year would hit Gotham with the debut of “The Circus of Strange”, a strange group of entertainers that happen to be led in secret by the one man that had eluded The Dark Knight’s justice—The Joker. Rolling into the Gotham Fairgrounds, the site of the infamous massacre, the circus claims to be the friendly replacement and as such lures innocents to their show where The Joker’s chaos soon takes full advantage of. It begins as the showcases start to murder the guests and it comes to Batman & Robin to arrive to put a stop to it and revealing themselves to Gotham for the first time in broad daylight. It is here where Joker reveals himself alongside his mutated accomplice, Killer Croc. A savage and difficult fight ensues but in the end The Joker is seriously beaten and all of the psychopaths are arrested by the police as Batman & Robin disappear. This fight would prove for certainty that the existence of Batman was true to the general public, any doubts that could be left would be gone.

Recovering after the tangle with the Circus of Strange, Bruce refuses to let Robin go on duty until he fully recovers—pushing through his own injuries to make up for the intense fight at the fairgrounds. This is when he discovers Superman, the supposed Man of Steel, has visited Gotham with the intent to see who truly the Caped Crusader was and if the press coverage of the Circus of Strange were indeed true. Their conversation is interrupted by a crisis that erupts from the magical underbelly of Gotham as they revive the obscure Solomon Grundy bent on controlling him to invoke their will on Gotham which subsequently backfires. Superman & Batman cooperate to take down the seemingly indestructible zombie.

The investigation regarding the Scarecrow comes to a heading as the criminal reveals himself to Harvey Dent as he exposes the fractured district attorney with a strong dosage of his fear gas. Batman & Robin appear on the scene and are also exposed to the fear gas making the conflict difficult with The Scarecrow slipping into the darkness as the madness of fear overtakes civilian and vigilante alike. After the effects have worn off the dynamic duo slip back to the Batcave where Bruce calls in his old ally, Sandman, for answers about the chemical substance Sandman had exposed Harvey Dent to despite having an inkling that an answer could not undo what they had just experienced. This collaboration between Sand and Bat lead the heroes into a confrontation with the chemist behind all of this—Professor Jonathan Crane. The fight is a vicious one, but having information beforehand they are more prepared for the Scarecrow’s tactics and defeat him. Crane soon is locked away at Arkham Asylum.

The Scarecrow case is over, but the effects are not—Harvey Dent apparently loses his mind and goes on a breakdown as the press remarks on the ‘new’ Harvey as “Two Face”. The naming convention by the press only serves to continue Dent’s mania to the point even his daughter can’t keep him from embracing chaos. This comes into a confrontation with Harvey and Batman where he starts serving judgement on criminals, supposedly corrupt police, and other citizens in a fit of mania. In the end, Batman looks on as Harvey Dent is thrown in Arkham as his daughter looks onward with a stone heart.

James Gordon, now making Captain after four years of faith service finds himself framed by a criminal element which leads to a case where Batman goes undercover as Matches Malone once again to decipher who in the remaining Gotham criminal underworld has attacked one of his strongest allies in the Police Department. At the same time, Barbara Gordon investigates on her own as she finds herself inspired by the dynamic duo and their crusade in an attempt to clear her father’s name—Robin collaborates with this “Batgirl” as they work together to reveal the truth before it is too late. At the end it is revealed that it is the work of none other than The Penguin’s top man, Ignatius Ogilvy. The battle is difficult for the three heroes as Ogilvy’s x-gene makes him tenacious as well as resilient on various methods of attack. In the end he is defeated and the truth is revealed, cleaning Gordon’s good name for the most part. Ogilvy is apprehended by HAMMER agents.

Bruce had speculated the day would come when a threat with such power would emerge in their world where he would have to work together with other like-minded heroes though he never thought it would come down from the dark corners of outer space. This antagonist would be known as Star’ro, a parasitic alien that intended to use Earth as its breeding ground whilst it fed on the sentient life of the world. Despite being at a disadvantage, Bruce takes to his prototype ‘Batwing’ to respond to the threat which would occupy his primary concern for months as the governments of the world were overwhelmed by the force of the alien. Eventually, an alien named J’onn J’onzz reached out to Bruce and soon the caped crusader found himself fighting alongside with the other heroes of the world: Superman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Hawkgirl, The Atom, and J’onn who likened himself as the Martian Manhunter. Through their combined strength and intelligence Star’ro found itself defeated. Superman realizing the scope of what they could do together suggests forming a “Justice League” to combat threats of this scale which at the time Batman seems indifferent towards but offers them his aid if they need it. Following the case, Bruce Discovers an experimental artificial intelligence project that was scrapped called “Oracle” which he systematically re-activates and ties into his main computer in his ambiguous batcave hidden deep underneath Wayne Manor. The intelligence is tied to a branch file on a WayneTech satellite is able to detect planetary collisions and synergize with traffic cameras throughout the United States and especially Gotham. He understands this was an unfinished project that went under the radar due to the sketchiness of the legalities of the software. Knowing himself to use it for properly he adds it to his arsenal.

Not too long after this occurrence, it came to a point where the League of Shadows began to plot against Batman once again as a political activist named Olivia Ortega began vocalizing a civil protest against the politics of Gotham City which created a large group of civilians to amass at Robinson Park. The police carefully watching over the rally knew not of the Leagues intentions as a gunshot erupted in the darkness from the gun of a police officer. However, this was all changed due to an interruption by Batman as the officer who did the crime turned out to be a disguised assassin by the name of Deadshot. With cooperation, the scene avoided a potential riot at Robinson Park.

At a Justice League meeting, Batman brings up the suggestion of a training program that he has named “Titans” for repurposing sidekicks and youthful heroes into a sort of defense against lower priority villains to try to relegate the exponential increase in supervillains since the resurgence of superheroes a half-decade ago. Unfortunately, this initiative of sorts is doomed to fail as misfortune after misfortune befalls the group before Batman ultimately disbands the group at the end of the year calling it a ‘failed project’ and that as a team none of the members were truly ‘ready’. This adds friction between Robin and Batman that would have dire effects throughout the succeeding years.

The Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum for the first time, appealing to the psychological problems Dr. Harleen Quinzel has. Appearing at Gotham General in full doctor attire and on national television, The Joker challenges Batman to stop him from ‘giving everyone free healthcare’ and asserts a time limit. As Robin is away with the Titans at this time it is up to Batman & Batgirl to stop the insanity from occurring. The Joker is aided by the obscure villain, “Harlequin”, who is a handful for Batgirl as Batman deals with the Joker himself. As with all encounters it ends with The Joker being captured as well as Harlequin—revealing Dr. Harleen Quinzel’s dual personalities which gets her removed from staff at Arkham Asylum. Batman swears to fix Gotham before more people are lured into insanity and commits himself to cases even more fervently.

This also becomes the year where Batman comes at odds with mutants such as Poison Ivy and the second Clayface. This ‘mutant crisis’ is remarked by the press and HAMMER is once again called in to deal with situations after Batman has defeated them.

At a New Year’s party at the Kane Estate, Bruce Wayne discovers his cousin and childhood friend—Katherine Kane—has been released from the military and has returned home to Gotham. When the party ends he returns to Wayne Manor to gear up for the first patrol of the year. Throughout the week following a new enemy for the Batfamily debuts— Killer Moth. A con man and thief with a murderous motif named Cameron van Cleer, Killer Moth attempts to rob and murder Bette Kane’s mother. The attempt is foiled by Batman but not before injuring Robin due to his surprisingly capable martial arts. Batman ponders if he inspired the villain as he is taken by the police—only to escape them due to the aid an unknown accomplice that was unaccounted for. Killer Moth leaves Gotham as if he was never there. This event would inspire Bette Kane to idolize Robin to the point where she would want to follow in his footsteps.

Then came the first organized group of villains that the Justice League found themselves contending against, they called themselves “Injustice Gang” as an ironic counter to the Justice Leagues own name – led by the former protégé of Professor Ted Knight named Justin Ballantine who took up the alias of Libra in an organized attempt to test his prototype weapon—the Trans-mortifier, a device with theoretical flawless energy with limitless capabilities. The first battle in a chain of conflicts that lasted a year began on the outskirts of Metropolis as Libra intended to see how much nuclear energy the trans-mortifier could absorb and “redistribute”. This caused a near meltdown at the power plant in question. The members of the “Injustice Gang” who were little more than paid mercenaries to bodyguard the project prepared to contend with The Justice League. This wouldn’t be the first battle Libra and his Injustice Gang would lose.

Perhaps it was the weight of the shadow of the Bat, or all of the sleights Robin had thought had been dealt to him unfairly but in the later months of the year it finally came to a point where Dick Grayson had enough. In a discussion between him and the titular caped crusader it came to a point where it spewed into an argument and the first boy wonder retaliated with his abdication of the Robin title. Bruce was hurt and disappointed by this event, but tried to understand it as Dick Grayson disappeared for a time before reappearing in Bludhaven.

Tim Drake debuts as the second Robin months after deducing and convincing Bruce that he is the best choice to succeed Dick Grayson. Bruce likens Tim’s method as to “blackmail” though he cannot but help but admire the deductive and investigative abilities the young twelve-year old has. This would cause strife between Barbara and Bruce for a time as the red-haired vigilante speaks critically of how quickly Dick was replaced after leaving—the argument causes some friction but she stays on as Batgirl as she still believes in the Bat’s Crusade.

The year seems to run on ‘cruise control’ as the Batfamily deal with threats of metahuman, mutant, and mundane varieties—though The Penguin continues to be steps ahead of them as his identity never comes out outright, always having a fall guy in place for whatever scheme he or she is planning. The most notable thing to occur is the murder of the Mayor of Gotham by an anarchist influenced by Batman named “Anarky” tearing the political spectrum wide open in Gotham. Those with a stake in the mayoral seat are many and most seem to be favoring one man— Oswald Cobblepot. As this political scene changes, the organized crime element begins to as well as the Golden Dragons find themselves at odds with a vigilante by the name of Katana, and new drug syndicates pop up in the shadow of The Scarecrow’s absence.

The year ends with a corrupt politician named to a cross outside a cathedral.

The next year looks... like a handful for the Dark Knight.

Prof. Wesley Dodds – A scientist, inventor, detective, and professor; Wesley Dodds is one of Batman’s oldest and most trusted allies. Due to his expert knowledge of chemistry he finds himself a well-regarded ally amongst Batman’s circle that has in the past been invaluable in the pursuit of protecting Gotham from everyone from The Scarecrow to the League of Shadows. Dodds fights crime under the shadows of night through prophetic dreams and his own deductive skills as “The Sandman”.

Tim Drake – Son of Jack Drake of FoxTech, and the current Robin. Attending Brentwood Academy.

Lucius Fox – The genius inventor and adviser to Bruce Wayne, suspects Bruce is Batman due to the vigilantes arsenal of technology but never asks out of fear of the answer.

Barbara Gordon – Gotham vigilante known as Batgirl, currently attending the University of Gotham.

James Gordon – A high ranking member of the GCPD and an ally for the Batfamily.

Richard “Dick” Grayson – Bludhaven vigilante known as Nightwing, former Robin.

Mary-Elizabeth “Bette” Kane – Bruce's cousin who idolizes Robin. Her trust fund has gone to some weird investments in FoxTech and other firms since graduating from Brentwood Academy.

Katherine Kane – Bruce's cousin who served in the military who has been discharged for "psychological reasons" though Bruce suspects there is more to it than that.

John Law – A former superhero of the JSA known as The Tarantula, and an ally in Bludhaven. Mostly retired or mentoring his protege.

Alfred Pennyworth – Bruce's most trusted mentor and friend. A former British military officer who turned to security consulting when he moved to the United States in the mid-seventies. Pennyworth became situated in Gotham City where he met Thomas Wayne at a fundraiser where the two started up a friendship. The British professional's firm personality and unfaltering morals became the traits that made Thomas pick him as his most trusted confidant and the guardian of his son in case of his demise. Alfred’s wife bore a child named Julia who has proven herself as an acknowledged attorney before she was elected as Gotham’s ADA. Alfred is currently widowed, losing his wife years ago to cancer, and despite his misgivings aids Bruce in his guise as Batman.

Julia Pennyworth – The district attorney of Gotham City, and Alfred’s daughter. Julia has had a complicated relationship with the caped crusader but has found an ally out of his results.

Victoria “Vikki” Vale – A reporter and journalist residing in Gotham City who writes for the Gotham Gazette and reports for GNN. She has had a passing relationship with Bruce Wayne in the past but doesn’t assume of the connection between him and Batman.

Katherine Webb – A detective on the GCPD who was one of Bruce's earliest allies as Batman. A no-nonsense police officer with a strong sense of morality, she has been one of few in the GCPD to avoid corruption during The Roman Empire's influence.

Tatsu Yamashiro – A vigilante who has been fighting the Golden Dragons triad in Chinatown.

Clayface I – Basil Karlo donned the "Clayface" persona to punish people who were ruining his novel in a movie adaption. Blackgate Prison.

Clayface II - Preston Payne was a scientist and mutant, who reeked havoc when his x-gene turned him into a monster. SHIELD prison.

Firefly – Garfield Lynns was a arsonist, firefighter, and mob eraser. Blackgate Prison.

The Freeze – Dr. Nora Fries was a cryogenic scientist who suffered a breakdown during an incident at Stagg Industries in Gotham. Blackgate Prison.

Harlequin – Dr. Harleen Quinzel was a psychologist with dual personalities who was influenced by The Joker. Arkham Asylum.

Hush – Unknown.

The Joker – A notorious anarchist, murderer, saboteur, and madman. Arkham Asylum.

Killer Moth – A obscure thief who eluded capture, likely used an assumed name.

Poison Ivy – Pamela Isley was a mutant who found herself in conflict with Batman. SHIELD facility.

Ra’s al Ghul – The Demon's Head and leader of the League of Shadows; former mentor to Bruce.

The Scarecrow – Professor Jonathan Crane was a psychologist and chemist who infected Gotham with a drug that immersed people with fear. Arkham Asylum.

Two Face – Former DA Harvey Dent who broke down after being exposed to an attack on his wife, fear gas, and constant corruption. Arkham Asylum.

Ace Chemicals - The core asset of Bludhaven owned Walker Industries, ACE Chemicals is a chemical processing and transportation company that deals in a variety of industries. A branch of the company often works closely with Professor Hugo Strange and other scientists in chemical advancements. Its R&D head is Doctor Marc Legrande.

Arkham Enterprises - Founded in 1962 by an entrepreneur in the Arkham family, Arkham Enterprises specializes itself as a real estate empire that owns several high revenue businesses such as Marcielios, Tobacconists Club, the Burton & Associates Investment Firm, the High Towers Casino, and Club Vesuvius. The current business head is Jeremiah Arkham.

The Asylum for the Mentally & Criminally Insane - Nicknamed the "Arkham Asylum" after its founder, Amadeus Arkham who started the institution in the early 20th century. It is separated into two wings: the voluntary wing and the criminal wing. In its most recent history it has had two Directors who have run the facility namely Paul Quinzel and Hugo Strange. Psychologist Magdalene Kyle works directly under the director of the facility.

Brentwood Academy - Known for it's subtitle: the "Gotham Academy for Higher Learning & Arts" and often shortened down to as GAHLA, the academy is a preparatory private school that is highly prestigious located in New Jersey. The Gotham high society educate their children here, although in recent years a scholarship program has admitted special cases who don't fit the financial criteria. The academy runs grades 2-12 with advanced courses and distinct extracurricular activities (such as archery, gymnastics, etc.).

FoxTech Incorporated - Founded by Lucius Fox with financial backing from Jack Drake, FoxTech Incorporated has been an affiliate of Wayne Enterprises for the last ten years primarily focused in technological innovations and Gotham industry. A good portion of security systems in the Gotham-Bludhaven area are designed at FoxTech. Their main competitor is Star Labs, an affiliate of Queen Industries.

Stagg Industries-Gotham - The Gotham branch of Stagg Industries is another competitor to Wayne Enterprises and is known for its previous employment of Victor & Nora Fries. It is currently repairing damage done to their facilities due to heavy frost damage.

The University of Gotham - The ivy league university of the Gotham-Bludhaven residents was established in 1901 by the Kane family, originally named Kane College it was systematically renamed in 1948. It serves with highly sought after psychology courses, business courses, and the liberal arts.

It was finished—the replacement module to the motorcycle I’ve been using had finally all come together and I’m rather content with what it appears to be. I glance over to Alfred as I began to explain the vehicle before each of us in the hangar of the Batcave.

“This is something I’ve needed since the very beginning of my mission. It’s all but indestructible, operates on a jet turbine engine and has night-vision head-lamps so it can run in total darkness.”

To call this development of technology special would be what I’d refer to as an understatement and I believe that as I speak to Alfred, who in the last few months has changed much from the old family friend that helped me to become who I am today. It is a surprise how Alfred has helped me this past year; all with a soft smile. But I suppose it all ties back into on my father’s request that was written in the will, but the lengths he has gone and the secrets he is going to have to keep make me wonder about the lengths. Alfred was my guardian and now he is my closest friend—and that is worth something to me. However, there are many questions going on in my head about Alfred; mostly due to the inexplicable way I can’t read his emotions like I can anybody else—in a way it’s irritating but also intimidating. What had Alfred seen and done before he came to Gotham to be so?

"It’s an impressive piece of technology.”

I’m sure Alfred is more impressed that this piece of technology was created in secret with no traces back to the name of Bruce Wayne. It’s amazing what you can do with discretion and a little edge with Lucius Fox, a man who used to work for my father and like Alfred showed me something about aged loyalty.

I cross my arms as I sit there in the cowl, staring carefully at the vehicle for a moment before answering Alfred’s compliment.

“Indeed.” My voice is cold as I approach the vehicle. I have no time to test it; an informant has given me vital intelligence that Yuri Dimitrov, an enemy of “The Roman Empire” is making his move on a large freight shipment from Ace Chemicals. If I let any mobster get a hold on that supply innocents will be harmed and I cannot allow that; not now and not ever.

“Drive safe, Bruce.”

I nod as I enter the batmobile—with this I can cut off the freight shipment and make an ambush for Dimitrov and anyone else that knows about this shipment of government grade chemicals. It was a good investment—and it’s certainly faster than anything else I have in my arsenal. Thinking back to the whole issue with the Justice League and Starro a thought comes to me as I blast out of the batcave: one of these with wings would be rather handy. I make a note to myself to take up flight lessons and investigate the issue later.

It seems like I’m operating at lightspeed through the dark and seemingly abandoned streets—sliding around what little traffic there is at this hour. Ace Chemicals is on the entirely other side of Gotham—about an hour and a half from the batcave—yet when I arrive at the chemical warehouse and processing plant I arrive in less than half of the time. I’m impressed to see it at work, I really am—but I can’t be grinning over my mode of transportation while counteracting criminals.

The cockpit of the vehicle slides open as I carefully make sure it’s succumbed in the darkness where few would notice it and prepare my body for what I’m about to do. I move quickly, using my grappling device to get to a quality vantage point—prepared to spot the ambush and the freight that is to be put in transit in due time. When these Russian gangsters decide to reveal themselves they will be in for the worst night of their lives—I won’t go easy on them. I’m prepared and patient.

In this time I tap into the ORACLE network.

“Command: Detect suspicious activity near Ace Chemicals 12, Gotham City—New Jersey.” I whisper as the information gathering satellite and artificial intelligence goes to work. ORACLE is like a watchtower tucked up in space; ready to inform on any given situation at a time. I’m still surprised after its launch it was designated into the equivalent of a floating metal rock. The pitch for it by WayneTech was to sell it the GCPD as well as Gotham General to use to predict car accidents, robberies, and all sorts of observational issues. It was the last project that our former WayneTech head Lucius Fox developed before he resigned from the company and formed Fox Technologies.

I don’t use it for car accidents. I use it in my mission.

“{Three vehicles incoming location at erratic speeds.}” The A.I. informs me and I prepare the ambush.

Three cars arrive—the truck isn’t even in transit, they are deciding to cut it off before it makes too much noise. There are ten of them in total and they’ve just made a big mistake. I reach into my utility belt and hit a switch; I’ve hacked a nearby phone-line: I’ve set up an automated 9-1-1 distress call. The cops won’t arrive until I’m done, but these criminals will be all set up for them, I’ll make sure of that.

I have a few minutes to take down ten armed criminals before the police arrive.

They have no chance.

One of them comments about how this will be ‘too easy’ as he overlooks the Ace Chemicals truck—the driver inside is dependent on Batman to save him from this heist. He’s noticed them and he’s about to leave the truck to question them who they are. My hand reaches to my utility belt and pressed a button down and the power drops for the whole city block—this will operate for ten minutes. Ten minutes is more than enough time for me to work— aiming a device I fire at one of them as they begin to get scared. I’ve operated in Gotham for about a year now and they understand that I’m there watching—waiting—ready to end their little activity. The device I fired holds a tranquillizer capsule of my own design that’s built into my gauntlets. It’s effective and filled with a non-lethal dose of experimentally modified fentanyl—people struck by it are out within seconds.

The capsule breaks—letting out the fentanyl-based gas into a thick smoke, the two caught in the blast try to catch their breath and cover their mouth but it’s too late as all it needs is a few seconds to get into your system.

THUD!

THUD!

Two down.

The other criminals are screaming. They have no clue.

The darkness is my weapon—these Russian mobsters aren’t even equipped with flashlights. That’s too bad.

Gliding downward I take two of the scared mobsters on my way down—their nearest friend aims a gun at me and I’m attempted to smirk, I don’t of course—even as I shoot out my batclaw; the grappling hook tossing and propelling his gun far from us. His face drops and he blinks—I’m in front of him and he’s soon on the ground.

Five more to go—gunfire is propelled in my general direction as I roll behind an industrial dumpster—dropping a general smoke pellet in the process. As I land I prepare a batarang as I toss it in the opposite direction of where I’m hiding; it clanks against an old chevy Malibu which attracts their attention towards it and dropping their guard. One of the mobsters goes closer to the car to investigate while the other four stick close. Before these four realize it I’m behind them and another smoke pellet drops and I begin disarming them and causing them great discomfort… great pain. The noise frightens the lone guard but he’s the only one left.

He’s all alone.

He begins to panic and starts to run. I aim my batclaw at his legs.

THWIP!

CRACK!

He’s on the ground and I can hear the police sirens. I look back to the freight truck—the Driver’s been in there the whole time, he’s scared. His eyes meet mine for a second, but before he realizes anything I’m gone—back into the night. Back into Gotham.

Just another night in my mission.

"The Year is One!"

Angela Roth was a teenage delinquent in 1981, having dropped out of Gotham County Middle School at age 12. After a falling out with her conservative Christian parents over a boyfriend, Angela ran away from home, and struggled to get by alone in the city's underbelly. Vulnerable and afraid, she quickly gravitated to a place that offered sanctuary and acceptance: the Church of Zandia. Led by a charismatic occultist named Sebastian Blood, the Church of Zandia were a seemingly New-Age commune who lived on a small farm outside the city, and while the most treasured secrets of the Church were only known to Sebastian and his chosen inner circle, all members were welcome to strive for enlightenment over time. They promised Angela understanding and security in a troubled materialistic world, and Angela spent her teenage years opening her mind to old, hidden knowledge and experimenting with psychedelic drugs. In 1986, at age 18, Angela was welcomed into the inner circle, and given the name 'Arella.'

Once part of the Inner Circle, Sebastian revealed to Arella the true nature of the Church of Zandia. They were worshippers not of nature or some vague pagan life-spirits, but of a beyond-ancient entity known as Trigon. According to Sebastian, Trigon was a bringer of change, an agent that would in time sweep away the evils and inequities of the world, and in its wake bring about a shining new dawn. The Church's mission, then, was to prepare the world for Trigon's coming, and prepare themselves for the purification of humanity. Arella was initially troubled by the implications of this, but her supporters within the Church comforted her and assured her it would all be for the best.

While spreading the good word of the Church in New York City in 1989, Arella met a struggling young actor named Keith Richardson. Despite her vows of celibacy and loyalty to the Church, she felt immensely attracted to Keith, and found herself inventing reasons to keep coming back to Manhattan to meet him. This did not go unnoticed by Sebastian and the rest of the inner circle, who sternly warned her against the temptations of this outsider and threatened severe punishment for disobedience. Meanwhile, Keith, a skeptic towards the supernatural, pleaded with Arella to come to her senses, that the Church was nothing more than a lunatic cult. This, combined with her already growing unease about the nature of the Trigon entity they worshipped, eventually caused Arella to run away from the Church, moving in with Keith in a small gothic apartment building in Manhattan.

Keith and Angela--having disowned the 'Arella' moniker-- were married in February of 1990, and conceived a child on their wedding night. Angela's pregnancy was without complications, but her relationship with Keith drew strained, between her husband's frequent absence, their financial troubles, and an increasing feeling of paranoia that Sebastian and the Church had been following them.

Nine months later, on Halloween Night of 1990, Angela delivered a baby girl, whom they named Rachel. Upon seeing their daughter, Keith began to laugh, not the laugh of a proud father, but of a madman who had seen a plan come together. To her horror, Angela saw the door to the delivery room open to reveal Sebastian Blood, who knelt before her husband and referred to him as 'Master.' "Keith Richardson," the handsome young man who had delivered her from the madness of the Church, was none other than Trigon itself, a malevolent force bent on the destruction of mankind, and their daughter, a hybrid of human and demon, would be the key to his victory. She had unwittingly brought about the birth of the Anti-Christ, the bringer of Armageddon. Triumphant, Sebastian and his Master took the newborn Rachel and left Angela, alone and half-mad from terror.

"It's all for you......."

The Church of Zandia and their Master spent a year preparing the infant Rachel, performing obscene rituals in her presence to strengthen the demonic influence in her hybrid blood. In her, they would have not just a loyal soldier of the armies of Hell, but a queen over all mortals and all of the damned, who would march their legions to the gates of Heaven itself, and burn them down.

However, there are few things even the forces of evil can do to stem the power of a mother's love. Angela Roth, having recovered from the trauma of her child's true nature, spent that same year tracking the Church down. With the help of a supernaturally-inclined investigator named John Constantine, the former Arella found Sebastian and his cult. On the night of Rachel's first birthday, Angela and Constantine broke into the accursed temple, interrupting a blood ritual that would seal her daughter's loyalty to Trigon. Confronting her seducer "Keith" once more, Angela drew a gun and shot him through the head, destroying Trigon's mortal vessel and banishing him back to his infernal realm. She turned and shot Sebastian several times as well, and though he survived the shooting, he was too grievously wounded to prevent her from taking back her daughter.

Angela and Rachel spent the next few years on the run, avoiding the attention of Sebastian Blood and his followers. All the while, Rachel's infernal influence would spread over the people they encountered in their travels-- people who were kind to her would unexpectedly come into great fortune or land their dream job, a bully who harrassed her on the street was struck and killed by a drunk driver later that day. A priest who pressured Rachel and her mother to convert dropped dead of a heart attack mere hours after they left his church, which itself burned to the ground the same week. A town who passed strict laws to drive out their homeless population was ravaged by a tornado days after Rachel and her mother were forced to leave.

More and more, as Rachel became aware of herself and what she could do, she felt terrible for the things that had happened to those in her wake. She felt powerless in the face of her fate, and ashamed of the evil within her blood. More than anything, though, she felt alone.

Angela taught Rachel meditation, to control her emotional outbursts, and reign in the supernatural influence she had on others. However, she still needed an outlet for her abilities, and so she turned to smaller, more practical means of manipulating the world around her: magic. She spent the majority of her childhood researching various cultures and their rituals, their systems of asserting human will over nature, and picked up on them with unnatural ease. By her tenth birthday, Rachel was among the most knowledgeable and powerful witches on Earth.

"Miribale dictu, don't you agree?"

At age eleven, Rachel saw things that would change the course of her life. She had spent so long trying to deny her abilities, to keep her head down and stay out of trouble, that it had never even occurred to her that she could use her powers against the forces of darkness. That changed in 2001, with the arrival of the Superman, and the Batman and Wonder Woman following soon after. Like the all-but-forgotten Justice Society of decades past, these were people, beings with abilities far beyond those of mortal men, who used their power but did not exert their power over humanity, who fought against evil and never succumbed to it.

Rachel Roth saw these people and realized she could be among them. She would not be a demon or an angel, she rejected becoming a god or a devil. She would be a superhero.

Over the next two years, Rachel began training herself, combining her studies of magic into immensely powerful yet quick and practical spells. She imbued her demonic essence into moxes, blood-red jewels that stored and amplified her magical abilities at a moment's notice. She put together a crude but effective costume, a dark blue cloak over a black leotard (in keeping with superheroes wearing 'tights'), and dyed her hair purple for good measure. At age thirteen, she snuck away from her mother and hit the streets of Jump City, donning the codename "Raven" and set out in search of evil to fight.

Tragically, while she was out looking for trouble, evil came calling. The Church of Zandia finally caught up to Angela Roth, demanding that she reveal the location of her daughter. Rather than lose Rachel to Sebastian's followers once more, Angela took her own life, leaping out of a tenth-story window and taking her daughter's safety to the grave. Upon finding out what happened to her mother, Rachel swore revenge, and dedicated the existence of Raven to hunting and destroying Sebastian Blood and his cult.

For the next three years, Raven traveled alone, rooting out the Church and stumbling upon other sinister cults at work. Indeed, Trigon was hardly the only evil entity bent on destroying mankind-- Dormammu and his Mindless Ones, Neron and the Wish-Weavers, Mephisto and his son Blackheart, and many others. Some, upon realizing who Rachel truly was, attempted to sway her to their camp, but most either tried to kill her or fled from her in terror. While Raven fought cultists and lesser demons, she grew no closer to finding Blood himself, and grew increasingly frustrated by her repeated failure. She had immense power, but lacked the connections and resources she needed to seek and destroy Trigon's infernal church for good.

"The dreams of youth are the regrets of maturity."

In 2007, as Raven found herself wishing for a network of connections and better resources, the mighty Justice League began attempting to plan for its future. Gathering the small collection of protégés and 'sidekicks' that certain League members had been training, they then opened the fold to include other teenage superheroes....including Raven. Led by Batman's protégé Robin, the 'Teen Titans' were sent to aid in crisis situations, investigate potential low-level threats, and deal with villains that didn't require the full attention of the League.

One of their first expeditions was in response to an unidentified flying object touching down in San Francisco, to assess the situation and defuse any potential threats before SHIELD or the military could mobilize. Upon reaching the landing site, they found a young humanoid female, who rushed towards the Titans and grabbed Raven, kissing her on the mouth. Quickly apologizing and explaining she needed direct connection to a compatible nervous system to absorb the native language, the girl introduced herself as Koriand'r (the name roughly translating to 'Star Fire'), Princess and Champion of the planet Tamaran. She had come to Earth to do roughly the same task the Titans had been dispatched to carry out-- assess the planet and defuse potential threats to interstellar peace. After introducing her to the League, Starfire was welcomed into the Titans.

For roughly a year, the Teen Titans fought against minor villains like Doctor Light, the HIVE, and the telekinetic Psimon. During that time, they began to bond. Starfire became particularly attached to Raven, always attempting to 'cheer up' the perpetually dour and cynical witch girl, and despite her outward annoyance at Kori's sunny disposition, Raven became loyal and protective of her new friend.

Friendship was hardly the only bond growing in a team of teenagers in a high-stress environment, however-- romantic entanglements between team members sprang up quickly, and often grew ugly. Raven tried her best to keep clear of the emotional drama between teammates apparently eager to have their hearts broken, but even she could not stay detached forever. Eventually, rivalries between boys trying to date the same girl, betrayals of one Titan cheating on another, resentment and depression from unrequited crushes, and numerous other volatile realities of teenage life caused the Titans to begin to splinter.

The splintering became a shattering when Sebastian Blood and his Church reemerged, baiting Raven into a final confrontation. While Raven prepared for the war she had always wanted, Blood had secretly hired an assassin named Deathstroke to eliminate the other Titans. Delving into their secrets and playing their emotions against each other, Deathstroke made it impossible for the Titans to act as a unit to defeat him, and one by one, he dismantled the team. Only direct intervention from the League saved the Titans' lives, but the physical damage dealt was paltry compared to the damage he had done to the team. Realizing they were unable to trust each other, the Titans disbanded, leaving Raven to fight Brother Blood and the Church alone.

Raven had grown tremendously in power, both in magical ability and in her demonic influence, and so she swept the Church's disciples away with ease. When confronting Sebastian, however, and remembering all of the pain and suffering he had caused to both her and her mother, she lost control of herself, and gave in to her demonic spirit....just as Sebastian had planned. By killing him and surrendering to her unholy rage, Raven would open the portal to Trigon's realm and bring about the end times....

....however, his plan was derailed by the unexpected interference of Starfire, who arrived to save her friend and throw Sebastian Blood into the infernal portal herself. With the threat of Brother Blood gone and Trigon sealed away once again, Raven regained control, and the two of them patched their wounds and celebrated their victory over cold pizza and a long talk about what to do next.

"Free will, it is a b*tch."

In the two years since defeating Brother Blood, Raven and Starfire have moved into an apartment in Jump City, and started a small business together. 'Roth and Anders Paranormal Investigations' specializes in fringe cases, dealing with either the occult (Ms. Roth's specialty) or UFOs and alien abductions (Ms. Anders' area of expertise), and splitting the profits 50/50 when dealing with run-of-the-mill super villains. While they are no longer affiliated with the Justice League and avoid the other former Titans whenever possible, they do maintain contacts within the hero community, and hold themselves up to the same standards as any Leaguer-- no killing, no civilian casualties, no government dirty-work, no excuses. All they ask in return is a reasonable fee for their services, and that you please try to refrain from dabbling in interstellar politics or powers-man-was-not-meant-to-know from now on.

Jump City is a moderately-sized city along the East Coast, about an hour north of Baltimore. It was a relatively unsung little town compared to the big 'cape cities' like Metropolis and Gotham, which made it a perfect place for professionals and young entrepreneurs who wanted to be somewhere near where the action is without having to worry about being gassed by killer clowns or having their businesses crushed by invading aliens. Not unlike Austin or San Francisco, its younger average citizenry and its dependence on the tech industry has made it a haven for Generation-Y millennials, with a more Bohemian atmosphere than most of its neighboring cities.

Even the villains of Jump City are more novel-performance-artists than homicidal masterminds. The occasional spree of someone like the Mad Mod or Mister Twister has more in common with a flash-mob than it does with an attack from the Joker or Brainiac. As a result, the citizens of Jump City treat super-activity with an almost 'touristy' air.

That said, the city does have its fair share of genuine threats. Intergang has fingers in Jump City, as does a particularly nasty gang known as the Hangmen. And while Raven is quick to stomp out the influence of the Church of Zandia wherever she finds it, the city is big enough that not every occultist and demon-worshipper is going to be noticed.....

Princess Koriand'r (alias "Kori Anders," codename "Starfire") is the Crown Princess of Tamaran, a world inhabited by tactilopaths-- beings who can read the thoughts of others as long as they are in physical contact with them. After three years on Earth, she has assimilated much of various human cultures, but is always eager and excited to learn more. In many ways, Kori is the polar opposite of Raven: extroverted, optimistic, socially and sexually aggressive, scientifically minded, and explosively emotional. Their differences allow them to balance out the extremes in their life-- she is the yang to Raven's yin, so to speak, and the most loyal friend Rachel has ever had. The fact that she possesses superhuman strength, the ability to fly, and can project explosive blasts of plasma at enemies certainly doesn't hurt, either.

Timothy Hunter owns a small bookstore in Jump City, specializing in old and obscure books-- and one of Rachel's favorite places to frequent. Timothy inherited the bookstore from his parents, and more often than not seems actively determined to persuade customers not to buy his books. One of his ancestors was hanged in the old Witch Trials of the 17th century, and as such he has a fascination with occultism and witchcraft, although he doesn't believe in any of it.

Danny Chase is a local blogger and superhero enthusiast who has fancied himself as the "unofficial sidekick" of Raven and Starfire-- wherever they go, he invariably shows up with a camera and tablet in hand. He's a little annoying and probably has a thing for the two of them, but generally he's harmless.

Madame Xanadu is a fortune teller of indeterminate age, by appearance no older than thirty, but by her speech and demeanor, possibly centuries old. While she never reveals much about herself, she will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about yourself.

Sebastian Blood is the demon-worshipping cult leader who oversaw the events that led to Rachel's birth, as well as her mother's death. He was the voice and right hand of Trigon in the mortal realm, until Starfire threw him into a portal to Hell and sealed him away. While Brother Blood seems to be gone for now, his influence is still felt....and 'gone for now' and 'gone for good' are two very different things.....

The Hangmen are a vicious street gang who have taken up residence in Jump City, and are one of the few organizations actively seeking to kill Raven and Starfire. Imbued with metahuman abilities and cybernetic implants, the five leaders of the Hangmen are often the biggest threat to public safety in the city.

Blackfire is Komand'r, Starfire's older sister and the disgraced former Princess of Tamaran. An opportunist and power-mongerer, Komand'r betrayed her homeworld during an invasion of the Citadel Empire, in the hopes that joining the winning side would grant her favor in the new order. However, when the Tamaranians rallied around her younger sister and repelled the invasion, she was stripped of her titles and exiled, and has spent years scraping by as a petty criminal. As a result, the disparagingly named 'Blackfire' hates her sister, and has obsessively tracked her down to Earth, where she intends to take her revenge.

Jinx is a witch like Raven, and was her opposite on a team known as the Fearsome Five who clashed with the Teen Titans. She gained her powers by making a deal with Klarion, a Lord of Chaos, and as such, uses her abilities as more of a trickster than a conqueror, causing disruption and mischief for its own sake. Despite this, she is an immensely powerful spellcaster, and relishes in squaring off with Raven.

Doctor Light is one of the few genuinely threatening villains to have set up shop in Jump City, a powerful super-criminal who can use his light-bending powers in myriad ways. On top of being a megalomaniac and sadist, he is a shameless lecher, and it is little coincidence that he has claimed a city protected by a pair of teenage girls as his territory.

History of The Foot Clan

There is not a group more tied to the shadows of Japanese history and mythology than the shinobi, or ninja. Solid historical records of their methods and missions are rare, leading myth and fact to blend into one. Stories of ninja controlling the elements, walking on water, and turning invisible are as common place as reverence regarding their prowess in the martial arts and the art of assassination. History knows they existed. History knows they were masters of espionage and assassination, hired only by the most powerful of shoguns to ensure their power. But the records tell us little else. The myths and tales of the ancient land tell us of the clandestine families and guilds that made up the mythical bands. Cult-like in training, demeanor, and fanaticism, the ninja clans of old were feared as much as they were respected.

None were more feared than the infamous Foot Clan.

The Foot’s story, for those who are brave enough to tell it, began with the Samurai Takeshi Tatsuo. Tatsuo was a fierce warrior, and the leader of daimyo Ashikaga Yuu’s armies. The feudal lord often marveled at his general’s ability to win him battles against his rivals, but Yuu was an insecure man. He saw the way his men idolized and respected Tatsuo. Fearing a betrayal, the daimyo sent his most trusted and skilled men to ambush and kill the samurai during his yearly sabbatical to the snowy peak of a nearby mountain. The men failed to kill Tatsuo, and were cut down by the now ronin. Tatsuo did not come out unscathed, however. The battle cost him his leg, and he believed he would die from the wound. As he lay amidst the bodies of his fallen enemies, a beautiful woman emerged seemingly from thin air. Using powerful magic, she healed the ronin’s wound and restored his leg. She introduced herself as Kitsune, and claimed Tatsuo had a destiny to rule the land. Still delirious from the battle and the healing magic, Takeshi spotted his own, bloody footprint in the snow. From that day he decided to take his own destiny as leader of The Foot.

Tatsuo and Kitsune worked quickly to strengthen their cause. The ronin infiltrated his old army and gathered the considerable number of troops who were loyal to him. Under the cover of darkness, they slaughtered those that opposed them, and the ronin took his former master’s life, ironically causing the one thing Yuu feared the most.

Now a daimyo in his own right, Tatsuo began training his men as not only samurai, but as the ninja shadow warriors. Using dark magic learned from Kitsune, the Foot soon became the most feared force in all of Asia. Their influence spread quickly over Japan, and soon few opposed them.

In order to bring honor back to Japan, a final, desperate assault was undertaken by a shogun named Oroku Maji and his renegade band of samurai. Maji and his men managed to trap and kill Kitsune while she was unguarded, throwing Tatsuo’s forces into disarray. In the confusion, Maji and the Foot’s leader squared off, with the Shogun coming out victorious. With his dying words, however, Takeshi put a curse on the Oroku family, and promised to return.

With their leaders gone, The Foot retreated into the shadows of the world. They became a respected group of mercenaries and spies once the dust settled. They remained in the shadows, but never again desired domination or dark magic.

Rise of the Shredder

That is until the rise of Oroku Saki. Saki, a descendant of Maji, joined the organization his family had once so honorably fought against. Thanks to a merciless and sinister desire for power, Saki quickly gained the Foot’s leadership. Where it had long been a force of honor after the death of Tatsuo, Saki warped the Foot into a criminal and terrorist powerhouse within years. The Foot was once again a force of fear, and Oroku Saki was a name few spoke of without looking over their shoulder. Most called him by a name he gained from his rise through the ranks: The Shredder.

Saki started his covert war for domination by launching attacks on the Yakuza of Japan, who quickly fell under the dominion of The Foot. Using the Yakuza’s respectable false-front businesses, Saki gained the capital to spread his influence elsewhere, and set his sights on New York.

While most in The Foot were seduced by Saki’s promises of power and wealth, a young man by the name of Hamato Yoshi was not. He openly defied Saki and fled to New York with his wife Tang Shen and pet rat Splinter, unaware that the city was Saki’s next desired conquest.

Saki, petty and vengeful as he was, hunted the pair down personally when he arrived in America. He murdered Shen, and mocked Yoshi when he returned home from work. The two shinobi fought, but the Shredder dispatched him swiftly. During the struggle, Splinter’s cage was opened. As his master died, the faithful rat jumped at Saki’s face and clawed at it, disfiguring the ninja master. Before the Shredder could kill the rodent, Splinter escaped into the sewers of New York.

Shredder, now without any opposition that knew of his plans, set about taking over New York. What he thought would be a quick conquest turned into a quagmire, however. He did not count on the entrenched boss of NYC, known only as the Kingpin, to put up such a fight.

Birth of Hope

While Shredder was just getting started in New York, an event of happenstance would start a ripple that would one day create a tidal wave of change in the city. While walking home from the pet store with four baby turtles, a young by watched as a teenager saved a blind man from being struck by an out of control truck. The truck rocked back and forth as it swerved, ejecting a canister of radioactive ooze from its bed. The canister struck the heroic teenager in the face, exposing his eyes to the ooze, before it slammed into the turtles’ bowl. The canister and the four turtles tumbled into the sewers, where the vial shattered completely and covered the baby amphibians.

As it happened, Splinter wandered by, and gathered the baby turtles out of the ooze, covering himself in the substance as well. Little did he know, he had been hunted by a feral cat for nearly a mile, and when he stopped, it took the chance to pounce on the hapless rat. Splinter fought for his life, and managed to claw the cat’s eye out, but not before it too was covered in the radioactive substance.

Splinter took the turtles back to his nest, and quickly found they were all growing at an unbelievable rate. Not only that, but they were all becoming more intelligent. Splinter, now mentally and physically maturing to his advanced age, realized the substance was changing them on a cellular level. They were becoming large, strong, and smart. With his now human-like intelligence, Splinter remembered the danger of Oroku Saki and what threat he posed to New York. He decided then to raise the turtles as his own, and to teach them to fight injustice.

He named the turtles Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello, the names taken from a scrap of an old book in his nest. The five of them found a comfortable home in an old, clean sewer antechamber that was no longer in use, and Splinter began their training.

Out of the Sewers, Into the Streets

The turtles grew together, and they quickly developed their own personalities, as all children do. Leonardo, the eldest, took their calling as protectors very seriously. He had a strict code of honor, and idolized the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, and Superman. Leo was not adverse to having fun with his brothers, but often found the burden of leading his brothers difficult. Raphael, next in line, was the biggest and strongest of the four. He was usually quiet, though had an explosive temper. Still, his loyalty to his family was unmatched. Michelangelo was the loud, funny, and slightly-obnoxious member of the group. As the youngest, he was often getting into trouble. Donatello was observant, brilliant, and far less interested in his family’s combat training than the others. Each one brought something special to the table, but together they were stronger than they could ever be apart.

Splinter had kept them safe in the sewers for sixteen years, but he knew the time was coming for them to rise to the surface. On his sojourns into the city, he saw how the war between The Foot and the Kingpin was intensifying. The people of New York needed protection, and his sons could provide it.

Giving each of them their own weapon, Splinter sent his sons to the surface to begin gathering intel needed to fight The Foot. Leonardo was in charge of keeping his brothers on task, but even he was taken aback by his first nights in New York. He had never seen anything quite so beautiful, and he and his brothers enjoyed their nights on the town to the fullest. The watched the humans go about their business, ate pizza (which quickly became their favorite food), and even took in a movie.

But the harshness of reality snapped into focus when the brothers watched as a group of Kingpin’s men perform a drive-by shooting. The four brothers chased the murderers down. After an easy fight, they warned their new enemies that injustice would no longer stand in New York.

In the coming weeks they continued to clash with the Kingpin while also coming in contact with The Foot’s ninja army. Splinter was correct in thinking the war between the two had reached a boiling point. The Foot and Kingpin's empires were now in direct conflict, and innocent people were paying the price. The police were powerless to stop the escalating conflict, and the heroes of New York were the only line of defense. Leonardo struggled with the horrors of real battle, and worried that he was not fit to lead his brothers. They were behind him, and he hid it well, but his indecision was constantly following him.

That didn't mean the Turtles were alone in their fight, however. In the first weeks above the sewers, the allied themselves with student April O'Neil, her boyfriend-turned-vigilante Casey Jones, and the Purple Dragons, a vigilante gang led by Casey's cousin Angel.

Leonardo and his family now stand as one of the few barricades to open warfare in the streets of New York. He will have to fight his own teenage insecurities to help save the city he loves from the desires of Oroku Saki. The path he and his family will be lead on will take them to their limit, not to mention places they would have never dreamed of.

Splinter - The Turtles' father, sensei, and guide through life. Splinter is kind, patient, and deeply wise. While the mutation gave them all human-like intelligence, Splinter seems to have deeper knowledge of unknown origin. He cares for his adoptive sons greatly, and has come to consider April, Casey, and Angel as part of their growing family. He fears for them as they fight against the forces of evil. Splinter and Leonardo talk privately about the burdens of leadership often.

Raphael - The biggest and strongest of the four turtles, Raphael is also the turtle with the quickest temper. He and Leo often butt heads, but Raphael knows Leonardo is the best chance they have to succeed in their mission. Raphael is fiercely loyal and protective of his friends and family, to the point where he can become distracted in battle. He is best friends with Casey Jones, often loses patience with Mikey, and ribs on Donnie for his geeky ways.

Michelangelo - The youngest and smallest of the brothers, Mikey is immature, fun-loving, and just a bit clumsy. He is often the peacemaker when his brothers bicker, and he's always looking for new friends. He employs an unorthodox fighting style that fits with his free spirit.

Donatello - Donnie is the smartest and most contemplative of the brothers. He is not a fan of violence, and only fights when it's absolutely necessary. He is the turtles' tech support, and he created their communicators and tracking devices. He also outfitted their lair with air purifiers, water purifiers, electricity, and communications equipment. He and April are good friends, as they share scientific minds.

April O'Neil - April is an Empire State University biology student studying under Doctor Curt Connors. She is a brilliant scientist, and an incredibly kind person. She's dating Casey Jones, an ESU hockey player. The two began dating after he gave her self-defense lessons in exchange for tutoring. She's helped the turtles acclimate to surface life, and has taught them all about human life and pop culture. She's currently taking her martial arts training to a new level by training with Splinter. Due to her lack of experience, she's general kept off the front lines, only used as a driver when needed.

Casey Jones - An ESU hockey player and vigilante, Casey is the Turtles's most trusted ally on the front lines. He has an anger issue similar to Raphael, and they are working on that together. Casey uses a mix of martial arts, boxing, and brawling to fight their enemies, and often employs weapons such as baseball bats and hockey sticks. He also introduced the Turtles to Angel and the Purple Dragons, solidifying their alliance.

Angel Bridge - Angel is Casey's cousin and lifelong friend as well as the leader of the Purple Dragon Gang. Angel leads her gang in protecting the people of Brooklyn against the Foot, Kingpin's men, and Old Hob's thugs.

The Purple Dragons - A Brooklyn street gang who was started by Angel's father "Hun". Angel wrestled control from him, and changed the gang's direction to protect the people of the neighborhood from attack. Their numbers had been dwindling thanks to assaults by both The Foot and Kingpin's men until the Turtles allied themselves with the Dragons. Now the newest threat to Brooklyn is Old Hob's Gang, an upstart group funded by the Kingpin.

The Foot Clan - The ancient and deadly ninja clan, The Foot have invaded New York. Though they seemingly are in a quagmire gang war with the Kingpin, The Foot are slowly turning the tide. They are ruthless, well trained, and deadly. With seemingly unlimited numbers, the Foot are spreading their influence not only in the city, but across the world. Fueled by Oroku Saki's rage and ambition, the Foot's shadow looms over the planet. The Turtles need to stop them before their plans come to fruition.

Oroku Saki - The ruthless leader of The Foot Clan, Saki desires power above all else. He is a master of combat, who is possibly unmatched in the realm of martial arts. None have gone face to face with the Shredder and lived to tell the tale. Saki is also adept with the magical arts, and continues to teach himself new ways to break into the mystical planes. He inspires unwavering loyalty, and fear, in his troops. Saki is even feared in the circles of supervillainy, though few have ever encountered him.

Viper - A former agent of HYDRA, Viper was recruited to The Foot after she realized HYDRA would never let a woman gain power. Saki, on the other hand, saw her fantastic abilities and brought her to his side. She quickly became his most trusted lieutenant. She leads the Foot in the field, and serves her master well. she is a deadly combatant.

The Mad Dog - A deadly, and unstable, warrior in Saki's Foot Clan. The Mad Dog was the lone survivor of an experiment performed by Saki to craft the perfect killer. Half-feral, the Mad Dog now waits until his master lets him off the leash.

Karai - Saki's teenage daughter. Karai is learning her father's craft at his side.

Kingpin Crime Syndicate - A large, well-funded mafia, the Kingpin's family is the most powerful traditional crime family in New York. Led by the mysterious Kingpin, they're currently in a gang war with The Foot.

Hob's Gang - A new, violent gang in Brooklyn, Old Hob's gang is led by a vicious killer. They're currently at war with the Purple Dragons, and are employed by the Kingpin.

K'un-Lun-Daniel Rand-Kai's adopted home, K'un-Lun is an ancient and mythical city whose dimension only overlaps with Earth once every ten years. While legendary for its' martial arts among those who know of its' existence, K'un-Lun is also a place of great mystical and occult importance as it is in truth one of the Seven Cities of Heaven, seven locations that form a nexus for all the world's chi and serve as a mirror to the world itself, collectively known as the Heart of Heaven. K'un-Lun is a place of magic and wonders in many ways. A tree whose fruit grants everlasting life, Immortal Sorcerer-Kings, dragons both great and small and ancient technologies and arcane artifacts lost to mankind for ages are all things residents of K'un-Lun hardly spare a second glance at. However in many other respects K'un-Lun is much like ancient China, especially for the common folks who are not immortal but live much as their ancestors have for untold centuries.

H'ylthri Jungles-When K'un-Lun is not connected to the mortal world, it is often surrounded by dense and wild jungles more vibrant and ravenous than any known on Earth. Apart from numerous strange plants and creatures the primary inhabitants of these jungles are the H'ylthri, a race of sentient plants that are uniformly powerfully telepathic and also capable of creating clones of other sentient beings given enough time. The H'ylthri hate K'un-Lun with a passion and desire it and its' peoples to be swallowed up by the jungles. Danny once spent considerable time stranded in the H'ylthri Jungles, and described it as the toughest environment he has ever experienced.

Rand Incorporated-Formerly Rand-Meachum, a multinational conglomerate headquartered in New York and founded by Danny's father Wendell-Rand'Kai and his business partner Harold Meachum. While Rand Incorporated has subsidiaries involved in a wide variety of businesses including Rand Oil & Chemicals and Rand R&D, Rand Inc's initial focus was on real estate and land development, and as a result the company actually owns more buildings in New York City than any other with the potential exception of Wilson Fiske, though many of them are leased to Tony Stark and Norman Osborne respectively. Shipping, Freight and Transportation are also a specialty of Rand Incorporated and it actually holds the patents to and manufactures high-speed mag-lev trains used for everything from the Tokyo subways to American freight cars. RandMedia is also a well-known branch of Rand Inc, subsidizing cable TV companies, radio stations and newspapers like the Daily Globe and internationally published paper the News Express. Rand Incorporated also began using its' control over advertising, shipping and building-space to break into retail and distribution, with Rand-Mart quickly becoming one of the bigger retail chains in the U.S. It's overseas where Rand Incorporated really makes its' money and image however, as the company has incredibly strong long-standing relationships with business partners in East and Southeast Asia, especially Taiwan, Japan and China. There Rand Incorporated is involved in a wide variety of business ventures and often serves an intermediary role in American markets. It also has a large philanthropic and charitable branch.

The Rand BuildingThe most iconic structure owned by Rand Incorporated, the Rand building is a towering skyscraper that serves as the headquarters and financial heart of Daniel Rand's empire. It also houses a Wuguan as well as a small living area and meditative space custom built for Danny when his duties to the company call him away from his actual home. A secret sub-basement of the building links into a network of tunnels to other Rand-owned buildings Iron Fist uses to get around the city. The windows of the skyscraper's top floor in Danny's office are also designed to secretly open and are positioned in such a way that he can effectively jump to surrounding buildings for vigilante activities. Also although Danny declines to use any such function ordinarily, Harold Meachum installed a series of death-traps into the building including hidden wall-spikes, collapsible machine-gun turrets, camera-mounted lasers, sprinklers that dispense acid, rooms that lock and emit hallucinogenic gas and stairs, elevators and floors that collapse into bottomless pits on command. Danny has since modified all of these to be decidedly non-lethal but they are considerable measures.

Dojo of Thunder-A martial arts school at which Danny teaches as part of Rand Inc's charity and youth outreach programs. Danny actually has come to deeply care for the students there, and while he doesn't teach them the secret martial arts of K'un-Lun he tries his best to teach them not only how to fight but how to live well and improve themselves and their communities.

Allies
Lei-Kung the Thunderer-an Immortal of K'un-Lun and Danny's primary instructor in the martial arts, Lei-Kung trained not only Iron Fist but all the warriors of K'un-Lun past and present and is a martial artist, warrior and leader with thousands upon thousands of years of experience. He was also one of Danny's primary mentors and caretakers from the age of nine or ten until he was twenty and is one of the closest things Danny has to a father figure.

Yu-Ti the August Personage in Jade/Nu'An-another Immortal and the ruler of K'un-Lun. The current holder of the title Yu-Ti is Nu'An, a powerful sorcerer and mystic who also happens to be Danny's uncle. Nu'an allegedly rules K'un-Lun with benevolent wisdom along with the four Dragon Kings, but he has occasionally shown darker and more pragmatic tendencies though he maintains all that he does is for the good of both K'un-Lun and the mortal world.

Miranda Rand-Kai/Deathsting-Danny's older half-sister born in K'un-Lun, Miranda was secretly trained to be a master of the martial arts by her betrothed despite the laws of the Eternal City unfairly forbidding women from combat roles, and is currently exiled to Earth. She is nearly as skilled in the martial arts as Danny and after a few misinformed fights, is aware of his identity as Iron Fist. She also possesses mystical gauntlets known as the Serpent's Sting that are capable of focusing her own chi into a powerful attack similar to the Iron Fist. While she hates K'un-Lun with a passion and is determined to do whatever it takes both to survive on Earth and have her revenge, she still cares about Danny and struggles with his role as guardian of the place that destroyed her life.

Colleen Wing-A close friend of Danny and a skilled martial artist and detective, Colleen was one of Danny's first real allies and friends outside of K'un-Lun and helped him track down the ghost ninja that framed him for murder. She is extremely skilled with a sword as well as unarmed combat, and is a member of the Daughters of the Dragon detective agency along with Misty Knight.

Misty Knight-A former police detective and expert martial artist, after she lost her arm in a police raid and was forced to retire Misty Knight decided to become a private investigator and bodyguard for hire, even replacing her missing arm with a cybernetic prosthetic developed by Tony Stark, whose life she once saved. Misty was invaluable in tracking down the Ghost Ninja and helping Iron Fist clear his name, and Danny has been openly in love with her since she first knocked him unconscious with one swing of her cyborg fist when they first met, though she's unsure of where she stands on the issue.

Jeryn Hogarth-Danny's chief financial and legal adviser, while Jeryn is no kung-fu expert or crime-fighter by himself, he performs the vital task of running the day-to-day affairs of Rand Incorporated as well as keeping both Danny and his 'bodyguard' Iron Fist out of legal trouble should the need arise.

Antagonists



Davos/The Steel Serpent-Davos is the natural born son of Lei-Kung the Thunderer and was once friends with Wendell Rand-Kai during their time together in K'un-Lun. However, Davos' pride lead to him challenging the dragon Shou-Lao when doing so was Wendell's right, and his failed attempt at becoming the Iron Fist drove him into both exile and a seething hate for the line of Rand-Kai. Davos has had identical training to Danny plus several additional decades of practical experience to apply it along with none of Danny's restraint. as a result he is more than capable of defeating Iron Fist despite the latter's skill. In addition his incomplete Mark of Shou-Lao also allows him to absorb Danny's Iron Fist chi through a crushing technique, as well as literally drain the life out of others he gets in his death grip. Danny and Davos have fought only once, and Danny only survived the experience because Davos insisted killing 'an inexperienced child' would taint his revenge.

Chiantang, The Black Dragon-Formerly a dragon who terrified K'un-Lun, Chiantang was defeated by a previous Iron Fist, bound to a human form by K'un-Lun sorcery and banished to Earth ages ago. He has since made a living as the leader of one of New York City's most notable tongs given his ageless nature and supernatural powers. Although Chiantang is powerful and established, within recent decades his organization has become increasingly pushed back by new players including the Golden Dragons.

Fin Fang Foom-An ancient shapeshifting entity that appeared on Earth in China in the form of a massive dragon thousands of years ago, He Whose Limbs Crush Mountains was sealed away when a past Iron Fist came to the mortal world with a magical herb from the Floating Gardens of K'un-Lun capable of casting Fin Fang Foom into a deep slumber. That said, Foom may awaken at any time to wreak havoc upon the world once more and worse yet due to his shapeshifting powers he may walk the human world unseen, waiting to unleash death and destruction for purposes unknown.

The Twelve Brothers in Silk-Twelve brothers and martial arts masters of the highest caliber, each one skilled in a different animal-style of martial art. The Silk Brothers are freelance assassins of great renown and both while he was on the run and over the past year, they have crossed paths with Iron Fist many times, each time Danny barely defeated them, but losing only seems to make them more determined to kill him.

Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger-A martial artist of world-class skill with affiliations with the League of Assassins, Iron Fist first encountered Ben Turner when he was hired by Joy Meachum to kill her father's alleged murderer. Danny was narrowly able to defeat Bronze Tiger, who has since taken up the idea of trying to recruit the Immortal Weapon to the League of Assassins himself, though Danny has always adamantly and violently refused such offers.

The Foot-While Iron Fist tries to stay out of the affairs of ninjas and their ever raging shadow wars the Foot's recent battles with the mysterious Kingpin have attracted his attention, not to mention they and the Hand are the top candidates regarding who sent a centuries banished ghost ninja to frame him for murder in the first place. Danny has begun investigating the Foot Clan on his own to try and find out if and why they sent such a creature after him.

The Hand-Another ninja group Danny has been investigating for ties to the ghost ninja that tried to ruin his life, Danny treads equally carefully around the Hand, preferring to leave ninjas to ninjas unless they threaten other people. That said, if the Hand have really already tried to destroy his life once, Iron Fist prefers to take them down before they try it again.

Items

The Jade Mirror-A massive mirror of polished jade through which the Yu-Ti can gaze upon all that occurs in numerous dimensions, and also open up portals between them if so desired. Nu-An mainly uses this to watch over Earth, though it is also used when he desires to transport others into or out of K'un-Lun as when Davos and Miranda were banished.

The Anomaly Gem a gem which contains the souls of every past Iron Fist, the anomaly gem was fragmented into many pieces ages ago, many of which were lost in the mortal world. As they contain the collective power of numerous Iron Fists, even the fragments are mystical sources of great power.

Dragonslayer a jian which is the traditional sword of the Immortal Iron Fist made from a fang of the first incarnation of Shou-Lao and dipped in the beast's own heart, it is forged to resonate with the Chi of Shou-Lao better than any mortal weapon. While the Dragonslayer is locked deep within K'un-Lun, it has been used in the past to defeat and bind Chiantang, slay the Sorceror God Khan and defeat numerous great evils in the past.

Danny Rand-Kai slumped against a wall in his little corner of a restaurant that the characters blazing outside assured him was named Fujian Family Restaurant while the English lettering beneath muttered something neighborhood kids probably snickered at. All things considered it was pretty much a hole in the wall, run-down, neglected and usually without more than a handful of customers in sight. A fine layer of dust would have coated everything if the dust wasn't too embarrassed to be seen there and the decor had to be going on a few centuries old and was likely begging to be put out of its' misery.

But it really was family owned, the tea was always hot, Mandarin twanged rhythmically outward from the kitchen like notes from a half-familiar song punctuated by occasional breaks of vibrant Cantonese swearing, and they served some of the best damn jiaozi in the city. It also helped that they were willing to serve weirdos in costumes.

After half a lifetime in the mythical, ageless city of K'un-Lun few places in New York felt like home to the Immortal Iron Fist, but here in a dumpy restaurant still halfway-stuck in tradition he could at least close his eyes and pretend for a minute that that wasn't so. Besides, after a long day of sitting in on Rand Incorporated meetings for matters he was still barely learning to understand and fighting crime in a city that hardly seemed to notice it was nice to just lose himself in the mechanical, barely conscious motions of his chopsticks as he ate. It was only when he brought the chopsticks to his mouth that he realized he'd just used them to snatch at a dart instead of a dumpling. He sighed and set his chopsticks down, realizing for the first time how unusually crowded the restaurant was today. Danny had really been hoping for a break, but as his master Lei-Kung would say, the path of the righteous is endlessly long and full of many sharp rocks and pitfalls.

"Really, guys? I can't even finish my lunch first? Y'know it's safer by far to pull a tiger's tail than to pull a starving man from his meal, right?" The only answer was a chorus of scraping chairs and one dropped blowgun.

By the time the first assassin rushed him with a knife in hand Iron Fist was already vaulting across the table in a perfectly executed jump kick that snapped the killer's head back and sent him crumpling to the floor. Two more lunged at Danny as the first went down and he turned to grab the recently delivered teapot off of his tabletop. He tossed the scalding liquid in their faces before kicking one man in the chest hard enough to send him flying into another table that promptly collapsed, then casually smashed the empty ceramic kettle into the face of the second and slammed an elbow into his temple in the same motion. Honorable combat was fine and good, but Lei Kung himself would laugh in Danny's face for playing fair with would-be assassins. Nevertheless, he tossed the remains of the teapot aside and gestured for the last four to hurry up already.

They fanned out, wary now that they’d already seen him take down three of their comrades. One of them picked up a broken table leg and charged, roaring as he swung it. Iron Fist barely shifted as the heavy wooden club missed twice by a hair’s breadth, lashing out to shatter it with one punch then knocking the assailant unconscious with a well-placed spear-hand to the throat. But the thug wielding the table leg was revealed as a distraction as soon as he fell, one of his allies grabbing Iron Fist in a crushing grip while the other stepped in with yet another upraised knife. In less time than it took to blink the Living Weapon broke the grip along with a few of the now agonized man’s toes and threw him hard into the knife-wielder and several splintering chairs.

As the last assassin standing reached for a concealed gun heedless of keeping a low profile, Daniel Rand-Kai turned to him and sighed.

“See, here’s how this part goes. You do the dishonorable thing and pull the gun, I let you take five, maybe six shots-“

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*-

The gun was out of the shooter’s hands and being casually disassembled before he got to shot number five. He tried to bolt for the exit, but as soon as the last piece of the handgun hit the floor he found himself suddenly slammed against the wall and held there by the neck.

“Now interrupting like that was just plain rude. You need to learn some respect, and you can start by answering my questions.”

As Iron Fist lifted his free hand up so it was right in the hired killer’s face, he found himself focusing on his love for the place they’d ruined along with all of his anger and all of his sorrow at the assault on one of his last few sanctums. Focusing all of that and really all of his being into his fist, along with just a touch of the fiery Chi of Shou-Lao. His hand began to glow, to smolder, to burn.

“Now, who hired you?”

---

Afterwards, he put down enough pocket change to more than make up for the damages but he doubted the terrified owners would let him come back again any time soon. As he left the Fujian Family Restaurant, he contemplated both the latest attempt on his life and his still empty stomach.

Well, it's fine if the path of the righteous is strewn with many sharp rocks and pitfalls...but it had better lead to a new restaurant eventually.

Jonathan Kent was never much of a religious man; the praying and spritiuality, he left up to his wife, Martha. He believed that if men and women were put on this Earth for a reason, then it was up to themselves to determine what that reason was, and if there was any cosmic design at work, then it wasn't apparent to him. Martha often told him that the universe worked in 'mysterious ways'......which was a small comfort during their difficult early years of marriage, when the harvest went fallow, when Jonathan had to take out a second mortgage to keep the farm, and most devastatingly of all, when the doctor told them they would never be able to conceive children of their own.

While Martha loved Jonathan and believed in him with all her might, she wanted a family, and their inability to conceive became a strain on their marriage. One night in the summer of 1978, a drive into Smallville to visit their friends the Langs became an argument, the argument became a fight, and the fight became the two of them riding home in a heartbroken silence, both of them knowing a divorce was almost inevitable.

The inevitable, however, was denied, when a shooting star streaked over Jonathan's truck and came crashing down into Ben Sutton's corn fields not a hundred yards from the road. Pulling off the road, Jonathan and Martha rushed out to see if anyone had been hurt in the crash....and found not a meteor or a crashed satellite like they had expected, but a gleaming metallic craft, its hull a bright blue with red fins and gold trim, sparkling with multicolored lights and adorned with glyphs and runes in a language neither of them could understand....

....and sitting inside, wrapped in a red cloak, carrying a strange crystalline sphere, and completely unharmed, was a smiling baby boy. The universe, the Kents agreed, worked in mysterious ways indeed.

Minutes later, the area was swarmed with black helicopters, men in unmarked cars and no identifying badges. The alien pod was taken into the custody of the United States government for analysis.....but the pod's occupant was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, the Kents took the child to their home and agonized over what to do, whether to turn the baby over to the proper authorities or keep it as their own. The next day, a brief and intimidating visit from the men in black made up their minds; a lost, lonely newborn baby needed a family, not a lifetime in a laboratory. Jonathan and Martha spent the next few weeks and their meager savings forging all of the necessary documents to 'legally' adopt their first child, a beautiful black-haired boy they named Clark Joseph Kent.

Clark's childhood was a difficult and isolated one, as his 'condition' made him too fragile to play with the other boys his age, for fear of him getting hurt (though the truth was quite the opposite-- even as a toddler, Clark was inhumanly strong). This wasn't helped by Clark having sudden outbursts in school, caused by sensory overload-- sometimes, he claimed, he could see through solid objects, hear conversations on the other side of Smallville, look at radio waves in the air.....for a while, the Kents were worried that their adopted son was experiencing hallucinations, until the day he saved Jonathan from a collapsing barn roof, having heard the sound from over five miles away.

While Clark was often an outcast from his peers, he still found friends, fellow outcasts like the bookish Lana Lang, and the attention-seeking geek Pete Ross. The three were an eclectic but tightly loyal clique throughout their childhood, and Clark learned a lot from both of them. From Pete, he learned to stand up to bullies even when it meant taking a beating, and the importance of big, dramatic (and in Pete's case, often disgusting) acts to get people to hear what you had to say. From Lana, he gained enthusiasm for seeking knowledge, understanding the truth even when it wasn't what you wanted to hear, and the value and power of a really good story.

Not that Clark didn't have plenty of stories of his own. In their down-time, the three of them would make up tall tales about what they were doing when the other two weren't looking-- although at the time, Clark didn't know that Pete and Lana were simply making things up. He told them all about how he lifted his grandfather's old tractor over his head with one hand, how the 'summer blizzard' of '85 was him sneezing, and how he once tried to grab a handful of clouds for his Ma by jumping into the sky to swipe at them.

He showed them the red cloak and crytsal ball he had had since he was a baby, and tried to explain how the cloak couldn't be hurt by anything, and how when you brushed your fingers against the crystal ball just right, it would show you pictures and stories about strange people talking in a language he didn't speak.

He told them all about Krypto, his invisible dog that only he could see (dismissed by his friends and family as an imaginary friend--not unlike the 'funny man in the orange suit' and his 'super friends from the 31st Century', stories which Clark could never actually remember telling anyone). While the other kids called Clark a freak and a weirdo for constantly making up such outlandish stories, it captivated young Pete and Lana for years.

While Clark knew he was different, he never truly understood what it was that made him so. Whenever he asked his parents, Ma would always reassure him that he was simply special, and his father would allude to the costumed crime-fighters in the Justice Society....and how their being careless with their power led to their destruction. It wasn't until Clark, at age 9, saved a crashed bus full of children, many of whom claiming he was a 'miracle worker,' that his parents sat him down and had a long, honest talk about that night in Sutton's field. They didn't honestly know where he was from, or why he wound up on Earth, but told him that what truly mattered was what he chose to do with the time he had on this world.

As Clark began to enter adolescence, his strange abilities became more erratic, and harder to control. His strength, already far greater than that of other boys his age, began to skyrocket with every growth spurt he had, causing him to fear for the safety of those around him. His eyes were not only taking in the entire electromagnetic spectrum, but emitting bursts of radiation as well, everything from spikes of radio static to destructive X-Ray lasers. One night, after staring up at the stars (and trying to shake off the ghostly image of his imaginary dog sitting next to him), Clark drifted off to sleep.......only to wake up floating above the clouds. While he could always leap high into the air, this was something different entirely; Clark Kent could fly.

Worried about just how different he was becoming and fearing that he might turn into some kind of monster, Clark withdrew even further from the community, only rarely speaking to even his closest friends. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt someone because he couldn't control himself.

While this self-imposed solitude caused a wedge between Clark and his classmates, it caused an even further fascination for Lana, who had developed a deep-seeded crush on Clark. She frequently pried and prodded to get Clark to open up, to become more confident and proud of himself, and while he very rarely ventured out with her, he had to admit it did him a world of good.

Slowly but surely the two of them became more than friends, with Lana being the one to work up the courage to ask Clark out to their sophomore prom at age fifteen. That night they shared their first kiss, and Clark confessed everything to Lana: his feelings for her, the reasons he'd been hiding away, the things his parents had told him......and then took her hand, and flew her into the night sky. When they touched down, Lana looked into Clark's eyes, kissed him one more time, and ran away-- not just from Clark, but from home, from her family, from all of Smallville.

Heartbroken, Clark fell into a deep depression, a condition not helped when he tried to reach out to another outsider in his class: an extremely wealthy transfer student named Lex Luthor. While his time in Smallville was short, Lex's presence was felt by practically everyone in the community-- he tinkered with school property without asking and turned it into technology so advanced that some half-believed it was witchcraft, he bombarded local officials with proposals for radical overhauls of city government, and he vocally and brazenly defied teachers and authorities and anyone else he deemed 'backwards' and 'small-minded'-- which happened to be everyone he met. Despite this, Clark believed he sensed a kindred spirit in Lex, someone who saw the world in ways that no one else could, and who suffered because of it. For a short time, young Lex humored "Farmboy" and believed he could take him under his wing, so to speak, but their differences of opinion on the people around them kept them from ever truly becoming friends. Tragically, any attempt to bridge the gap between them came to an abrupt end when, during a wild experiment involving the use of a radioactive meteor fragment, Lex caused an explosion that killed his father and burned their house down, as well as covering himself in burns all over. While Clark rushed in to help, the radiation from the meteor fragment caused a crippling sickness in him, and he passed out before he could save them. Lex moved away from Smallville, practically salting the Earth to eradicate any trace that the Luthor family had ever been there.

Less than a year later, a massive storm rolled over Smallville, the already dangerous winds spinning up into a gigantic, devastating F-5 tornado. With potentially thousands of lives in danger, Clark sprang into action, moving as fast as he could to keep from being seen, pulling people out of potentially deadly spots, catching flying debris, holding up falling buildings, all to save the lives of his home town. He wasn't alone in helping out that day, as Jonathan Kent risked his own life in the storm to save a small child who had been separated from her parents. While he managed to get the child to safety, his old war wounds caught up with him, and Jonathan collapsed from over-exertion and his heart gave out. By the time emergency services were able to reach him, Clark's adopted father was dead.

After Pa's funeral, Clark went out into the old field where they had found his ship so many years ago, and pounded his fist into the ground out of frustration....causing a shock wave that people for nearly fifty miles mistook for an earthquake. The pain of losing so many people close to him so quickly, his frustration at being unable to help people without putting his family and friends at risk, and his concerns over rumors spreading about a 'guardian angel' in the wake of his actions, made Clark realize that if he was ever to find any purpose or meaning in his life, he wouldn't be able to do it here. Taking enough extra classes to graduate early at age sixteen, Clark packed up his old red cloak and alien crystal ball, kissed his mother on the cheek and promised to call once a week to catch up, and left Smallville behind to travel the world.

For over seven years, Clark traveled the world alone, helping people whenever and wherever he could, only to disappear from their lives as soon as the danger had passed. While he longed to connect to the people he met along the way, the distrust and fear he met when people saw what he could do taught him to keep his distance, to simply be a 'ghost' that came and went without leaving any trace of who he was, only what he did.

Needing a reason to be found in dangerous places where his powers could be needed, Clark took up journalism, and paid his way through the world as a freelance reporter. He was embroiled in wars, and even in days of heavy fighting, the loss of life was minimal when he was around. He exposed terrorist cells and criminal organizations, shedding light on corruption and injustice whenever he found it. Clark Kent would have been making quite a name for himself, if another fearless reporter named Lois Lane hadn't been consistently beating him to the by-line. While he was never comfortable writing about the mysterious life-saving intervention of a mysterious stranger, Ms. Lane was eager to track this being down, and Clark found himself having to be more and more careful to keep the rival reporter off his heels.

Around his twentieth birthday, Clark finally managed to unlock the secrets of the mysterious crystal sphere that had come with him in his ship. As he expected, it was some sort of alien computer, and while navigating the orb's interface was nearly impossible, the images and impressions he got from it were astounding, glimpses of a world and a people that he had never seen, but that he immediately knew were his heritage. Strangely, the computer orb also seemed to contain some form of homing beacon, which always pointed due North. Eventually his curiosity led Clark to follow this beacon, traveling all the way to the North Pole, and there he found something incredible.

Hidden beneath the polar ice cap, expanding for miles in all directions, was a massive complex, an alien fortress that had been lying in wait for years for his arrival. Upon interacting with the Fortress's own computer systems, Clark's orb became far more active, speaking to Clark in his own language and telling him the truth of things.

The orb introduced itself as Kelex, an AI assigned to oversee and assist members of the House of El. Clark's true name was Kal-El, the last surviving member of his House, and indeed, the last survivor of his home world, the lost planet of Krypton. Facing a world-shattering cataclysm, Kal's biological father Jor-El had tried to enact a desperate plan to save his people: warping the entire population into the extradimensional void known as the Phantom Zone, then sending a single survivor on the material plane to a hospitable planet and bringing the population out into a pre-established colony. Sadly, Jor-El did not have enough time to put his plan into motion, and he chose to save the life of his son in the one ship capable of delivering him to safety; the colony meant to house millions of Kryptonians would now be a refuge for one, a Fortress of Solitude.

Krypton, Kal learned, was a world of adventurers and scientists, of dangers and wonders. Its people had eschewed traditional gods and demons in favor of worshipping a set of ideals called the Jirrod, and each of the Great Houses strove to be the embodiment of one of these ideals. The House of El, Kal's bloodline and legacy, represented above all other things, Hope. And Clark Kent, the mild-mannered son of Smallville--also Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton-- swore to himself that he would strive to the ideal of Hope that his lost world had entrusted in him, and his adopted world so badly needed.

After seeing the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, Clark Kent realized he could no longer hide himself from humanity. Putting on his old indestructible red cape, and a T-shirt with the House of El's insignia painted on it, he openly and directly intervened on what appeared to be a follow-up attack in Metropolis a few days later, diverting the plane from crashing into the old Science Spire and setting it down in the river, before disabling the terrorists inside. Dubbed "Superman" by Lois Lane, the super-powered vigilante quickly began a career in righting the wrongs in the city of Metropolis and the world at large.

Realizing the scale of the job he had taken upon himself, Clark took a permanent residence in Metropolis, renting out a small apartment in the Hob's Bay area with an old contact of his, a Daily Planet photographer named Jimmy Olsen. Clark and Jimmy became fast friends, and Jimmy eventually convinced Clark to apply for a job at the Planet. While Clark blew the initial interview with Chief Editor Perry White, he ended up getting the job after a glowing recommendation from his old freelancer rival Lois Lane, who had started working at the Planet a few months earlier. Together, Lois and Clark exposed the terrorists behind the failed attack on the Science Spire, and revealed that they were not in fact Islamic extremists, but instead were being blackmailed into cooperation by the vicious criminal syndicate known as Intergang.

What Bruno Mannheim's motivation was for destroying the Spire remained a mystery, but the more Lois exposed in the wake of Superman's resulting battles with Intergang showed that while Mannheim was indeed the one pulling the strings of the crime syndicate, someone else was manipulating Mannheim from higher up.

Mannheim threw everything he had at Superman to no avail, until his pressuring of Amertek scientists to develop anti-Superman weapons resulted in a catastrophic explosion which created the radioactive villain known as the Atomic Skull. The Skull fought Superman across the entire city, and while the villain was eventually defeated, there were many who noted Superman's apparent weakness towards certain forms of radiation.

Six months after Superman's debut in Metropolis, the world was shocked to see the City of Tomorrow suddenly and inexplicably disappear, as if the entire thing had just been snatched up into thin air. Springing into action, Superman discovered this was the work of The Collector of Worlds, an ancient and malevolent artificial intelligence which traveled the universe looking for 'doomed' worlds and, upon finding one, would capture a population center for study and then abandon the planet to its destruction. Kelex was able to impart this information to Kal because a few short years before Krypton's end, The Collector had come and taken the shining city of Kandor. The Collector's intelligence spread throughout intelligent civilizations across the cosmos, using a different name on every world where it allowed itself to be 'invented.' On Krypton, the last place it had been, it used the name Brainiac.

Superman tracked Brainiac's ship in the upper atmosphere before it was able to warp away, and attacked it, crashing through the ship's defenses and legions of drones before making his way to the Collector's den. There, he found hundreds of 'bottle cities,' pocket universes where millions of lives were trapped in nightmarish isolation. The Brainiac AI assumed a physical form and subdued Superman, attempting to add the orphaned Kryptonian to his collection, but was unable to decide whether to add it to Kandor or to Metropolis. This hesitation was all Superman needed to break free, disabling Brainiac's ship and reversing the 'bottling' process to restore Metropolis to its proper location in timespace. The Collector ship crashed to Earth and was allegedly taken into SHIELD custody for study, but the Bottle Cities were taken by Superman to the Fortress of Solitude, in the hopes that he could one day set them free.

Superman's first year as an publicly active hero closed in a dramatic fashion, as a terrorist group called the Olmec Dawn captured a nuclear missile silo on the West Coast, calling for the destruction of Superman and all other non-human influences on the world. Planning to destroy the 'alien invader' along with themselves, they launched a missile at the heart of Metropolis, then set a second warhead to explode inside the silo, located extremely close to the San Andreas Fault. While Superman was able to extract the terrorists from the silo, he was unable to stop the first explosion, and had to spend precious time preventing catastrophic damage to the West Coast in the resulting earthquakes, before speeding back across the country as fast as he could to divert the second missile into space. The missile exploded in high orbit before Superman could get away, and the Man of Steel fell miles down to Earth.....but, incredibly, survived.

In the wake of this event, investigations led by Lois and Clark, as well as confession from the terrorists captured by Superman, revealed that the "Olmec Dawn" was working for a network of criminal organizations that, when the evidence was followed to the very top, led to LexCorp C.E.O. Lex Luthor. Indicted for responsibility behind the attacks, Lex was cleared of all charges, but not before having to spent a single night in prison. This indignity, the realization that someone could not only oppose him but actively punish him, sparked a hatred in Luthor that would last a lifetime.

With his original costume destroyed by the nuclear blasts, Superman had a new outfit created for him inside the Fortress, blending the traditional attire of Krypton's elite Sapphire Guard with the colorful outfits of the old Justice Society of America. With a new, more durable look, Superman was ready to take on an increasingly dangerous and uncertain world.

Over the next two years, Superman's gallery of enemies continued to grow. A thrill-seeking internet personality named Leslie Willis was transformed into the anarchic Livewire, who could absorb and emit huge amounts of electrical energy. A LexCorp janitor named Rudy Jones was mutated into the monstrous Parasite, who fed off of the energy of anything he touched. An amoral hacker named Oz Loomis took up the alias Prankster, and delighted in creating havoc for Superman by manipulating Metropolis's central operating systems. And a US Army soldier named John Corben was bonded into an experimental Kryptonite-powered battle-suit to combat metahumans, taking the codename 'Metal-Zero' but upon his death, the suit's AI continued on, becoming the deranged cybernetic psychotic Metallo.

Each of these villains threatened Superman or the city in their turn, but time after time the Man of Tomorrow overcame his adversaries, his reputation growing brighter and brighter with every consecutive victory.

This string of wins came to an end when a large black spaceship appeared in the skies over Earth. This ship, identified by Kelex as the Black Zero, was the flagship of General Zod, a rogue Kryptonian whose followers had been banished to the Phantom Zone. Free of the extradimensional void, they followed Kal-El's Star Drive signature to Earth, and intended to create a 'New Krypton.' Using a massive terraforming device called the World Engine, Zod and his followers planned to wipe out all life on Earth and begin anew.

Superman engaged Zod, begging him to leave and start over on a new world, but the fanatical Zod saw Earth's destruction as his revenge on Jor-El, Kal's father, who had sentenced him to the Phantom Zone. Since Zod refused to be reasoned with, the only option was to stop him by force. The resulting Battle of Metropolis was devastating, leaving huge portions of the city destroyed between the World Engine's gravitational shockwaves and the subsequent battle between the enemy Kryptonians. In the end, Superman was able to destroy the World Engine, then caused the Black Zero's Star Drive to implode on itself, creating a singularity that pulled most of the ship--as well as Zod and his minions--back into the void from which they had escaped.

While the world was saved, the damage done was absolutely devastating. Tens of thousands of people were killed in the battle, and much of Metropolis lay in ruins. Ever the opporunist, Lex Luthor took the initiative in leading the reconstruction of the city, and sowed a narrative in the media blaming Superman for the entire incident, claiming that Zod and his army would have never come to Earth if it weren't for the alien's presence. Several higher-ups in the military agreed, and LexCorp secured numerous extremely lucrative contracts for the development of anti-Kryptonian weaponry.

Despite this, there were several who remained loyal to Superman, citing all of the millions of people he had saved in spite of the carnage, and all the good he had done in the past. In the painful reconstruction of Metropolis, other heroes emerged following Superman's example, most notably the inudstrialist turned vigilante Steel, and the JSA-inspired Guardian.

Also, an unexpected fallout from the Zod invasion was the escape of an animal from the Phantom Zone: none other than Krypto, Clark's invisible dog he had until now believed to be only in his imagination. As people and cities and whole nations turned against Superman, Clark at least had the small comfort of his loyal dog at his side.

Clark had been aware of the presence of other heroes and vigilantes working in other cities, but had never gone out of his way to contact them-- while he considered the old JSA an inspiration, the group's eventual failure led him to be skeptical of attempting another 'super-team.' However, when he heard that the Batman of Gotham City was recruiting children in his war against the criminal underworld, he could not ignore it-- recklessly endangering a child was unconscionable, and he intended to set the Batman straight.

Seeking the vigilante out in Gotham, Superman caught up with Batman, and the two of them engaged in a brief verbal skirmish, correctly guessing each other's secret identities and arguing over the efficacy of the other's actions. However, their dispute was interrupted by the rampage of the undead creature Solomon Grundy, and the two of them joined forces to take the monster down. Upon seeing the Batman in action, his careful attention to detail and his willingness to endanger his own life to save those of others--including his protégé Robin-- Superman concluded that Batman could be trusted, and the two stayed in contact, realizing they could be more effective working together than alone.

Not long after this, Superman encountered another metahuman like himself, attempting to stop a war from breaking out between the nations of Pokolistian and Bialya. The metahuman in question, the stunningly gorgeous Wonder Woman, claimed that the hostilities in the region were caused by another superhuman entity, calling himself Ares. Together, Superman and Wonder Woman routed Ares and got the two nations' diplomats to speak to each other, avoiding a potentially bloody conflict.

In addition to being a powerful new ally, Wonder Woman was someone who Superman believed he could relate to, someone who saw the world the way he did, and struggled with the increasing distance between himself and humanity. The Amazonian Princess sympathized, and the two became fast friends, and briefly lovers. Despite their mutual attraction for each other, they realized that a relationship would complicate their respective duties-- to say nothing of Clark's increasingly complicated love life in Metropolis, given that Lois had been making advances at Kent, and that his old flame Lana Lang had come to Metropolis to help with the relief effort-- and after a few brief affairs, Clark and Diana agreed to keep their relationship strictly professional.

While Superman had his share of hard-fought wins and often paid steep costs for victory, he had never actually been defeated at anything before. This changed when, in order to raise money for charity, Superman challenged the speedster known as the Flash to a race around the world. While the two stayed neck and neck for a time, Flash eventually poured on the speed and left the Man of Steel in the dust, shocking the world as the first man to defeat Superman.

Slowly but surely, Superman's list of allies grew, in the hopes that if another threat arises that he couldn't handle alone, they would be able to overcome it together.

The threat that many of them worried about manifested in the form of the Star'ro, a race of parasitic aliens who invaded Earth with the intention of feeding off of the sentient thoughts of all life on the planet. Individually, Superman and the other heroes were overwhelmed by the Star'ro parasites, and all seemed to be lost, were it not for the intervention of the psychic Martian Manhunter. Acting in concert, Superman and seven other powerful defenders (Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Hawkgirl) managed to drive off the Star'ro threat, saving mankind.

The eight heroes, realizing the potential they had to change the world for the better, banded together, taking their cue from the old Justice Society and naming themselves the Justice League. With deep resources and immense power, the League became a major world power overnight, much to the concern of the powers that be.

The League's first real test in action was against a purported opposite number, led by the villain Libra and calling themselves the 'Injustice Gang.' Despite a few close shaves, the League came through in the end and defeated Libra and his gang. Though the routing of the Injustice Gang was a resounding victory, it would hardly be the only time the League would be tested by rival factions.

Superman himself ran afoul of a band of anarchistic metahumans calling themselves The Elite. Led by a nihilistic punk named Manchester Black, the Elite saw the opportunity not just to challenge the governments and authorities of the world, but destroy them. They repeatedly hunted down and exterminated corrupt politicians, unethical bankers and businessmen, and even made an attempt on the life of Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor, which backfired so spectacularly that Superman had to intervene to save Black and his cronies from Luthor's trap. Eventually things came to a head, and Superman challenged the Elite head-on, and was nearly killed in the ensuing battle, but due to some clever planning ahead of time, defeated Manchester and his crew one by one. The Elite were imprisoned for their crimes, but mysteriously disappeared when being 'transferred' into the custody of SHIELD.

Around this time, Clark Kent had spent so much time working with Lois that he felt she deserved to know the truth. He confessed to her his identity as Superman--something that Lois had guessed since the day they met, but kept to herself unless she could prove it. Finally relieved that he no longer had to keep secrets from her, Clark also confessed his feelings for Lois, and the two began dating.

One morning in 2008, Clark woke up to discover that the sky and grass had switched places, the air had been replaced with chlorine, and everyone on Earth had been turned into cardboard cutouts of themselves. This was the work of an entity known as Mr. Mxyzptlk, an imaginary bogeyman from Clark's childhood who was, in fact, a mischievous force from a higher plane of reality called the Fifth Dimension. Mxyzptlk was entertained by Superman's adventures, and decided to amuse himself by making the Man of Steel's life increasingly difficult, warping reality further and further until either the universe tore itself apart or Superman managed to figure out the imp's weakness. Eventually, by drawing one bit of information at a time from the imp's relentless taunting, Clark pieced together that Mxyzptlk could be banished by tricking him into saying his name backwards.....which he promptly did.

A sore loser, Mxyzptlk grabbed Superman just as he was phasing out of timespace and pulled him into the Underverse, a chaotic realm of 'cosmic feedback' where matter and energy existed as distorted echoes of themselves. While there, Superman was infected with a self-replicating form of un-stuff Mxyzptlk referred to as 'bizarro matter,' and the infection grew until it split off from Clark and formed a deranged copy, a Bizarro Superman.

Incalculably powerful and with a mind of constant opposites, Bizarro put together a machine that could bore through dimensions back into regular timespace (Bizarro knew how to do this because Superman didn't, of course), and threatened to go on a rampage that could destroy the entire Earth. However, after a short but painful dust-up with the creature, Superman realized he could convince Bizarro to do the opposite of whatever he did. And since Superman worked out of the North Pole and could do nothing, it made sense to Bizarro that it should live at the South Pole and do nothing. It flew away to the Antarctic, where it would remain perfectly still for years.

A few months later, a spaceship came crashing down to Earth, and much to Superman's surprise, the being inside was a fellow Kryptonian, a young girl bearing the crest of his family's House. Introducing herself as Kara-El, the girl seemed to absorb solar energy far faster than Kal could, and soon developed a suite of superpowers equal to Superman's. Kal took his newfound cousin to the Fortress where she could learn what had happened in the years between her escape from Krypton and her arrival on Earth, and Clark and Lois helped set her up with a cover identity to avoid Superman's ever-increasing list of enemies.

Said enemies would soon band together, as a team of rogues calling themselves the SRS ('Superman Revenge Squad') laid siege to Metropolis, taking out Steel and Guardian and demanding a showdown with Superman. The combined forces of Parasite, Livewire, Riot, Silver Banshee, and Terra-Man proved too much for Superman to fight alone......but just when things looked bleak, Kara arrived on the scene, sporting a similar costume to Superman's, to even the odds. The SRS were defeated, and the world quickly learned that there was now a Supergirl to protect them.

The SRS, however, were not the only alliance between Superman's enemies. In the years since Brainiac's invasion, Lex Luthor had frequently attempted to access the alien AI's inner workings, to unlock the secrets of ancient and incredibly advanced technology. Luthor managed to re-activate the AI and strike a partnership with it.

Together, Luthor and Brainiac formulated a plot that would destroy their mutual enemy once and for all. Luring Superman into a confrontation with the resurrected Brainiac, Luthor caught the Man of Steel in a wormhole, teleporting him through space and directly into the exploded remains of Krypton, now a ring of continent-sized shards of pure Kryptonite. Exposure to such incredible amounts of K-radiation would kill Superman almost instantly....

....and 'almost' is all that Mr. Mxyzptlk needed. In the fleeting microseconds before Superman's death, the Fifth Dimensional imp stopped time and gave Superman an offer: he would save Clark's life, in exchange for a 'terrible secret' that would be determined at a later date. Leery of the imp but out of other options, Superman agreed to his terms, and Mxyzptlk sent him back to Earth.....in the 31st Century.

Disoriented and confused, Superman found it difficult to get his bearings in the far future, until he was found by the Legion of Super-Heroes, who restored memories of the times they had visited him in his past. Recognizing his old allies and remembering his previous visits to the future, Clark quickly regained his composure, until they were attacked by one of the Legion's arch-foes, the Time Trapper.

Together, Superman and the Legion defeated the Time-Trapper, but not before Clark learned the 'terrible secret' that was part of Mxyzptlk's bargain, by accidentally looking at the wrong files in Brainiac-5's database.....

Using a Legion time-bubble to return to the present, Superman returned to the present just a few seconds after Brainiac and Luthor had teleported him away, and defeated the two, exposing Luthor as a criminal and throwing Brainiac into the sun.

With Supergirl becoming an increasingly great hero with each passing day and Lois beginning to talk marriage, things seemed to be looking up for Clark. Or they would be, had he not seen Mxyzptlk's 'terrible secret'.....

.....according to Brainiac-5's records, Superman would be dead in less than five years.

Superman is a Kryptonian, one of quite possibly the most physically advanced beings the universe has ever known. Clark's abilities develop slowly during his early life, but seem to continually grow more and more potent as he goes on. Like exercising a muscle, the more he uses an ability, the stronger it becomes, some improving only gradually, some scaling up dramatically after repeated use. Kryptonians were a race that prided itself in its technology and ingenuity, and in order to survive and thrive on the unforgiving environment of Krypton, they had actually taken control of their species' evolution. Utilizing methods far beyond anything humans would consider to be any known form of genetic engineering or biotechnology, they shaped their own cellular structure to cope with their planet's crushing gravity (the fact that they had not evolved along those lines already suggesting that they may not have originally been from Krypton at all), transforming every cell in their bodies into microscopic fusion generators capable of seemingly impossible feats.

Flight: Superman can manipulate his personal gravitational field, causing a small, almost frictionless anti-gravity bubble around himself and, with some concentration, any person or object he touches. This allows him to fly through the air with ease, and assists him in lifting objects that should structurally collapse when moved.

Super-Strength: Superman's physical strength is incalculable, and has only grown with each passing day on Earth. Capable of lifting millions of tons of mass with virtually no effort, it is unknown whether his strength has any limits at all.

Invulnerability: Superman is resistant to virtually any and all physical means of harm. He has been bombarded with heavy artillery, buried under billions of tons of rock, been exposed to the vacuum of space, near-absolute-zero cold and the heart of nuclear explosions, and has come out with barely a scratch. While it is possible to injure or even kill Superman, thus far it seems it can only be done in ways that negate or subvert his powers. Attempting to defeat the Man of Tomorrow with sheer brute force is seemingly impossible.

Super-Speed: Superman is one of the fastest beings on the planet, at least among those who cannot tap into the Speed Force. The anti-gravity field that surrounds him in flight reduces friction to nearly zero, allowing him hypersonic flight with little concern for environmental damages. It is possible that he can travel near or at the speed of light, but because he cannot access the Speed Force, he would be subject to the phenomenon of time dilation, and therefore he keeps his movements at sub-relativistic speeds.

Super-Senses: Superman's mind perceives the universe in a way that is alien to human conception. His senses are fine-tuned so that they can take in sensations from nearly anywhere on Earth as they happen--hearing sounds long before they could reach his ears, for example. This is due to his brain processing information at unfathomable speed and detail, becoming sensitive to vibrational changes to the environment on a quantum level, and subconsciously calculating the most likely cause and outcome of these changes in the universe around him. While it would not be accurate to say that he can 'hear' a gunshot on the other side of the planet as it happens, the infinitessimal changes in his environment allow his subconscious brain to 'guess' that it is happening, which then produces the 'sound' of the gunshot in Superman's mind.

All this is to say that Superman can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel everything happening on a planet at any time-- the trick, then, in the higher workings of his brain, is determining what events demand his attention the most. While his brain is absorbing and processing information on an unimaginable scale, his conscious mind is roughly equal to an average human being.

Superman's famous 'X-Ray' vision is a combination of his microscopic and telescopic vision, focusing on an object by 'zooming in' on the obstructing object's atomic structure and then past it. This, combined with his other senses creating a nearly 100% accurate model of the surrounding environment in his mind, allow him to see a complete image of people and objects, externally and internally, at will. His eyes are also sensitive to the entire electromagnetic spectrum, allowing him to see radio and wireless waves, pick up E-M disturbances like an enemy using a cloaking device, detect activity in various locations of the brain to determine a person's emotions or discern lies, and even see the bio-electric field that makes up a person's 'soul.'

In addition to this, Superman can adjust his perception of the passage of time, slowing it down to the zeptosecond level, able to sense events so quickly that they can hardly be said to have happened at all. However, this does not necessarily mean he can respond and move at the same speed--on a human scale, this would be the difference between seeing a bullet flying at you and being able to dodge it.

Heat-Vision: Superman takes in and processes energy at an enormous rate, and can release that energy through a series of biological focusing lenses in his eyes. This venting of his bio-energy most commonly manifests itself in the form of intense X-ray lasers, capable of cutting through titanium. These lasers can be broad enough to cover a hemisphere, or focused tightly enough to carve electrons off of an atom. Of all of Superman's powers, his Heat-Vision is the one that drains the most of his energy stores, and excessive use can deplete his powers entirely. As a result, he tends to use this ability sparingly, typically only using it for utilitarian purposes such as a cutting or welding torch, and only using its full offensive capability when all other options have failed.

While Superman is one of the most immensely powerful beings known to man, that does not make him indestructible or immortal. In the years since his debut, several methods have been found that can undermine or subvert his powers, cause him immense physical pain, or even kill him outright.

Kryptonite: By far the most infamous (and most effective) countermeasures against Superman, Kryptonite is a highly radioactive isotope of Kryptonian Sunstone, irradiated by the planet's destruction. Its radiation signature is unique in that it is astoundingly energetic (less than an miligram of Kryptonite could power Metropolis for a decade, or alternatively wipe out most of New England if treated into an explosive), yet completely clean. It is harmless to all organic life, except for lifeforms that contain traces of Sunstone in their genetic makeup.....namely, lifeforms from the planet Krypton. Exposure to Kryptonite interrupts the metabolic processes that take in solar energy, causing cell death in a Kryptonian lifeform. It causes crippling sickness, agonizing physical pain, the loss of any extranormal physical abilities, and if exposed for roughly one minute, death.

Even after the Kryptonite is removed, recovery from it is long and painful. A return to full power can take days, even weeks depending on the severity of the exposure. Early in Superman's career, Lex Luthor stabbed him in the side with a shard, creating a scar that has never fully healed.

Thankfully, only one fragment of Kryptonite ever made it to Earth: a two-pound meteorite that landed in Smallville not far from the pod which brought Kal-El to the planet. While a few ounces of the rock were broken off and now power the cybernetic monster Metallo, the rest of the Kryptonite is the exclusive property of Lex Luthor.

K-2: In the wake of General Zod's invasion of Earth, SHIELD and other military organizations agreed that humanity needed weaponry that could neutralize Kryptonians should they ever threaten the Earth again. Spearheaded by LexCorp, the goal was the creation of mass-produced, lab-grown synthetic Kryptonite, and after nearly five years of painstaking research and setbacks, a facsimile was produced. Dubbed 'K-2,' this yellow-green crystal emits a radiation similar, but not identical to Kryptonite, enough that could cause Superman extreme pain and disorientation, and could theoretically kill him if used in sufficient quantities. Unfortunately, K-2 has a very short half-life, and most K-based weapons are expended after a single use. Worse, its radiation signature is not as clean as true Kryptonite, and quickly becomes toxic to humans and other lifeforms as well.

Red Sun: Kal-El and other Kryptonians process solar energy at an incredible rate, and it is theorized this is because their bodies believe Earth, an alien environment, to be a hostile one, and thus they are storing energy in an 'emergency mode' at all times. Exposing Superman to an environment more similar to that of Krypton-- higher gravity, thinner atmosphere, or most effectively, the dim energy of a red sun-- will cause his body to believe it is in a 'safe' environment, and thus shut down the energy-storing processes. While this does not drain his powers the same way as Kryptonite does, it 'deactivates' them as long as the environmental conditions are in effect, rendering him effectively powerless.

Magic: Magic is, by its definition, not subject to the regular laws of nature, and as such, Superman has no inherent defense against it. A blade that is enchanted to cut through anything will cut through Superman just as easily as anything else, for example. This makes him understandably wary of anyone who claims supernatural abilities.

Sensory Overload: As previously mentioned, Superman takes in and processes sensation on a seemingly unthinkable level. Disrupting that sensory input, however, can cause him serious pain and disorientation. The most common effective method of doing so would be the use of hypersonic weaponry, throwing Superman off long enough to enact another, potentially more lethal attack against him.

Psychic Attacks: Superman has gone through intense mental training to defend his mind against intruders, but this does not mean he is immune to it. A powerful enough psychic could telekinetically control Superman's body, access his memories, or even take control of him entirely. While doing so is exceedinly difficult, it is not impossible.

Physical Force: Beings of equal or greater strength than Superman are not common, but they do exist. Villains like General Zod or the monstrous Bizarro have been able to match and even overpower the Man of Steel, and it is possible that such a being could overwhelm Superman's invulnerability enough to break bones, rupture organs, or sever his spinal column, which would kill him just as effectively as a normal human.

Metropolis, DE is a sprawling, highly populated major city in New England, rival to New York or Gotham as the 'king' city of the Eastern Seaboard. For most of its existence, Metropolis was a tough place to live, as its struggling economy and notoriously corrupt local government made it a breeding ground for organized crime. This can still be seen in the names of many locales in the city, most notably the bleak nickname of the Hob's Bay area as "Suicide Slum."

The city began something of a renaissance when billionaire industrialist Lex Luthor placed his corporate headquarters in the heart of the city, offering work to millions and buying up countless smaller businesses to reinvigorate them practically overnight. By 2001, nearly one in every three of Metropolis' seven million citizens, from white-collar executives to fast food workers, from respected city officials to beat cops and gangsters, worked for Lex Luthor, whether they knew it or not.

Superman's arrival in Metropolis sparked something of a cultural revolution in the city, as fascination with superheroes and their trends is one of the favored passtimes of Metropolitan citizens. While capes and boots aren't exactly common among normal men and women, the bright costumes and vibrant personalities of the Justice League and their like have become ingrained in the city's identity. While Gotham is infamous for its heroes and villains working in the shadows, Metropolis is a place one goes to get noticed.

Locations of note:
LexCorp
The Daily Planet
STAR Labs Metropolis branch
Centennial Park
Glennmorgan Square
Steelworks
The Science Spire

Smallville, KS is, as the name suggests, a small farming community in the Midwest. Settled by pioneers in the 1800s, Smallville has enjoyed a rather quiet, unassuming existence, at least on the surface. Ever since Kal-El's pod landed there, the US government has kept a file on the city and all of the strange occurrences documented there. Most dismiss this as the same sort of tourist-trap atmosphere surrounding cities like Roswell, however, and the citizens of Smallville are more than happy to brush off wild stories about space-men and 'guardian angels' with a laugh and perhaps a cold beer.

Locations of note:
The Kent Family Farm
Smallville High School
ruins of the Luthor Mansion

The Fortress of Solitude is a gigantic hidden complex deep beneath the North Pole. Originally meant to be used as a sort of transitional colony while the people of Krypton relocated to Earth (or failing that, another habitable planetoid), it has since been repurposed as Superman's base of operations and personal sanctuary. It is where he studies the history and culture of his lost people, keeps records of his adventures, and houses technology too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands. Overseen by the AI Kelex, it is also something of a museum, a time capsule in which Superman commemorates his friends and allies, as well as his enemies and his failures, in the hopes that he and those who follow behind him will learn from his past in order to secure a better future.

Points of Interest:
The Kelex computer interface
The Intergalactic Zoo
The Hall of Bottle Cities
The Phantom Zone Portal
The Cosmic Observatory
The Sunstone Furnace
The Foundry

(To be filled in.)
Lois Lane
Jimmy Olsen
Matha Kent
Lana Lang
Pete Ross

Daily Planet Crew:
Perry White
Cat Grant
Ron Troupe
Steve Lombard
Chloe Sullivan
Richard White

Allies:

Steel
The Guardian
Krypto
Supergirl

Enemies:

Class A "World-level" enemies:
Lex Luthor
Brainiac
General Zod
Bizarro
Mr. Mxyzptlk

Class B "City-level" enemies:
Parasite
Metallo
Livewire
Prankster
Silver Banshee
Atomic Skull
Terra-Man
Riot

Criminal/Hostile Organizations:
Intergang
The Toymen
Superman Revenge Squad
The Elite
Cadmus

Lana Lang – Her cousin's childhood friend and her guardian.

Artemis of Themyscira – An expert archer and hand-to-hand combatant that trained as well as befriend Kara during her time on Themyscira.

Lori Luthor – Kara’s first friend and the daughter of Lex Luthor’s estranged sister, and a student at Midvale Academy. Lori is kind-hearted and loyal, as such qualities will be fully revealed in time.

Detective Michael Henderson – Lead detective for MPD’s Special Cases Squad.

Richard “Dick” Malverne – One of Kara’s friends at Midvale Academy.

Valerie Myles – One of Kara’s teachers at the Midvale Academy which she attends as Linda Lang.

Blackstarr – A dangerous metahuman who can manipulate gravity as well as generate energy to a dangerous level. She is one of the criminal elements in Metropolis, running an organized crime outfit that respects her out the power she wields. Has somehow eluded confrontation with both Supergirl and Superman in years past suggesting her rise to power is relatively recent.

Livewire – A member of the SRS who holds a deep-seated grudge against Supergirl for foiling her “perfect” revenge against Superman.

Mirabai – A techno-sorceror and enemy of Supergirl, though the Kryptonian does not know it yet.

Mojax – A jewel thief that was stopped by Supergirl after he endangered countless lives during a heist.

Naxx – A synthetic designed by a Coluan scientist to hunt criminals; later programmed to hunt Kryptonians as well but for an unknown reason. Supergirl fought the robot assassin during her first year.

Nasthalthia Luthor – Lex Luthor’s niece who has apparently inherited his genius, xenophobia, and ruthlessness— the polar opposite of Lori Luthor. Nastha sees Supergirl as the prophecy of a militant metahuman and mutant threat that would bring the fall of civilization and thus considers herself an enemy of her and all Kryptonians. Interning at LexCorp.

TBD

Alexander Knox – A photojournalist in his late thirties, Alexander Knox is an "old approach" investigator who digs for the truth. He has been covering stories in the Bronx for nearly a decade and is seen as an old ally of the White Tiger.

Angela del Toro – After the death of Ava’s parents and brother she has found herself in the care of her cousin, an ex-FBI agent who is currently working for SHIELD.

Detective Nathaniel Byrd – A no-nonsense detective who happened to be the police ally to the first White Tiger.

The Defenders – A to-be group that is beginning to take shape in New York City led by Luke Cage to protect innocent people from the large syndicates and criminal factions growing in the city. Ava will encounter the group very soon.

Prowler – Hobie Brown was reformed by the original White Tiger when the inventor found himself on the wrong end of the law.

Animus – Denise Baranger was an ex-SHIELD agent who operated as head of security for The Jackson Corporation. She came at odds with the first White Tiger when he discovered her attempting to execute a witness to their operations. In the years since she has avoided capture by the police and has found employment as an independent "problem solver".

Black Cat – Secretly Felicia Hardy, The Kingpin's resident thief and occasional problem solver; trained by Taskmaster and in possession of an x-gene that allows subconscious probability manipulation. Will cross paths with Ava eventually.

Cult of Khan – Responsible for the death of her brother, Ava seeks vengeance for their deeds.

Doctor Fang – A member of the Golden Dragons Triad and leader of the branch located in New York City.

The Jackson Corporation – A successful business enterprise headed by Curtiss Jackson based in New York City, the Corporation also served as a criminal epicenter that included narcotic productions centrally located in the Bronx. Initially ruined by cooperation between journalist Alexander Knox and the first White Tiger, Hector Ayala. Most of their territory scooped up by fringe operations by The Kingpin Operation, the Jackson Corporation now exists as a shamble of associates scorned by the White Tiger legacy will do anything to get their revenge.

The Foot – A faction growing in power in New York's criminal vacuum that is likely to cross paths with White Tiger in the near future.

Gideon Mace – A disgruntled military colonel who found a new career as a talented hitman, Gideon Mace was assigned a mission by Curtis Jackson to execute the White Tiger and his family as a message to all interfering superheroes in the syndicates business. Mace was apprehended by the police before he could finish the job, but the White Tiger paid a terrible toll as he lost his parents and found his sister scarred for life by witnessing the near death fiasco.

The Kingpin Syndicate – The Kingpin Syndicate have expanded their territory into the Bronx, putting them at odds with the White Tiger.

The Si-Fan – Led by the mysterious Fu Manchu, the Si-Fan are an obscure threat to White Tiger who very well may seek her amulet of power like so many others in the past.

TBD

Jack Murdock had been an adventurous teenaged hoodlum who grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Through intense fundraising as a boxer, he attempted to pay his way to law school to become a prosecuting attorney. When his violent career began to weigh on his conscience, he made a practice to attend church regularly, specifically frequenting the Clinton Mission Center and paying attention to one nun in particular. A hectic turn of events and the burdens they both faced drove them into each other's arms. Shortly afterward, Matt Murdock was conceived. A blind eye was turned to the nun's pregnancy, even to the act of giving birth. But she ultimately left her son's care to Jack.

Without either of them, knowing it, their son was destined to succeed in life, with hard work he'd have the potential to thrive with whatever skills he developed. Secular mankind had hailed the people of his sort that they recognized as polymaths, but the shinobi have called them adepts. They are very rare, usually with only a few born to each generation.

Not one to shrug off his responsibilities, he raised his son, swearing he'd do so to the best of his ability. Early in the days of Matt's upbringing, though, a small crew of fame-seeking kids declared war on another gang, specifically to move in on their territory and take over Hell's Kitchen, sparking a trend of chaos that rivaled the LA gang wars. As a result Jack was constantly pestered by scoundrels determined to use him as muscle. Dreaming of a better life for Matt, he accepted bribes and beat the stuffing out of his neighbors because they couldn't pay the criminals that laid siege to the neighborhood.

Jack would have been contracted for a job in wrestling entertainment if it hadn't been for his conscience holding him back from setting the example to Matt. He could've escaped Hell's Kitchen. The neighborhood was dangerous, poor, crime-ridden, filled with sorrow, and riddled with the scars of countless gang wars and crime. Jack subscribed to the belief that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Being mortal anyway, he could justify the way that their neighborhood would strengthen his son. Plus, it was Jack's home, more so than any place in Queens could ever be. The entire time Matt had been alive, Jack told him that he needed to study hard to be successful and avoid ever being a fighter, to go to college and be a lawyer, although his social status would suffer massively because of this. Matt was intensely teased, called a 'Daredevil' in an irony filled emotional gut punch. Meanwhile, Jack had fully changed his ways, to his own detriment. Instead of attacking anyone who'd be profitable through gangsters, he kept to himself, despite ominous financial pressure.

As the drums of gang war were finishing their anthem in New York City, The Chaste, an order of benevolent ninja found the need for fresh blood as their ranks were running thin, dying of old age. Looking to the future, Stick began to scour New York City for a possible recruit, while keeping an eye on The Foot clan.

In January 1994, Stick had examined many youths from a distance. He observed their life circumstances, personalities, work ethic, physical and mental condition, along with a variety of other criteria. Despite the fact he'd literally been failing for years and had passed on literal hundreds of candidates from countless backgrounds, he only found one.

February 1994 was the month that Matt Murdock's life began to change. Having spotted a man crossing the street in front of a semi truck en route to a government facility and unaware that it was truly a test to see if he was willing to put others ahead of himself, the fourteen year old tackled the old man out of harm's way, startling the driver. Swerving dynamically, the truck dodged the pedestrians, but it spilled a load of chemicals that it was legally not permitted to transport because of their unstudied mysterious, radioactive, and biologically radical nature. Matt was soaked by the mixture, ingesting some of it through his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. His body went into shock as a result of the entire scenario, and he was taken to the St. Vincent Hospital. While hospitalized, he was visited by the old man he'd protected, the blind ninja Stick. Judging Matt's actions as worthy of the greatest training, he kept an eye on the boy.

Beginning March 1994, upon Matt's release, Stick properly introduced himself before discreetly paying him regular visits, helping him to learn to walk again, to see beyond what could normally be seen, to dial the sensitivity of his ears to a point where it was normal. The first month of training was basic, though completely necessary.

Come May, Jack was preparing for the biggest fight of his life. Dead set on proving his worth to Matt, he promised he'd come out on top. Despite this, The Fixer commanded Jack to forfeit the match. It would have been very easy for Jack to shrink back, given that the opponent genuinely was stronger, bigger, and even younger than he'd been for years. But, Jack pulled through, giving his best punch until he knocked the opponent out. Less than an hour later, when he was leaving the arena, he was unceremoniously shot in front of his own son.

Stick, recognizing the opportunity to direct the course of Matt's young life, immediately took Matt away from the city to begin intense training. Taken to a dark cave, Matt went blind in a period of weeks, sustained by Stick, who taught him to use his other senses, more useful ones. He learned to sniff like a bloodhound, echolocate like a bat, run like a leopard, pounce like a cat, and fight like a demon.

In June, he was returned to his home. But Stick managed to have a false identity created, Mike Murdock. 'Mike' was the name of Matt's nonexistent older brother. He returned to school, picked on for roughly five minutes before fighting back and scaring his classmates to death. With unprecedented speed in developing skills, Matt managed to defeat Stick in unarmed combat in 1996. Then, he was taught to use a variety of weaponry, swords, staves, boomerangs, shurikens, escrima sticks, clubs, claws, bows, and even a gun, though his ears sensitivity limited his use for them. When Stick had decided he had nothing left to teach, he disappeared, never to be seen again.

On his eighteenth birthday, Matt received his inheritance, heading off to Columbia University. There, he met Foggy Nelson, Anthony Quinn, and Elektra Natchios. Without a doubt, Matt had been the top of his class. He led a romantic relationship with Elektra, developing powerful feelings for her that led him to do ridiculous things: starting bar fights, driving cars off cliffs, partying, and breaking and entering into her father's heavily guarded mansion to visit her and prank the guards. Emptying his soul, he stayed in school like his father wanted, losing touch with Elektra when she left the country with her father.

While attending Columbia, he picked up the habit of heading to Fogwell's regularly, and he ended up becoming good friends with a teenaged girl named Mickey, who hung out outside the gym. Every day they'd have brief chit chats, shooting the breeze and the like. But one day she went missing. Then again. And again. Out of worry for her, Matt tracked her house down by tracing her blend of perfumes, laundry detergent, and shampoos. She had evidently ran away or been abducted. Unwilling to accept her disappearance, Matt began to shake down local crooks and pay for leads. Before long, he'd been directed to a man who was known only as Mr.A, who'd likely have useful information. He did. In a matter of days, Matt contacted him before finding a storehouse of teenaged girls hidden in an illegal brothel. Wearing a mask, Matt broke in, rescued the girls, and overpowered the thugs.

Days later, Mr. A woke Matt in his sleep, requesting assistance in his war on immorality. As Hell's Kitchen had started teeming with unorganized crime, Mr. A found himself overworked and lacking the time to hunt for justice on his own. So he affiliated himself with Murdock by delegating important investigations.

When Mr. A informed Murdock that it might be beneficial for him to fabricate an alias of his own, he did so. He'd initially wanted to be called The Jersey Devil, to build onto an existing urban legend, but later decided to go with Daredevil, to demonstrate he would be completely fearless and that criminals would be judged and punished for their sins. He'd initially worn a black skintight cloth uniform with a black mask over the top of his face, decorated with interlocking Ds centered on the chest. An enforcer and general puppet for organized crime by the name of The Gladiator made a ruckus in Hell's Kitchen, causing massive property damage while causing minimal injuries. Daredevil outfought him before discovering that he was being blackmailed into his life of crime, and while he never stopped, he actually expressed appreciation for DD's intervention, doing him a favor by preparing him a scarlet outfit because, conveniently, he was a tailor by profession. A closely timed adventure saw him foil the ridiculous Stilt-Man, a burglar who made use of hydraulic stilts that enabled him to escape the confines of his anatomy and common sense.

The first powered supervillain Daredevil ever tackled was an electrokinetic soldier of fortune named Voltaic. Meeting by chance, they did battle inside Javits Convention Center, during the reveal for a next-generation power supply for the city. The project was destroyed, and a plethora of bystanders were harmed due to Daredevil's inexperience and clumsiness. Voltaic was defeated when Daredevil shot him with a pistol after playing possum. SHIELD made the arrest. Because of the collateral damage, Daredevil decided to act with a lower profile.

From 2004 to 2006, he was less than a nuisance to large scale crime operations. His effects were invisible. But in 2006, Murdock began to close in on larger crime organizations, investigating Leland Owlsley. Daredevil went to war on Owlsley, The Owl as he was nicknamed for a then unknown reason. But when Owlsley began distributing designer drugs with bestial side effects, Daredevil shut him down, raiding his supply, and damming his revenue stream before anonymously donating evidence against him to the FBI, resulting in an arrest. His apprehension was problematic, because no one had been prepared for The Owl to literally take flight by his own power and raze the officers involved with talons. Fortunately Daredevil pursued him and trapped him inside a water tower.

In 2007, Murdock graduated from Columbia along with Foggy Nelson. They compositely started the law firm Nelson & Murdock before they hired Karen Page, a fetching blonde, as their receptionist. Later in the year, Daredevil had been prowling the neighborhood before hearing cries of a fire. Spurred to action, Daredevil saved all the civilians before finding the arsonist still on site, a pyrokinetic named Chato Santana, also known as El Diablo, before successfully defeating him, partially by intimidating him with his devilish form and tricking the arsonist into believing he was a supernatural judge. Once again, SHIELD made the arrest. Matt found comfort in the fact that he handled the challenge far better than the Voltaic attack years before.

In 2008, Murdock began to investigate a series of spontaneous assaults by people with no motive. As they got closer, Foggy was assaulted by Karen Page in his own office. No lasting harm was received, but Karen was arrested. After Foggy attacked Matt, with a similar result, he worked doubly hard, finding that they'd both been manipulated by The Purple Man, a criminal capable of hypnotism. Because of Matt's blindness, he was uncontrollable, and he trapped the mastermind in a crate before depositing him in a police precinct. This year, Anthony Quinn graduated from Columbia but became a mob lawyer.

In 2009, it was decided by the Kingpin that Daredevil was causing too much change, so he sent Typhoid Mary after him. As simple as the assassination could've been, one of her multiple personalities developed a crush on the vigilante. Her mental instability allowed Daredevil to escape before capturing her and having her arrested. To follow up, Kingpin utilized Bullseye, only to have him fall by Daredevil's hand as well.

At the beginning of 2010, The Kingpin saw a compromise as the prime option, The Kingpin arranged for Anthony Quinn to mediate between himself and the vigilante, which Daredevil rejected before punching Quinn in the face. Living up to his moniker, Daredevil boldly positioned himself as an enemy of The Kingpin Syndicate.

Gear: His white cane's handle can be straightened out with a push of a button. It can then split in two, selectively connected by a steel line, with a hollow storage compartment in either club. The half with the curve can be fired into the distance with air pressure. Alternatively, the cane can telescope into a long staff. The horns on his mask have small antennae built in by himself and are capable of picking up radio signals and relaying them to him via an earpiece in his mask.

Powers: His senses all operate on a superhuman level, barring his completely absent sense of sight. He is generally more able to balance and is all around more sensitive than a regular human, as well as being gifted with peak human stamina and conditioning by the chemical incident in 1994

Skills: He navigates using a radar-sense, processing echoes in a way that paints a colorless picture for him. His sense of smell can be put to use in tracking. He is also trained with a variety of weaponry and an expert in hand to hand combat. His gymnastic ability is trained to a point little improvement can be made, and his reflexes are ridiculously fast. Last, but not least, he has an explorative and powerful mind and deductive ability made better by meticulous studying and higher education.

Clinton Mission Shelter: A church run by Sister Maggie, generally visited by law abiding citizens, the poor, and devout Catholics. But, a few snakes certainly find their place in its walls. It acts as free housing and soup kitchen for a portion of the homeless community.

Fogwell's Gym: A long closed gym that Matt frequents despite it being locked up and condemned. It's roof is damaged with several wooden boards covering a broken skyfacing window.

Javits Convention Center: A large building that facilitates LARPing, concerts, and gatherings of all sorts. It has four floors and two glass walls, eastward and westward, that meet at a point. Additionally, there is a large yard that is mostly covered in cement, with paths for biking, and a picnic area.

Nelson and Murdock: A modest building from which Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock, and Karen Page work. It is more affordable than most other law firms, thanks to a desire to help the innocent rather than line their pockets.

Paradiso Dance Club: A strip club frequented by low-lifes. Out of their desperation, many of it's dancers are hired underage. Without being advertised, it has a hidden brothel available to certain criminal clientele. This was raided by Matt in his rescue of Mickey before he became Daredevil.

St. Vincent Hospital: A hospital full of hardworking and underpaid medical experts, many volunteers, and alternative treatment advocates. It has a helipad with no helicopter, but is located near a train and bus stop. For much of the staff's work, they are not compensated. It hinges on bankruptcy because of its generosity to the community.

Sticks Billiards: A pool hall frequented by various gang members and general lowlifes. In total it has eight tables, a bar, skyward windows, and a VIP room upstairs, formerly the office of The Purple Man.

Anthony Quinn | Defense Attorney | Antagonist
A crooked lawyer who's defended criminals in the name of financial benefit. He never meant to defend bad guys as much as he was simply seduced by the massive profitability. He doesn't like to get his hands dirty, so he sticks to white collar work.

Bullseye | Assassin | Antagonist
His name is Lester and he never misses anything he throws, unless they cheat. He's verifiably insane and obsessive over the fact that Daredevil made him miss. To this day he roams free because he escaped arrest.

Copperhead | Vigilante | Rival
(To be Introduced)

Death Stalker | Stalker | Antagonist
(To be introduced)

Devil Ray | Teen Hero | Fan
(Yet to be properly introduced. But he's an Atlantean Ray Connor, taking the identity of the JLU villain)

El Diablo | Gang Member | Antagonist
Chato Santana, violent gang member with a Christian upbringing, chemically gained pyrokinetic powers that he accidentally used to burn his brother's drug suppliers to death. He is currently incarcerated.

Elektra Natchios | Ninja | Antagonist, Love Interest
The daughter of an esteemed lawyer who was spoiled from her early youth. Ravishing beauty and massive wealth made her desirable, but her status as one of the few Adepts of the generation makes her a treasure. In college, she had a whirlwind love affair with Matt Murdock, who she felt inexplicably drawn to. Leaving the country, she came in contact with the Hand Clan before joining them.

Foggy Nelson | Defense Attorney | Friend
Franklin Nelson was a law student from New York City who had been bullied from Elementary on, and when none of his classmates stood up for him, he decided to become a lawyer. He met Matt Murdock in college, years later, he opened a firm partnered with him.

Gladiator | Tailor | Reluctant Antagonist
Melvin Potter was a tailor, pressured to be a machinist by his father, who lived out his dream of crafting clothing for cosplayers all over New York. Financial hardship led to him coming to blows with Daredevil on numerous occasions, because of blackmail threatening to harm his daughter.

Ikari | Ninja | Antagonist
(To be introduced)

Jester | Criminal | Antagonist
Nowhere as famous as Gotham City's Joker, the Jester is a more agile and physically advanced variety of clown criminal.

Karen Page | Secretary | Love Interest
The secretary for Nelson & Murdock, once arrested and charged with attempted murder. The charges were dropped after it was revealed that she was manipulated by The Pyrple Man. A true blonde, she doesn't realize that one of her employers is a vigilante despite the fact they regularly investigate supervillains.. or does she? Matt often wonders.

Matador | Show-Off | Antagonist
(To be introduced)

Mr. A | Detective | Ally
Red Graine is Mr. A, an uncomprosing detective who believes in absolute justice. Unafraid of any evil or harm to himself, he wears a mask simply because he is a vigilante. As a calling card, he frequently leaves a black and white card behind. He'd actually motivated Matt to become Daredevil, legitimately trusting him.

Mr. Fear | Evil Psychiatrist | Antagonist
(To be introduced)

Leap Frog | Attention-Seeker | Antagonist
(To be introduced)

Reia Co'nor | Atlantean Aristocrat | Love Interest
(Necessary Original Character for Devil Ray Connor)

Stilt-Man | Burglar | Antagonist
A greedy burglar boosted by hydraulic stilts that are more useful than one may think. He'd been arrested, but had not actually committed a crime at the time he was intercepted.

Stick | Ninja | Father Figure
A very old blind man with stamina that defies his own biology. Stick is the founder of The Chaste, an order of ninjas that exists to counter The Hand and Foot clans. He raised and trained Matt Murdock with an eye to the future.

The Owl | Crime Lord | Antagonist
Leland Owlsley was born a mutant with an appropriate name. He grew up wealthy, but wanted to be wealthier. Initially using his physical obscurities, flight and talons, he gained enough status to call the shots under The Kingpin's rule. But he was eventually caught by Daredevil, like his replacement, The Purple Man.

The Purple Man | Crime Lord | Antagonist
Jebediah Killgrave was a spy who was exposed to a chemical mixture that turned him purple and gave him the ability to command people through visual cues. He eventually worked his way to being one of The Kingpin's 'Generals' before being incarcerated.

Typhoid Mary | Actress/Hitwoman | Antagonist/Love Interest
Mary Walker had been a Grammy Award winning actress and closet mutant with psionic, telekinetic, and pyrokinetic powers, but after a traumatic experience in New York's streets, she killed a man before developing a sort of Dissociative Personality Disorder that resulted in blackouts where her consciousness manifested as four different women total. Two of which were assassins, one was a pacifist, and the fourth was the actress she'd always been. Daredevil accidentally knocked her out of a window before trying to save her, which caused the pacifistic personality to develop a crush on him, hindering an attempt on his life. Only her pacifistic side is aware of his secret identity.

Voltaic | Mercenary | Antagonist
He was designed to be the ultimate weapon, capable of manipulating electrons. In order to build himself a name and great wealth, he sold his power to the highest bidder. Eventually employs for a terror attack, he was defeated by a completely unknown vigilante, Daredevil (Substitute for 616 Electro, taken from New52 Suicide Squad).

Having fun is my number one goal. Daredevil and his life are vehicles for this. I've written an intense Daredevil before, a ninja-centric app, a supernatural app,and a thousand spins on him. But there is nothing wrong with keeping him as a lawyer.

A side goal of mine is to highlight the differences between Matt and other superheroes. Does he care about wars or what America goes through? Does he have an unbreakable spirit, or has it just not been pressured yet. If his father raised him with religious ideals that took a backseat to boxing, how much does Matt care about sinning? Does he stereotype or prejudge people to be his enemies? Does he care if he fights someone the public respects? And would being a blind superhero actually make you less biased? These kinds of philosophical things will be explored.

My posts are going to deal with characters and life events, with a bit of slice of life thrown in. Anthony Quinn, pulp antihero The Black Bat is also set to be a special guest, with no other Indies, and Ray Connor, who I've tried to shoehorn into my DD saga, but I have a different story for him this time, you can probably figure it out if you try, but I want to capture the fast-paced high-flying spirit of classic Daredevil mixed with the emotional drama of Bendis' run, touched by Waid's optimistic streak. Things may be familiar, but not the same as what's already been written. Put simply, I want to scribe a very personal piece. As long as this run goes, my posts will be longer and more meaning than what I've written before. I want to take the Scarlet Swashbuckler to places he's never been.

7:45 PM, Winter 2010
New York City, New York

"No,n-nn-n-n-No!" This was not how my first day was supposed to go, the costumed inventor thought to himself as he used his signature boots to slingshot himself off of one balcony and onto another. "No matter how far ahead I get, I can't shake him."

Leap Frog, as he had begun to call himself, was having a rough day. His kids were starving, his inventions were unappreciated, and while he was trying to make a name for himself, he'd only made a fool of himself who couldn't even run away. The only problem was that his inventions were malfunctioning, and it had nothing to do with Daredevil. They weren't supposed to be used so much, and at this point it was frying the motor. Unacceptable. The electric coils beneath his feet were receiving so much current that it was beginning to burn his heels.

Checking over his shoulder, he saw the crimson clad crusader chasing him hadn't given any sign of letting up. It registered that even if he wasn't being pursued by a judgemental spirit, there was no reason to assume his captor wouldn't burn him with his own brand of hellfire. The thought put the burns on his feet into perspective.

It was impossible to think of a clever way to escape with the ruckus from a nearby train, despite having the ultimate option literally strapped to his feet. Desperate for a way out of accepting responsibility for his actions, Leap Frog sprung over a terrace and onto the rails of the train that had just passed. He then arched his back and pounced wildly, landing on top of the locomotive.

"If that were any closer I'd end up like that stilted fella," the man in the bulbous green costume chuckled, relieved from the prior moments burden like it were years ago despite watching the man in red shrink back into the distance. But.. there was something getting closer, a brown blur that slipped past Leap Frogs' eyes with its natural inspired camouflage against the rusted beams and rotting wood.

Not Daredevil or anything like him, the approaching predator was fast, like his ankles also had coils to thrust him. Leading with his forehead, his body was like an arrow that burst through the air. Running up the back of the train and crawling over the roof's edge, he was hardly seen before he struck with hundreds off pounds of pent-up fury. Springing off of his feet, he rammed Leap Frog, impacting his soft belly and throwing him off the side of the train before he flopped on the ground.

The casing of his battery pack took the worst of the fall. But Leap Frog was still hurt. All he'd seen were the terrible snake eyes and hood like a cobra. His inner self said to run away without looking back, but his flesh disobeyed, trembling in place before he saw Daredevil approach.

"What happened to you?"

"Sn-s-snake-man," he croaked, too weak to say anything clearly.

"I see," Daredevil's voice rumbled, intentionally distorting his range. "He did a pretty good job, too."

---

It's not that I had something against him, it's just that he was an unknown factor in my war on crime, an extra beat in the ballad of truth and justice. If something outstanding were to happen after he caught Leap Frog, I needed to know because inevitably one of them would come back around to bite me.

The chattering of my phone jackhammering on my nightstand drew me into a conversation with exactly the right man to help me solve the mystery: Mr. A.

"Incoming call from: Rex_Graine."

"Answer," I commanded my phone.

"Matt, I got your message last night so I did a little digging. The man you described is most likely Copperhead, vigilante from the area that has a few advantages over the every man, venom for one. There are few reports of his activity, but his M.O. is just what you described: Guerrilla tactics enacted in urban locations. There's nothing there to be suspicious about, but that is a reason in itself."

A ping from my phone dropped off a few audio files of internet recordings, read aloud by Graine personally.

"Great, snakes.. Is there anything else to him? How do you think I can get ahold of him?"

"I dunno, kidnapping worked the first time. That's worth a try."

Major Case Squad Offices
One Police Plaza
Manhattan

"Are you alive or dead?" Officer Vin Gonzales asked, sitting behind his desk and leaning back in his chair.

"Dead," Officer Denzel "Daz" Pierce said, leaning against the filing cabinet beside the desk and sipping coffee. "Twenty left."

"Were you a president?"

"No. Nineteen."

"Did you do anything significant?"

"Yes. Eighteen."

While Gonzales and Daz continued their game, Sergeant Jean DeWolff entered the room with files in her hands. She gave the two officers a slight glance before continuing to her desk and laying the files down. DeWolff sat down and began to look over the contents inside the folder.

"Were you a pro athlete?"

"Nope. Seventeen."

"An actor?"

"Nope. Sixteen."

"Listen up," Captain Tracy said as he came up to the group with Sergeant Tork and a skinny black man in a suit and tie following in his wake.

Daz's eyes lit up from behind his sunglasses. Daz stood up and shook the man's hand.

"Narco in the house! Shit, you must be desperate!"

"You know me, Daz," the man said with a smirk. "I gotta be at the end of my rope to come see your ass."

"I bet," said Tork. "This is my new squad. The sulky young man over there is Officer Vin Gonzalez and the one person in the room that's not dogshit ugly is Sergeant Jean DeWolff. Vin, Jean, this is Sergeant Kasper Cole. He used to run with Daz and I back in Narco."

"That was back before his head got too big to be seen with us," Daz said with a pat on Cole's back. "You get a set of stripes and a cushy job with CID Narco and it changes you. Where's the love, Kasper?"

"Yeah, I'm crying you a river, Daz," Cole said with an elbow into his ribs. "You all seem like you're doing well. Heard y'all are kicking ass and taking names with Captain Tracy."

"We do okay," Tracy said with a shrug. "The bad guys are getting locked up.

"The question is," said Daz. "What brings you here? I know you, Kasper, you don't play catch up until after you punch out."

"You always knew how to read me. Yeah, Narco needs a little help from you boys."

"What is it?" DeWolff asked, pushing away the files on her desk.

"Anybody ever heard of the Crusaders Motorcycle Club?"

"Yeah," said Gonzalez. "They're a bunch of redneck assholes that operate out of Brooklyn, right?"

"Right you are," Cole said with a nod. "But they're more than that. They're a biker gang with chapters all across America and the world, the Brooklyn chapter is their home base. Aside from claiming that they are law-abiding citizens, they also happen to be a big time distributor of drugs and illegal guns. They ATF, DEA, and NYPD have been running a joint task force over the past year, monitoring them with wiretaps, camera surveillance, and undercover informants. We're getting ready to raid their Brooklyn clubhouse, as well as the homes of a half dozen members."

"Where do we come in?" Tork asked.

"Because a week ago we stumbled upon something that could be a real problem. The chapter president, Arthur Blackwood, is a metahuman. It appears that he is super strong and durable and all kinds of headaches. Since he's a meta, that falls neatly into Major Case Squad jurisdiction. I talked to the guys at the ATF and DEA, they want you to come in and help out with taking Blackwood out at the clubhouse. It'll be a search and seizure as well as an arrest warrant. We'll find what we need in the clubhouse to send Blackwood to prison for a long time. We just need you to make sure he stays down."

"I know we got the Caprice case going on," Tracy said with a look to all of them. "But with the wiretaps in place all we're doing is casting and waiting to get a bite. I figure this will give us a chance to stretch out legs. Plus it gives us a chit with Captain Major in CID Narco, something we might have to cash in if we want to get a bead on Big Boy's dealers."

"So that's a yes?" Kole asked with a look towards Tracy.

"Damn right," Tracy said with a grin. "I'll be the first to jump out."

"Oh, damn," said Daz. "Cap'n gonna show us something?"

"I been doing this since before some of you were born. I know how to take scalps."

"What are we waiting for?" Tork asked. "Let's get our motor running and head on down the highway."

Project Reclamation
World War II had been won by the Allies, HYDRA had been stopped by Captain America, and yet his allies were somber. The loss of the world’s first true superhero shocked the OSS, and many believed without his guidance in the new era of superpowers the world could once again fall into chaos. In response to this fear, the OSS got to work on Project Reclamation. The project, led by Nazi defector Arnim Zola, was designed to recreate Erskine’s supersoldier serum at any cost. Highly secretive and heavily funded, the team toiled endlessly on the genetic samples that had been taken from Rogers before his untimely passing. There was little hope that the project would garner a success, but the top brass thought it was worth the expense.

The years passed, and Project Reclamation experienced failure after failure. Eventually the remnants of the OSS transformed into SHIELD, and Zola traveled with the project to the new hierarchy. By the time SHIELD was formed, Zola was the last one working on the project. He had an obsessive zeal to see it completed, and few understood why. Many chalked it up to an aging scientist yearning for one last discovery, but some feared he desired to create a supersoldier in secret for the reborn HYDRA. While he worked, he was kept under constant supervision, though few truly understood what he was doing. But Zola toiled endlessly, sure he would crack the code eventually.

A New Generation
As the world rapidly started to move towards a new direction in the early 80s, an elderly Doctor Zola came to the SHIELD leaders and told them he had finally cracked the code. They would be able to produce another super soldier, though the means would be very different. Using the Captain’s genetic material, Zola had devised a way to impregnate a surrogate and ensure the majority of Rogers’s abilities were passed on. SHIELD, wary of the time it would take to activate such an asset, agreed as they saw no other choice. With the advent of the burgeoning mutant and metahuman populations, they knew they would need powered agents in the field to combat any possible threats.

After a search, Sharon Carter, the niece of Rogers’ former flame Peggy, volunteered to carry and raise the child. After she was impregnated, Zola disappeared, which struck a deep fear into her heart. She worried about what kind of child she was now carrying, and whether or not it would end up being a weapon for HYDRA.

Sharon was relieved when, on February 22, 1983, she gave birth to a beautiful, and completely normal, baby girl. She was named Stephanie, after her father, and the new family settled down in Keystone City, MS. There, Stephanie grew to be an outstanding young girl. Sharon was proud that the best attributes of her father seemed to shine through the girl. She was kind, brave, and ferociously defended the weak around her.

While that was a good sign, as Steph’s powers began to materialize around puberty, Sharon had a hard time keeping her daughter’s lineage a secret. The girl was terrified she was a mutant, and that the people who attacked them would come for her. Sharon comforted the girl, and began teaching her how to control her strength, speed, and agility so that she could pass off for a normal human. While it was never a perfect cover, Stephanie reached adulthood without seriously arousing suspicion from those around her.

The New Avenger
September 11, 2001 changed the world. It reminded people that evil still worked tirelessly to strike fear into the hearts of good people around the world. It brought with it the emergence of Superman and the Batman, and the hordes of other vigilantes and heroes that followed. But for Stephanie Carter it meant the end of her normal life. In the wake of the attacks, SHIELD believed more would follow from powered and non-powered threats alike. To respond to this perceived threat, the decision was made to activate the asset they had in Stephanie. Director Timothy Dugan, head of the organization, appeared on the Carter’s doorstep. Together with Sharon, he explained to Steph who she is and where her powers came from. Dugan told her it was now time for her to take up her father’s mantle and protect the world as the new Captain America.

Steph was initially furious with her mother for keeping her origin a secret, but the two reconciled when Stephanie saw all the good Superman was doing for the world in the wake of terrible tragedy. Deciding to honor her father’s legacy and ideals, Stephanie agreed to train to become the new Captain America.

Her and her mother left their home in Keystone to travel to Washington DC and SHIELD headquarters. There, she met her combat instructor Ted “Wildcat” Grant, a former boxer turned agent, and her espionage/tactics instructor Colonel Nick Fury. Grant treated her like the daughter he never had, and the two bonded quickly. Fury, on the other hand, was far more enigmatic. He claimed to have known her father, and though that seemed unlikely thanks to his younger appearance. The two instructors were amazed at how quickly their pupil learned thanks to her enhanced mental capabilities.

One person on Steph's training team that was not as enthused was Bucky Barnes, the former friend of Steve Rogers and the only other man to bear the Captain America banner successfully. He had never approved of Zola's experimentation with Steve's DNA, and Bucky believed Steph to be a stain on Steve's legacy. Still, he trained her in the use of Captain America's shield and how to use her powers on the battlefield.

Within a year, Stephanie was deemed ready for field duty. She was given her father’s shield to keep, a specialized combat suit, and a variety of gadgets designed by famed weapons manufacturer Tony Stark himself.

Captain America’s first mission was a rousing success. She was dispatched to save a UN Peacekeeping vessel from the mercenary group Batroc’s Brigade. Stephanie singlehandedly reclaimed the ship with no casualties. The world celebrated its new hero, and Captain America was an overnight sensation, and even Bucky Barnes began to come around on the new Captain America.

Task Force X
After her success, SHIELD command believed it was time to give Stephanie her own team. She was presented with hundreds of choices for her squadmates, something SHIELD brass regretted immediately. Cap gravitated towards a program proposed by SHIELD’s Amanda Waller in which criminal or newly turned assets would be used for dangerous, but heroic, missions under the leadership of a SHIELD official. Captain America insisted on being the one to lead these men and women in their second chance, sure she could make heroes out of them. While her superiors worried this was naivety on the part of the young hero, the agreed to let her form her team.

Her first choice for a teammate was Natasha Romanoff, codenamed Black Widow. Widow was a former spy, assassin, and saboteur for the Russians. After being captured by SHIELD, she agreed to switch sides in exchange for her life. She was eager to prove her new allegiance and joined the team without hesitation.

Next to the team came Clint Barton, codenamed Hawkeye. Hawkeye was a circus trick shot performer, as well as a master thief who used the circus as his cover. After being apprehended, Waller saw the use in Barton, and brought him aboard. Clint was often sarcastic and lackadaisical, but never failed when the pressure was on.

The fourth member of the team was Luke Cage. Cage was a former inmate who volunteered for military experiments designed to create a new breed of super soldier. The experiments gave him superhuman strength in invulnerability, which he used to escape prison before being retrieved by SHIELD. With the offer of a pardon for time served with the new team, Cage eagerly signed up.

The final member of the team she chose was Brock Rumlow, a former gang member and career criminal. Rumlow was violent, unpredictable, and dangerous, but seemed to have the team’s wellbeing in mind at all times.

Two others were also placed on the team by orders of Amanda Waller. Wade Wilson, known as Ravager, and the mutant known by the codename Copycat. While they weren't Steph's choices, they soon became trusted members of the team.

With the newly formed task force at her disposal, Cap went about fighting injustice and evil wherever she found it. They battled domestic and foreign terrorists, and eventually came into conflict with the mysterious Kobra cult and their super powered attack squad known as the Serpent Society. Kobra and the team, nicknamed the Suicide Squad by Barton, battle countless times before Stephanie managed to destroy the head of Kobra, seemingly stopping the cult for good.

The team was incredibly successful. That is until March 19, 2005. On a trip to a SHIELD super max detention facility to drop off the Serpent Society leader Sidewinder, the team was betrayed by Rumlow during an attack by a reborn HYDRA. The surprise sent the team into disarray. In the chaos, SHIELD Director Dugan was killed, and Rumlow managed to get the best out of Stephanie before escaping.

AWOL
After the reemergence of HYDRA and the death of their leader, SHIELD was in disarray. New director Nick Fury decided to table Task Force X, giving pardons to the members of the team. With the team dissolved, Barton and Romanoff stayed on as SHIELD agents, while Cage returned to New York and Ravager and Copycat went their own way.

Stephanie, on the other hand, decided to take a sabbatical from SHIELD. Taking up the alias of Nomad, she searched for the new HYDRA alone. Combing through the dark corners of the world, she managed to get little in the way of solid information. Every step forward brought two steps back as HYDRA seemed to know when she was coming.

After months of searching, however, Stephanie was brought back to SHIELD during the invasion of the Star’ro. Cap reformed her team and came to the aid of the other heroes battling against the alien invaders. In the end, Cap and Superman, leader of the other heroes protecting Earth, shook hands on the field of victory and solidified a friendship.

Assemble
In response to the fact that Earth was now under intergalactic threats, as well as a response to the independent Justice League, a now-stable SHIELD and Nick Fury created the Avenger Initiative to put together their own team of super powered individuals. Stephanie was chosen to lead, naturally. Hawkeye and Black Widow agreed to stay on, but Luke felt he was needed in New York. Using SHIELD resources, Cap recruited scientists Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne to the team, both using Pym’s scientific findings to become the heroes Ant-Man and Wasp. The final piece of their team was Nate Adam, aka Captain Atom. Adam was a former Air Force pilot given powers by a nuclear accident. Together, they formed the Avengers.

While the Justice League focused their attention on the Injustice Gang and their allies, the Avengers focused on the terrorist organizations HYDRA and the newly formed AIM.

HYDRA continued to attack the free people of the world, but the Avengers managed to begin turning the tide. It was discovered they were lead by Baron Helmut Zemo, the son of a prominent member of HYDRA’s past. Still, Zemo managed to slip between Cap’s fingers every time they came face to face, often thanks to interference from Rumlow, who now went by the name Crossbones.

AIM, aka Advanced Idea Mechanics, was a group of radical scientists hellbent on the overthrow of society to start a technology and science dominated one. The Avengers took on their mechanical and biological monsters many times, even coming in contact with their hideous and enigmatic leader MODOK.

Captain America is now comfortably leading the Avengers, all the while searching for Rumlow and Zemo to pay back the betrayal of Task Force X. But even now as things seem to be falling into predictable patterns, the ghosts of the past will catch up to Stephanie in terrible and surprising ways.

Nick Fury - Fury is the director of SHIELD and an old ally of Stephanie’s father. He was one of the test subjects for the incomplete and unstable version of the Project Rebirth serum, which granted him an unnatural long life instead of the intended physical enhancements. Fury is a smart, capable, and talented soldier and leader. Steph looks up to him greatly, and values his advice. While he sees her as an invaluable asset and exemplary leader for the Avengers, Fury keeps her, as he does everyone, at arms distance.

Ted “Wildcat” Grant - Grant is a former prize fighter, vigilante, and acquaintance to Fury. When Stephanie was brought in for training, Fury approached Grant to help train the new Captain America in hand-to-hand combat. Ted jumped at the chance, knowing it was his last chance to do some good. Wildcat and Cap bonded immediately, and Steph found in him a father figure she had never had before. He continues to mentor her.

James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes - Stephanie's father's old friend and the second man to take up the Captain America namesake, Bucky Barnes was at first a reluctant mentor for Stephanie, believing the project that created her to be an insult to Steve's legacy. He agreed to train her in the use of Captain America's shield, and through this and watching her succeed on the field of battle, Bucky now views Stephanie as a worthy successor of the Captain America mantle, and the two are close comrades.

Sharon Carter - Stephanie’s mother is a former SHIELD agent. She now lives with Stephanie in SHIELD facilities, and guides her daughter through the tougher times as a hero and leader of the Avengers.

Natasha Romanoff - A former spy and assassin, Romanoff was the first person recruited to Cap’s team. The two of them are nearly inseparable friends at this point, and Natasha is Steph’s go to team member when picking someone to go into the field with.

Clint Barton - Hawkeye and Cap have a brother/sister like relationship. The two often snipe at one another, but are like clockwork on the battlefield. Having fought together for so many years, the two seemingly have a psychic link.

Luke Cage - A former member of Steph’s team, Cage is now a superhero for hire. While he rarely fights with the Avengers, Cage provides invaluable intel as someone plugged into street and low-level crime. He now resides in New York City.

Hank Pym - The scientist and hero known as Ant-Man, Pym is part of the Avengers. Pompous and hard-headed, Pym and Steph often but heads, leading to friction on the team. Still, his ability to shrink is important to stealth missions, and his scientific mind allows for great inventions like the Avengers’ mode of transportation, the Quinjet.

Janet van Dyne - Pym’s girlfriend and fellow scientist, she uses the Pym Particles and special stinger blasters to become the hero known as Wasp.

Nathaniel Adam - Captain Atom is the most militant and reserved of the Avengers. He has an unwavering dedication to the US Government. Still, he is completely loyal to the Avengers’ cause, and is the team’s powerhouse.

Commander Phil Coulson - Coulson is a kind-hearted, but skilled, SHIELD agent and the commanding officer on the Helicarrier when Director Fury is not on the vessel. Coulson is also an avid fan of Steph's father and the original Justice Society, and acts like a kindly older brother to the young superhero.

HYDRA - The old enemy of both Stephanie’s father and herself, the reformed HYDRA is a constant thorn in SHIELD’s side. Ruthless, fanatical, and deadly, HYDRA’s influence can be felt throughout the world.

Baron Helmut Zemo - The current head of HYDRA, Zemo desires world domination for he and his organization. He holds a grudge against Cap and her father after Rogers apprehended his grandfather in World War II.

Crossbones - Brock Rumlow was once part of Stephanie’s team until he revealed himself to be a HYDRA spy and traitor. Cap now desperately wants to capture Rumlow and make him pay for the betrayal.

The Serpent Society - After the fall of Kobra, the snake themed group of villains and assassins joined with HYDRA.

A.I.M. - Advanced Idea Mechanics desires the overthrow of society in the hope for a technologically dominated society.

MODOK - The hideous and violent leader of AIM, he, or it, desires the domination of humanity.

Kobra - A snake-focused cult that wished to bring about the rule of their god-king. It was believed he was born in the body of the man who called himself Kobra, and who commanded the cult against Stephanie. Cap killed Kobra in a confrontation, and now the remnants of the cult see her as their great enemy.

Helicarrier - The SHIELD Helicarrier is the mobile base for the Avengers. It houses thousands of SHIELD agents, various weapons, Quinjets, and detention cells for superpowered enemies. Many see the Helicarrier as a sign of hope and protection, though many see it as a sign the organization has gotten to big for its own good.

Triskelion - The home base of SHIELD, the Triskelion is the island HQ of SHIELD located in the Potomac River between Washington D.C. and Virginia. It houses SHIELD's scientific arm, its vast communications hub, superhuman training facilities, and Avengers HQ.

The Raft - An island prison made to house super powered inmates located on Ryker's Island in New York Harbor.

Cap's Apartment - Stephanie's apartment in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington DC. It has had multiple defense measures added since she moved in.

Parts Unknown

Slam saw darkness. His still head rang from the tune-up he'd been given, his legs cramped from the rope, the zip-ties gouged his wrists. The car bounced and rocked down a road. Slam recounted the journey and figured they were well out of town by now. Sweat rolled down his face, the black bag made him smell his own breath. It reeked of vomit, hooch, and Altoids.

Feature: Slam left his apartment still hungover from the night before. Three men jump him, beat the shit out of him and black bag him. They tie him up and toss him into the trunk of a car. Slam struggles. Slam gets sapped. Slam becomes docile through threat of further sapping.

He tried to count turns and figure out where he was. He lost count and started counting up the number of people who wanted him dead. He lost count and started counting the minutes. At twenty-two the car stopped. Rough hands pulled him from the trunk and pushed him down a road. Slam felt dirt scraping his shoes. He heard nature. Call it: the countryside at least an hour out of Gotham. Hands guided him down the road, pushed him in the right direction. Smell that. Pig shit coming on stroooong. Hands on his head, the bag came off.

Dig that countryside. Dig that farmhouse and pig pen. There's a farmer in overalls, très Green Acres chic. Dig the man beside him. Black suit with no tie, goatee and looking as Slavic as the pierogi at Abramowicz's Deli in Bennett Beach. The Chechen they called him. Dig the rumors around town: The Chechen was former Russian Intelligence turned Russian Mafiya. No, he fought in Afghanistan in the 80's and gave Bin Laden a reach-around in the name of Mother Russia. No, he fought the Russians in Chechnya. No, Ruskies raped his mother and he slaughtered an entire battalion in the name of revenge. Putin had a six-figure bounty on his head. He had Gorbachev tattooed on his chest, fucked up birthmark and all.

"You owe me money."

He talked to Slam while looking in the pig pen. One of the Chechen's goons pushed Slam forward. His knees got weak, he nearly fell.

"You're right. I owe you a lot of money."

"You do not know when to say no when my bookies offer you another shot? You do not know when to walk away?"

"No... walking away and doing the sane thing. That ain't me."

The Chechen looked back at him. He sized him up. Slam sized him up. The Chechen was older, but Slam was hurt. Odds on beating the man to death if he had to: 50/50. Odds he would get that far: Too goddamn long to even figure out.

"I know about you. Boxer turned cop turned--" he said something in his gobbledygook language. "-- what is word? Fuck up. Yes, you are big time fuck up."

"That's me. Born fuck up."

The Chechen snapped his fingers. Slam was pushed up against the pig pen. Hogs swarmed, hogs squealed, hogs snapped. The Chechen laughed. He told jokes in Russian. His men whooped and laughed too hard. Slam got the gist. He was the punchline. How many hogs does it take to eat a deadbeat asshole? We're about to find out. Hands pulled him away from the pen. They forced him on his knees.

"This farm is where I get rid of problems. You are problem, but not for long. I wipe away your debt, but there is catch."

The Chechen pulled something from his coat. He tossed it at Slam's feet. Slam scoped a photo. Dig the big man with the two hookers on his arm. Faux fur and fake tits abound.

"This son of a bitch steal from me. He run away with my money. You find him and tell me where he is. I feed him to pigs."

"That's it?"

The Chechen smiled. Slam saw yellow teeth stained by a life of smoking Polish cigarettes.

"You not find him, my pigs still eat. Either they eat this son of a bitch, or you. Choice is yours."

"Well, how can I refuse?"

"You have two days, fuck-up. Tick-tock."

Bennett Beach
Gotham

Slam cruised Bennett Beach in a loop. The Beach was all Chechen territory. Russian expats and gangsters mingled with the old Jews of the neighborhood. Yiddish and Cyrillic script cohabitated on walls and storefronts. Slam swilled gin from a flask and cruised slow. Past mixed with present. His conclusion: it was all the same thing.

THEN: He killed four men in the line of duty. All during a two-year stint in Robbery. Captain Branden gave him a necktie with 4's and the GCPD shield on it. Branden's idea of esprit de corps. Branden had a tie with 10's on it. Charlie Fields had a bowtie with little 7's covering it. One man held up a grocery store with a shotgun. He took hostages. Branden and the others distracted him in the front. Slam slipped in the back. He walked up behind him and blew the man's brains out with his service piece. Fifteen years later, Slam could still smell brains. He couldn't remember the man's name or what he looked like, just the smell of his last thoughts before dying.

NOW: He's killing again, this time in an indirect way. The Chechen gave him two days to find a man marked for death. Slam owes the Chechen ten grand. The ten grand: a five hundred dollar football bet spun out of control when he thought he could bet his way out of debt. He finds the man and his debt is absolved in the name of the father, son, and holy ghost of gambling. Slam doesn't find him and he's pig food. The Chechen isn't like Sid the Yid or the mob bookies. They know dead men don't pay back debts. The Chechen doesn't care. He kills because he likes it.

THE MAN: Boris Andropov. The Chechen's goons filled Slam in on details. Boris runs The Comrade Club, a stripper joint in Bennett Beach. Implications: Big Boris pushes dope for the Russians and pimps the girls out on the side. Slam inferred: Busy Boris launders money for the Chechen through the club.

Boss Boris leaves the club one night and doesn't come back. Bandit Boris high-tailed it with the club's books and nearly sixty grand worth of cash. Slam cut odds on the cash being all drug money and gave up. Even he knew a sucker's bet when he saw one. Call the books insurance that the Chechen wouldn't neuter Big Boris and let him bleed to death. As long as Bright Boris stayed alive the books wouldn't fall into police hands. Slam had to get the books as well as what was left of the cash.

He polished off the last of his gin and got buzzed. His buzzed brain made clicks. A plan formulated. The booze simmered the plan and fermented it. The Chechen's men gave him Boris' address. An ex-wife and four kids by three different women, but nobody lived with Bachelor Boris. Slam cruised to the outskirts of Bennett Beach with 459 on his mind. Boris' apartment building reeked of deli meat and cat litter. Slam made the third floor, his tools tucked in his jacket. Boris' door had scratch marks on it already. Someone had scooped Slam, he'd be getting sloppy seconds. He went in anyway. The pick slid in the lock, he jiggled it, and the lock popped. He went inside.

Slam walked the apartment in grids. He took his time tossing the place. He was trained to be thorough and he was. Slam found coke, speed, weed, condoms with holes deliberately poked in them, dildos, smut of every imaginable kind. He tossed the place gently. He tossed it so it left no trace of his tossing. It was all for naught. The place looked wiped down. Anything worth a damn had been taken before he got here. They tossed and covered their tracks like Slam. A pro had been in and out of here before him. He went into the kitchen and pulled a half drunk bottle of vodka from the fridge. It went down rough, not as smooth as gin. The booze fired him back up. He worked out his next steps. Canvass The Comrade Club, find out who Boris was fucking and try to get one step on whoever the hell he was racing.

Slam tossed the empty vodka bottle in the trash. He headed to the front door. The knob wiggled. Someone put a key in the lock. He stepped back and pulled his .38. He took off the safety and held it steady. The door swung open.

Nathaniel “Nate” Adam was born in Sedalia, Missouri in 1979 into a household of devout Southern Baptists. His mother passed away shortly after he was born and his father, Allen Adam, found God as a means to deal with his grief and remarried shortly afterwards. By the time he was old enough to think, it was clear that the answers the church provided Nate weren’t enough to satisfy him. There was more out there and he knew it. The answers lay out amongst the stars and he was determined to find them one day. Allen Adam had other ideas: he wanted Nate to follow him into the family business, trucking, and as far as he was concerned there was to be no debate about it. Nate’s grandfather had worked his fingers to the bone and risen up from a lowly truck driver to own his own depot in Sedalia and Nate’s father had followed after him. It was only right that Nate would do the same.

So Nate eschewed his dreams of a life outside of sleepy Sedalia and woke up early each morning, packed his and his father’s lunch, and endured the long drives to the depot with only songs of worship on the radio to pass the time. He was miserable, but it seemed to make his father happy, and that was all that mattered. Duty always came first with Nate, even from an early age, so there was no question of leaving home or running away. He would sit through the silent meals around the dinner table with his father, step-mother, and his step-siblings until he was old enough to get a home of his own, presumably also in Sedalia, and take over the trucking business once his father was too old to run it himself. The stars would remain distant and unattainable, whizzing past his window as if a constant reminder of what he was missing out on.

Or at least that’s what he thought would happen. One night he woke in the middle of the night to his father sat at the foot of his bed. He smelled of alcohol. Nate had never known his father to drink before, he’d even heard him speak of the dangers of alcohol at length over the years, but here was sat reeking of it. In his hands was a picture of Nate’s mother, the only one he ever kept, and he spoke aloud to it as if Nate could not hear him. Nate wasn’t sure whether his father knew he was awake or not and so laid perfectly still. He had let her down, Allen muttered, and he had let their son down by stifling his dreams and keeping him in Sedalia, keeping him close, for fear of losing him as he had lost her fifteen years ago. It was the first and only time that Nate had heard his father speak of his mother and would be the last. Allen fell asleep by the foot of his bed and in the morning when Nate awoke he was gone. When Nate left his room to prepare lunch for work that day his father appeared and told him they weren’t going to work that morning, they were going for a drive. He didn’t mention the night before and but it became clear that whatever realisation he had come to last night had changed things.

He knew Nate wasn’t happy, he knew Sedalia was too small for his son, and he wouldn’t watch by anymore whilst he wasted his life away doing something he didn’t love. They drove to Whiteman Air Force Base and Allen Adam signed the parental consent forms there and then that allowed Nate to sign up at seventeen. Though unusual, they even arranged for Nate to stay in some lodgings on the base until his basic training began. For the first time in Nate’s life his father gave him a hug, tears in his eyes, and told him that his mother would have been proud of him. Nate watched as he walked back to his truck and drove off into the distance. It would be the last time he would ever see his father alive. Within a few months he would be shipped out of Sedalia and never step foot there again.

Nate knew no one, he no longer had any family and he certainly didn’t have any friends, but that wouldn’t last for long. Though he wasn’t the most gregarious of all the recruits he quickly distinguished himself with his flying and made a name for himself amongst the other pilots. He wasn’t the best though, far from it, that was Carol Danvers. She was the envy of every man and woman in the Air Force and was clearly destined for big things for the very beginning. She was charismatic, opinionated, and strong-willed. She was the type of woman that every man wished he could have and the type of pilot every man there wished he could be, including Nate. Unlike the others though he had never been anything but courteous to her and that had endeared him to her far more than any of the other meatheads that pawed at her and diminished her achievements in the air because of her attractiveness. They were equals and he treated her as such. Had they met in any other occupation they would have been more than friends but Danvers refused to be defined by her relationships with men. And Nate was too straight-laced to pursue anything more than friendship to begin with. All he cared about was flying.

One of the few people that could break through Adam’s stoicism was James Rhodes. Rhodes was almost twice as strong as Adam despite only being a few inches taller than him and was considerably faster than him. He was a physical specimen that pushed Nate to his limits throughout training and beyond. In the cockpit Nate had him beat, Rhodes lacked the imagination that he had when it came to flying, but there was a toughness to Rhodes that he envied. Most of all though “Rhodey” (as he insisted people call him) had a quick wit and a great sense of humour that had got the pair of them in trouble on more occasions than Adam could count. He was the perfect foil to Nate and pair were near inseparable. As with dozens of other pilots Rhodey had attempted to ask Carol out for a drink sometime and as with the other pilots she had turned him down, but she was fond of him too. The three of them became fast friends and saved each other’s bacon in the field more times than could be counted.

Everything would change after 9/11. The laughs became fewer and far between because the trio found themselves deployed in more dangerous situations than ever before. It was clear that their trio, for as close as they were, was living on borrowed time: Danvers was determined to make rank and all the loss of life seemed to wear Rhodey down, his easy exuberance seemed to wane with every deployment. Danvers was promoted and left the field and not long afterwards Rhodey took a position at Ferris Aircraft Company for a time then eventually on to Stark Industries. Nate wasn’t interested in making rank and had no interest in making money despite Rhodey’s repeated attempts to lure him into the private sector. Unlike the pair of them Nate had no life outside of the Air Force, outside of what he perceived to be his duty, and all he wanted to do was serve the country that had given him a chance to pursue his dreams.

It was meant to be a routine low-altitude air strafing run over Fallujah. He’d done it countless times before, so much so that he reckoned he could do it in his sleep, and Nate certainly wasn’t expecting much trouble. He was wrong. He came under heavy fire from insurgents and started going down, his cockpit engulfed in flames, completely unable to eject from it because of a malfunction. His life flashed before his eyes, memories of Sedalia, his father walking towards his truck, and the good times he’d spent with Rhodey and Carol. He shut his eyes and prepared himself for death upon impact. There was a loud crash as his jet came into contact with the dirt but no explosion. Against the odds Nate had survived the crash and so he opened his eyes and, though the world was spinning uncontrollably and he felt sick to his stomach, attempted to fight his way out of the cockpit before he burned alive inside. He smashed his way out and breathlessly fell to the dirt and lay there motionless for a few moments as the world around him continued to spin. Then he heard it. The shouts, the gunfire, and the sound of vehicles moving towards his location with haste. Nate scrambled to his feet and fumbled for his pistol as he saw the insurgents approach him, determined not to be taken alive, and began to unload on them. One by one the blurs went down, until suddenly his vision began to clear and he could make out from afar that they weren’t insurgents at all, they were US Marines. What had he done?

The father one of the US Marines was a five star general by the name of Wade Eiling. In the investigation that followed the incident he pressed to have Nate court-marshalled and sentenced to life in prison, despite Adam’s protestations of innocence. He pulled every string within his reach and called in every favour to attempt to influence the investigation to destroy Adam’s career and run him out of the military for good. Though the investigation couldn’t prove that Nate had purposefully killed Eiling’s son and the other Marines, the damage it did to his reputation was enough to ensure he’d never fly again. Rhodey spoke in Nate’s defence on several occasions but Carol was absent throughout. Rhodes fumed at her placing her ambitions above Adam’s freedom, but Nate understood why she had refused to speak up for him. The association would kill whatever future she had hoped for in the military or outside of it. Adam was done. The military couldn’t force him out but they did their best to make him feel unwelcome in their ranks and, with nowhere else to go in the world, the future looked bleak for Nate. Until Dugan arrived.

The world had changed, Dugan had told him, and it was time that the government’s response to that changing world was proportionate to the threats it faced. Superman, Martian Manhunter, and The Flash all possessed mind-boggling power and though they seemed benign enough in their intent, Dugan was aware that could change at any time. They had called in Captain America and were forming a team that would be answerable to SHIELD and they needed a heavy-hitter that could rival Superman. That heavy hitter didn’t exist. But they going to create one and they thought that Nathaniel Adam was the right man for it. He’d studied him from a distance for a long time, spoken to the right people, and knew that his loyalties were in the right place. SHIELD needed a metahuman that understood that the work they did wasn’t always pretty, that saw the big picture, and would place their duty to SHIELD above their own personal feelings. They called it “Operation: Atom” and if Adam agreed Dugan promised to have the incident in Fallujah expunged from the record but, most importantly to Nate, he’d fly again. Only this time he wouldn’t need a jet to do it. Nate agrees on the spot.

It would take some time. They weren’t certain the technology they would need to use to transform him was safe and Dugan knew that in Adam he had a man of true grit, with a real commitment to duty, and didn’t want to endanger his life by putting him through the change too early on. They needed to be sure before they went ahead with it. But Dugan left it too late, the attack on SHIELD’s hyper-maximum prison by HYDRA claims his life before Operation: Atom is enacted. His successor, Nick Fury, is less personable and trusting than Dugan but quicker to act: on his first day as Director of SHIELD he enacts Operation: Atom and Nathaniel Adam becomes something more than a fighter pilot, he becomes Captain Atom. Losing Dugan has a profound effect on Nate as much as it does SHIELD and he feels a great deal of guilt at having not been able to save him, knowing that had he enacted Operation: Atom before the attack he’d have been able to save him. He becomes even more belligerent, more aggressive, and more determined than ever not to allow inaction to claim the lives of innocent people as it had Dugan’s. Dugan had given him a second chance and though he hadn’t been able to save him, he’d damn sure do his best to avenge him.

Captain Atom is now an active member of The Avengers fighting against HYDRA and AIM alongside Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Ant-Man and The Wasp across the globe. Though Fury made good on Dugan's promise and expunged Nate's military record he has next to no life outside of being Captain Atom, having thrown himself fully into the role, and uses the alias of "Cameron Scott" on the rare occasions he ventures out into the world. He has neither spoken or seen to James Rhodes or Carol Danvers since becoming Captain Atom and neither are aware of his whereabouts or his fate.

James "Rhodey" Rhodes: Nate's oldest and most loyal friend. The two met in the US Air Force. Last Nate had heard, Rhodes was working for Stark Industries by way of Ferris Aircraft Company and seemed happy enough there. Only Rhodes spoke up for Nate at his military tribunal and his disappearance has caused Rhodey a great deal of discomfort. As with the rest of the world, Rhodey is unaware that Nate is Captain Atom and hasn't seen him for many years. Rhodey has spent a great deal of time and effort over the years trying to rack Nate down but having failed to fully adjust to civilian life, and the pressures of being Captain Atom, Nate evades them at every turn.

Major Carol Danvers: Nate's second oldest friend. Despite having been friends for nearly a decade during Nate's military tribunal Carol did not come to speak on Nate's behalf as Rhodey did and cut all contact with him, motivated largely by her perceived political ambitions and her desire to make "rank." She too is unaware that Nate is Captain Atom and the two have not spoken since before the tribunal. Nate thinks of her often though, as with Rhodes, declines to attempt to make contact with her out of fear of how he'll be received after al these years.

Nick Fury: Dugan's successor as Director of SHIELD. Though Fury trusts Nate given that Dugan had placed his trust in him prior to his being murdered there is still an underling tension between their relationship built around the fact that Fury himself did not pick him. Nate wonders at times whether Fury believes he acted rashly in enacting "Operation: Atom" so swiftly after Dugan's death and should have waited instead, vetting his own man for it, rather than equipping Nate with incredible power out of necessity rather than choice. Still, the two work closely together and Nate seems of all The Avengers the one that sympathises with some of the more utilitarian side of SHIELD operations.

Stephanie Carter/Captain America: Stephanie Carter represents an idealism, a hope, that Nate has long since lost. He at once respects her courage and earnestness whilst also resenting it. He'd grown up idolising Captain America, as almost all boys in America did at the time, but that Captain America had fought in a way, a real war, unlike this one. Nate wavers between wanting to believe in Captain America as a symbol whilst worrying that Stephanie's idealism will cost her and the team dearly one day. Despite this, he'd no sooner follow anyone else in their battle against HYDRA and AIM.

Clint Barton/Hawkeye: Clint reminds Nate of Rhodes. Quick-witted, jovial, and always at ease. He respects the way that Clint and Natasha have turned their lives around since being apprehended by SHIELD and Clint's easy-going manner, as well as his seeming lack of fear, despite being one of the least powerful members of the team keeps Nate grounded.

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow: Nate respects Natasha's resolve and of all the Avengers it's her efficiency he thinks the most of in the field. They do not speak much and Nate at first had his misgivings about her when he learned of her past as a Russian spy but he knew that Dugan had given her a second chance, and that Stephanie trusts her, so has come to trust her too. He places his faith in Natasha to do what is necessary more than anyone else.

Hank Pym/Ant-Man: Pym possess a genius-level intellect but can be precious at times. Nate worries that Pym places his role as a scientist above his duties as an Avenger and that he lacks the fortitude, if it came down to it, to pull the trigger in crunch situations. They are by no means close but Nate is forced to spend more time with Pym than any other Avenger because of the constant tests SHIELD mandates that he go through so they can better understand his powers and the quantum energy within him. At Janet's insistence, Nate tries his best not to lose his patience with Pym.

Janet Van Dyne/The Wasp: It's Janet of all Atom's teammates that he feels the most affinity towards. Nate is baffled as to what Janet sees in Pym. She's a brilliant scientist and an infinitely kind person. She takes more time to inquire after Nate's life before he became Captain Atom than anyone else on the team and is concerned at what little life Atom has outside of Avenging.

General Wade Eiling: Nate accidentally shot Eiling's son in a bout of pilot spatial disorientation brought about when he crash landed in Fallujah. General Eiling went out of his way to push for the harshest possible sentence and when the tribunal didn't return it pulled in favours to wreck Nate's career in the Air Force. He is unaware that Adam is Captain Atom but, yet to move on from the accidental death of his son, has spent years trying to track Nate down to exact his own justice.

Victor von Doom was born to Cynthia and Werner von Doom in Latveria at the start of the 70s as the country was in the midst of turmoil. The Soviet Union, the dominant military and political power in the region, was putting pressure on the Latverian people to join the USSR. The Latverians had long been a fiercely proud and independent culture and had no desire to succumb to Soviet rule. Unfortunately, the Soviets were not a patient or forgiving group, and rolled their military might into the country, marking the first, and only, time that Latveria was invaded by an outside force. The Soviets killed the Baron who ruled over the country and installed their own puppet, while loyalists went underground to start a resistance.

Doom’s parents were part of said resistance, yet celebrated the birth of their son. Werner was a doctor and and a trusted part of the inner council, while Cynthia was a spiritual leader as well as a practitioner of witchcraft. Werner disapproved of his wife’s use of the magical arts, but knew he’d never stop her from it. Instead, he focused his energies on keep Victor away from that side of his mother’s life. Werner discovered the boy had a keen mind, and learned quickly. Werner foster the boy’s growing curiosity, though Cynthia also delighted Victor with small magic tricks.The family was relatively happy, even with the tumultuous situation that surrounded them.

That was shattered when the Soviet forces eventually discovered the Resistance’s hiding place. While the two forces clashed, Werner tasked his friend Boris to take Victor with him and escape. Before Victor left, however, he witnessed his mother cast a spell that opened the ground beneath both forces, swallowing the majority of both in hellfire.

Boris, Victor, and Boris’s daughter Valeria escaped Latveria and Eastern Europe before fleeing to the United States. There, Boris used funds that Werner had squirrelled away to create a comfortable life for his new family. Victor, whose mind was still developing at a rapid rate, was a prodigy in the states. He learned faster than other children, and quickly raised through his schooling. All the while, Victor and Valeria fell deeply in love as they grew up together. Boris approved of the match, as he saw great things in the boy’s future.

Happiness it seemed was not meant for Victor von Doom, however. In her mid teens, Valeria was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Victor was devastated, but rarely left her side, even as he was finishing his primary schooling at the age of 16. The two young lovers took comfort in each other as their days dwindled. Valeria passed, and something changed in Victor from that day forward. He became colder, more focused on academia, and less full of life.

He graduated high school, and moved onto university where he studied biology, chemistry, and engineering. His main goal, at the time, was to ensure no one ever had to lose someone as he had lost Valeria.

During his time in college, Victor met fellow child prodigy and science genius Reed Richards, and the two quickly became friends. They delighted in comparing notes and trying to one-up each other in a friendly competition based in science. The two impressed every professor they came inn contact with, and most believed they would help usher in a new golden age of American discovery.

While Victor reveled in his scientific achievement, there was still something in the back of his mind that he could never forget. The sight of the power of his mother’s magic was burned into his mind. He had never recovered from the loss of Valeria, and he believed that maybe there was a way to save her from death by learning the tools his mother never had a chance to teach him.

Victor threw himself into the study of the mystical arts as he did everything. He learned spells as quickly as he learned equations and theories, and soon became a respectable sorcerer in his own right. Reed was skeptical of all the things his friend claimed he could do, but was never moreso than when Victor told Reed he had a plan that would combine magic and science in order to recall his beloved from the great beyond. Victor asked for his friends help, giving him calculations and a design to finish while Victor worked on the necessary spells. Reed, thinking magic folly, did not follow Doom’s instructions to the letter, instead changing things as he saw fit. The two's relationship had become strained thanks to the emergence of fellow genius Sue Storm, who had come into their life. Reed was smitten with Storm immediately, while Doom had no desire to continue to share his glory with yet another person. Still, the public loved the two more amicable geniuses, while Doom shrunk into the shadows.

When it was time to test the machine, Doom’s magic conflicted with the new calibration and backfired, scarring his face. Doom raged against Richards, believing he had cost him his opportunity to see Valeria again. Victor swore revenge against Reed and Storm, and cut off all contact with his former friend.

In the months that followed, Victor became even more secluded as he graduated with advanced degrees in all the fields he studied.

After graduating, Victor von Doom disappeared from the world. He traveled into the dark corners of the globe looking for greater instruction in the ways of magic, as well as a way to increase his own power in the world. He studied under every teacher he could find, learning the different kinds of magic from each corner of the earth. The charismatic and passionate Doom also found others drawn to him in ways he didn’t respect. Many called him a natural leader, which gave him an idea.

The Soviet Union was beginning to falter, and that presented Victor with an opportunity to seize power for himself. He went to the CIA and proposed they supply him with the necessary weapons and funds to break the communists’ hold on his homeland. The agency, seeing this as an opportunity to take Latveria’s plentiful natural resources out of Soviet hands, gladly accepted and sent Doom to start recruiting an army.

Before returning to his homeland, however, Victor constructed a high tech and mystically enhanced suit of armor which was modeled after traditional Latverian armor. Over this, he cloaked himself in the traditional dark green of the country’s flag, and reemerged in Latveria. Many of the people, who hated the Soviet way of life, joined with their new leader. With the CIA’s weapons and funding, Doom broke his country free in a short, but bloody, revolution.

What the Americans did not anticipate, however, was Victor declaring himself monarch of the now sovereign nation, back unanimously by the people. Doom told his CIA contacts that there would never again be a foreign hand in the leadership of Latveria, and that he would see to it they never interfered with his people’s lives.

The first few years of Doom’s reign was focused on keeping the Soviets out of the Latevrian region and getting his country back on track. Doom may have been a power-hungry man, but he genuinely cared about his country and its people. He allowed them to ellect their own senate to help him govern them. Their military was fairly weak, but they got by on the power of Doom himself. Victor struck fear into the hearts of the region, not to mention the international community. NATO and the UN, as well as SHIELD, started surveillance on the monarch.

Doom jump started Latveria’s technological and educational efforts, hoping to bring his people to the west’s level in unprecedented time. He also opened his borders to companies like Oscorp and LexCorp, offering them huge tax breaks to bring laboratories into Latverian borders.

Doom still desired more, however. His lust for power and revenge against Reed Richards came to a head in 1993 when Richards and his team were going to fly their experimental rocket for the first time. Doom, still bitter over Richards’s accidental sabotage years earlier, had one of his agents infiltrate the rocket and sabotage it in turn. The spacecraft malfunctioned, but turned out to be a mistake on Victor’s part. The four were transformed and given amazing powers. The Fantastic Four, as they were named, became America’s famous superpowered adventurers.

Doom was driven half-mad with his failure. While the senate continued to run the country’s advancement, Doom spent his time locked away in his throne room plotting against the Fantastic Four. He designed combat robots he designated the Doombots against them, angered and ancient, subterranean race known as the Moloids to attack them, and even called forth mystical horrors.

None of his plans worked, yet Doom kept trying, hiding behind his diplomatic immunity and vast power to escape any jail time. Their adversarial relationship went on for nearly a decade, and Doom never tired.

On September 11, 2001, the world changed around Victor von Doom. The emergence of Batman and Superman sparked the beginning of a new age of superheroes. America followed by revealing their new Captain America. Wonder Woman graced the shores of man. Tony Stark became the Invincible Iron Man, among many others. Doom was no longer a big fish in a small pond, and he found his plans were foiled time and time again with less effort from his enemies.

In order to combat this, Doom decided to redouble his efforts in the political sphere. He began reaching out to the neighboring countries, proposing an alliance of economic, technological, and military might. Apart they would never be superpowers, but together they could be a force to be reckoned with, and none would dilute their cultural heritage again.

Initially, Doom did this to secure his own safety, but on a diplomatic trip to Transia that all changed. He came into contact with “the Twins”, two mutants who called Transia home. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were amazing to Doom, who rarely had come into contact with mutants. Wanda, whose powers were tied to the very fabric of the universe, could see murkily into the future. Doom asked her to share her gift with him, and what he saw shook Doom to the core. He never shared it, but it changed him. He brought them into his inner circle, and from then on he redoubled his efforts in making his country one of the safest and most technologically sound.

The neighbors liked what they heard from Doom, and many signed up. In 2004, Victor von Doom introduced the world to the Latverian Union, cementing his status as an important world leader.

In the time after the Latverian Union, Doom began his secretive plan to do what he could to change the future he saw in Wanda’s vision. He upped production of Doombots, intending them to be Latveria and her allies’ first line of defense. He also send Silver Sable and the Wild Bunch, a group of Symkarian mercenaries to hunt down HYDRA bases in search of artifacts that Doom required.

At the present, Victor has finally tracked down one of the ancient weapons he needs to put his plans into motion. While Victor may believe he has the best intentions for humanity, his methods will always be questionable, and he will not suffer fools who disobey the will of Doom.

Count Werner Zytle - The leader of the country of Vlatava and member of the Latveria League. Zytle is known as “Count Vertigo” in criminal circles and is one of the world’s most prolific drug kings. His public face is much more reputable, and is seen as an affable leader of Vlatava.

Silver Sable and the Wild Bunch - A group of Symkarian mercenaries that Doom has hired to seek out HYDRA and AIM targets he desires intel from. They believe they are searching for HYDRA war criminals who ran after Doom stabilized the region. In reality, they aren’t wrong, but they’re also tracking down potential targets that Doom is searching for.

Wanda and Pietro Maximoff - Twin mutants from Transia who helped Doom and the Latverian Union while they were quagmired in the country. Wanda and Pietro are now trusted agents of Doom.

The Future Foundation - The Future Foundation has opposed Doom at every step. Reed Richards, the leader of the group and Doom’s sworn enemy, is the only man who Doom admits can match his intellect. Ever since Doom’s supposed “reformation”, Reed has kept a close watch on his old rival. The other members of the Foundation dislike Doom, though he holds them no ill will as long as they stay out of his way.

SHIELD and The Avengers - America’s superhuman peacekeeping force, and their “trained monkeys”, as Doom calls them, have kept an annoyingly close watch on him since the formation of the Latverian Union. Doom doesn’t see the Avengers as much of a threat, as their only heavy hitter is a potentially unstable Captain Atom.

The Justice League - The Justice League is considered by Victor as his biggest threat. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman in particular are worrying to him. Still, he does his best to keep his movements hidden from them.