[quote=@Roman]- Reach arrived 10 years ago? Hung around for a bit before abductions and experiments were discovered. Then a war was fought for 5 years before Superman emerged and pushed them back; in their retreat they left the Meta-Bomb, transforming thousands across the US.[/quote]

Correct!

[quote] 5 years since they left entirely, and no Reach presence on/around Earth since Superman's intervention?[/quote]

Correct!

[quote]Mutants have been around decades before the Reach arrived; however, are [i]all[/i] meta-humans restricted to the timeline of Reach experimentation and ultimately the Meta-Bomb, or can there have been separate, specifically non-mutant super-powered individuals active prior to and/or without influence from/by The Reach? (Sheets like the FF and Superman would suggest non-mutant powered individuals don't have to be Reach related whatsoever but I want to double-check).[/quote]

Superman and The FF I would consider "special cases", where their origins are tied to an outside factor. But if they were known about prior, they'd probably be mistaken for mutants. Metahumans are specifically tied to The Reach experiments and gene-bomb, a term coined by the media.

[quote]- Public sentiment of powered individuals was trending positively prior to the Reach crisis, but since the Reach War + amidst the Lord administration is now actively nosediving?[/quote]

I wouldn't say they were ever popular. Legislation was introduced in the 70's to register mutants with the government with full public support, so there was always an anti-mutant sentiment. There were activists and supporters of mutant rights, of course, but they were drowned out by overall fear. That fear died down a little as mutants quieted or outright began hiding, but The Reach crisis  and the metahuman uptick reignited old prejudices and paranoia.

[quote]- Costumed, alias'd, and active superheroes have [b]only[/b] existed since the emergence of Superman and the retreat of the Reach 5 years ago?[/quote]

They existed before, but were unknown to the public at large. They existed more like cryptids or conspiracy theories. Superman was the first one that was definitively proven real with credible eyewitnesses and undoctored footage.

[quote]- Additionally, can I assume the answers to the above questions also apply to villains and rogue galleries? (this would appear to be the case taking the Batman sheet as an example and Bane appearing only after the emergence of Superman 5 years ago)[/quote]

There were versions of costumed criminals before then, but they weren't a common thing. For instance, with Gotham, The Riddler would occasionally pop up to terrorize the public before the five years in which Batman began operating. Super-powered or enhanced individuals taking up costumes to act openly hostile were even rarer, which is what that refers to.

[quote]- What year is the IC set in?
[/quote]

2025. President Lord was elected November of 2024 for his first term.