Beginnings....
Germany never lost WWII, it reached a truce with Russia and the Allies. Hitler and his super soldier, Overman, were assassinated during the decimation of Berlin by the Soviet super bomb invented by top soviet scientist Dr. Volkov. The German people fell into chaos. Out of this chaos the exiled hero Valkyrie returned and along with a handful of other anti-Nazi heroes they restored order, dissolved the military and negotiated peace treaties with the Soviets and the Allies. Valkyrie and the other Nazi-opposition had been fighting as saboteurs and even assisted America's Patriot before his ill-fated attack on Japan and their Super-Rocket. Some Nazis and German nationalists never forgave Valkyrie and swore to return the Reich and its philosophies to power one day.Beginnings....
No one is sure when the those with powers began to emerge but they have been here almost as long as man has walked the Earth. Ancient texts and hieroglyphs make reference to "man-gods", "wizards", and "witches" with powers and abilities that frightened and amazed others. Some hid in fear, others tried to help their tribes and fellow man, while others used their abilities to terrorize and control. The earliest known enhanced humans were Rahma Tul in North Africa and the Middle East and Atl Citlali of South America. References to Rahma Tul seem to point to him being a person of great altruism. Using some sort of elemental powers to protect his people and build advanced dwellings. Atl Citlali was a more sinister being, using what seems to be some sort of light bending/darkness generation power to punish and terrorize others. Since these two forefathers emerged more and more enhanced humans (meta-humans) came to be. Most had very limited powers and it wasn't until the Industrial Age that they began to have a profound impact on the world.
In Africa, the nation of Songhai was built up by and protected by the hero Ultra. Ultra was the first to discover the Mungu or "God" gem. The bearer gains the powers of a god but only as long as they serve as the protector of Africa. If the bearer fails to act in the interests of innocent Africans he no longer can be the gem-bearer and a replacement is found by the spirits who imbued it. The original Ultra, Kwasi Mfemi, worked tirelessly to rebuild his continent and throw off the imperialist Europeans. He rallied the people of the Central, North and West to unite and establish a new nation named Songhai (after the once powerful kingdom) in the 1960's. When Mfemi was too old to carry on his duties a new Ultra was chosen, William Ndube. Ndube served honorably until he became corrupted by the power and was stripped of the god gem when he assisted a corrupt politician in an attempted coup. The current bearer, Robert Kinshasha has served as Ultra ever since. Ultra is also a member of the Guardians, a super team operating in Africa and the Middle East.
In America, the Native Americans were saved by their own heroes, Wolf and Eagle. In 1888, on the brink of extinction, Wolf and Eagle, powered by totems and spirits of their ancestors, helped force the US Cavalry out of the Southern Plains. Eventually the US government honored their promises and left the Oklahoma and Kansas Territories to the Indians on the condition that they accept certain trade, immigration/emigration, and commerce agreements. As time passed, the lines between the Natives and Americans blurred and the Native American nations applied for and were accepted as states in 1932 (Kansas) and 1934 (Oklahoma). The culture of the Native Americans still thrives in these states and they proudly support their native supers including, the new Eagle, Bison, Warpath of the Titans, and Shaman.
Meta-Humans at War
As the world recovered from WWI, nations began investing in finding, developing, and even creating their own powered warriors. This first arms race and the unstable situation in Europe created by the Treaty of Versailles and economic collapse of 1929, sent the world hurtling towards war again. For the first time, whole squads of meta-humans would represent their nations on the battlefield. Each side battled back and forth across all continents with no side holding superiority for long. The bodies mounted and destruction spread as madmen and their often even madder meta-humans raged. That is until, May 12th, 1944.
When Stalin focused his efforts on violently consolidating power in the Soviet Union he was overthrown and eventually tried and executed for crimes against Russia. Stalin was thwarted by members of his former super-powered pawns, the Red Brigade. Blizzard Bear and Hammer had discovered the murders and mass imprisonments Stalin had carried out against his own people and with the help of Scribe they spread the news to the Russian people. Dr. Volkov was also implicated as the mastermind behind a plan to use the Superbomb and many of Stalin's weapons against his own people. By 1946 all of Europe's dictators were gone but impassioned supporters of them still exist in hiding today. Rumors persist that Overman survived and while severely injured, managed to escape unnoticed.
With the loss of Patriot (who would not be discovered and unfrozen for years) and most of the Freedom Force in a failed operation in Tokyo, Truman used the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This forced the unconditional surrender of Japan. Uncle Sam and the remaining Freedom Force members along with General Eisenhower resented the decision and spoke out against it. As pressure from Freedom Force, Eisenhower, and members of the world community grew, Truman agreed to join the UN and its stipulation that member nations abstain from stock-piling Atomic weapons. There was no nation to have a Cold War or Arms Race with. The post-WWII world's only WMDs would be the Superheroes and Super Sciences. Unfortunately the Super-Villains do not honor any treaties and the worlds heroes must be ever vigilant.
New threats, old hate...
Registration Act of 1994
In the early 90's members of the Sentinels and Guardians met to discuss protocols to cover the rare instances when a hero dies or is taken captive. Pressure from the public, UN and most world governments was also mounting as fear and distrust of heroes was stoked by media coverage of events like the botched Defenders raid in Maine. The heroes felt it was in their best interest to be proactive about allaying public and governmental fears. It was agreed they would devise a system to register heroes, voluntarily at first, so that someone else in the supers community would know who they were and who their next of kin was. It was decided that Patriot, Sentry, Ultra, Richard Reed, Professor Vincent, and Wondra would become what is know as "The Council".
Each council member would be responsible for secreting away the identities of heroes entrusted to them. Each member would know which heroes were under the others trust but they would not know the secret identities. Each council member has an encrypted data-file with the information of each of their heroes hidden away in locations known only to Sentry, Ultra, and Patriot. What started as a plan became policy as more and more supers bought in. It became officially known as the "Superhero Registration Act of 1996" and was adopted by all UN member nations. The Panther, Bulldog, and Bushido were added to the Council as well. Thanks to the efforts of trusted icons like Patriot and Sentry, today every hero across the globe is registered. Those who wish to become costumed adventurers have 30 days to choose a Council member to register with. If not, they are brought in to see Patriot and Sentry personally and if that doesn't work they are subject to incarceration.
