Post by Power Princess on Apr 18, 2012 20:19:42 GMT -5
2009 was a golden year for the heroes of Earth; it marked the year of near-complete victory over the planet's criminals. Countless super-powered villains who had plagued the United States and beyond for years, defeated only to rise again, were locked in maximum-security prisons developed by the greatest geniuses ever born; even those who escaped capture were driven from their strongholds, forced to leave behind much of their power and status as they tried to stay one step ahead of X-Men, Avengers, and JLA alike.
The heroes had never been more popular with the people of the United States; there was even talk that Superman had enough support to mount a presidential campaign if he wanted, and as the world quieted many heroes began to consider settling down and making their secret identities their only identities. The U.S. government remained quietly tense, fearing that these one-time defenders of justice would become what they had hunted; still, the world was largely at peace.
But it would not last. A series of mutant-related accidents swept across America, accidents that all too often resulted in the deaths of humans. Many veteran heroes suspected the hand of one of Earth's last master criminals, but their words fell on deaf ears; the public had expected to be safe, and the moment they felt otherwise the majority opinion of superhumans began to shift. When a young mutant girl accidentally caused a school bus to explode in New York City, killing all of the passengers and several others who were nearby, anxiety boiled over into hostility.
The golden year had ended, and as 2010 dawned the United States senate was full of talk about the Superhuman Registration Act, a law that required all superhumans to publicly register their identities and submit to government monitoring. Fearing that the surviving villains would take revenge on them and their loved ones, many heroes vehemently opposed the law; others, such as Tony "Iron Man" Stark, were so shaken by events such as the one in New York that they willingly unmasked themselves to show support for the bill.
Driven by the paranoia of the public, the Superhuman Registration Act became law, but many heroes still refused to obey and register themselves; some even chose to fight the government agents who attempted to arrest them for violating the law, and that gave the government the excuse it needed to crack down on all superhumans. The U.S. activated the Tartarus Project, releasing mind controlled clones of one of Earth's most powerful villains to track down the resisting heroes. The cloned villain was none other than Doomsday.
The Doomsday clones were brutally efficient in apprehending those in violation of the act, and were known to kill rather than arrest. Superman, greatly disturbed by what he saw, traveled to the White House to speak with the President. He never made it. Fearing an attack, the President ordered the clones to destroy the Man of Steel; Superman suspected nothing, and a pack of perfect copies of his deadliest adversary tore him apart in the skies over Washington D.C.
The grief and outrage were universal; even heroes who had complied with the Superhuman Registration Act began to fight back, banding together to try to defeat the deadly clones. Yet many more of Earth's most famous defenders, from Green Arrow to Green Lantern, would follow Superman in death, and as the government saw the chaos it had unleashed it tried to end the killings. The Doomsday clones did not respond; their obedience had been a trick, and now they were loose upon the world, tearing cities to shreds as they rampaged from continent to continent.
And then the insane Zarda, also known as Power Princess, reappeared on the world stage. She did what none of the heroes dared to do, even in the face of annihilation; she broke open the prisons of the world's greatest supervillains, releasing them to join the great battle. With so much of the world in ruins, and the heroes barely holding on, many of these villains took control of the blasted cities, seizing the power they had long craved. The people no longer cared if their rulers were evil so long as they could be protected from the Doomsday clones.
Zarda herself formed the Squadron Supreme, dedicating it to destroying the clones and bringing the world under her control in order to erase the mistakes of the United States Government. Smashing the defenses of the Amazons of Themyscira, she conquered the mythical island and began to expand her domain. Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. emerged from the ashes of the U.S. and sent out a call to the surviving heroes. With the world caught between the possibilities of being completely destroyed or ruled by evil, S.H.I.E.L.D. hoped to present a third option: a return to peace, safety, and justice.
2012 has dawned, and battle lines are being drawn anew. Now heroes and villains do battle once more, all hoping to shape the fate of the wounded planet Earth. Will they unite against the Doomsday clones, or will they be too divided to fight their common enemy together? Who will fall, and who will rule? The choice is now between immediate power and the hope for a better future... Which will you chose?
