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Young Clark Kent
by Maxima
Before the legend, before the icon, there was a teenager named Clark Kent. Someday, he'll master his powers and understand his true calling. For now, he just has to get through adolescence. These are the stories between the boy he thought he was and the man he is destined to become.
Name: Clark Joseph Kent (Earth name), Kal-El (Kryptonian name)
Occupation: Student, farm boy
Place of birth: Krypton
Legal status: U.S. citizen with no criminal record
Known Relatives: Jor-El (father; deceased), Lara Lor-Van (mother; deceased), Jonathan Kent (adoptive father), Martha Clark Kent (adoptive mother)
Hometown: Smallvile, Kansas
History: Long ago, a planet named Krypton orbited the distant red dwarf star Rao. The Planetary mass closest to its sun, Krypton was once a modest-sized planet, roughly the mass and volume of Earth. Over the eons, plant and animal life evolved on Krypton, and a race of sentient humanoids virtually indistinguishable from Earth humans became the dominant life form. It is only at the cellular level that the real differences between the people of Earth and native Kryptonians could be determined. Evolving under the intense radiation of their red dwarf sun, Kryptonians developed a unique cellular structure that enabled them to absorb energy from their sun. Although they derived most of their nourishment from the consumption of animal and vegetable matter, solar energy supplemented their diets. They were, in effect, living solar batteries.
It was on the planet Krypton that the scientist Jor-El and his wife, Lara Lor-Van were born and died. As a member of the Science Council, Krypton's ruling body, Jor-El discovered the Phantom Zone and many other worlds. He also found out something horrifying: Krypton was in great danger. He predicted that due to internal eruptions, Krypton would soon explode. When he produced his findings, however, he was laughed to scorn. Jor-El was determined to find a way off the planet, and he began to research ways of getting off Krypton.
Jor-El had only one thing to do. He began work on a spacecraft that he hoped could carry his son, Kal-El, through an artificial wormhole to the planet Earth, which he had recently been observing. Jor-El had just enough time to build one small rocket. No sooner than he finished the ship, the time of Krypton's death came. The ground began to shake and Jor-El knew he had to act quickly. Lara and him placed their son, still a toddler, in the ship and targeted it for Earth.
Jor-El ordered them inside while he made the final calculations. There was room in the ship for both Lara and Kal-El. But Lara flatly refused. She told him that their son would have a better chance without her weight. Through his studies, Jor-El also knew that their son would grow strong and powerful on Earth as his cellular structure absorbed the solar radiation of Earth's sun. He told Lara that this would give their son the advantage he would need to survive on Earth. Jor-El then launched the rocked and Lara stepped into his arms. They embraced, watching the ship get smaller and smaller. Then, the world of Krypton exploded after the pressure grew to much for the planet's mantle to contain, transmuting the sum and substance of the dying world into an ore with a radiation that is lethal to Kryptonian physiology.
The tiny spaceship generated a wormhole and traveled through it, covering the fifty light-years that separated Krypton and Earth in a matter of moments. However, hundreds of pieces of Krypton's debris also traveled through the wormhole. The ship crash landed in a wheat field in the rural Kansas town of Smallville as a meteor shower of Krypton's debris rained destruction on the unsuspecting citizens of the town.
While in their farmhouse, Jonathan and Martha Kent heard the ship crash. Intrigued by the chance of being able to find an actual meteorite, the Kents jumped into their truck and drove out to the backfield, where the object had seemed to hit. What they found was a shallow crater and an object that appeared to be a tiny spacecraft. Approaching the craft, Martha thought she saw something moving inside. When Jonathan gingerly reached out to the craft to touch the smooth, egg-like upper section of the craft, it seemed to melt away, revealing a three-year old boy inside. On the ride back to the house, the childless couple discusses what to do with the boy. Martha argued that they should keep him, and Jonathan was hard pressed to think of a reason why they shouldn't. By the time they got home, they had already decided to name him Clark, Martha's maiden name, and raise him as their own son.
As a young child, Clark Kent picked up good values from his loving hard-working parents, learning responsibility in helping with chores around the farm. He also acquired the Kents' love of reading and often derived as much pleasure from sitting under a tree with a book as he did from a fast game of softball. For all intents and purposes, Clark appeared to be just another normal, healthy American boy.
But he was not normal. Just as his genetic father, Jor-El, had calculated, Clark's Kryptonian cells began storing and processing the radiation of Earth's sun. As he grew older, Clark became increasingly stronger and more powerful. The first noticeable consequence of his power came when Clark was 8 years old. Taking a short cut across a pasture, he was trampled by an angry bull, but he sustained no injuries. A few months later, Martha Kent was astounded to see her son casually lift the back end of their pick-up truck to retrieve a ball that had rolled out of reach.
As he entered puberty, Clark discovered that he could see farther and in increasingly greater detail than any of his friends and that he could see through solid objects if he concentrated and he also developed the ability to emit heat from his eyes. At the age of 13 Clark began wearing eyeglasses to help control his vision powers, so he didn't accidentally look somewhere he shouldn't or set something on fire.
Aware that their son is possessed of awesome powers far beyond those of mortal men, Jonathan and Martha have raised Clark in virtual isolation, prohibiting him from participating in contact sports. As a result, Clark has the reputation of a gawky nerd, and is extremely self-conscious and full of trepidation about his place in the world. Because of his otherworldly origins, Clark often feels truly alone in the world, like an outsider looking in. Even his best friends Chloe Sullivan - the intrepid investigative reporter for the Smallville High Torch - and straight-talking Pete Ross have long been in the dark about Clark's powers.
Also, Clark struggles with his feelings for the beautiful girl next door, Lana Lang; the girl he worships from afar. Although she feels a strange kinship to Clark, Lana doesn't know much about him, especially that he blames himself for her parents' tragic death in the meteor shower so many years ago. A true beauty and one of the most popular girls in school, Lana dates Smallville's resident heartthrob and high school quarterback, all-around golden boy Whitney Fordman. Clark's yearning to talk to Lana is complicated by the meteor rock that she wears around her neck. Whenever he gets near her, the green stone causes him to become literally weak in the knees.
Clark has also forged a remarkable new friendship with Lex Luthor. Inexplicably bald from exposure to the meteor shower when he was a child, Lex returned to Smallville after college to help turn around the family company's struggling fertilizer plant. After Clark saved Lex's life in a death-defying rescue, the two became friends. Clark looks up to Lex as the big brother he never had, and Lex is surprised that this small-town boy is someone he can actually trust. But the friendship causes tension in the close-knit Kent family, as Jonathan fears Lex may take after his ruthless tycoon father, Lionel Luthor.
Meanwhile, the intervening years since the meteor shower have left Smallville's inhabitants with scars and secrets; some even with unusual traits inherited as a direct result of exposure to the meteor rocks. From the ashes of the tragedy, Clark Kent has grown into an awkward teen. While adolescence always brings its challenges, Clark's transition from boyhood to adulthood is particularly difficult. He must struggle to come to grips with his emerging superpowers, and the effects of the meteor rocks, while battling the strange things that have plagued the idyllic Midwest hamlet that is Smallville since the meteor shower.
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 175
Hair: Black
Eyes: Blue
Powers: The cellular structure of a Kryptonian is similar to that of humans. However, a certain chemical makeup in the ribosomes (organelles responsible for protein synthesis) is capable of absorbing solar energy and storing it. Once the ribosomes achieve saturation levels of this radiation, they begin to re-radiate the energy in the form of a bioelectric forcefield. Each individual cell within the field's radius becomes reinforced in such a way that the cells are not only protected from external harm, but internal forces as well. It is this last which is key to Clark's great powers. Since the individual cells are wholly invulnerable, they are capable of operating at levels of efficiency that would destroy normal humanoid cells. These "super-cells" lend an enhancing effect to all bodily systems...muscular, metabolic, nervous, and so forth. The continual absorption of solar energy provides a constant power source for these enhanced systems. Thus, Clark Kent is capable of incredible feats.
Naturally, the basic forcefield effect renders him invulnerable to large amounts of damage. Unlike a human, Clark's body has more than simple cohesion and adhesion holding his tissues together. The bioelectric forcefield has a set tolerance for how much stress occurs before it reacts energetically in opposition to the external force. The tolerance for how much stress occurs before Clark's tissues counteract it varies according to tissue type. His bones allow virtually no compressional or tensional strain (deformation in shape) and his fleshy tissues remain supple under soft pressure, but under stress react to restrict any further deformation in shape. Since the strength of Clark's cellular forcefields greatly exceeds the cohesive force of any substance, no ordinary object can puncture his skin.
Clark's cells provoke one another into releasing their respective energy when one begins to threaten the integrity of the other. Because of a certain degree of constant pressure, there is a continuously emitted radiance of the bioelectric field reaching slightly beyond his body, a sort of aura that protects items near his skin. The aura also protects Clark's teeth, however his hair and nails are only partially protected due to certain cellular properties they possess. They are invulnerable to fire, however they can still be cut.
Due to the highly charged nature of his solar storage systems, his immune system deals with most normal poisons and diseases quickly and with no ill effect. With the exception of Kryptonian meteorite emissions, radiation and similar harmful energies are similarly neutralized.
His physical strength is greatly magnified by the combination of his more-efficient muscular system and the enhancement of his skeletal system's structural integrity, but is primarily augmented by the sheer force of his solar forcefield. When Clark appears to be lifting a weight, he is actually holding and pushing it with the bioelectric field. His energy stores push not from himself, but from the shielding that surrounds him. So the shielding is controlled on the highest level and simulates strength. However, continual exertion will deplete his solar energy, and greatly exceeding his normal lift will drain him more rapidly.
Similarly, Clark's enhanced metabolic rate, muscular speed, and nervous system grant him incredible speed. His Kryptonian structure and the solar energy paths that course along his neurophysical structure allow him to react at many times normal human speed. He can move faster than the human eye can perceive if necessary, but this requires extra effort. His reflexes are quick enough to allow him to dodge incoming automatic laser fire.
Clark's perceptions are similarly rapid, allowing him to see individual bullets fired from high-speed automatic weaponry in flight and outrace them easily. Moving at extreme speeds for extended periods of time rapidly drains his solar reserves. In a full drained state, his reflexes are only sufficient enough to dodge semi-automatic projectile weapons and read the encyclopedia set in under 10 minutes.
The enhanced structure of Clark's sensory organs combined with the increased capacity of his nervous system provides for the greatly enhanced senses. His range of hearing extends from the subsonic through to the point where signal modulation in broadcast communications can be sensed and demodulated into "sounds" if he concentrates. He can distinctly hear soft sounds anywhere on Earth if he is listening for them. His visual reception range covers the entirety of the electromagnetic spectrum. The difference between human and Clark's vision is that Clark has the capability to see a much wider band of the electromagnetic spectrum; while humans only sense a very narrow band of the spectrum we call visible light. Clark can change the spectrum he perceives at any given time, by changing the chemical receptors in the rods and cones of his retinas. He can adjust his photovoltaic detection as an act of will to sense longer wavelengths down to the infrared, and higher energy light, up to X-ray and gamma radiation.
Kryptonian muscle tissue when super-charged with solar-energy, can generate a powerful gravitational field. Clark can use the gravitational fields generated by the muscles in his eyes to produce a gravity lens, allowing him to focus far beyond the range of the human eye. Combined with Clark's sensitivity to light, he can magnify an image a virtually countless number of times. Clark can see through solids objects by using a combination of these telescopic and microscopic visual abilities to see through the atomic structure of an object and focus past it, as a camera focuses beyond the dust on a lens. Certain dense materials, notably lead, obstruct this ability.
Clark has the ability to expel stored (solar/electromagnetic) internal energy in the form of focused beams of radiation from his eyes. He emits light along various frequencies in high energy bursts that flash-melts materials in seconds, weaken structural integrity over a smaller area, such as melting the barrel of a gun but leaving the handle untouched. Clark can control his heat vision and direct it wherever he wants to. He directs it with his eyes. In actuality, Clark could not emit the beams directly from his eyes. The energy is actually built up on the surface of the bio-energetic field surrounding his body and emitted from there. This allows his body to be protected from the energy and absorb stray electromagnetic energy back into his body. Clark's energy reclamation aura is so efficient that any radiation, even those emitted from him, once in the environment are able to be reabsorbed. The heat beams are psionically controlled and that control is reflexive, so he can shut it off without accidentally damaging anything that he does not want to. He can emit the radiation visibly or invisibly at lower settings. His energy has a high visibility profile if emitted at higher levels.
Real name: Hawley John Griffin
Occupation: Scientist, British government agent
Identity: Secret
Other Aliases: The Voice, Invisible Man the First, the Unseen
Legal status: Citizen of the United Kingdom with a pardoned criminal record
Place of birth: Sussex, England, UK
Known Relatives: Robert Griffin (father; deceased), Phoebe Radcliffe Griffin (mother; deceased), three illegitimate children
Group affiliation: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Base of operations: The Secret Wing of the British Museum, the Nautilus
History: Hawley Griffin was a scientist, a graduate of University College who had won a medal for chemistry. However he became fascinated by physics, and in particular light and optical density, and at the age of twenty-two he dropped medicine to concentrate on these new obsessions. He eventually developed a theory that if one could "phase-shift" a person's atomic vibratory pattern apart from the visible light wavelengths, that person would be rendered invisible. Griffin went to work for Professor Oliver at Chesilstowe College, a provincial establishment, all the while working at night on his theories. After much trial and error, he synthesized an irradiated serum that they believed would due the job of successfully phase-shifting an organism. Deciding he could never finish his work with both his professor and students eating up his time, he moved to London and took up residence in Great Portland Street. After his funds had run out, he stole more money from his own father - but the money didn't belong to his parent, who shot himself in shame.
Believing his process finally perfected, Griffin tested it on a cat, turning it invisible. Next he used the process on himself, and when his landlord proved too inquisitive, Griffin set fire to the house and fled into the night. Griffin swiftly his change was irreversible. Disguising his affliction with bandages, he moved to Iping, a small village in Sussex, where he took up residence in Mrs. Hall's boarding house. When money ran short, he used his invisibility to turn to burglary again, which attracted the attention of local police officer Mr. Bobby Jaffers. Confronted in the Coach and Horses public house, a scuffle ensued, during which his secret was uncovered (quite literally). Griffin fled into the night.
Naked and hunted, he enlisted the aid of tramp Mr. Thomas Marvel, who he sent to retrieve clothes and his notebooks. When some of the villagers attempted to detain Marvel, the "Invisible Man" displayed a violent side, coming to his ally's aid with an unmatched fury. Afterwards he berated Marvel, making it clear that if Marvel failed him again, or attempted to flee, then he would die. In spite of this dire warning, Marvel did eventually flee, realizing the Invisible Man's psychosis was growing. The Invisible Man soon caught up with Marvel in the town of Port Burdock, and beat him within an inch of his life before witnesses intervened, one of whom managed to shoot Griffin, winging him.
The wounded Invisible Man stumbled into the house of Dr. Kemp, who by chance he knew as a fellow alumni of University College. He appealed to Kemp for aid, who acquiesced. However it soon became clear to Kemp that Griffin was becoming increasingly insane. He told Kemp of his origins, and his plan to use his invisibility to engage in a "Reign of Terror", using fear of his unseen approach and the threat of invisible murder to take control of a town of his choice. But Kemp had sent a message to Colonel Adye, the chief of the Burdock police, who arrived in time to save Kemp from murder at the hands of his guest. Kemp told Adye how to hunt his prey, with dogs and with powdered glass on the roads to cut his feet. Hunted and pursued, the fugitive apparently committed his first deliberate murder, slaying Mr. Wicksteed on the edge of a gravel pit.
Emboldened by this, Griffin sent a letter to Kemp, declaring himself the new ruler of the area, Invisible Man the First, and stating that he would make an example of Kemp by killing him to prove that none could stand against him. Even though the police immediately put Kemp under guard, the Invisible Man got passed them, murdering Adye with his own revolver in the process. Kemp fled the house, with Griffin in close pursuit. The tables turned when Kemp ran into a group of navvies, who managed to trap their unseen opponent, and beaten unconsciousness. His blood loss and momentary shock triggered a body-wide complex biochemical response that temporarily phase-shifted his body back to the frequency of visible light wavelengths, making him visible again. Griffin was covered with a sheet and carried to a house. Although Griffin's vital signs had fallen to dangerously low levels he was not dead. He was still comatose when his body was dumped into a hastily dug grave in a field. Just a couple of hours after being buried, his body phase-shifted back into invisibility, which woke Griffin up. He clawed his way out of the grave washed off the dirt in a nearby stream and watched as the grime washed away to reveal nothingness.
After he recovered from his wounds, Griffin hid in Miss Rosa Coote's Correctional Academy for Wayward Gentlewomen. There he impregnated at least three of the girls while claiming to be the Holy Spirit. These "immaculate conceptions" attracted the attention of the British Government. So Campion Bond of the "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" dispatched Mina Murray, Allan Quartermain, and Captain Nemo to the school. They stayed the night, and Mina managed to capture him while was raping a student named Pollyanna Whittier. The three League members managed to subdue and capture Griffin. They then returned him to the League headquarters at the Secret Annexe of the British Museum, where in exchange for a pardon for his crimes, a search for a cure to his invisibility, and a large sum of money, Griffin agreed to join the League. He first worked for them during a mission to recover a stolen mineral called Cavorite, which allowed objects to fly. Griffin proved instrumental in the League's victory, tracking down the villain behind the theft - Professor James Moriarty. He participated in the fight against the Devil Doctor and Professor Moriarty; it was by his shadowing of Campion Bond back to MI5 that he learned that Moriarty was "M" - the head of MI5. During that adventure, Griffin often stated his low view of the rest of humanity (even murdering an innocent police officer because he was cold and wanted the man's clothing) and nearly abandoned the rest of the team by trying to take the Victoria when Moriarty's airship began to fall, but remained a member of the team.
On the League's second mission, they were sent to stop an archcriminal known as the "Fantom" from starting a world war. Not trusted by any of his team mates because of his evil ways and because he had skulked through the cabins of the Nautilus in order to spy on his fellow League members, when the team was betrayed they all believed Griffin was the traitor. However the true villain was Dorian Gray, who was in the employ of their enemy. Realizing no one trusted him, Griffin went undercover. When Gray fled with the team's stolen secrets, Griffin hid away in his vessel, and was thus able to lead the League to the Fantom's hideout. While waiting for his fellows to arrive, Griffin scouted the enemy base, discovering the Fantom was intending to create an army based upon Griffin, Mina and Edward Hyde's unique conditions, and augmented by technology stolen from Captan Nemo. In the final battle Griffin proved his worth, planting explosives throughout the enemy complex, however it was only because he'd lose a franchise if there were more invisible men. With the bombs planted, he then aided Tom Sawyer and Quatermain in fighting an armored man with a flamethrower and another invisible man, Sanderson Reed. Upon killing Reed, Griffin was once more the sole invisible man. He has since proven himself to be a valuable member of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen despite his malevolence.
Known Superhuman Powers: Hawley Griffin has been rendered permanently invisible as a result of his entire cellular structure being phased out of quantum sync with the mutually interactive frequency of the visible universe. Simply put, all the particles of his body vibrate at a different frequency pattern than normal matter. Because of that, when visible light particles contacts Griffin's body, they are not reflected, but instead pass directly through him without any distortion. This is because the photons pass through the spaces between the atoms of his body without physically interacting with them in any way. The result is total invisibility from the visible spectrum, as Griffin's cells now posses the refractive index of air. Because visible light passes through him and therefore cannot be perceived by his eyes, Griffin can no longer see along the visible light spectrum. However, he has not been rendered blind as one might expect. Instead, the altered quantum frequency of the rods and cones of his retinas, enables Griffin's eyes to perceive ultraviolet and infrared light wavelengths. As a result, he is able to see in a higher spectrum of light, in which depth perception and surface detail are clearly rendered. However, his vision is achromatic, leaving him unable to distinguish colors.
Group Affiliation: Justice League of America, former reserve member of the Justice League Embassy, ally of Superman
Base of Operations: Olympus, formally Paradise Island and Gateway City, Massachusetts
First Appearance: (historical) All-Star Comics #8; (recent) Wonder Woman II #1 (February 1987)
History: Diana is the daughter of Queen Hippolyta, Ruler of the Amazons, a tribe of warrior women who have their origins in Ancient Greece. According to Greek Myth, the Amazons were the daughters of Ares and Otrera, a daughter of Zeus. They dominated the lands east of Dardania along the south coast of the Black Sea for several centuries and were often confronted by heroes such as Bellerophon and Theseus. Hercules sought out Hippolyta on his ninth labor and was warmly received by him and shared a bed with him. Incensed in the ease of his labor, the goddess Hera stirred the Amazons into strife claiming Hercules was going to kidnap her as a mate. Hippolyta was erroneously reported as killed in the ensuing bloodshed and Theseus abducted Antiope, Hippolyta’s sister, as a concubine. Melanippe lead the rescue attempt on Athens to retrieve her and years later, Penthesilia lead the Amazons in battle on the side of Troy during the Trojan War.
Over the years, the Amazons split into two factions. Hippolyta continued to honor the gods of Olympus while Antiope turned against the gods and separated with another group seeking their destiny elsewhere. Hippolyta and her followers renounced their previous warlike tendencies and moved far from Greece to an island beyond the regions on Ancient Greece that became known as New Themiscyra, later nick-named Paradise Island. The island ironically concealed an underground dimensional aperture into Tartarus, the region of the dead ruled by Hades, the god of the dead, which Hippolyta vowed to protect and conceal. A third faction of Amazons has been reported in the vicinity of the Amazon River basin in South America, but this is unconfirmed.
Hippolyta, meanwhile, conceived a daughter whom she named Diana in honor of the Roman name of Artemis, one of their patron deities. Whether Diana was the daughter of Hercules is a matter of debate. According to the most documented account, while desiring a daughter, Hippolyta sculpted a female infant out of clay and the goddesses of Olympus brought it to life. However, according to later Amazonian myth, all of the Amazons had been sculpted from clay and brought to life by the Olympian gods using the souls of mortal women. Diana had been restored to life with the spirit of an unborn child that existed in the womb of a woman who Hippolyta had been in a previous life during the Pre-Hyborian Age. Since the gods of Olympus would not exist until after Post-Hyborian events, these Pre-Hyborian accounts of the origins of the Amazons are conjectural and conflicting. Nevertheless, much of the modern Amazon theology and beliefs are based on these divine origins.
To explain Diana’s godlike gifts, Hippolyta and the Amazons came to believe that they were gifts from the gods. Diana turned out to be stronger, faster and possessed of more stamina that any other Amazon. Surpassing even Queen Hippolyta herself, Diana and a few other Amazons discovered one day a United States Air Force pilot named Steve Trevor who had crashed into the sea and washed up on the island during World War Two. The choice was made that one of the Amazons would have to return Trevor to the outside world, which they called Man’s World, in order to keep Paradise Island a secret. The incident was exacerbated when Athena revealed to Queen Hippolyta that Ares, long imprisoned since the days of Ancient Greece, had been released and was now influencing the course of the war. Athena dictated that whoever returned Trevor would stay in the outside world as a champion and force for good against the will of Ares. A contest was called which Diana had been excluded from due to her royal duties, but she entered against her mother’s wishes, disguising herself with a full mask like the other contestants and won all the tournaments with ease due to her godly powers. Despite her maternal feelings, Hippolyta was forced to respect the result. Diana was equipped with a costume based on the star spangled insignia of Steve Trevor. Journeying to man's world, she became known as Wonder Woman and took over the identity of a war correspondent named Diana Prince in order to work in military intelligence. She eventually confronted Ares and ensnared him with the Lasso of Truth, which was weaved for her from the Girdle of Gaea as a weapon. The mystical lasso forced him to withdraw from the war, but he continued to remain a threat to her. During her wartime activities, Wonder Woman fought not just the Nazis but also wartime Nazi sympathizers and criminals such as Doctor Cyber, Baron Blitzkreig, the Duke of Deception, Dr. Doris Zuel (later known as Giganta) and the original Cheetah. She also became a member of the All-Star Squadron, but at the end of the war, believing her mission in the outside world was complete, she faithfully returned to Paradise Island.
However, during the Crisis of Infinite Earths, the timeline became altered and Wonder Woman’s wartime activities never occurred. Despite encountering her past wartime counterpart, Wonder Woman had never become involved in adventures during the war and Queen Hippolyta herself became the original Wonder Woman and carried out those events. In the altered timeline, Diana Trevor, a United States Air Force pilot had crashed on the island in recent years and became accepted by them. She died by their side fighting back the hordes of Hades trying to escape the Underworld and was honored by a statue in the Temple of Ares. Diana departed Paradise Island once more as an ambassador from the Amazons to fulfill the original duties set down by the Olympian gods to spread the virtues of peace and compassion to mankind. She befriended Julia Kapatelis and her daughter who took Diana in and became her mentors to the social and public issues of the United States. She also encountered Myndi Mayer, a publicist who worked to promote Diana's message across the world. It was reportedly her in this altered timeline who came up with the name Wonder Woman based on the inscriptions on Diana's costume and she launched promotional lines and merchandise to introduce her to the world. In also most no time at all, a massive media campaign had transformed Wonder Woman into one of the most recognizable names in the country to parallel the likes of accomplished costumed heroes such as Captain America, Superman, The Fantastic Four, and The Batman.
There were a few set backs along the way. Mayer died of a drug overdose and a cult sprang up to Wonder Woman in Greece prompting many right-wing religious groups to brand her cause pagan. Despite these consequences, a world tour and the setting up of a Wonder Woman Foundation to promote peace resulted in favorable feedback. While she became branded a superhero by the press against her will, Wonder Woman participated in the Darkseid anti-hero riots and served as a reserve member of Justice League Embassy. After a mistaken first encounter, she has grown close to Superman and both of them later recognized that in another sequence of events that they might have been lovers.
The sorceress Circe devised a plan to overthrow the various pantheons of gods into war as a means of achieving power of her own. She was eventually defeated by a collation of both the superheroes of Earth and Wonder Woman. The existence of the Olympian gods among those of the other gods of Earth became known, but the general public of Earth generally believed that they were regular superhumans paying homage to the original myths.
Queen Hippolyta found herself stricken with a vision of the future where she foresaw the death of Wonder Woman. In desperation, she declared that Diana had failed and that a new contest should be held. The Amazon Artemis (not to be confused with the Olympian goddess by that name) from the tribe of Antiope joined the contest. Hippolyta had a spell cast that when Artemis and Diana were present together; part of Diana's skill and power went into Artemis. Via this manipulation Diana lost the mantel of Wonder Woman, but she continued acting in man's world under her own name and as the leader of the Justice League of America. Eventually, however, Artemis died in battle and Diana reclaimed the costume of Wonder Woman. She fought Darkseid in a battle that cost the lives of twelve hundred Amazons. She also battled Morgan Le Fay who sought to steal Diana's immortality little realizing that she had forsaken it when she left Paradise Island. It was only after many months while battling the Cheetah that Diana and her Amazon sisters found themselves reverting to the clay from which they were allegedly formed, but these may have been conjurations by Morgan Le Fay who found a way to make the Amazonian legends come true. With the help of Harold Champion, Diana traveled to Paradise Island where it was revealed that he was actually the god Heracles who had secretly fallen in love with Diana.
Heracles alerted the Olympian gods to the plight of the Amazons and after a debate, the gods restored the Amazons and Wonder Woman to full health. Meanwhile, Artemis had been restored to life and via the manipulations of the demon Neron sought to kill Jason Blood who was at that time assisting Diana. Via a series of events, Wonder Woman, Hippolyta, Blood, Artemis and their friends found themselves the captives of Neron. Artemis managed to wound Neron allowing them to escape but not before he blasted Wonder Woman into a coma as revenge.
While the Justice League and the extra-dimensional race known as the New Gods battled Ares at the Source Wall to stop him absorbing the so called "God-Wave," Wonder Woman lay near death in a Gateway City hospital. Even the combined talents of Superman, J'onn J'onzz and Green Lantern could not help her. The efforts of rogue Dr. Zuel to switch minds with Wonder Woman so that she might possess her body went a stray and caused the death of both of them.
The Olympian gods decided that they could not allow their most trusted follower to simply die so they resurrected her as a goddess. In her place, they passed the title of Wonder Woman upon Queen Hippolyta. Diana was forbidden to contact her human friends for the next one hundred years, but when her friends became trapped in a hellish dimension during a battle against Dark Angel, Morgan le Fay and Merlin, Diana helped her friends as by giving them inspiration. This was still enough to invoke the wrath of Zeus who then revoked Diana's transgression and returned her to her mortal form, after which Diana once again assumed the identity of Wonder Woman.
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 135 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
Strength Level: Wonder Woman possesses superhuman strength enabling her to lift (press) about 80 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Wonder Woman possesses some but not all of the conventional attributes of the Olympian Gods. She has superhuman strength, stamina, reflexes, speed, enchanted youth and a long life enchantment. She has not aged since reaching adulthood, but she is not immortal as the Olympian gods, nor is she impervious to harm. While she is immune to terrestrial disease and flame, she can be injured by conventional means such as penetration wounds by bullets or blades. She is nearly inexhaustible and can perform tirelessly for long periods of time. Her reflexes and physical attributes have been accelerated to the point that she has extraordinary gymnastic and acrobatic skill. Her reflexes are fast enough that she can deflect bullets or any thing else with stunning speed. These powers combined with her natural skills allow her to stand as an equal to such figures as Superman, Hercules, Thor and Captain America.
Wonder Woman also has limited mystical potential limited to a few abilities demonstrated so far. She can fly through the air at will, achieving speeds comparable to Thor’s use of Mjolnir, and transverse dimensional barriers, but only those boundaries with those certain heavens or “god-worlds” populated by the immortals worshipped as gods in Earth’s prehistory. For several years, when she used her powers of flight, the invisible and impenetrable aura of an “invisible jet” would appear around her, especially when she was carrying something in addition to herself, but since she has learned the true nature of this power, the aura of this plane has ceased to exist. It is also believed she has a mystical link with her golden lasso enables her to mentally guide it in its use and prevent it from being used by others of malevolent intent. Theoretically, Wonder Woman has the potential to become a true Immortal, like any of the Gods of Earth. She has been shown worthy to wield Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor, along with notables such as Captain America and Superman.
Weaponry/Paraphernalia: Wonder Woman’s foremost weapon is her Golden Lasso of Truth, which has the mystical ability to force anybody ensnared by it to tell the truth. It’s extent of control can tap into the sub-conscious to the point that it can lift mind control effects such as hypnotic trances or the most complex brainwashing techniques. However, it is ineffectual against people or beings of significant mystical or cosmic potential, such as the Grandmaster. In the past, Wonder Woman has also used it to change from her civilian or public identities to her regular bustier or costume. It is virtually indestructible, capable of stretching or expanding whatever volume it needs to hold. It also seems to decrease the weight of objects for Wonder Woman to more better handle them without taxing upon her superhuman strength. When in use, it sometimes glows by virtue of its Olympian origins.
Wonder Woman also wears bracelets that she can use to deflect bullets. A symbol of their imprisonment in the days of Ancient Greece, the bracelets are composed and constructed of a mysterious ore dubbed feminum in one account, possibly some version of iron native only to Paradise Island. On some occasions, she can use the Sandals of Hermes to pierce the veil of distortion that separates and protects Paradise Island from being discovered.
Bruce Wayne is the Batman, a man with a mission, not of vengeance but a long term plan to rid the City of Gotham from the evil that holds it. As a philanthropist he supports charities and bodies that seek to rehabilitate criminals while as the Batman he removes those that persist in offending. Those in the suburbs and country consider him an urban legend, yet the transient criminal population of Gotham City and the country know him from rumor and bitter experience.
Real Name: Bruce Wayne
Occupation: Multimillionaire Industrialist and Philanthropist
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record
Identity: Secret
Other Aliases: "Matches" Malone, Sir Hemingford Grey, The Dark Knight, others too numerous to list
Place Of Birth: Gotham City, New Jersey
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Thomas Wayne (father, deceased); Martha Wayne (mother, deceased), Philip Wayne (uncle), Jack Wayne (grandfather), Laura Elizabeth Wayne (great-grandmother)
Group Affiliations: Justice League of America
Base of Operations: Gotham City, New Jersey
First Appearance: Detective Comics #27
History: Bruce Wayne is the only son of prominent Gotham City doctor Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha Wayne. Two events in his childhood forever scared the future of Bruce. The first was when he accidentally fell through a hole in the grounds of his ancestral home Wayne Manor and found himself in a cave system that ran under the house full of bats. For years afterwards Bruce would catch sight of one particularly large bat over and over again.
The second and most tragic event happened just after the family had left a showing of the classic film "The Mark of Zorro" at the cinema and was walking back to their home. A mugger named Joe Chill confronting them demanded that they handed over their valuables. Thomas Wayne put up a struggle and in the process, both he and his wife were shot dead. Chill ran off leaving the shocked Bruce alone with the bodies of his dead parents. First on the scene was medical doctor and social worker Leslie Thompkins who gave loving comfort to the traumatized Bruce. In later years, a rumor came up that Chill was acting on orders of crime lord Lew Moxon seeking vengeance on Thomas Wayne for evidence that had sent Moxon to jail, but this has yet to be confirmed.
Thomas’s brother Phil Wayne was named Bruce’s guardian and with the help of Thompkins, the family manservant Alfred Pennyworth and Mrs. Chilton, Joe Chill’s own estranged mother. They raised him as best they could. For days after the funeral Bruce was unsettled, it came to a head one night when he ran to his parents grave and swore his vengeance on the criminal world and to correct the circumstances that spawned them. On that night Bruce Wayne in a sense ceased to exist and his all-consuming crime fighting career was born.
Bruce began what would be a very lengthy quest for the necessary training to become... something more. As a wealthy boy, he had access to resources not within the reach of most people: libraries, tutors, equipment, etc., these he used to temper his mind and body at a staggeringly young age. When he had become old enough, he began weight training, starting an intense exercise regimen that he keeps to today. Bruce spent his youth traveling the world, training himself to intellectual and physical perfection and learning a variety of crime-fighting skills, including chemistry, criminology, forensics, martial arts, gymnastics, and disguise. At fourteen years of age, Bruce Wayne began his global sojourn, attending several presitigious European universities, staying for little more than a semester at each before he acquired whatever it was he needed, transferring on to the next. In class, he was largely absent, spending tremendous amounts of time abroad acquiring less academic skills; everyone, of course, just assumed that Bruce was off getting into various misadventures that most any young, handsome, filthy rich teenage boy would pursue and this he used to his advantage to cover his tracks. While attending the Sorbonne, Bruce spent much of his time under the tutelage of private detective Henri Ducard, learning the art of investigation first hand. He lived in Africa with African bushmen of the Ghost Tribes of the Ten-Eyed Brotherhood, learning hunting and tracking techniques, Japan where he learned under the ninja master Kirigi and others the arts of ninjutsu and stealth, and Nepal where he was taught by Buddhist monks how to discipline his mind and body through meditation. He spent time with various special operations mercenary groups, learning small unit tactics and the art of war strategy. Everywhere locale he visited, he took advantage of the area's historic fighting arts, eventually gathering 127 different fighting arts into one personalized style. He even learned ventriloquism from practioners of the art.
Upon returning to the United States, he set out on a fact-finding mission into the depraved parts of Gotham City's seedier districts to see how the criminal element had evolved. Bruce's first foray into crimefighting upon his return to Gotham City was not a success. Bruce concluded that he was not yet ready to really begin making good on his vow, realizing that he was missing a certain "something". This lead to an initial reconnaissance operation that he undertook by disguising himself and walking amongst the lower class, run-down portions of Gotham. In short, the city had become a complete mess since he had left it, wallowing in its own filth while corruption festered within the wounds left by unchecked violent crime. Most of the operation went successfully until Bruce, impatient, provoked a fight with a pimp which erupted into an all-out brawl between the aspiring hero and a pimp backed by an army of prostitutes. Bruce had the upper hand, but an impromptu run-in with a pair of corrupt police out to break up the fight ended with him being shot. Though the two cops detained and took Bruce in despite his injury, he escaped the cruiser, fled to his vehicle, and drove back to the Manor, nearly blacking out the whole way.
When he returned home, he sat in his study, bleeding out as he chastised himself and realized he had to dominate those he would fight with fear. He was injured because the local criminals would not fear him as a plain common man on the street, yet his instinct and research always maintained that criminals were a superstitious and cowardly lot. Thus, he decided, he would ring the bell that would call Alfred - who was trained in combat medicine - to his side and save him if and only if some sign made itself apparent to him. While contemplating the best way to instill fear into criminals, a large bat flew into the study through an open window and perched on a bust of his late father, staring at him. That reminded Bruce of the absolute terror he had felt as a boy when he fell in the cave filled with bats, and through that memory, he realized what he needed to become. Bruce rang the bell and survived his wound due to Alfred's assistance. Inspired by the omen, he decided to become a dark creature of the night, a figure born in shadows, known as the "Batman."
With the help of Alfred, Bruce dynamited a path from the house down to the massive caverns beneath the estate and from there he began planning and designing the weaponry and costume that would give him the edge against the criminals and would instill terror upon sight. Before long the Gotham City Police Department began to receive reports and keeping a file on a large bat shaped creature attacking and harrying the local hoods and criminals. The corrupt police force at that time lead by the corrupt Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb sought to hunt down the Batman, but one lone lieutenant by the name of James Gordon who was one of the few straight cops began a long running professional relationship with the Batman. Honest and dedicated to his work, Gordon was appalled by the rampant corruption in the police department. In the beginning, he was intimidated enough to arrest the Batman, but he changed his opinion on the dark knight detective after Batman risked his life to save an elderly lady. With Batman’s help, Gordon would bring a downfall of to Loeb’s corrupt police commission and advance on to the rank of Captain. Finally reaching the ranks of police commissioner, Gordon put an end to the police pursuit of the Batman.
Rapidly, Batman started to grow more professional and competent. He became the focus of the fight against crime in Gotham and acted as a catalyst for the emergence of a string of similar vigilantes across the United States such as the second Black Canary, who took their lead from the human figure in the night rather than the superhuman figure of Superman. Always operating on the edge of the law and inside of it when possible it was not long before Batman clashed intellects with the figure that would become his archenemy and one of the most deadly criminals in the world, the Joker. About this time Batman started to run into the mysterious Catwoman, while there was an attraction between them neither would admit to it, they remained on opposite sides of the law.
Batman serves as an adviser and occasional active member of the Justice League of America. While it is true that Batman prefers to limit his activities to Gotham City, he also realizes that, sometimes, one must safeguard the world in order to ensure that there is a Gotham City to return to; which means that the Dark Knight will always be on call to aid the JLA with any threat that they may face.
In keeping with the "dark" nature of bats, Batman primarily operates at night. Batman is considered an urban legend and not believed by the citizens of Gotham City to actually exist; however, whenever he is needed, Commissioner Gordon activate a "Bat-Signal" (a searchlight with a bat-shaped insignia over the lens) that shines into the night sky. Batman has fought evil in its many forms during his distinguished career, from the common criminal—such as muggers, rapists, gangsters, and corrupt businessmen—to the more exotic varieties in the form of costumed criminals, supervillains, mutants, zombies, and immortal conquerors.
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
Strength Level: Batman possesses the normal human strength level of a man of his size, height and build who engages in extensive regular exercises. At his peak, he is capable of lifting approximately 625 pounds.
Known Superhuman Powers: None
Abilities: Bruce Wayne maintains the physical stature of a man in perfect physical condition. Batman constantly trains his physical abilities, strength, agility, reflexes and coordination until they reach mythical proportions for a human. Starting at a very young age, Bruce Wayne conditioned his body with physical regimes such as strength conditioning, martial arts, yoga and biofeedback. These years of intenstive training have allowed him to become and remain one of the most physically capable men on Earth. Batman has trained himself to the highest pinnacle of human endurance. He is the near-equal or equal of the world's best athlete in any Olympic event. There can be little doubt that the Batman is the most extensively trained and skilled personal combatant alive in the world today. While others might excel and best him in individual areas, few others can match his martial prowess. Mastering a large number of the most dangerous martial arts disciplines on Earth, he is considered to be one of the best (if not the best) martial artist in the world. Batman is a ruthless combatant and fights with an unothodoxed mixture of styles that incorporate techniques from other cultures, mixed with the weapon styles of his uniform. These include batarangs, razor-wings and grappling lines. Batman is also an accomplished night fighter and is capable of fighting in an obscured or poorly lit environnment. He is a world level forensic scientist and strategist. On top of all of this is his main ability as the greatest living detective, having been trained by detectives around the world in observation and deduction.
Weaponry/Paraphernalia: To boost his already matchless physical abilities, Batman employs a number of weapons and gadgets such as custom boomerangs called Batarangs, smoke grenades, razor sharp throwing blades, lightweight grapnels, lock picks, the list goes on. Most of this armory is stored in his Utility Belt or upon his person. He always tailors his arsenal depending on the threats that he might face. His actual costume is a combination Kevlar/Flame-weave composite that is highly resistant to concessive force and fire, it also resistant to an extent of small arms fire. The cape itself serves as a prop so that it makes him a more dramatic and therefore terrifying figure, it also helps that criminals often shoot for the huge visible mass of the cape rather than the smaller target of the actual Batman.
Transportation: The Batman mainly relies on the Batmobile, a sleek black high-powered car on indiscernible make and model that is heavily armor-plated and is capable of speeds up to 225 mph or 350 mph with an afterburner. Apart from the Batmobile, Batman has also used various Bat-boats and aerial craft such as custom hand gliders, personal gyrocopters, helicopters and a specialized F4 known as the Bat-plane. He now only really used the Bat-plane when working with the League preferring to use the Batmobile in and around Gotham. The vehicles, weaponry, forensic labs, workshops and trophy rooms of the Batman are all located in the cavern system beneath Wayne Manor that is known as the Batcave. It is here that is located the Bat-Computer with its extensive criminal database and external connections. Microwave links to most of the vehicles enable Batman to access the Bat-Computer from almost anywhere in the world.
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record (still a minor)
Identity: Secret
Other Aliases: None
Place of Birth: Fawcett City, California
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Donald (father, deceased), Marilyn (mother, deceased), Merrill (grandfather, deceased), Jocelyn (grandmother, deceased), Dudley (granduncle), Mary (sister, alias Mary Marvel), Thaddeus Bodog Sivana (uncle), Magnifus Sivana, Beautia Sivana (cousins)
Group Affiliations: The Marvels, Justice League of America
Base of Operations: San Francisco, California
First Appearance and Origin: (historical) Whiz Comics #2, (recent) Shazam: The New Beginning #1
History: William "Billy" Batson is the son of noted archaeologists Donald and Marilyn Batson. Born in post-World War Two America, he was orphaned at fifteen when his parents were killed in a car crash engineered by Marilyn's stepbrother, Dr. Thaddeus Bodog Sivana, who wanted his hands on their extreme wealth. Billy and his infant sister, Mary, had inherited their wealth upon their deaths and Billy had wanted to live alongside Mary with his beloved Uncle Dudley who had offered to quit his job as a stage magician and get a real job to raise Billy, but Billy refused to allow his uncle to make such a sacrifice and hesitantly went off to live with his untrustworthy and unscrupulous Uncle Thaddeus. Once Sivana had his hands on the Batson family fortune to finance his sinister experiments, however, he cast Billy out into the streets to learn how cruel the world really was and sent Mary to live in an orphanage without any knowledge of her true past.
Honest and hard-working, Billy soon found a job selling newspapers and living under the kindness of strangers. At nights, he slept in the warmth of a deserted subway station. Eventually, he found himself at the location of his parent's car crash and met an old man who promised to take care of him. The old man turned out to be the aged mage and wizard Shazam who had spent millennia searching for a truly pure and honest soul to help him fight the forces of evil in his stead. Shazam's time on earth was nearly over, and in Billy, he saw the innocence and purity he knew he wanted in a champion for good. He gave Billy the power to become the costumed hero Captain Marvel imbued with the power of the gods of earth just by invoking his name. By calling upon Shazam's name, Billy was struck by a bolt of mystical lightning and became transformed into the crimson and gold figure of Captain Marvel. Shazam fully revealed that in this form that Billy had the wisdom of famed Israeli king Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the bravery of Achilles and the speed of Mercury. (The full details of Shazam's spell seem suspect since both Achilles and Solomon were mortals and Atlas was the son of a Titan). Shortly after Billy earned this legacy granted by the gods through Shazam, the aged wizard gave up his life-force and departed from the earthly plane, but his spirit has since returned several times in times of crisis to lend his support to Billy as Captain Marvel.
As Captain Marvel, Billy strived to fight against the evil machinations of his evil uncle, Dr. Sivana, who had wasted and lost much of the Batson family fortune in his pathetic efforts and drives for power. Over the years, Sivana had become the leader of a small cabal of criminals, all of whom had dishonest and criminal aspirations like himself. He also learned that Billy was Captain Marvel and used that knowledge to his benefit on several occasions, once even using unknown means to gain the power of Captain Marvel for himself. Captain Marvel also clashed several times with Black Adam, Shazam's previous protégé who had used his power for evil rather than good. Billy meanwhile lent his powers upon a younger lame waif named Freddie Freeman who became known as Captain Marvel Jr. Billy was also reunited with Mary who had grown up into a young girl adopted by a wealthy family. When Mary was kidnapped, Billy and Freddie were unable to call out for the powers of Captain Marvel and Mary innocently mentioned the name Shazam, become the godly heroine known as Mary Marvel. Later in consulting with the spirit of Shazam, Billy learned that Mary had tapped into the back-up spell to his invocation spell involving the names of several goddesses rather than gods. As Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr. and Mary Marvel, the three heroes became known as the Marvels.
By now, Billy and Mary had become able to live with their retired Uncle Dudley along with Freddie by their side. Billy had found more stable employment working for the newspaper he once sold to help support his uncle who learned of his niece and nephew's dual identities and supported them in their heroics. In one of his efforts to destroy the Marvels, Dr. Sivana lost control of one of his experiments and trapped himself, many of his allies and the Marvels in suspended animation for forty years, later emerging in the late Twentieth Century. However, during the Crisis of Infinite Earths, the timeline had been restructured around the survivors of several destroyed realities, which seemingly included Captain Marvel and his unfortunate retinue, and this event never occurred, instead having occurred in the years long after World War Two.
Captain Marvel meanwhile became a member of the Justice League of America while a member of the Marvels fighting the evil of Dr. Sivana, who had increased his selfish drives into uniting the criminal underground under his power. Through Wonder Woman, one of his JLA allies, he also finally encountered the Gods of Olympus as well as those of Asgard. Captain Marvel briefly clashed with the thunder-god Thor after being manipulated into falsely believing the Avengers were going to destroy the multiverse. Months later, he joined forces with Thor against Krona trying to recreate the Big Bang that had created the known universe.
In the alternate future of the Legion of Superheroes, Captain Marvel retreats from earth to study in the mystical arts of his old mentor, Shazam. In this future, he locates a girl named Cece Beck to become his successor and grants her the godly power to become Captain Thunder.
Height: (Billy) 5' 6", (Captain Marvel) 6' 1"
Weight: (Billy) 125 lbs. (Captain Marvel) 220 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
Unusual Physical Appearances: Billy Batson appears as an adult when he becomes Captain Marvel.
Strength Level: Captain Marvel possesses Class 100 strength enabling him to lift (press) well over a hundred tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Captain Marvel possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Olympian gods, including superhuman strength, endurance, stamina and resistance to conventional injury. If he were somehow wounded, his godly energies would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his bodily molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of significant power, such as Zeus, Poseidon and Apollo or for a number of Olympian gods of equal power working together to revive him. His Olympian metabolism provides him with far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. (Olympian flesh and bone is about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the Olympians' superhuman strength and weight.)
In order to change form, Billy must be able to call upon the name of Shazam, thereby invoking spells involving the energies of those extra-dimensional beings once known as gods on earth. This spell adds almost a hundred pound of impervious godly muscle and tissue to his frame as well as aging him into adulthood. This spell seems to be solely vocal; he cannot access this spell if he is gagged or hampered in some way from talking. The precision of this spell is somewhat askew. He can share his power with Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr., but while in this state, each person is only in possession of a fragment of the full power of Captain Marvel as opposed to one person commanding all of it. By calling upon Shazam again, each member of the Marvels can once again return to their normal form and size; thereby allowing one of their number, such as Billy or Mary, to have the full power of the spell. There is one susceptibility to the spell that it can be shared with other personages who are of noble intent and purity, such as Superman, who once switched identities and powers with Captain Marvel, after being in close proximity with Billy Batson during one transformation. It is known that certain gods of sufficient power, such as Thor, can manipulate Shazam's spell and render Captain Marvel back to the human form of Billy Batson once more.
In addition to his strength and invulnerability, Captain Marvel has other powers derived from the strengths and gifts from the gods and mortals invoked in Shazam's spell. He can move at incredible speeds, possibly equal to Superman, but maybe approaching that of Quicksilver who can attain speeds up to the speed of light (182,272 mph). He can move fast enough to not register in the normal peripheral range of humans and seemingly vanish and disappear at will. At this speed, his mind processes information at least on a subliminal level that he is aware of his surroundings. Captain Marvel has exceptional photographic recall and mental acuity allowing him to read and decipher hieroglyphics, recall everything he has ever learn, solve long mathematical equations instantaneously and make intuitive guesses based on limited data to the point his guesses are almost always correct. He is always supported by an innate and harmonious presence of good will and strength of perseverance that he never backs down from a challenge.
Captain Marvel can also mystically fly through the atmosphere through sure act of will, enabling him to soar through the atmosphere at sub-orbital levels and travel across the planet. He is immune from the effects of extreme height, such as dizziness and lightheadedness. With effort, he can travel from the earth to the moon, but he requires extra-precautionary paraphernalia for interstellar travel.
Billy Batson has none of these powers in his normal mortal form. He can retain some of his mental aptitude in his normal form, but without the certainty or assurance he has as Captain Marvel.
Real Name: Linda Lee Danvers (her native Kryptonian name is Kara Zor-El)
Occupation: Adventurer, former High School Guidance Counselor, former Actress, former Television Camera Operator
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Identity: Secret, the general public does not believe her extra-terrestrial origins.
Other Aliases: None known
Place of Birth: Argos City, Krypton in the Rao star System, Xeno Galaxy
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Zor-El (father), Allura (mother), Kal-El (cousin, alias Superman), Jor-El (uncle, deceased), Lara (aunt, deceased), Fred Danvers (adoptive father), Edna Danvers (adoptive mother),
Group Affiliations: ally of Superman, Batgirl, the Justice League of America and the Teen Titans
Base of Operations: Chicago, Illinois, formerly Manhattan, New York, formerly Santa Augusta, Florida, formerly San Francisco, California
First Appearance: Action Comics #252
Origin: Supergirl I #1
History: Kara Zor-El is a native of the extraterrestrial Kryptonian race who lived in a fairly utopia society based on science and arts after ending their experiments on interstellar space flight. The Kryptonians had only limited space flight technology after an experimental rocket had accidentally destroyed one of their moons. The destruction of the moon resulted in debilitating effects on Krypton's atmosphere and her father, Zor-El, supervised construction on a weather-proof dome to protect Argos City. The dome protected the city from the adverse effects of the moon's damage as well as from cosmic radiation entering the planet's atmosphere. The damage, however, didn't stop there. Zor-El's brother, Jor-El, a member of Krypton's High Council, had realized that the shift in the planet's orbit had resulted in a catastrophic sequence of events breaking the planet apart and the resulting radiation in the atmosphere was fusing the core of the planet into a new destructive element known as Kryptonite, fatal to Kryptonians. Jor-El had wanted to reinitiate the civilization's defunct space program to evacuate the planet, but his peers refused to take such precautions, considering his research to be fallible and in error. Eventually, the changing pressures in the planet's core began ripping the planet apart. Jor-El just barely managed to create a small rocket to send his son, Kal-El, and Kara to Earth where they would be inextinguishable from the inhabitants, but in the terror and confusion tearing the planet apart, only young Kal-El seemingly survived, just moments ahead of Krypton exploding from the pressure at is core.
In actuality, Argos City remained preserved, held together by its weather-proof dome holding together a mass chuck of the crust of the planet into a large meteor-like land mass drifting out of the planet's orbit. The surviving Kryptonians seemingly prospered in the floating city until a meteor shower damaged the dome and released its atmosphere as well as allowing virulent cosmic energies into the city which began killing the inhabitants. Zor-El just managed to save Kara by recreating the rocket from his brother's specifications and sending her to Earth to be reunited with Kal-El who had been raised on Earth under the name of Clark Kent. Investigating the crashing rocket, Clark discovered the rocket with Kara inside and took her to his adoptive parents, the Kents, to protect her.
As Clark before her, Kara soon realized that the solar energies of the earth's sun granted her incredible superhuman powers as opposed to the red sun of Krypton under which the Krypton race had evolved. Under the less severe effects of the earth's yellow sun, Kara was almost as strong as her cousin in his identity as Superman and could run faster than any other woman her age as well as fly through the atmosphere without ill effects. Without any early desires to use her new powers publicly, she anonymously used her powers at first to help her cousin as Superman, but she eventually lost her powers against a Kryptonian sorceress named Lesla-Lar who had been a native of the city of Kandor taken from Krypton years before Krypton's destruction. Without her powers, Kara was adopted under the name Linda Lee by Fred and Edna Danvers through the Midvale Orphanage near Smallville, but eventually, she regained her powers through the plotting of an other-dimensional being named Mxyzptlk, a frequent nemesis of Superman. Hoping to embarrass Superman by making a woman as powerful as he was, he possibly sensed Linda's superhuman potential and restored her powers, ostensibly undoing Lesla-Lar's spell's in the progress. As Supergirl, she helped Superman defeat Mxyzptlk and was revealed to the public as a result. She revealed her past to the Danvers and was fully accepted by them and supported in her new drive to use her powers to the greater good.
Supergirl, however, rarely if ever faced the same adversary twice, but would come to face Lesla-Lar several times before exiling her to the spirit-filled limbo of the Phantom Zone, the Kryptonian name of the astral realm. She joined with Superman and the Justice League of America on several missions, but despite considered a member of the Justice League, she never joined in an official capacity. (In one divergent timeline where Kal-El became Superboy, she did become a member of the Legion of Superheroes in one alternate future of the 30th Century.) She also became close friends of Mary Marvel, the female protégé of Captain Marvel, and Barbara Gordon, who was then known as Batgirl and worked alongside the Teen Titans on occasion.
Eventually, Supergirl discovered that her biological parents had survived the destruction of Argo City with a small group of Kryptonians by entering another level of existence which she called the Survival Zone, but she could not restore them to full existence within the Earth's dimension. A corrupt scientific agency known as the Council soon masterminded a plot to clone Supergirl when they failed to obtain cell samples from Superman. Each of the clones were only a foot in height and would have killed her had she not used Gold-Kryptonite to rob them of her powers. Bereft of their powers, the clones eventually merged into a normal-sized but powerless version of Linda Danvers and nearly took over Supergirl's civilian life.
On a mission with the combined heroes of Earth, Supergirl clashed with a being known as the Anti-Monitor in the Anti-Matter Universe. In his war with his counterpart known as the Monitor in the true universe, anti-matter was breaking through the temporal dimensional walls separating countless alternate earths and destroying them as a result. In order to save the universe, Supergirl was among many of the heroes attacking his base on the world of Qward in the Anti-Matter Universe, and he dealt her a fatal blow by unleashing energies that nearly ripped her apart, killing her in the process. Superman and many of the heroes of earth grieved greatly for her and Batgirl read the eulogy for her funeral before Superman took her remains away to be buried on an undetermined planet. However, after the defeat of the Anti-Monitor, the timeline had been restructured to accompany all the heroes who had originated from alternate timelines destroyed during the Crisis, and all memories of Supergirl ceased to exist in the recreated timeline. In the altered time stream, Superman became the sole survivor of Krypton's destruction, and one of Supergirl's alternate reality counterparts, Power Girl, became credited with many of her accomplishments and adventures, only to discover later discovered she had been the last survivor of Pre-Cataclysmic Atlantis rather than the cousin of the Man of Steel she had been in her native reality.
Another Supergirl from Superboy's alternate timeline which had escaped the effects of the Crisis meanwhile followed Superman to mainstream earth. This Supergirl had been a clone of Lana Lang created from experimental protoplasm by the Lex Luthor of that world in order to defeat three Phantom Zone villains accidentally released after the death of Superboy in the aftermath of the Crisis. During this time, the Linda Danvers clone had escaped the effects of the Crisis and had been taken in by the Danvers. When this alternate Supergirl met the clone, she ended up absorbing the memories of the original Supergirl from the clone, effectively destroying it in the process, and then taking its place as Linda Danvers.
During recent fluctuations in the time stream, the effects of the Crisis were somewhat "relaxed" and Supergirl actually survived her annihilation at the hands of the Monitor. Much younger than she was at the time of her death, she has been reunited with Superman and crossed paths with Power Girl who had been remade in her image in the restructured reality. The Batman, one of Superman's most trusted friends, has expressed doubts on her potential as a serious champion for good as well as her resurrection. As yet, Supergirl has not yet encountered the Lana Lang clone who usurped her likeness and heritage.
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 125 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde (Brown as Linda Danvers)
Strength Level: Supergirl possesses Class 100 level strength enabling her to lift (press) more than 100 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Supergirl possesses superhuman strength, invincibility and stamina spawned from her solar-energy enhanced cellular structure. Her Kryptonian physiology under a yellow sun has become supercharged via solar radiation, effectively heightening all of her physical abilities hundreds of times over to have the resilience and durability of steel. She is possibly one of the strongest and most powerful individuals on the planet, second only to individuals such as Superman, Thor, Wonder Woman and the Hulk. A natural bioelectric aura accounts for her invulnerability acting as a natural force field mere millimeters from her skin, however, when this aura is overtaxed, it becomes weakened, exhausting it and allowing damage to her clothing. Because her cape extends beyond this aura, it can be damaged. (Previous accounts erroneously claimed Supergirl's costume was created from Kryptonian fabric that like herself became impervious under yellow solar energy). The accentuation of normal abilities also applies to her senses allowing her the ability to see most of the EMG spectrum, extreme detail and to literally focus past normal matter (a.k.a. X-ray vision). Her highly efficient physiology renders him immune to terrestrial disease.
All of Supergirl’s physical activities have been amplified as a result of her solar-energized strength and stamina. She can run at incredible speeds approaching the Flash, who can run at the speed of light 9186,272 miles per hour). At such speeds, her accentuated mental patterns process her environment more quickly. She can also make a standing broad jump over a mile or at least a high jump more than 150 feet into the air. Her ability to fly enables him to cover far more distance.
Supergirl's senses are far in excess of any other superhuman except for perhaps Daredevil and Wolverine. She can observe minute details from over fifty yards and focus his vision into the atomic scale as well into ultra-violet and infrared proportions of the light spectrum, enabling her to see extreme heart or cold. By tapping the x-ray wavelength of solar energy in her body, she can peer through most solid objects one level at a time. Lead is the only substance her x-ray vision is impervious against. Her hearing is also sensitive; she can detect somewhere between 25,000 to 30,000 vibrations per second. Her attention to sound is so particular that he can center on a single ultrasonic signal across several miles. She also has acute senses of smell, taste and touch allowing him to detect minute traces of poison in the area around him. In addition, her extra sensitive nerve structure allows her a near-clairvoyant ability to sense events on a scale close to Spiderman.
Perhaps the most notable of Supergirl’s powers is her ability to fly by some form of self-telekinesis that also applies to any heavy object he was carrying. Because the Earth’s gravity is lesser than that of Krypton, she can conjure a field of energy around her strong enough to push against the gravity of the earth and carry her near infinite distances. Quasi-psionic in nature, this field allows her to levitate and then by mentally pushing forward and possibly emitting propulsion, she can fly the length of the planet and attain interstellar distances even in dimensions with different physical laws to earth.. She can reach orbits above the earth above 6,500 feet and attain casual speeds of 750 miles per hour. (Greater speeds while in the Earth’s atmosphere would cause sonic booms resulting in damage around him.) At great speeds, her Kryptonian physiology protects him from detrimental effects such as friction and dizziness. Since she is lighter than Superman, she demonstrates more aerobic maneuverability and athletic agility in flight than he can.
Her heat vision is generated by tapping her body’s solar energy reserves and expelling the energy via his eyes as a form of "heat ray" vision nearly identical to a laser. By contracting or expanding his irises, she can generate a blast small enough to burn a hole smaller than the size of a dime or an explosive blast enough to knock even Superman to his feet. She can cause fires or sear through concrete with the laser-like efficiency. It is unknown as to how long he could use his heat-vision before his solar energies were completely depleted, but since his cellular structure constantly processes solar energy, she might be able to use her heat-vision consecutively for up to several hours. Supergirl also has superhuman lung efficiency and by expelling all the carbon dioxide out of her body at once, she can generate freezing temperatures nearly identical to a fire extinguisher. resulting in one-sixteenth of an inch of ice appearing on the object she is freezing.
Supergirl also has exceptional mental and deductive reasoning enabling her to process information much faster that her deductive reasoning skills are almost always correct. She can pick up languages foreign and alien at will and mentally solve long mathematical algorithms unconsciously.
Limitations: Supergirl’s major source of weakness is Kryptonite. When Krypton exploded, the substance at the planet’s core transformed into a deadly radioactive isotope called Kryptonite. This new element is one of few with a high atomic weight that is reasonably unstable. It can be deadly to Superman, but harmless to human beings in small doses. While Kryptonite isotopes have half-lives of several years, even centuries, it can degrade into iron just as radium degrades into lead. However, it is frictionless and many chunks have reached the Earth through the warp in the wake of the rocket, which brought Kal-El to Earth. Kryptonite radiation tends to fill her cellular structure, driving out her stored solar energies in the process and poisoning her. Sustained exposure to Kryptonite radiation gives her a green hue to his skin, however, the effects are not cumulative and she will gain his full health and power once she is separated from the radiation or shielded from it by lead. Like all radioactive substances, Kryptonite radiation can be counteracted by lead to the point that Supergirl can handle it directly. Prolonged exposure can be deadly and kill virtually anything, even human beings, and even induce cancer as it did to Lex Luthor’s original body. For more on the various isotopes of Kryptonite, see Superman: Limitations.
Despite her level of power, Supergirl is immune to magic and items of mystical potential. She can be hypnotized, but not to the point she will reveal her true identity. She is also immune to harm in the presence of red solar energy which eradicates the yellow solar energy within his body and renders her with the normal strength, stamina and endurance of a normal human being.
Abilities: Supergirl is trained in gymnastics and aerobics which she utilizes in the aerodynamic maneuverability of her flying abilities as well as in her fighting style. She also has limited apprentice-level skills in robotics, cybernetics and radiology.
Paraphernalia: Supergirl usually wore a brunette wig in her civilian identity as Linda Danvers; however, after several near misses with her identity, she resorted to using a comb charged with unstable molecules to revert her natural blonde hair to blonde.
Pets: Supergirl formerly owned a an ordinary house cat named Streaky who had acquired Kryptonian style powers and human-level sentience from a rare isotope of Kryptonite, but since that isotope ceased to exist, Streaky reverted back to being an ordinary cat. She also used to ride a horse name Argo. Argo had once been one of the Centaurs upon Olympus, the home of the Olympian Gods. When he fell in love with Supergirl, the goddess Circe transformed him into a real horse. Both Streaky and Argos ceased to exist in the restructured timeline after the Crisis of Infinite Earths.
The being called Superman is a highly advanced sentient life form from the planet Krypton. While possessing a human appearance, down to the cellular level, he is quite different than Humanity.
Alter Ego: Clark Joseph Kent (Earth name), Kal-El (Kryptonian name)
Occupation: Adventurer, newspaper reporter, columnist, and novelist
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 225
Hair: Black
Eyes: Blue
Known Relatives: Jor-El (father; deceased), Lara (mother; deceased), Jonathan Kent (adoptive father), Martha Clark Kent (adoptive mother), Harry Kent (adoptive uncle), Sarah Kent (adoptive aunt)
Base of Operations: Metropolis, USA and the Fortress of Solitude, Arctic
Costume: Superman wears a blue bodysuit complemented by red trunks, red boots, and a long, flowing red cape. A yellow belt encircles his waist, and there is a highly stylized Superman insignia - consisting of a large red letter "S" inscribed within a yellow shield, which is bordered in red - emblazoned on his chest. The back of Superman's cape bears a similar insignia, except that this one consists of a yellow letter "S" inscribed within a yellow shield bordered in yellow. The costume is made from normal Earth fibers. The body suit is protected by the Superman's own indestructible aura. The cape has no such protection and is often destroyed during the course of Superman's activities.
History: Long ago, a planet named Krypton orbited the distant red dwarf star Rao. The Planetary mass closest to its sun, Krypton was once a modest-sized planet, roughly the mass and volume of Earth. Over the eons, plant and animal life evolved on Krypton, and a race of sentient humanoids virtually indistinguishable from Earth humans became the dominant life form. It is only at the cellular level that the real differences between the people of Earth and native Kryptonians could be determined. Evolving under the intense radiation of their red dwarf sun, Kryptonians developed a unique cellular structure that enabled them to absorb energy from their sun. Although they derived most of their nourishment from the consumption of animal and vegetable matter, solar energy supplemented their diets. They were, in effect, living solar batteries.
It was on the planet Krypton that the scientist Jor-El, son of Seyg-El and his wife, Lara Lor-Van, decided to conceived a child. As was the Kryptonian way, their child was created in-vitro and gestated in an artificial womb called a birthing matrix. As a member of the Science Council, Krypton's ruling body, Jor-El discovered the Phantom Zone and many other worlds. He also found out something horrifying: Krypton was in great danger. He predicted that due to internal eruptions, Krypton would soon explode. When he produced his findings, however, he was laughed to scorn. Jor-El was determined to find a way off the planet, and he began to research ways of getting off Krypton.
Jor-El had only one thing to do. He began work on a spacecraft that he hoped could carry his son, who was to be named Kal-El (which translates to "star child") through hyperspace to the planet Earth, which he had recently been observing. Jor-El had just enough time to build one small rocket. No sooner than he finished the ship, the time of Krypton's death came. The ground began to shake and Jor-El knew he had to act quickly. Lara and him placed their unborn son Kal-El, still within his birthing matrix, on the rocket and targeted it for Earth.
Jor-El ordered them inside while he made the final calculations. There was room in the ship for both Lara and Kal-El. But Lara flatly refused. She told him that their son would have a better chance without her weight. Through his studies, Jor-El also knew that their son would grow strong and powerful on Earth as his cellular structure absorbed the solar radiation of Earth's sun. He told Lara that this would give their son the advantage he would need to survive on Earth. Jor-El then launched the rocked and Lara stepped into his arms. They embraced, watching the ship get smaller and smaller. Then, the world of Krypton exploded after the pressure grew to much for the planet's mantle to contain, transmuting the sum and substance of the dying world into kryptonite, the ore of kryptonium.
The tiny spaceship took a hyper-light journey covering the fifty light-years that separated Krypton and Earth in just under twenty years. However due to time dilation effects Kal-El had only just reached the end of the gestation period when he exited hyperspace close to Earth. The ship landed in a wheat field in Smallville, a rural town in Kansas. While in their farmhouse, Jonathan and Martha Kent saw a brilliant light, as if from some sort of comet or meteor, shoot across the sky. Intrigued by the chance of being able to find an actual meteorite, the Kents jumped into their truck and drove out to the backfield, where the object had seemed to hit. What they found was a shallow crater and an object that appeared to be a tiny spacecraft. Approaching the craft, Martha thought she saw something moving inside. When Jonathan gingerly reached out to the craft to touch the smooth, egg-like upper section of the craft, it seemed to melt away, revealing a newborn baby boy inside.
At the time, the Kents had no way of knowing that they were witnessing a birth. Jonathan suspected, quite correctly, that the baby might be from another planet. But the child looked so completely human that Martha dismissed her husband's suspicion as fantasy. She concluded that he was the victim of a foreign rocketry experiment and vowed that no one would experiment on him ever again. On the ride back to the house, the childless couple discusses what to do with the baby. Martha argued that they should keep him, and Jonathan was hard pressed to think of a reason why they shouldn't. By the time they got home, they had already decided to name him Clark, Martha's maiden name, and raise him as their own son.
As a young child, Clark Kent exhibited no extraordinary powers of abilities. When he turned 5, Clark was enrolled at Eisenhower Elementary School in Smallville, where he quickly made friends of classmates Lana Lang and Pete Ross. He picked up good values from his loving hard-working parents, learning responsibility in helping with chores around the farm. He also acquired the Kents' love of reading and often derived as much pleasure from sitting under a tree with a book as he did from a fast game of softball. For all intents and purposes, Clark appeared to be just another normal, healthy American boy.
But he was not normal. Just as his genetic father, Jor-El, had calculated, Clark's Kryptonian cells began storing and processing the radiation of Earth's sun. As he grew older, Clark became increasingly stronger and more powerful. The first noticeable consequence of his power came when Clark was 8 years old. Taking a short cut across a pasture, he was trampled by an angry bull, but he sustained no injuries. A few months later, Martha Kent was astounded to see her son casually lift the back end of their pick-up truck to retrieve a ball that had rolled out of reach.
As he entered puberty, Clark discovered that he could see farther and in increasingly greater detail than any of his friends and that he could see through solid objects if he concentrated and he also developed the ability to emit heat from his eyes. At the age of 13 Clark began wearing eyeglasses to help control his vision powers, so he didn't accidentally look somewhere he shouldn't or set something on fire. In the summer of his seventeenth year, Clark found that he could step off into the air and fly. His joy at the discovery of his power was boundless, as was his parent's astonishment.
Throughout their son's adolescence, Martha and Jonathan kept his incredible abilities secret and always stressed the importance of this secrecy to Clark. The Kents feared that if knowledge of Clark's powers became public and the truth of his birth were known, he might be taken away from them. They suspected that some people would be afraid of him or consider him a monster and that unscrupulous people would try to exploit his powers. They knew that at the very least, the inevitable publicity would disrupt their lives for all time.
Moreover, the Kents cautioned Clark that while his powers were a great gift, they didn't necessarily make him a better person. Martha and Jonathan impressed on the boy the responsibilities that power entails. They also taught him that each individual should strive to leave the world a better place than they found it. As firm believers in the Golden Rule, they told Clark that he should never use his special powers to set himself up as better than anyone else or to make other people feel useless.
But youthful exuberance often overcomes the best intentions. During his senior year at Smallville High School, Clark began to utilize his strength and speed on the footfall field, becoming the star of the team. After winning the final game of the season almost single-handedly. Clark found his stern-faced father waiting on the sidelines. Jonathan took his son to the site where the spacecraft still lay hidden and revealed how they had found him. Jonathan admitted that his great powers needed a nobler purpose than winning sporting events. Stunned by these revelations, Clark shamefacedly agreed with his father. He realized that the time had come to shoulder his responsibilities.
Months later, in the summer, Clark was awakened by a high-pitched noise coming from the nearby barn. There, he discovered a crystal Jor-El sent with him. He realized it was time for him to leave. Clark said an emotional goodbye to Jonathan and Martha.
Weeks passed, and Clark made a journey to the Arctic region of the North Pole with the green crystal. Upon arrival, he was compelled to throw it into the ice where it created his Fortress of Solitude. Inside, Clark saw an electro-psionic holographic manifestation of his biological father, Jor-El, and there he learned that he is the only survivor of the doomed planet Krypton. For about a year, he was instructed about his origins, everything there is to learn, and his intended role as his new home's champion by way of extensive recordings made by Jor-El and Lara.
Then, for the next four years, he wandered the Earth, mastering his amazing powers and employing them - always in secret - to help other people, to save lives, and to prevent disasters. Places he went to include India, the High Sierras, China, Bangkok, the Amazon, and the Sudan. He traveled, observed, and learned much about the ways of the world, but finally he concluded that he needed a more formal education. He moved to the city of Metropolis and enrolled at the renowned University of Metropolis.
Clark threw himself into his studies. He decided to major in journalism, but he eagerly took as many additional courses as he could, obtaining a board base of knowledge in both the sciences and humanities. He also found that he could apply many of his travel experiences for additional credit. Much to his surprise, Clark earned his degree in just two years. He also acquired an abiding love for Metropolis and its people. It was in that city, not long after graduation, that circumstances forced Clark to use his powers in public for the first time.
The Constitution, NASA's experimental space plane, was ending its maiden flight with a landing at Metropolis International Airport to cap off a month of celebrations for the city's 250th anniversary. Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane was one of the crewmembers aboard the space plane as part of NASA's Journalists-in-Space program. She had been submitting daily reports on the Constitution's flight to the nation's media, and an enormous crowd had congregated at the airport for the historic landing. All was going according to plan until a small civilian plan slipped into the secured airspace and collided with the space plan. Fused together by the impact, the airplanes plummeted earthwards, out of control.
Clark Kent, watching the landing in the midst of the gathered crowd, realized that he had only moments to prevent a crash and leapt skyward. Grabbing the Constitution, he put all of his strength and his astounding power of flight into righting the crafts and bringing them in for a landing. Once the ships were safe on the ground, Lois immediately disembarked to question him. Their eyes met, and for a moment, neither of them could say a word.
Then the crowd surged past security barricades, surrounding the hero-of-the-day. Clark was mobbed by people clutching and pulling at him. They all wanted to touch him. Their voices rose in a roar of offers and demands. To Clark's mind, it was as if they all wanted a piece of him. Appalled by the crowd's reaction, Clark fled the scene before he could be identified, flying to think at the Fortress of Solitude. Lois Lane, meanwhile, filled her story of the rescue, describing as best she could the unknown "Superman" who had saved the planes and the crew's lives.
Unsure what to do, Clark returned to Smallville, seeking guidance from his parents. Jonathan Kent suggested that Clark adopt a costumed secret identity, in which he could publicly use his powers for good. Clark and his parents devised his new identity as Superman, taking the name that the Daily Planet reporter had given her mysterious rescuer. Martha Kent created Superman's uniform, employing Clark's suggestions. She remembered how the only items of clothing that had survived her son's developing powers were those that fit most snugly, so she designed the uniform to be skin-tight blue bodysuit. Clark and Jonathan together designed the distinctive S emblem on a triangular shield for the chest and red cape of his uniform.
Working with his parents, Clark devised subtle tricks of appearance by which he could divert any attention from his resemblance to Superman. His glasses changed the shape of his face when he wore them and the slightly tinted lenses darkened his bright blue eyes. Clark would adjust his style of dress, wearing looser clothing to hide his very muscular physique. He would also adjust his posture by slouching to appear a little shorter and soften his voice. He also tidied up his seemingly naturally messy hair. Clark reasoned that by appearing unmasked as Superman, he would distract most people from even considering that he might spend part of his time as someone else.
Returning to Metropolis, Superman quickly made his presence known. Nothing escaped his attention, from simple purse snatchings to three-alarm fires to attempted bank robberies. Exhilarated by the opportunity to operate openly, Superman seemed to be everywhere at once in the days that followed. The effect of Superman's actions against the criminal element caused a major down turn in crime, but neither the police nor Lois Lane could get any firm details on their city‘s new hero. Threatened by Superman the Metropolis crime syndicates formed a single organization under the leadership of Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim. Mannheim had been trained on the extra-dimensional world of Apokolips and reported directly to Darkseid, that world's leader. He unified the cartels into Intergang and hit back at Superman with Darkseid's son Kalibak. The police responded to the incident by forming the Special Crimes Unit (SCU). Closer ties between Superman and the police were fostered when Clark used a carefully managed "interview" to scoop a job at the Daily Planet and to explain Superman's agenda. His sudden appearance with the scoop of the decade earned him Lois's enmity. She had delivered a similar story onto Perry's desk, which she had obtained by deliberately putting herself in danger to lure Superman to her rescue.
When Superman first appeared in Metropolis it was a city controlled by one man, Lex Luthor. Luthor had pulled himself out of the Hob's Bay slums and had built a multinational empire called Lex Corp, with holdings in almost every major industry. He directly or indirectly employed nearly two thirds of the people in Metropolis. That power base made Luthor the most powerful man in Metropolis and he did not let people forget it. He used carefully arranged charitable donations and civic schemes to create an image of a benevolent businessman, yet behind the scenes Luthor controlled the Mayors Office and often used his own security force to strong arm opponents into shady and illegal deals. Of course carefully faked documents and a legal web made sure no evidence could ever be pinned on Luthor. He was never arrested until he tried to ensnare Superman in his web.
Seeing that Superman had eclipsed him, Luthor was determined to bring this intriguing outsider on to his team. He staged a high society party on his private yacht knowing that it was going to be targeted by a terrorist faction. When the terrorists attacked Luthor deliberately held his personal security force back to draw Superman into the open. Afterwards Superman found himself on the receiving end of a twenty-five thousand-dollar check from Luthor. The outraged Mayor deputized Superman and ordered him to arrest Luthor on charges of reckless endangerment.
Lex Luthor was booked and charged like any common criminal, but his lawyers had the charges thrown out and it never came to court. It was the start of a bitter war between Superman and Luthor. The two would come into conflict repeatedly, each despising the other immensely.
Superman has since established himself as the greatest champion of justice in Metropolis, and, indeed, the world. Though his heritage is that of a dead planet, 50 light-years away, Superman remains very much the son of Jonathan and Martha Kent.
Powers: The cellular structure of a Kryptonian is similar to that of humans. However, a certain chemical makeup in the ribosomes (organelles responsible for protein synthesis) is capable of absorbing solar energy and storing it. Once the ribosomes achieve saturation levels of this radiation, they begin to re-radiate the energy in the form of a bioelectric forcefield. Each individual cell within the field's radius becomes reinforced in such a way that the cells are not only protected from external harm, but internal forces as well. It is this last which is key to Superman's great powers. Since the individual cells are wholly invulnerable, they are capable of operating at levels of efficiency that would destroy normal humanoid cells. These "super-cells" lend an enhancing effect to all bodily systems...muscular, metabolic, nervous, and so forth. The continual absorption of solar energy provides a constant power source for these enhanced systems. Thus, Superman is capable of incredible feats.
Naturally, the basic forcefield effect renders him invulnerable to large amounts of damage. Unlike a human, Superman's body has more than simple cohesion and adhesion holding his tissues together. The bioelectric forcefield has a set tolerance for how much stress occurs before it reacts energetically in opposition to the external force. The tolerance for how much stress occurs before Superman's tissues counteract it varies according to tissue type. His bones allow virtually no compressional or tensional strain (deformation in shape) and his fleshy tissues remain supple under soft pressure, but under stress react to restrict any further deformation in shape. Since the strength of Superman's cellular forcefields greatly exceeds the cohesive force of any substance, no ordinary object can puncture his skin.
Superman can withstand a 1-megaton nuclear explosion without ill effect, and has been able to tolerate the molten conditions in the Earth's core with only discomfort. A 40-Megaton nuclear explosion knocked him unconscious for over an hour. He could not, however, survive the conditions inside a star, but can safely approach to within several miles of Earth's Sun, probably due to a feedback loop of solar energy powering his bioelectric field. Superman can easily survive conditions in deep space, but he does need to breathe, eat, sleep, and excrete. Superman can hold his breath for a maximum of twelve hours, and requires two hours of sleep a night to function at peak mental efficiency, as well needing to dream at least half an hour a night, or experience the psychological effects of sleep deprivation as would any other person who missed a night of sleep. When his solar energy is depleted, his resistance to physical punishment drops to approximately one-quarter the normal amount. Withstanding large amounts of damage continuously over time will rapidly deplete his solar reserves.
Superman's cells provoke one another into releasing their respective energy when one begins to threaten the integrity of the other. Because of a certain degree of constant pressure, there is a continuously emitted radiance of the bioelectric field reaching slightly beyond his body, a sort of aura that protects items near his skin e.g. his costume. The aura also protects Superman's teeth, however his hair and nails are only partially protected due to certain cellular properties they possess. They are invulnerable to fire, however they can still be cut.
Due to the highly charged nature of his solar storage systems, his immune system deals with most normal poisons and diseases quickly and with no ill effect. With the exception of kryptonite emissions, radiation and similar harmful energies are similarly neutralized.
His physical strength is greatly magnified by the combination of his more-efficient muscular system and the enhancement of his skeletal system's structural integrity, but is primarily augmented by the sheer force of his solar forcefield. When Superman appears to be lifting a weight, he is actually holding and pushing it with the bioelectric field. His energy stores push not from himself, but from the shielding that surrounds him. So the shielding is controlled on the highest level and simulates strength. He can lift 100,000 tons with serious effort. The conjectured upper limit of his physical strength has been determined to be approximately 250,000 tons with great effort, and causing strain damage to himself equivalent to an average adult human male lifting 500 pounds. Continual exertion will deplete his solar energy, and greatly exceeding his normal lift will drain him more rapidly. At the level of complete solar depletion, Superman can lift/exert no more than 100 tons of weight or force.
Similarly, Superman's enhanced metabolic rate, muscular speed, and nervous system grant him incredible speed. His Kryptonian structure and the solar energy paths that course along his neurophysical structure allow him to react at many times normal human speed. He can read a complete encyclopedia set in seconds, wash a sink full of dishes in the blink of an eye, or run from New York City to Paris in a matter of minutes. He can move faster than the human eye can perceive if necessary, but this requires extra effort. His reflexes are quick enough to allow him to dodge incoming automatic laser fire.
Superman's perceptions are similarly rapid, allowing him to see individual bullets fired from high-speed automatic weaponry in flight and outrace them easily. Moving at extreme speeds for extended periods of time rapidly drains his solar reserves. In a full drained state, his reflexes are only sufficient enough to dodge semi-automatic projectile weapons and read the encyclopedia set in under 10 minutes.
The enhanced structure of Superman's sensory organs combined with the increased capacity of his nervous system provides for the greatly enhanced senses. His range of hearing extends from the subsonic through to the point where signal modulation in broadcast communications can be sensed and demodulated into "sounds" if he concentrates. He can distinctly hear soft sounds anywhere on Earth if he is listening for them. He has perfect pitch. He has, on occasion, sat and perceived every sound on Earth as a symphony of a living planet.
His visual reception range covers the entirety of the electromagnetic spectrum. The difference between human and Superman's vision is that Superman has the capability to see a much wider band of the electromagnetic spectrum; while humans only sense a very narrow band of the spectrum we call visible light. Superman can change the spectrum he perceives at any given time, by changing the chemical receptors in the rods and cones of his retinas. He can adjust his photovoltaic detection as an act of will to sense longer wavelengths down to the infrared, and higher energy light, up to X-ray and gamma radiation.
Kryptonian muscle tissue when super-charged with solar-energy, can generate a powerful gravitational field. These fields in combination with Superman's personal bioelectric field give him the ability to negate gravity, allowing him to fly. When in flight, he's fully suspended by this energy, almost completely repelling Earth's gravimetric influence over him. He becomes his own center of gravity, and no longer has to physically leverage against the gravity of whatever planetary body he's on, or any object. By instinctively controlling an output of his energy from his aura, he is able to mentally push himself to a direction and speed of his own liking through sheer force of will. Controlling his motion, Superman is capable of Mach speeds in excess of Mach 10 in atmosphere. He can fly to the Moon in minutes, but faster than that outside of atmospheric interference. His control of his flight is perfect and he can perform aerobatic feats such as hovering, flying backwards and even lifting great weights while flying.
Superman can use the gravitational fields generated by the muscles in his eyes to produce a gravity lens, allowing him to focus far beyond the range of the human eye. Combined with Superman's sensitivity to light, he can magnify an image a virtually countless number of times. Superman can see through solids objects by using a combination of these telescopic and microscopic visual abilities to see through the atomic structure of an object and focus past it, as a camera focuses beyond the dust on a lens. Certain dense materials, notably lead, obstruct this ability.
Superman has the ability to expel stored (solar/electromagnetic) internal energy in the form of focused beams of radiation from his eyes. He emits light along various frequencies in high energy bursts that flash-melts materials in seconds, weaken structural integrity over a smaller area, such as melting the barrel of a gun but leaving the handle untouched. Superman can control his heat vision and direct it wherever he wants to. He directs it with his eyes.
In actuality, Superman could not emit the beams directly from his eyes. The energy is actually built up on the surface of the bio-energetic field surrounding his body and emitted from there. This allows his body to be protected from the energy and absorbing stray electromagnetic energy back into his body. Superman's energy reclamation aura is so efficient that any radiation, even those emitted from him, once in the environment are able to be reabsorbed.
The heat beams are psionically controlled and that control is reflexive, so he can shut it off without accidentally damaging anything that he does not want to. He can emit the radiation visibly or invisibly at lower settings. His energy has a high visibility profile if emitted at higher levels.
Superman has the power to release gale-force winds from his lungs. He can create ice blocks from his breath, as well as freeze objects and opponents. The psionic portion of his powers are made evident by these depictions. The only way for objects to freeze is if their molecular composition slows down in motion at an incredible rate. The application of intense winds from Superman's breath is actually not sufficient to freeze things. Since Superman can agitate molecules to increase in motion, he can do the reverse. He is using the same effect that amplifies converted solar energy in reverse. He is using it as a catalyst to access higher-order energies through an unknown physical mechanism. That same amplification mechanism is reversed to dampen or neutralize energies in the environment to produce freeze breath. Additionally, his vast lung capacity is not physically possible given the dimensions of the humanoid physique. However, his super-breath includes tesseract-type properties.
Both Superman's Kryptonian physiology and the fact that his engrams are stabilized by a solar-frequency hologram reinforcing his neural matrix allow him near-perfect recall of events he pays specific attention to or that have emotional significance or are particularly striking.
Superman is a talented mimic, and can reproduce most sounds that he can hear. He can modulate his voice to transmit on radio or microwave/radar frequencies, and can expel a minute amount of air in space at a warm enough temperature and speed to carry sub-vocalized sound directly to one or more targets.
Superman requires solar energy to function at peak capacity, or his powers fade to greatly reduced levels, some disappearing entirely if his solar reserves are empty. Superman cannot absorb energy from the lower frequency orange O-class stars and cannot process the higher-frequency White K or blue F classes. Blue B and yellow G type stars are ideal.
Superman's body stores and processes solar energy at a rapid rate and for a variety of effects, which are explained in his other powers. His storage capacity is sufficient to let him function at full capacity for up to 14 days depending on his physical condition and state of rest. While under a star of the right class (G-type dwarfs in the blue-white through yellow spectrum are ideal) and within a planetary atmosphere, he replenishes energy at a constant rate.
If forced to expend large amounts of energy over a relatively short time, or to maintain constant exertion over longer periods of time, he tires and his power begins to diminish. Constant exertion will revert him to normal humanoid levels after 14 days without rest. The power recovers at the rate of normal rest, and a full recharge can be accomplished with two days of no more than moderate, normal-level exertion. A process of solar recharge is also known, but requires massive amounts of fusion energy of solar/light-based superpowers.
Weaknesses: The fatal flaw in Kryptonian cellular physiology is the unique radiation given off by kryptonite. In the most minute amounts, the radiation waveforms and high-energy particles emitted by kryptonite can react catastrophically with the very ribosomal chemical that grant a Kryptonian powers. The briefest contact can strip these powers, and further begin a fatal poisoning that totally shuts down cellular activity in the affected areas.
As kryptonite radiation makes its way through the bloodstream, a Kryptonian becomes instantly weak and ill in its unshielded presence, and prolonged exposure will render him or her unconscious (after 30 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the sample, and the current state of his solar reserves), and will eventually (after two to four hours) reach all parts of his body and bring death, usually as the body's immune system attempts to expel the deadly toxin. However, the rate of recovery once removed from the emissions is as rapid as the rate of damage, and the Kryptonian will be back to normal in under an hour after exposure in optimal conditions. Kryptonite emissions can be blocked by lead and other super-dense materials.
Further, the radiation signature of the red sun of the Krypton system (and similar M-class stars) instantly causes the ribosomal structures to lose their stored energy, reducing a Kryptonian to normal humanoid levels.
Alter Ego: Terry McGinnis
Identity: Secret, known only to Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon and Max Gibson
Legal Status: Future US citizen with discharged juvenile convictions
Occupation: High School student and Bruce Wayne's personal assistant
JLA Status: Rejected membership after an initial trial (The Call), later accepted (after conclusion of his series)
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Mary McGinnis (mother), Matt McGinnis (younger brother), Warren McGinnis (father, deceased)
Group Affiliation: Bruce Wayne, Justice League Unlimited
Base of Operations: Mid-21st century, Gotham City
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 170 lbs
Eyes: blue/gray
Hair: black
Terry McGinnis is a seventeen year old Caucasian male with black hair and gray/blue eyes. He normally dresses in black slacks and a ubiquitous brown jacket. As Batman McGinnis wears the Batsuit originally worn by Bruce Wayne in his last outing as Batman. It's a modified version of the original Batman costume with a full face mask. The boots and gloves are now the same color as the bodysuit and the cape has been ditched in favor of retractable underarm glide-wings.
Background and History:
Rebirth
Terry McGinnis was a 17-year old student at Hamilton Hill High School in the blighted future Gotham City. As a young teenager he'd been part of a friend's street gang and was often in trouble. However, three months in a juvenile hall and a few years maturity softened Terry's edges and he settled down to be a relatively normal high school student - albeit one with a few anger and authority issues. Terry's parents were divorced and he lived with his father, Warren, who was an employee of the omnipresent Wayne-Powers Industries. Warren was murdered by one of Power's henchmen who had broken into the McGinnis home searching for a leaked data disc given to him by one of his co-workers.
At the time of his father's murder Terry was running from a street gang called the Jokerz. They had tried to be fresh with his girlfriend, Dana, and became violent after he stood up to them. His flight brought him to a chance meeting with Bruce Wayne who fought off the Jokerz gang. Terry was amazed at Wayne's skill, but he was also concerned at the toll the fight had taken on the man. He helped the billionaire to his house, but on his way out he spotted a bat trapped in an old grandfather clock. He tried to free it, but accidentally triggered the entrance to a long disused staircase. Out of curiosity he followed the passage way and was shocked to discover the perfectly preserved Batcave. His investigations were discovered by Wayne who threw McGinnis back out onto the street.
Terry discovered the murder of his father upon returning home (staged to look like a Jokerz attack). He blamed himself for leaving his father alone and for stirring up trouble with the Jokerz. It was only after the funeral that he discovered the disc that his father had been given. He recognized that it was important, but he was unable to decipher the equations it contained. He couldn't turn to the police because they were in bed with his father's employer, Derek Powers, so he took the disc to the man who had once called himself Batman.
Wayne's analysis of the disc showed that Power's was working on a new form of viral mutagen. He was angered that Powers was using their mutual company to develop the toxin, but he refused to become involved and directed Terry to take the disc to Police Commissioner Barbara Gordan (the former Batgirl and daughter of Jim Gordan). On his way to the police Terry was ambushed by Powers's henchman and the disc was stolen. Out of frustration Terry returned to Wayne Manor and stole the Batsuit. He used it to invade Wayne-Power Industries and to discover that Powers was planning to sell the nerve gas to the Government of Kaznia. He also discovered that Power's henchman was responsible for the death of his father. The inexperienced McGinnis was quickly discovered by corporate security and he enjoyed running rings around them with the power of Batsuit until Wayne discovered that it was missing and hits a kill switch to remotely disable it.
Terry pleaded with Wayne that this could be his only chance to catch the people who murdered his father. Wayne connected with the youths plight and reactivated the suit. The then directed Terry to a section of the Wayne-Powers complex where the toxin was being loaded onto a transport. Terry was spotted by corporate security and a fire fight ensued. Powers tried to shot the new Batman, but accidentally hit one of the virus canisters. Terry left him for dead and pursued Power's henchman on to the departing transport. The craft was damaged in their fight and the entire consignment of mutagen sank to the bottom of Gotham Bay. The next morning Terry was woken at his mother's by a surprise visitor. Bruce Wayne offered Terry a job as his personal assist, to the world it will look like Terry was Wayne's chauffeur and gopher, while at night Terry would become the second Batman reporting directly to Wayne via a communications link with the Batcave. Bruce then welcomed Terry to his world.
Seasoned
Terry took to the new life with relish and even his grumbles about the late hours were placated by the chance to fly an updated version of the Batmobile (something he described as "unbearably cool"). However it didn't take long for his to develop his own rogues gallery including the liquid industrial saboteur Inque, the mech-empath high school nerd Willie Watt, the acoustic engineer Shriek and the hypnotic Spellbinder. But time and time against his arch-enemy would be Blight - a monstrous alter ego of Derek Powers created by the radiation therapy required to cure him of the viral mutagen he was exposed to during their first encounter. Blight and McGinnis clashed a number of times until Power's increasing erratic behavior forced him to withdrawal from public life and to appoint his son Paxton as puppet CEO of Wayne-Powers. However Paxton had schemes of his own and ousted his father by forcing him to "accidentally" reveal his dual identity to the world.
The youth fad of Splicing - using animal DNA to mutate the human body into a hybrid form - was created by Dr. Cuvier of the Chimera Institute. It was quickly outlawed, but its wide scale acceptance by the criminal and gang fraternity gave a lot of them a false advantage they thought they needed against the Batman. Splicing also created one of Terry's strangest allies when Gotham University spliced human DNA into the gorilla Fingers and created a super-intelligent ape. Terry found that much of his time was taken up with the worst of the city's youth gangs - the Jokerz. He had to stop them from wasting half the city from a stolen military hover-vehicle. And he had to deal with a joyrider of his own when a decades old AI simulation of a dead man usurped control of the Batsuit. The meant that for a single night McGinnis had to fight crime the old fashioned way - with a domino mask and a utility belt. He also had to rely on his wits when the big game hunter called the Stalker tried to hunt down the Batman.
Terry never confessed to Dana about the true nature of his job with Bruce Wayne and he often had to pass off his tiredness as the disco or on dates as simple overwork. He made an important new ally when fellow high school student/genius Maxine "Max" Gibson suspected that he was secretly Terminal - leader of a group of Jokerz. Her suspicions were aroused by his constant absences and random personal emergencies he used to cover his work as Batman. It was only when the real Jokerz leader was unmasked as Carter Wilson, the class president, that Max make the real connection between Terry and Batman. She promised to keep his secret and he found it had his life a lot easier to have somebody his own age to talk to and to help cover for his absences. Max helped Terry on many of his cases and even teamed up with Bruce Wayne to save Terry from the clutches of Shriek.
One girl that Terry could never forget was Melanie Walker. He met her during a temporary bust up with Dana and while the Batman was pursuing the latest incarnation of the Royal Flush Gang. She was the dangerous girl who captured his heart, but he was shocked to discover that she also had a double life as Ten of the Flush Gang. Ultimately he had to hand her over to the police and he choose to remain with Dana. The rest of the Royal Flush Gang eventually imploded after a scheme to kidnap Paxton Powers put them, him and his assistant behind bars. Terry and Dana's relationship was further tested when Dana attracted her own Phantom of the Opera style stalker.
The partnership of McGinnis's brawn and Wayne's experience often made the new Batman a true force for good. However, Terry's impulsiveness occasionally did him a disservice - including the time he accidentally ruined a twelve month police sting operation. That brought renewed attention from Barbara Gordon which Spellbinder used to drive a rift between Batman and the police. He made it look like Batman had killed the persistent trouble maker Mad Stan. It was only Bruce's faith in Terry and a serious amount of processing by the Batcave computer that restored Terry's honor.
Shortly afterwards he had to deal with a second confrontation with the League of Assassins. First time around he had stopped one of their assassins called Curare from killing Gordon's husband, that assassin was sentence to death by the League for her failure. Instead of submitting to their will she turned against the League and eliminated them one by one. Their last member tried to blackmail Batman into protecting him by planting a hidden bomb in Gotham. Unfortunately Curare got to him before he could deactivate the bomb so Max and Terry (Bruce was overseas and unreachable) had to use old fashioned detective work to track down the bomb.
A number of Batman's foes had ties to his own high school -- laid off weapons designer Armory was a friend's father [Armory], Willie Watt had been the school nerd, Spellbinder had been the councilor. One of his more "interesting" adventures came when he had to babysit a computerized egg for a class project while trying to take down the Mamma Mayhem gang. Even therapy sessions for the high schoolers were hijacked by the child vigilante Paypack who tried to solve the students problems so their therapist, his father, would have more time to spend with him.
Terry's and Bruce's secret identities were almost exposed by the tabloid newscaster Ian Peek when Peek used a stolen intangibility belt to snoop on the Batcave. Unfortunately the cumulative effect of the belt turned Peek into an insubstantial ghost - he was unaffected by any physical force except for gravity and when he eventually became too tenuous to react with the floor he was dragged laughing and screaming into the depths of the Earth.
A complicated phase in Terry's life began when Special Agent Bennett of the NSA pursued the rogue filtration droid Zeta to his high school. It has broken its programming while infiltrating the terrorist agency Kobra. Max and Terry helped Zeta escape, but Bennett wasn't done with Gotham City yet. Sometime later the shape shifting mercenary Falseface smuggled a virus into Gotham for Kobra. Batman was forced to co-operate with Stalker (now an agent for Bennett) to bring the infected Falseface to justice. Bennett's agents continued to pursue Zeta and his friend Roe when they returned to Gotham. They almost captured Zeta, but he was spirited away by Mad Stan who tried to use him as his latest bomb carrier until Batman dearmed him.
Terry was fourteen when his parents first began to have problems and he began rebelling. He fell in with an older kid called Charles "Big Time" Bigalow who took Terry along on a heist as part of a gang initiation. They were both caught by the police and Terry did 90 days in juvenile hall. Bigalow served three years before he was released. In the meantime Terry had cleaned his act up and has become the Batman. Bigalow had kept in contact with Terry and used him to get a job at Wayne-Powers as part of a corporate espionage ploy. Dana was concerned that he might lead Terry astray again, but Terry rejected his former friend's offer for a piece of the action. Batman was forced to bring Bigalow to justice after an accident in the heist began mutating him into a hulking brute. Bigalow eventually escaped and made a play for power in the Gotham underworld. Batman chased him down, but was unable to stop him plunging to his death off of a river bridge.
Terry's career as Batman eventually brought him acceptance by the police and from the citizens of Gotham City. His adventures did not go unnoticed further a field and Superman approached him about joining the Justice League. He informed Terry that he was aware of a traitor within the League, but he did not know who it was. It would be Batman's job to find the traitor, but the task was made harder when Superman's unilateral offer of membership to Batman was resented by the other League members. It took two near fatal accidents and the apparent death of War Hawk to reveal the true traitor - Superman himself. For an unknown number of years an alien parasite had been bonded to Superman and had been controlling his actions. It had been using his Fortress of Solitude as a breeding ground and intended to use clones of itself to conquer the Earth. The rest of the League fell to the parasites, but Batman managed to free Superman and together they free the rest of the team. Barda boom tubed the remaining parasites back to their homeworld, but Terry chose to remain in Gotham and to pass up full time membership with the League.
Another run in with Kobra convinced Wayne that Terry need to brush up on his martial arts skills so he sent him to a dojo run by Kairi - a women who had been schooled by one of the same sensei that had taught Wayne. While there Terry began to befriend a fellow pupil called Zander, he tried to help Zander experience life away from his restrictive guardians and introduced him to Max. Unbeknownst to either Terry or Max Zander had actually been genetically engineered by Kobra to be their perfect leader. It had been on his orders that a thermal bomb theft that Terry failed to stop had been carried out. He and Kobra were planning to use recovered dinosaur DNA to create a race of spliced human-dinosaurs that would succeed humans. Unfortunately Zander had became besotted with Max and he had her kidnapped to become his consort. Karia had thought by teaching Zander the ancient martial art codes she could help to turn him from evil, but his childhood programming was too strong. She helped Batman stop Kobra's doomsday bomb and free Max, but choose to sacrifice her life to make sure that a spliced Zander couldn't escape the destruction of the Kobra mothership.
Return of the Joker
Perhaps Terry's greatest challenge came when the original Joker resurfaced in Gotham City. Years before the original Batman had retired the Joker and Harley Quinn has abducted the second Robin (Tim Drake). They tortured him and experimented on him in an attempt to turn him into Joker Junior. It took Wayne and Barbara Gordon (then Batgirl) three weeks to track the Joker to the abandoned site of Arkham Asylum. After a fierce battle the Joker had Batman on his knees and offered Drake the chance to kill him former mentor, but the conditioning wasn't quite strong enough and instead Drake shot and killed the Joker. Things were never the same after that, Drake received counseling and Wayne retired him as Robin. He went on to raise a family of his own and became a successful communications engineer.
Unbeknownst to everybody the Joker had encoded his own mind and DNA into a small computer chip that he had implanted on the young Robin. As Drake grew older he experienced blackouts as the synthetic Joker consciousness slowly started asserting itself. First for a few moments here and there, but eventually for hours at a time and then at will. Its appearance was accompanied by a physical transformation as the Joker's DNA temporarily reshaped Drake's body after its own image.
The Joker consciousness finally became strong enough to plan its revenge against the Batman. It took control of one of the Jokerz gangs that had fashioned themselves after it and began a series of large scale high-tech robberies. This caught Terry's attention, but it was not until a full scale attack on celebrations for Bruce Wayne's return as CEO of Wayne-Powers that everybody realized that the Joker was back. From Drake's torture it had learnt the location of the Batcave. It broke in and beat Wayne within an inch of his life and left him contorted with Joker poison. McGinnis discovered Wayne and saved his life. Together they realized that the machinery the Joker was stealing could be used to usurp control of the military laser defense satellites and that meant it looked like Drake was working for the Joker.
Batman confronted Drake at the Joker's hideout and witnessed the full and horrific transformation of the former Robin into the synthetic Clown Prince of Crime. The Joker was dismissive of McGinnis, but this gave Terry the chance to play mind games with the Joker. The ruse allowed Terry to get close enough to burn out the Joker chip with one of its own joy buzzers. With the chip fried Drake returned to normal and was finally reunited with his old mentor.
Beyond
Sometime after the end of McGinnis's chronicled adventures the temporal scientist David Clinton invented a time travel belt. After a traumatic experience in the 19th century Clinton returned home and started to use the belt to radically alter the flow of history. He took control of the main Jokerz gang and wrecked havoc on Gotham City by transforming it into his own personal museum of random landmarks and structure from throughout history. Most the Justice League were murdered by the Jokerz. Only War Hawk, Static and Batman (Terry) remained to welcome Wonder Woman, Green Lantern John Stewart and a younger version of the original Batman (Bruce) to the future. The heroes faced off against the augmented Jokerz in a stole Coliseum, but many of them - including Terry - were killed in the battle. Only the original Batman and Green Lantern survived to pursue Clinton to the dawn of time. Batman (Wayne) finally defeated Clinton by reprogramming his time travel belt so that he was caught in a permanent time loop just prior to his sabotaging the timeline. The retroactively erased Clinton's effect on the time stream and presumably any fatalities (i.e. Terry's) caused by it.
Abilities and Equipment
Most of the second Batman's equipment is based on technology and materials that were used by the original Batman over twenty years before. They were cutting edge in their day and remain, with minor modifications and upgrades, more advanced that almost anything commercial available.
The current Batsuit was designed by Bruce Wayne to compensate for his ageing body. It features synaptic controls and neuromuscular amplification circuitry that amplifies the wearer's strength approximately ten times. The suit is resistant against most small arms fire and moderate laser damage. It is capable of independent or remote controlled operation - its motors are strong enough to hold itself up and to operate without somebody actually wearing it - this includes a kill switch in the Batcave that can deactivate the suit should it fall into enemy hands. The link with the Batcave also includes two-way communication and a video camera that allows somebody in the Batcave to see what the wearer sees.
An innovation over previous Batsuits is the replacement of the cape with retractable glide-wings and rocket thrusters in the boots that allow for limited flight capability. The boots can also be magnetized to allow the wearer to cling to a metallic surface. The suit includes an integral utility belt with updated batarangs that have explosive, electro-shock, bladed and grapnel variants. As a stealth option the suit can automatically camouflage itself to give limited invisibility. Surveillance options include sensitive directional microphones and computer interfaces in the fingers, tracers, and augmented reality overlay of graphics over the suits video vision system.
The future Batmobile is a stealth hover craft optimized for nighttime silent running and high speed pursuit. Its systems are tied to those of the Batsuit. Its functional AI allows it to be summoned from the Batcave to anywhere in Gotham by the suits wearer or by a small transmitter McGinnis normal conceals within his belt buckle. It can also be piloted remotely from the Batcave or its autopilot can be programmed to take it to any location on Earth.
Enemies
Jokerz. The Jokerz are the dominant street gang in the Gotham City of the mid-twenty first century. They are named after the original Batman's greatest foe and venerate his historical villainous brethren. A typical Jokerz member will dress as a clown, jester, mime or some other form of comedic performer and while they do display a taste for comedy weapons you're more likely to find them armed with a morning star or high calibre gun than you are a rubber chicken or custard pie. There appeared to be a number of subgroups of Jokerz. The most dangerous group was recruited by a resurrected Joker during his plan to wreck havoc on Gotham City. That group was later recruited by the time medalling villain David Clinton as his personal henchmen.
Kal-El was asleep when his world exploded. His only memories were of shifting back and forth in the soft, protective confines of his mother’s womb, dreaming of the gentle sounds she made. They were encouraging songs and tender coos that let him know how much he was already loved. As she sang, he knew her hand would gently brush against her swollen abdomen then come to rest on his small, bulging stomach. He anxiously waited for that all-too-brief moment, hoping that very soon he would look into her eyes and let her know he loved her, too.
He was sixteen hours old when he opened his eyes to see her standing over him, a sweet proud smile on her lips. “You are so beautiful,” she said, playing with the fringes of his already thick, black hair. “And you deserve so much more than what awaits you.”
He recognized his mother’s voice—it had comforted him for as long as he could remember—and he returned her a small smile in response. Her fingers danced across his tummy again, tickling him. He giggled, the chubby flesh around his eyes wrinkled as he reached to touch her long dark hair. She was beautiful but her dark gray eyes were welling up with tears. He didn’t understand what was wrong with her, but in the nine months he grew inside her he had learned to deal with her shifting moods.
A second figure entered the room. When he spoke Kal-El knew it was his father, a handsome white-haired man with piercing blue eyes. He had heard his soft voice, muffled and distant, many times before, but now there was an anger in it Kal-El had never known, and the words, which of course meant nothing to him, were spat out quickly, as if rushing through them would let his father get past the annoyance, whatever it was, and onto something more pleasurable.
“They won’t listen no matter what I say and in spite of the proof I show them,” Jor-El said. “They’re fools, and the fools they are would let us all die.” Kal-El watched his mother circle her arms around his father, comforting him. “We have our contingencies, Jor-El. We’ll make this work. You know we will.”
“I pray you’re right, Lara, but you know how intractable they can be. You should have heard them. ‘Krypton die? Oh, never, Jor-El. This is just another of your mistaken fantasies.’ Fantasies?”
He paced the room angrily, slamming his fist against a bright white wall. “Those small-minded condescending buffoons don’t know how close I came to . . .” Jor-El unclenched his fist and dropped his arm to his side. “Unfortunately, I didn’t do anything, as much as I wanted to. Korth-Or ended the meeting just in time, and I left without another word. Fantasies? After everything I’ve showed them, everything I’ve done, how could they treat me in this way?”
“They’re frightened old men, Jor-El. They’ve spent their lives extolling the perfection of Krypton. How could they believe now that we will be victims of a cruel fate beyond our control?”
Kal-El suddenly laughed, wholly inappropriately, and Jor-El’s anger faded. He turned to look at his handsome son, barely one day old. He’d been suddenly summoned by the Council from Lara’s bedside, and this was his first opportunity to study his son closely. He looked so much like Lara; eyes steady but happy, lips curled into a wonderful, warm smile.
This should have been Jor-El’s happiest day. This should have been a time for celebration.
His father was smiling back at him, but as with his mother, the infant could tell it was halfhearted. Jor-El’s deep, reassuring voice had always given him hope, but he sensed trouble now, and he started to cry.
“Don’t cry, Kal-El, everything is going to be so good for you.” Jor-El nuzzled his cheek until Kal-El’s tears sputtered out and were replaced with soft, happy giggles.
“Kal-El will never know another sunrise,” Jor-El said, tickling the boy’s stomach, working to keep him calm. “At least not ours. The sun that will one day warm him will be young and burn yellow, and it will be the source of his great strength. Lara, he’ll come to cherish it, not ever knowing the star he was born under was red and old and dying.”
They called him “Kal-El.” That was his name. Jor-El was his father. And his mother was Lara. They were his family.
Jor-El carefully lifted him from the soft blankets and held him facing their wall-sized window to look out onto their beautiful world that, as far as he could understand, had always been there and always would. There was crystal as far as he could see, shining brightly, reflecting the growing red glow of Krypton’s dying sun. Kal-El turned away and cried; it was all too bright and vivid for his still-innocent eyes.
Jor-El sat in the far corner of the room where Kal-El would be protected in the comforting cloak of shadows. He opened his eyes again and saw his father, his face drawn and tired, grimly looking at him.
“My son, although we failed more than we care to remember, you must know we were a great people once. Enlightened even. We yearned to touch the impossible, and more often than not we succeeded. You will take that greatness with you, my child, and it will comfort and guide you.”
“The ship will hold?” Lara interrupted, taking the baby for his last feeding. “It is such a long journey.”
He nodded, smiling thinly. “I harvested the crystals myself.”
Lara kissed Kal-El’s cheek, then made a sucking sound against it. He giggled again, and her tears, thought long ago spent, began anew. “It’s not fair. We’ll never see him crawl or learn to walk. Isn’t there any hope?”
Jor-El shook his head; no matter how long one took to intellectualize what had to be done, there was no real preparing for the actual moment. “Not for us. But he will walk. He’ll even talk. And when he gets there—he’ll do so much more.”
Kal-El cooed as his mother held him tightly, afraid to let him go. He heard her heartbeat quicken; it was not the same comforting, steady beat he had gotten so used to for all his short existence. Things were not right.
He wanted to cry, to bring their attention back to him, but instead he sputtered and gurgled some meaningless sounds.
Lara had worked alongside her husband for five years, three as his assistant before they were married, and two since, rechecking all of his calculations, then going over them again and again. For the past month she increased her efforts, all the while secretly hoping that they would learn the Council was right all along and that it was she and Jor-El who were wrong, that they had made some small, undetected error that somehow blossomed into his ridiculous theory.
Krypton’s sun will go supernova? Impossible. Not in our lifetime or the lifetime of our grandchildren. Yes, it’s a red giant, continuing to expand, and yes, it’s been cooling for more than a generation, but it has eons to go before it explodes. Come, come, Jor-El. We’ll all be long dead before that happens. Don’t you understand, Jor-El, what you ignored is that Krypton is shifting in its orbit. That would explain the quakes we’ve been experiencing . . . They had a hundred excuses why Jor-El was wrong.
But Lara knew as much as she prayed to Rao that one day she would cradle Kal-El’s own baby in her arms, tweaking its little nose, and gently pinching its soft, pillow cheeks, at some point in the next ten hours, when there was no longer any margin for error, she would wrap him securely in the brightly colored blanket she’d bought the previous month and kept boxed in the corner of the freshly painted bedroom next to theirs, then she would carefully tuck the blanket around him as she placed him gently into the crystal star they had kept hidden in a secret panel in their inner lab. They had practiced the routine at least a hundred times. Kal-El’s father would activate the security protocols to protect him during his journey, place the father crystal in the pod next to him, and then, after delaying the inevitable for as long as they could, Lara would reluctantly nod her consent, and they would send him off to his destiny.
His dreams would begin as theirs ended.
Mount Argo rumbled, shaking their laboratory again, but this tremor was weaker than they had been for months. Maybe we are wrong, Lara prayed as she gazed at the vast city beyond their window. Maybe it is just earthquakes. Maybe they are finally subsiding. Of course she knew better; she had completed the calculations herself, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t hold out hope for some unexpected miracle. Perhaps Jor-El didn’t believe in Rao, or in his mercy, but she always had.
She heard the baby cooing in her arms and kissed his warm cheek again. Jor-El always said Kal-El was destined for greatness. But destiny was a thing of faith, too, not much different from her own.
Lara turned again to look out into the city, still glowing with a strong, steady, internal light. As sure as she was of its fate, she couldn’t bring herself to accept that its eternal greatness would, all too soon, simply cease to exist.
It had been a timeless city, strong and powerful. It survived the vast armies of three great nations waging war on its bloodied streets. It stood proud as the signing place of an everlasting peace. Since then, thousands of generations had lived here, and Lara, who was raised half a world away on the Crater Plains, and had spent her early years dreaming of living where Krypton’s earliest founders had once walked, did not want to believe that this magnificence, and all it stood for, would soon be gone.
She had spent her first year out of the university touring the city and its outer regions, basking in its surprising history. She trekked out to the Valley of the Elders and camped there for over a month, living in the shadow of Krypton’s greatest. She could feel the energy, raw and surging and still very much alive in the immense crystal monoliths that seemed to reach beyond the famed half dome whose vaulted roof protected the valley from the planet’s temperature extremes.
At night she would huddle in her sleep cocoon, its warming fabrics giving her the courage to walk the next morning along the fabled roads that Sor-El, Kol-Ar, and Pol-Us, the chosen representatives from the three warring nations, must have taken when they created the original Laws of Humanity that governed Krypton since those troubled early days.
The Valley of the Elders was set in a deep, miles-wide canyon, and from the ground, those crystal monolith towers, constructed in a large circle, reflecting the full spectrum of light, looked to Lara like hands raised in reverential prayer, faceted fingers stretched to touch their enduring red sun if not Rao himself. The towers’ exterior faces and interior walls were illuminated with the massive crests of the newly civilized Krypton’s brave founders, each rune shape uniquely designed.
Lara remembered reading that the fabled three had argued against their inclusion here; with all humility they believed they had merely drafted a logical document of rules and order and did not deserve inclusion themselves in the circle of ancients. But when the grateful people of Krypton voted that they would have to be included, they begrudgingly accepted the honor. It was the people who followed the laws who deserved recognition, they said, not those who merely wrote them.
Kol-Ar’s emblem was the open hand of truth and justice. Sor-El’s crest was a diamond-shaped shield with a winding serpent inside, a warning not to return to the dishonesty and violence that once had plagued their planet. Pol-Us’s sign was the open eye, to provide eternal vigilance against those who sought a return to the barbarous times.
These three, and the others who followed them, ushered in generations of peace. To Lara, being in their valley, breathing the air they breathed so long ago, gave her chills. She was sure the power she felt here would last forever. She could not know that in five years’ time, in little more than the snap of her fingers, the valley, the towers, and everything around them, would be gone.
Kryptonopolis had been grown from a single crystal mount more than ten thousand years before, and it still showed no signs of decay. Other stones, resting atop the flat base, had been grown and shaped by the earliest Kryptonians into vast cities millions of buildings strong. The tall towers surrounding the great building that was home to Krypton’s Science Council gleamed in the bright red sunlight.
Lara was happy they didn’t live closer to the Council. When she first came to the city to work with Jor-El, she believed there was probably no greater honor than to be welcomed into those halls. But even before the Council’s reaction to Jor-El’s discovery, she had come to loathe that sanctimonious institution with every angry emotion she could summon.
Lara and Jor-El’s home, larger than typical for Argo’s south wall, had been cut into the mount’s face by Sor-El himself. It looked out over Argo’s cliffs into the wide expanse of the Xan Chasm and its rainbow falls. Even after five years she could not look into that cavernous gulf and not feel humbled by its majesty.
Krypton was a world of wonders she had just begun to explore, and she cursed the fates that demanded its destruction.
Jor-El reached for the baby. It was time. For a moment Lara’s eyes glazed over. No. I won’t let you send him away. I want him to be with me for just one more day. One full day. But Lara knew changing her mind now would condemn their son to the same fate awaiting them. She snuggled her face into Kal-El’s, kissed him for the last time, then handed him to his father. “But why Earth, Jor-El? They’re primitives. Thousands of years behind us.”
“He will need that advantage.” Jor-El gently drew his finger across Kal-El’s forehead, down his nose, and came to rest on his tiny, red lips. “To survive he will need that and more.”
Jor-El returned Kal-El to the crystal pod as Lara again tucked him into the blanket. “He will be odd. Different,” she said, trying not to look into those large, innocent eyes for fear of changing her mind, this time for good. Jor-El briefly touched his son’s hand, then ran his fingers over the pod’s internal crystals. They flashed in the expected order as the star’s power began to charge. “But he will be fast. Virtually invulnerable.”
Kal-El’s tiny hand patted the inside of the pod, mimicking his father’s actions, not realizing this small, cramped space would soon become his new mother and father and home for more than two long years. The crystals would feed, nurture, and protect him. And even in his long sleep he would spend the time listening to Lara’s and Jor-El’s voices talking to him, teaching him all that the twenty-eight known galaxies had to offer.
“We should go with him,” Lara said suddenly. “He’s too young. He’ll need us.” Jor-El laid down the special white crystal he was programming and put his arms around his frightened wife. He pulled her close and held her until he felt her rigid body soften and melt into his. “I promised the Council we’d stay on Krypton, but I said nothing about Kal-El.” His hands slowly moved down the curve of her back as he nuzzled her long, slender neck, enjoying again her sweet perfume smell and remembering why he had fallen in love with her so many years before.
She was supposed to be his lab assistant, but unlike the others who had applied for the job, she was not only smart but seemingly unaffected by his position in the Council. He wasn’t used to not being fawned over.
He was, after all, Jor-El, perhaps Krypton’s greatest scientist, or so he’d been told repeatedly by nearly everyone who wanted something from him, which was pretty much everyone at the Academy.
And, of course, he was also a direct descendant of Sor-El himself. You’re much too humble, Jor-El. Don’t you realize how great you are? You discovered the Phantom Zone, for Rao’s sake, the humane way of dealing with unrepentant criminals.
Increasingly of late, however, as he thought more of his own mortality, he began to question that discovery. Perhaps eternal damnation in some nameless limbo was actually worse than a simple and swift death.
But Lara never treated him as one of Krypton’s best and brightest. She had worked with many of the other so-called greats since leaving the university, and she had begun to think that though they might have once been good, maybe when they were young, fame and fortune had turned them into little more than, well, idiots. And lecherous ones at that.
At parties she entertained her friends with her deadly accurate impersonations—the meaner they were in tearing apart their professors, the more everyone laughed. She delighted in explaining exactly how she could take all these oh-so-brilliant men’s ideas, mix them together, and convert them into a single energy source, and they still wouldn’t produce enough power to operate a child’s top. They were rude and arrogant, surviving on the glory of their past achievements as well as the diligent work of their young assistants, of whom they took merciless advantage. She would then take her bow, and her friends, all young assistants, of course, would wildly applaud her.
Lara graduated at the top of her class, and had done significant work since then while publishing numerous papers. She had agreed to apply for the job as Jor-El’s assistant only after deciding she would accept nothing less than complete equality with him from day one. And he would have to credit all her work.
She was not going to assist him only to be forgotten and shoved aside. She was still fuming over what that fat fraud Bal-Do had done to her. The so-called great Jor-El would have to accept her on her own terms, she stubbornly decided.
Their first meeting took her aback somewhat. Initially, he seemed to be serious and somber, which she expected based on the sober tone of the papers he published. But as they spoke she saw he was able to laugh easily, even at himself, especially when she tried to explain why one of his early letters, which had been collected into a long-out-of-print holo, was not only based on a miscalculation, but pompous in its assumptions.
“I was young then,” he explained, laughing. “Full of great ideas and so sure of myself. But you’re right. I was pompous. But I think I’m better now.” Lara felt ashamed she had even brought it up.
His eyes were warm and inviting, and though she didn’t want to admit it at first, he was very easy on her eyes. His hair was white and plentiful, and his face was flawlessly smooth. He was a good fifteen years older than she, but he had the build of someone who had been athletic when he was younger and kept in shape even now. The feelings she was suddenly having were disconcerting, but she felt she went there with an agenda and swore she would stick to it, no matter what.
Unfortunately, the interview, which she carefully rehearsed so she could control it no matter what direction it took, never quite happened, at least not the way she expected.
Jor-El had read her papers, asked her a few insignificant questions—or so she thought—and then asked what she expected from this job, if she got it.
She was prepared.
“I want to work at your side as an equal.”
“Which means . . . ?”
“I’m not an underling. I’m not an assistant. I’m not there to bring you food. And I’m certainly not there for anything not related to our work. I want that very clear.”
He nodded, amused. “Understood.”
“Also, whatever we work on, I want to be part of it. I want to share the effort and the glory.”
“And . . . ?”
“And? And whatever papers we write, I want my name on them, too.”
“Is that all?”
She calmly recited the rest of her rehearsed demands, fully expecting Jor-El to reveal the dark streak she knew he’d been hiding until then, folded her arms across her chest, stuck out her chin, and waited for him to say, “Thanks, but I’ll keep looking.”
Before the meeting she thought she’d be fine with that, but seeing the corner of those powerful eyes crinkle up in amusement, and watching him looking at her with a much more handsome face than she had assumed from his holos, she wasn’t sure she still held that exact same feeling.
“No problem, Lara,” he said, astonishingly. “Can you start the beginning of next week?”
“Uhhh, yes. I, um, just want to make sure. You heard what I said?”
He was checking out a research holo. He froze the image, paused, and looked up at her with a puzzled expression.
“My hearing’s fine. I have no problems with anything you asked for. Pretty standard as far as I’m concerned. If you add anything to the work we’re doing here, of course you should get credit. Doesn’t make any difference to me where the ideas come from.”
She kept staring at him. “That’s it then?”
“Frankly, I was afraid you’d say the money wasn’t good enough. So, are you trying to talk me out of hiring you, or are you taking the job?”
It was about an hour after she got back to her small apartment on the Helios Crevice, that she realized she hadn’t even said “thank you.” She sought to repair that mistake her first day at work, thanking him not once but nearly a dozen times.
That night, bundled up in her blankets, she cursed her excessive enthusiasm. “Take it easy, Lara. He’s just a man,” she told herself, although not quite believing it.
Within a week she was back to normal, questioning his work, his methods, and arguing nearly all of his conclusions. Although when she was still so impossibly young she was wrong more often than she was right, under Jor-El’s patient tutelage she grew quickly.
They worked together for three years. And by the time she couldn’t deny that she was completely in love with him, he realized that he had already fallen for her.
Lara took Kal-El’s tiny hand in hers and slowly massaged each pudgy finger. “I worry for him. Away from us he’ll be isolated. Alone.”
“No,” Jor-El said, holding a long white crystal up to the sunlight filtering in through their living quarters window. The light refracted, painting an iridescent rainbow across the infant’s face. “He will not be alone. He will never be alone.”
The big quake took them by surprise. They watched helpless as the south wall of their home quivered, then splintered and shattered, taking half the room with it. They saw Mount Argo shrug off thousand-foot slices of its once-proud crystal face. The massive shards slid down the mountain, hugging it tightly, a child refusing to leave its mother’s side, only to disappear into the mists of the Xan Chasm. Two million homes, carefully and delicately grown and carved into the crystal over many thousands of years, vanished into that abyss. More than three million lives were lost.
“Jor-El?” Lara was rushing to Kal-El’s bed. The grinding roar outside had awakened him, and he was crying. She picked him up and held him close.
“It’s happening, Lara. Sooner than we thought, but just as we said.”
“I’ll get the father crystal,” she said.
They heard Krypton scream its helpless protest as Argo’s peak exploded. It took less than four minutes for the great mount, home of the planet’s culture and science, to sink unseen into the darkness. Krypton was dying.
Jor-El leaned into the crystal ship and tenderly stroked his son’s face. “You will travel far, my little Kal-El. We will never leave you.”
Lara removed the father crystal from its compartment. It had accepted nearly 95 percent of its programming. “It’s not complete. Some of the sciences are missing.”
“There’s no more time. It will have to do.”
He was kneeling by his son, his voice strong and reassuring. Kal-El was smiling at him, listening attentively to his calm, steady tone.
“Even in the face of our deaths, the richness of our lives will be yours. All that I have, all that I have learned, everything I feel, all this and more I bequeath you, my son. You will carry me inside you all the days of your life. You will make my strength your own. See my life through your eyes as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father, and the father, the son. This is all I can send you, Kal-El.”
He felt another quake and placed the father crystal next to the child.
“It’s time.”
Lara kissed Kal-El, her face, trembling with tears, hovered just above his. “I love you, and I’ve hardly had a chance to show you how much. Keep my thoughts alive in you, my wonderful, special boy.”
The star’s hatch lowered onto the pod, and the crystals melted together in an impenetrable seal. Jor-El took his wife’s hand, and they stepped back as the star began to rise.
Lara wanted to turn away, but her eyes never left the ship as it crashed through the ceiling, crystal rain cascading down.
“Kal-El, my son, you are all that remains of a once-proud people,” Jor-El whispered, his voice breaking. “And in you Krypton’s glory will live on.”
Jor-El put his arm around his wife as they watched their son’s ship fly into the night, a living comet beginning its long and dangerous journey. When it finally disappeared into the black, they kissed each other and waited for the end to take them.
The red giant knew its time had come. The nuclear fusion deep inside it had exhausted its last sources of fuel. Hydrogen fused with helium, then those into oxygen and carbon, then into silicon and sulfur and finally into iron, which could not fuse. Without the energy to push back against the massive crush of gravity, the collapse was beginning. Shock waves would soon blow the gaseous shells of the star into space in a supernova as bright as the entire galaxy.
As Kal-El slept, Krypton’s red sun died. His new home began a slow crawl across the empty vastness, heading toward a tiny, nearly insignificant bit of matter on the rim of a faraway galactic spiral that received its meager light from a fragile yellow star barely out of its infancy.
The final fragments of his world, green and glowing like miniature suns, hungrily spread outward, beginning a fateful voyage of their own.
Even in his sleep, his eyes tightly closed, the Last Son of Krypton saw the blinding brightness. What is that? he asked himself. Why is it so cold? Why am I afraid? I was never afraid before.
Jor-El knew there could be no mistakes now, not at his son’s expense. He carefully grew and nurtured the crystals himself, starting with a specially cultivated seed, layering in molecule after molecule. And, as it grew, building on top of itself, he shaped each section to its very specific need.
Jor-El had spent the most time growing the crystals for the ship’s outer shell. They had to be impervious to the fluctuations of heat and cold as the star neared distant suns or sped away from them. Lara had gone over each of Jor-El’s calculations. She monitored the birthing process, watched the crystals expand, examined each atom, and eliminated any with even the slightest question concerning structural integrity.
The infant fit comfortably into the star’s preformed cushion, which would expand even as Kal-El himself grew.
He was an hour shy of one day when placed in the crystal star, but when it finally found its way to Earth, he would be nearly three years old.
Conditions leading to the development of Super-powers
by Eric Alcantara
In the early history of the universe, many worlds were seeded with the human stock of the mother world of humanity. What the original world was and what it was like is a source of endless speculation. Most humanoid worlds not obviously colonies of older ones make a claim to be the homeworld of humanity. Whatever the truth, it remains clear that humans adapted to conditions found in their many adopted habitats. It seems that one of the reasons that humans have been so successful and widespread throughout known space is their genetic potential to adapt to an extremely wide range of environmental conditions.
In some cases, adaptations developed on some worlds were necessary prerequisites for adaptation to harsher habitats. This process could continue for a chain of many worlds limited only by the upper limits of adaptation. What follows is an outline of the final two phases in the development of Kryptonian-type super-powers.
Research has shown that Daxam is the world Krypton was seeded by. Daxam's gravity approached the upper limit of non-powered human ability to adapt to. It's red giant sun has a rare elemental composition, energy characteristics, and spectrum. The human population of this world adapted to these conditions and spawned an advanced technological civilization, especially in biotechnology. Just as the world had forced the resident humans to improve in physique and mental abilities in order to survive, they took a direct hand in their own evolution with their advances in the life sciences. All aspects of human development were brought to the finest level that their technology could achieve. Some say that their tampering with their natural course of development inadvertently caused their fatal vulnerability to exposure to lead. For the most part, their efforts were successful. Even in the 30th Century, Daxam is still acknowledged as a pioneer in biological research.
Daxam once had a space exploration and colonization program. The men and women who undertook these missions were of exceptional ability, even by Daxamite standards, just as the astronauts of Earth's early space missions were. Of special interest to these explorers were solar systems similar to their own. Krypton's system was of special interest due to its proximity, its possessing the same rare, red giant type of sun, and Krypton's own characteristics. Of all systems studied, this one was the most similar to Daxam's. But the extreme conditions found on Krypton precluded any planned colonization.
Approximately 14,000 Terran years ago, an unplanned colonization of Krypton occurred. Two stranded space explorers, one from Daxam and the other from a lost Daxamite colony, found each other on Krypton. Unable to leave the planet, they set about the task of survival on the giant, hostile world. They were the first of several mating pairs of humans deposited on various parts of the world. Some were the results of accidents; others were seeded there by more advanced races such as the Oans and their offshoots.
Despite their adaptations to Daxam's conditions and their own genetic enhancements, Krypton's environment required them to develop a whole new range of physical and mental abilities just to survive. Krypton's gravity was at the upper limit of non-powered human ability to adapt to. It's atmosphere had a unique composition and the climatic conditions were drastically variable, to mention some of the adversities encountered. Owing to these and the hardy native life they were competing with which was already adapted to the world, humanity faced its greatest challenge in survival. Early generations had to sleep more than half the day and crawling was preferable to walking erect. The infant mortality rate remained high for many generations.
The harsh environment made subtle changes in their physiology. Their outward appearances remained virtually unchanged due to genetic tampering traced to their roots on Daxam, and unconscious social forces in mate selection. Muscle tissue became denser and reflexes quickened. Resistance to physical and emotional stress increased, as did recuperative and healing abilities. Sensory perceptions widened with an attendant increase in intellectual capacity to process, analyze, and act on this new wealth of data. Every physiological system underwent enhancement. Krypton had bred a new vitality into the human stock from Daxam that all Daxam's science had not achieved. Of course, early survival on Krypton was only possible through the adaptations they had undergone on Daxam, but their many generations of undirected evolution enabled the Kryptonians to recover the standard humanoid reaction to lead.
When they had adapted to Krypton, the Kryptonians spread out over their world. Civilization was quick to redevelop. They turned their new technological powers upon themselves and their civilization. Just as their Daxamite ancestors had genetically enhanced themselves, so did the Kryptonians. Just prior to the explosion of Krypton, their civilization was slightly more advanced than their parent one on Daxam (approximating 30th Century Earth's). Some maintain that if their civilization had survived, they would have one day surpassed the Guardians of the Universe, who have remained relatively stagnant for millions of years.
Recently, it was discovered that solar systems like Krypton's and Daxam's are not natural occurrences. Beings called Sun-Thrivers create the peculiar red giant stars of such systems and the special planets that orbit them. Such suns should not be confused with natural red giants which are much more numerous. They feed off the solar energies generated by this particular type of sun. The planets are necessary to stabilize the star. Due to the unique output of such suns, the nature of matter from these systems is influenced down to the sub-atomic level. Matter from such systems, uninfluenced by such stars, acquires "super" characteristics such as indestructibility.
Owing to the above, Kryptonians (and to a somewhat lesser degree Daxamites,) exhibit what have been called "super-powers" when free of conditions like their native ones.
The cellular structure of a Kryptonian is similar to that of humans. However, a certain chemical makeup in the ribosomes (organelles responsible for protein synthesis) is capable of absorbing solar energy and storing it. Once the ribosomes achieve saturation levels of this radiation, they begin to re-radiate the energy in the form of a bioelectric forcefield. Each individual cell within the field's radius becomes reinforced in such a way that the cells are not only protected from external harm, but internal forces as well. It is this last which is key to Superman's great powers. Since the individual cells are wholly invulnerable, they are capable of operating at levels of efficiency that would destroy normal humanoid cells. These "super-cells" lend an enhancing effect to all bodily systems...muscular, metabolic, nervous, and so forth. The continual absorption of solar energy provides a constant power source for these enhanced systems. Thus, Superman is capable of incredible feats.
Naturally, the basic forcefield effect renders him invulnerable to large amounts of damage. Unlike a human, Superman's body has more than simple cohesion and adhesion holding his tissues together. The bioelectric forcefield has a set tolerance for how much stress occurs before it reacts energetically in opposition to the external force. The tolerance for how much stress occurs before Superman's tissues counteract it varies according to tissue type. His bones allow virtually no compressional or tensional strain (deformation in shape) and his fleshy tissues remain supple under soft pressure, but under stress react to restrict any further deformation in shape. Since the strength of Superman's cellular forcefields greatly exceeds the cohesive force of any substance, no ordinary object can puncture his skin.
Superman can withstand a 1-megaton nuclear explosion without ill effect, and has been able to tolerate the molten conditions in the Earth's core with only discomfort. A 40 Megaton nuclear explosion knocked him unconscious for over an hour. He could not, however, survive the conditions inside a star, but can safely approach to within several miles of Earth's sun, probably due to a feedback loop of solar energy powering his bioelectric field. Superman can easily survive conditions in deep space, but he does need to breathe, eat, sleep, and excrete. Superman can hold his breath for a maximum of 12 hours, and requires 2 hours of sleep a night to function at peak mental efficiency, as well needing to dream at least half an hour a night, or experience the psychological effects of sleep deprivation as would any other person who missed a night of sleep. When his solar energy is depleted, his resistance to physical punishment drops to approximately one-quarter the normal amount. Withstanding large amounts of damage continuously over time will rapidly deplete his solar reserves.
Superman's cells provoke one another into releasing their respective energy when one begins to threaten the integrity of the other. Because of a certain degree of constant pressure, there is a continuously emitted radiance of the bioelectric field reaching slightly beyond his body, a sort of aura that protects items near his skin e.g. his costume. The aura also protects Superman's teeth, however his hair and nails are only partially protected due to certain cellular properties they possess. They are invulnerable to fire, however they can still be cut.
Due to the highly charged nature of his solar storage systems, his immune system deals with most normal poisons and diseases quickly and with no ill effect. With the exception of kryptonite emissions, radiation and similar harmful energies are similarly neutralized.
His physical strength is greatly magnified by the combination of his more-efficient muscular system and the enhancement of his skeletal system's structural integrity, but is primarily augmented by the sheer force of his solar forcefield. When Superman appears to be lifting a weight, he is actually holding and pushing it with the bioelectric field. His energy stores push not from himself, but from the shielding that surrounds him. So the shielding is controlled on the highest level and simulates strength. He can lift 100,000 tons with serious effort. The conjectured upper limit of his physical strength has been determined to be approximately 250,000 tons with great effort, and causing strain damage to himself equivalent to an average adult human male lifting 500 pounds. Continual exertion will deplete his solar energy, and greatly exceeding his normal lift will drain him more rapidly. At the level of complete solar depletion, Superman can lift/exert no more than 100 tons of weight or force.
Similarly, Superman's enhanced metabolic rate, muscular speed, and nervous system grant him incredible speed. His Kryptonian structure and the solar energy paths that course along his neurophysical structure allow him to react at many times normal human speed. He can read a complete encyclopedia set in seconds, wash a sink full of dishes in the blink of an eye, or run from New York to Paris in a matter of minutes. He can move faster than the human eye can perceive if necessary, but this requires extra effort. His reflexes are quick enough to allow him to dodge incoming automatic laser fire.
Superman's perceptions are similarly rapid, allowing him to see individual bullets fired from high-speed automatic weaponry in flight and outrace them easily. Moving at extreme speeds for extended periods of time rapidly drains his solar reserves. In a full drained state, his reflexes are only sufficient enough to dodge semi-automatic projectile weapons and read the encyclopedia set in under 10 minutes.
The enhanced structure of Superman's sensory organs combined with the increased capacity of his nervous system provides for the greatly enhanced senses. His range of hearing extends from the subsonic through to the point where signal modulation in broadcast communications can be sensed and demodulated into "sounds" if he concentrates. He can distinctly hear soft sounds anywhere on Earth if he is listening for them. He has perfect pitch. He has, on occasion, sat and perceived every sound on Earth as a symphony of a living planet.
His visual reception range covers the entirety of the electromagnetic spectrum. The difference between human and Superman's vision is that Superman has the capability to see a much wider band of the electromagnetic spectrum; while humans only sense a very narrow band of the spectrum we call visible light. Superman can change the spectrum he perceives at any given time, by changing the chemical receptors in the rods and cones of his retinas. He can adjust his photovoltaic detection as an act of will to sense longer wavelengths down to the infrared, and higher energy light, up to X-ray and gamma radiation.
Kryptonian muscle tissue when super-charged with solar-energy, can generate a powerful gravitational field. These fields in combination with Superman's personal bioelectric field give him the ability to negate gravity, allowing him to fly. When in flight, he's fully suspended by this energy, almost completely repelling Earth's gravimetric influence over him. He becomes his own center of gravity, and no longer has to physically leverage against the gravity of whatever planetary body he's on, or any object. By instinctively controlling an output of his energy from his aura, he is able to mentally push himself to a direction and speed of his own liking through sheer force of will. Controlling his motion, Superman is capable of Mach speeds in excess of Mach 10 in atmosphere. He can fly to the moon in minutes, but faster than that outside of atmospheric interference. His control of his flight is perfect and he can perform aerobatic feats such as hovering, flying backwards and even lifting great weights while flying.
Superman can use the gravitational fields generated by the muscles in his eyes to produce a gravity lens, allowing him to focus far beyond the range of the human eye. Combined with Superman's sensitivity to light, he can magnify an image a virtually countless number of times. Superman can see through solids objects by using a combination of these telescopic and microscopic visual abilities to see through the atomic structure of an object and focus past it, as a camera focuses beyond the dust on a lens. Certain dense materials, notably lead, obstruct this ability.
Superman has the ability to expel stored (solar/electromagnetic) internal energy in the form of focused beams of radiation from his eyes. He emits light along various frequencies in high energy bursts that flash-melts materials in seconds, weaken structural integrity over a smaller area, such as melting the barrel of a gun but leaving the handle untouched. Superman can control his heat vision and direct it wherever he wants to. He directs it with his eyes.
In actuality, Superman could not emit the directly from his eyes. The energy is actually built up on the surface of the bio-energetic field surrounding his body and emitted from there. This allows his body to be protected from the energy and absorbing stray electromagnetic energy back into his body. Superman's energy reclamation aura is so efficient that any radiation, even those emitted from him, once in the environment are able to be reabsorbed.
The heat beams are psionically controlled and that control is reflexive, so he can shut it off without accidentally damaging anything that he does not want to. He can emit the radiation visibly or invisibly at lower settings. His energy has a high visibility profile if emitted at higher levels.
Superman has the power to release gale-force winds from his lungs. He can create ice blocks from his breath, as well as freeze objects and opponents. The psionic portion of his powers are made evident by these depictions. The only way for objects to freeze is if their molecular composition slows down in motion at an incredible rate. The application of intense winds from Superman's breath is actually not sufficient to freeze things. Since Superman can agitate molecules to increase in motion, he can do the reverse. He is using the same effect that amplifies converted solar energy in reverse. He is using it as a catalyst to access higher-order energies through an unknown physical mechanism. That same amplification mechanism is reversed to dampen or neutralize energies in the environment to produce freeze breath. Additionally, his vast lung capacity is not physically possible given the dimensions of the humanoid physique. However, his super-breath includes tesseract type properties.
Both Superman's Kryptonian physiology and the fact that his engrams are stabilized by a solar-frequency hologram reinforcing his neural matrix allow him near-perfect recall of events he pays specific attention to or that have emotional significance or are particularly striking.
Superman is a talented mimic, and can reproduce most sounds that he can hear. He can modulate his voice to transmit on radio or microwave/radar frequencies, and can expel a minute amount of air in space at a warm enough temperature and speed to carry sub-vocalized sound directly to one or more targets.
Superman requires solar energy to function at peak capacity, or his powers fade to greatly reduced levels, some disappearing entirely if his solar reserves are empty. Superman cannot absorb energy from the lower frequency orange O-class stars and cannot process the higher-frequency White K or blue F classes. Blue B and yellow G type stars are ideal.
Superman's body stores and processes solar energy at a rapid rate and for a variety of effects, which are explained in his other powers. His storage capacity is sufficient to let him function at full capacity for up to 14 days depending on his physical condition and state of rest. While under a star of the right class (G-type dwarfs in the blue-white through yellow spectrum are ideal) and within a planetary atmosphere, he replenishes energy at a constant rate.
If forced to expend large amounts of energy over a relatively short time, or to maintain constant exertion over longer periods of time, he tires and his power begins to diminish. Constant exertion will revert him to normal humanoid levels after 14 days without rest. The power recovers at the rate of normal rest, and a full recharge can be accomplished with two days of no more than moderate, normal-level exertion. A process of solar recharge is also known, but requires massive amounts of fusion energy of solar/light-based superpowers.
The fatal flaw in Kryptonian cellular physiology is the unique radiation given off by kryptonite. In the most minute amounts, the radiation waveforms and high-energy particles emitted by kryptonite can react catastrophically with the very ribosomal chemical that grant a Kryptonian powers. The briefest contact can strip these powers, and further begin a fatal poisoning that totally shuts down cellular activity in the affected areas.
As kryptonite radiation makes its way through the bloodstream, a Kryptonian becomes instantly weak and ill in its unshielded presence, and prolonged exposure will render him or her unconscious (after 30 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the sample, and the current state of his solar reserves), and will eventually (after two to four hours) reach all parts of his body and bring death, usually as the body's immune system attempts to expel the deadly toxin. However, the rate of recovery once removed from the emissions is as rapid as the rate of damage, and the Kryptonian will be back to normal in under an hour after exposure in optimal conditions. Kryptonite emissions can be blocked by lead and other super-dense materials.
Further, the radiation signature of the red sun of the Krypton system (and similar M-class stars) instantly causes the ribosomal structures to lose their stored energy, reducing a Kryptonian to normal humanoid levels.
The term "G.I. Joe" was popularized during America's involvement in the Second World War. Combining the abbreviation of "government issue" with the term for the American every man, the name was applied to the thousands of average American soldiers fighting for freedom against Nazi Germany and it's allies. Two decades later, President John F. Kennedy (himself a WWII veteran) and his military advisors created a new special forces unit that would answer directly to the White House. Shortly before his death in 1963, Kennedy placed the Army's highly decorated Lieutenant Joseph Colton in charge of the elite team of soldiers. Colton had served with distinction in the earliest years of the Vietnam conflict. A year later, the team went into operation under the name "G.I. Joe". The name kept the team anonymous and elusive, and became the unofficial code name for Colton. The team was involved in missions all over the world, assisting other units and participating in covert operations throughout the 1960s. In the early 1970s, the team was dissolved and Colton took a well deserved sabbatical, occasionally working with a civilian group known as the Adventure Team.
As the 1970s came to a close, terrorism was becoming a threat to the world. Seeing the need for an elite unit to combat this threat, the Secretary of Defense ordered the formation of a anti-terrorist team. Officially named Special Counter-terrorist Group Delta, the team was nicknamed G.I. Joe in honor of the legendary team from years before. The team was placed under the direct command of General Lawrence J. Flagg, who was advised by General "Iron-Butt" Austin. Flagg chose Colonel Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy as the team's field commander. Specialist Lonzo "Stalker" Wilkinson became the first member of Hawk's team, and helped the Colonel recruit the retired Vietnam commando, Snake-Eyes, for the team. The remainder of the team consisted of Specialist James "Grand Slam" Barney, Cpl. Eric "Short-Fuze" Freistadt, Cpl. Anthony "Flash" Gambello, Specialist Robert "Grunt" Graves, Pfc. Alvin "Breaker" Kibbey, Cpl. Craig "Rock & Roll" McConnel, Cpl. Rafael "Zap" Melendez, Sgt. Shana "Scarlett" O'Hara, Lt. Ralph "Steeler" Pulaski and Cpl. Lance "Clutch" Steinberg. The team was headquartered in a secret underground base -- The Pit -- beneath the Motor Pool of the Army Chaplains' Assistants School in Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, New York. It was hoped that no one would ever suspect the team to be based at the most innocent of Army facilities.
The new Joe team used the latest in advanced military hardware in its many missions in hot spots around the world. The young team was often unorthodox, but effective. It was in the early 1980s that the Joes would face their greatest enemy, the terrorist organization Cobra Command. One of their earliest missions was rescuing American scientist Dr. Adele Burkhart from Cobra's island hideout. While the Joes continued to fight various enemies, Cobra -- led by the enigmatic Cobra Commander and the terrorist known as the Baroness -- became their primary adversary. They also struggled with the October Guard, the Soviets' answer to the G.I. Joe team. Cobra used the Cold War of the 1980s to their advantage, and often played the two teams against each other for their own purposes. Cobra's forces nearly defeated both teams in the Hindu Kush mountains before they teamed up to beat Cobra. The enormity of Cobra's threat was becoming apparent to the military as the Joes began to fight the terrorists almost exclusively. In 1983, the Joes discovered that Cobra's secret base was somewhere in the United States, in the decidedly generic town of Springfield. In response to Cobra's growing threat, the military expanded the team to include new members from the nation's other armed forces. Cobra, too, began to expand when Cobra Commander brought Scottish weapons manufacturer James McCullen Destro into the fold.
After preventing Cobra from poisoning the Alaskan oil pipeline, the Joes stumbled upon evidence of a major operation Cobra was planning. Clues led them to the small Central American nation of Sierra Gordo. Cobra had been secretly operating there for years when a small team of Joes arrived and found the Cobra scientist Dr. Venom, along with the Baroness and the mysterious courier named Scar-face. A short skirmish sparked a chase around the world to uncover Cobra's plan before it was too late. As the Joes had no idea that Cobra was also in the midst of a power struggle in their high command. The Commander, fearing Destro's growing influence hired the mercenary Major Bludd to kill him. It meant little to the Joes, who discovered that Cobra intended to poison the people of the United States by adding a toxin to all newly printed money. A battle in Washington, DC soon followed as the Joes tracked Cobra to the U.S. Treasury. Their plan was foiled, but the enemy escaped after Cobra Commander shot Hawk in the back and Major Bludd and the Baroness were nearly killed when the Baroness tried to stop Bludd from killing Destro. Hawk recovered and Bludd and the Baroness became prisoners of the Joes. The team then tracked Scar-face from Coney Island to Tripoli. After a brief battle in the desert, the Joes captured Scar-face. Back at the Pit, Scar-face -- realizing that his employers cared little whether he lived or died, revealed that he was Cobra's "Trojan Horse" and was carrying the toxin in his own bloodstream. His plan, however, was not to infect the Joes but to cause highly visible quarantine procedures to be implemented, allowing Cobra to discover the location of the Joes' hidden base. The Joes used the information and constructed a pre-fab fortress to make Cobra believe the Pit was only above ground. In the battle that followed, General Flagg was killed by Major Bludd, and Dr. Venom and the Eskimo mercenary Kwinn killed each other. Bludd then escaped with the comatose Baroness and left Scar-face for dead in the exploding fortress. The Joes had won the battle but lost their commander, and the Pit was severely damaged.
As the Pit was rebuilt and Flagg was mourned, the Joes added new members to their team, including Duke, their new first sergeant. Duke led a mission to track down Bludd and the Baroness in Europe. Bludd brought the Baroness to Bern, Switzerland where she was healed by the world's finest reconstructive surgeons. Bludd blackmailed Cobra Commander, threatening to tell Destro that the Commander wanted him dead. When the Commander arrived in Switzerland, the Joes captured him. He hadn't been in their custody long when the his new bodyguard, the ninja Storm Shadow helped him escape. Storm Shadow was captured for a time but again, the Joes lost their prisoner. While Snake-Eyes tracked down Storm Shadow after learning he had been an old friend in whose ninja clan the commando trained, the Joes followed evidence of a Cobra operation in the Florida Everglades. In the swamps, they found the lair of Zartan, the master of disguise now working for Cobra Commander. A battle involving much of Cobra's high command followed on land, sea and air. A short time afterward, the Joes fought off Cobra's attack on McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey.
The Joe team completed the renovation of the Pit only to discover that General Austin had ordered that several of the original members of the Joe team were to be taken off active duty and placed in charge of the Pit. Duke replaced Hawk as the Joes' commander in the field, leaving the Colonel behind a desk at Joe HQ. New team members were added, including Lady Jaye, Ripcord and Flint. After battling Cobra's newly formed Crimson Guard at the Arbco Bros Circus, the Joes found evidence linking the Crimson Guard to a home in Staten Island. The Joes raided the house and discovered that the home had in fact belonged to a Siegie (C.G.) named Professor Appel whose daughter, Candy, was Ripcord's girlfriend. As a small team of Joes again rescued Dr. Burkhart -- this time from Sierra Gordo -- the Joes analyzed the evidence found in Appel's home and interrogated his daughter. The information led them to an unknown Cobra operation in the Gulf of Mexico. The team set up a portable air-sea base to keep close watch on the Gulf. Cobra hydrofoils arrived and attacked the base. Meanwhile, an underground bunker built by Cobra started sending out sonic waves which began to kill off marine life in the Gulf. With orders from the Pentagon, fighters from the U.S.S. Flagg bombed the bunker and destroyed it. But that was Cobra's plan all along. The bunker sat atop a fault line, and the bombs aggravated it, causing a tremendous chunk of the ocean floor to rise out of the water, creating an island that Cobra now occupied. Cobra's lawyers and ambassadors were already at the embassies of the nations bordering the Gulf. They worked to gain sovereign nation status, while a large team of Joes staged an assault on the island, led by Duke, hoping to push Cobra off of the island. The Joes had forced Cobra's troops into retreat when the call came down from the Pentagon: Cobra had been granted status as a nation and Cobra Island was off limits. It was a major defeat for the G.I. Joe team. Now, according to international law, Cobra had a legal right to be headquartered just miles off the coast of the United States. In the aftermath of the defeat, a very stressed out General Austin had a heart attack. Though Austin would recover, he was forced to retire from the Army. His final act was to promote Hawk to Brigadier General and place him in command of the entire G.I. Joe operation.
Before Hawk could appreciate his new rank, he learned that Ripcord -- flying aboard Ace's Skystriker during high-altitude reconnaissance -- bailed out over Cobra Island against orders. He intended to look for Candy, who had escaped Joe custody with Buzzer the Dreadnok. What Ripcord didn't know was that Candy has died a short time before. Ripcord was stopped by Zartan, who switched places with the soldier, hoping to gain access to Joe headquarters. The Joes staged a rescue mission but rescued the unconscious Zartan, who disguised himself as Ripcord. The real Ripcord was brought back to Cobra's headquarters by Prof. Appel, who believed the Joe to be Zartan. Their was a brief battle on the island, after which Ripcord and Zartan arrived at their respective enemy's home bases -- Zartan in the Pit and Ripcord in Springfield. After a complicated series of events, Ripcord reported the location of Springfield to the Joes and the nearly the entire team staged an invasion of the small town. As the Joes arrived, Cobra's Dr. Mindbender was performing an incredible experiment. With the help of Destro and the Baroness and Cobra's backing, he planned to use the stolen genetic material of histories greatest soldiers and conquerors to create the perfect soldier for Cobra. Serpentor was born during the Battle of Springfield. Cobra was losing ground and decided to evacuate the town, but needed to stall the Joes in order to escape. Reluctantly, Destro placed Serpentor in command of the troops to fight a holding action against the Joes. Serpentor rallied the troops and held off the Joes until the residents of Springfield could evacuate the town. When the smoke cleared, the Joes were left with a burnt out town and nothing to show for it. The Pentagon even questioned the validity of the attack and placed the Joe team on suspension, sealed off the Pit and quartered the Joes with the Chaplains' Assistants at Fort Wadsworth. A group of high-ranking officers joined Hawk in the Pit during their investigation. Back on Cobra Island, a power struggle began between Cobra Commander and Serpentor. The perfect soldier had turned out to be a great leader and set out to usurp the Commander's leadership. Both men led an attack on the newly rediscovered Pit, but the Commander and Destro led a group of Cobra soldiers into Joe headquarters. Hawk and the officers fought as long as they could while the Joes tried to organize a counter-attack. They were too late. Hawk decided to destroy the Pit rather than let Cobra have it, and hoped to take the Commander and Destro with it. A series of explosions destroyed the Pit, Serpentor and the other Cobras fled Fort Wadsworth, and Destro and the Commander were presumed dead. The Joes were taken off suspension by General Hollingsworth and were a nomad unit for months before established a new Pit in the Utah desert.
With Serpentor in command of Cobra, the Joes had to contend with their move into the business of selling weapons to any nation that would pay their price. They emphasized the sale of their Terror-Drome launch bases, which gave them a foothold in some unstable regions of the world. The Joes fought the terrorist organization's attempt to set up bases in Sierra Gordo, Colonel Sharif's Emirate and Frusenland. At this time, a more personal crisis affected the team. A small team of Joes were sent into the Soviet bloc nation of Borovia to rescue an American journalist.Stalker, Quick Kick, Snow Job and Outback staged a rescue mission into the communist nation's security building only to find that the journalist was longer being held there. Outback escaped, but the rest of the team were placed under arrest and thrown into a Borovian gulag. Despite the Joes' desire to rescue their teammates, the Pentagon ordered them not to. The U.S. was to deny any knowledge of the rescue mission, and therefore abandon the captured Joes. After five months in the brutal prison camp, Snake-Eyes, Scarlett and their ninja friends staged an illegal rescue and brought the three prisoners home. Back on Cobra Island, it appeared that Cobra Commander had returned to lead. In reality, it was a Crimson Guardsman named Fred VII who was posing as Cobra Commander. The Baroness learned Fred's identity, but kept it a secret in return for becoming Fred's partner in retaking Cobra. As Cobra's power struggles began anew, Destro had resurfaced. He raised his own army of Iron Grenadiers and began to work independently from Cobra. He became involved in Sierra Gordo by saving the Joes and the revolutionary leader El Jefe in exchange for a part in the impending government.
The Joes were taken by surprise when the cybernetically enhanced Star Viper infiltrated the Pit and escaped with a highly classified "black box" filled with classified military electronics. Hawk and a small team of Joes headed to the U.S.S. Flagg to stage a recon mission onto Cobra Island. What they found was an island in the midst of civil war, split into factions siding with either Fred VII (still posing as Cobra Commander) or Serpentor. The Joes eventually entered the war on the side of Serpentor after Dr. Mindbender made a deal with the state department in exchange for returning the black box. They decided that the Commander represented a military dictatorship, while Serpentor represented a constitutional monarchy. The battle was the Joes' biggest operation yet, with most of the team participating. Destro eventually joined the fray with his own Army, hoping to test out his new hardware as well as bring the Baroness back with him. After days of fighting, the Joes were heading toward victory until the civil war ended abruptly when Zartan killed Serpentor with an arrow. Mindbender immediately came to an agreement with Fred and Destro. Leaving the Joes disgusted and defeated. In the wake of the conflict, the Generals of the oversight committee that watched over the Joes refused to accept the blame of the lost operation that they authorized. Led by the corrupt General Malthus, the "Jugglers" ordered the arrest of the Joe team and took Hawk, General Hollingsworth and Roadblock into custody when they came before them in the Pentagon. Malthus told the press that the Joes had acted on their own and placed Hawk and Hollingsworth in a psychiatric hospital for observation. Roadblock escaped and rounded up the Joes that had yet to be arrested. They all went underground and with the help of Dr. Adele Burkhart, the Joes stormed the hospital, now staffed by Malthus' Domestic Operations Agency. A fire fight erupted as the Joes rescued their wrongly accused commanders. The fight ended after television cameras showed up at the scene. Disgusted by Malthus' lack of honor, Destro arrived and in front of a live television audience handed Malthus his receipt for weapons he bought from Destro to finance the Cobra Island operation. Malthus was finished and the Joes were cleared of all charges.
Over the next few months, the Joes recovered from the civil war and engaged in various skirmishes, while Cobra created a new American town to call their own in Broca Beach, New Jersey from where the Dreadnoks fought the Joes several times. A renewed threat emerged when after Destro's castle was attacked by Cobra forces still under Fred VII. The battle ended in a stalemate, but Destro could have wiped out the invaders, and instead offered Cobra its own survival in exchange for a merger with the Iron Grenadiers. The new Cobra was soon embroiled in a power struggle, with nearly everyone chafing under the leadership of Destro. Soon after, the Baroness began a personal vendetta against Snake-Eyes -- whom she believed killed her brother years ago. She tracked him to the Bern Institute of Reconstructive Surgery where he was undergoing an operation. She shot Scarlett in the head, leaving her comatose and captured Snake-Eyes. She tried to hold him at the Cobra Consulate in New York, but the situation spiraled out of control as Snake-Eyes escaped and caused chaos inside, while Stalker, Storm Shadow and other Joes staged a rescue mission from the outside. The Joes saved their comrades, and saw the last of Destro and the Baroness for months to come.
As the 90s began, Cobra became an even greater threat when the one, true Cobra Commander returned to reclaim his organization. His first act was to throw some of his most hated enemies into Cobra Island's landlocked freighter and bury it under a volcano. The Commander enslaved the town of Millville with the Brain-wave Scanner, nearly being stopped by Spirit, Mutt and Junkyard before hiding the town's true nature and left those Joes to be arrested. Meanwhile, Snake-Eyes' grief over Scarlett's failing health was too much for him to bear, so Storm Shadow placed him in a ninja fighting trance and saw to it that he was given a new mission. He forced the Jugglers, now led by General Thurston Crowther, to give his old friend a dangerous mission into Borovia. Back home, Crowther placed the Joes under investigation, hoping to disband them. Thanks to Hawk, Crowther was ousted and the Joes were again saved from their supposed leaders.
The Joes biggest and most tragic operation yet began when Cobra Commander began building Terror-Drome launch bases in the small desert nation of Trucial Abysmia. A Joe assault team led by Falcon and Duke was sent in for a simple hit-and-run mission, but discovered far more than they bargained for. Cobra troops were there in force, led by Tomax and Xamot. The team of Joes was overwhelmed by Cobra and they were all captured. Cobra was preparing to invade the nearby oil-rich nation of Benzheen. not wanting to complicate things, Cobra Commander ordered the twins to "get rid of" the Joes. While he just wanted them dropped off at the border, the twins misunderstood and ordered a merciless SAW Viper to kill the Joes. Being held by Cobra in a shallow ditch, the Joes were horrified when the SAW Viper opened fire on the trapped, unarmed Joes. Doc was the first to die, followed by Crankcase, Heavy Metal and Thunder. One of the surviving Joes had a concealed knife and threw it at the SAW Viper, stopping his attack. The remaining Joes had little time to mourn their friends and escaped in a stolen Cobra Rage assault vehicle. They radioed for help from the Pit, but the pursuing Cobras scored a direct hit and the Rage exploded. When the smoke cleared, Breaker, Crazy Legs and Quick Kick were dead. Only Duke, Falcon and Cross Country survived. In response to these casualties and to Cobra's invasion of Benzheen, Hawk led the Joes in their biggest operation ever, as well as their first non-covert operation. The Battle of Benzheen was fought throughout the cities of the nation, while Hawk tried to appease the spoiled, unreasonable Emir of Benzheen. During the long battle, seven more Joes lost their lives, including all but one member of Battle Force 2000. The conflict came to an abrupt, unsatisfying conclusion when the Emir came to an agreement with Cobra Commander while at gunpoint.
Over the next few years, Cobra continued to strike around the world, with the Joes there to stop them. After the Joes helped to protect Destro from the bounty placed in his head by Cobra Commander, Destro and the Baroness became occasional allies of the Joes. At the same time, Billy and Zartan were revealed to be alive. Zartan, too, turned his back on Cobra. The Joes were then involved in a number of conflicts between Cobra and Destro at the Silent Castle in the tiny eastern European country of Trans-Carpathia. New groups -- Ninja Force, the Eco-Warriors and the Drug Elimination Force -- became part of the team and fought Cobra in various parts of the world. Cobra Commander became more ambitious than ever and backed Borovian rebels led by Metz, a dangerous man encountered by the Joes in the past. The Commander essentially conquered the small nation and set his sights on neighboring countries. Using various forms of mind control, he forced Destro, the Baroness, Zartan, Storm Shadow and Billy to join Cobra. With the added threat of Dr. Mindbender -- resurrected by the same technology that created Serpentor -- the Commander became as dangerous as he ever was. After the Joes' Star Brigade headed joined forces with the October Guard to stop an asteroid from colliding with Earth, they turned their attention back to Cobra. Hawk, Stalker, Snake-Eyes, Flint and Lady Jaye were advising the leader of a nation threatened by Cobra. They attempted to rescue Cobra Commander's brainwashed pawns, but were forced to retreat and failed to relase the Cobras from their Commander's control. A short time later, the Joes were sent back home. Feeling that Cobra's activities were now limited to eastern Europe, certain members of the military decided to disband the G.I. Joe team after its years of service. Some time later, a unified attack of regular military groups attacked and defeated Cobra forces. In the aftermath of the conflict, much of Cobra's high command scattere
d and disappeared.
In 2001, seven years after the shutdown of the Joes and the defeat of Cobra, intelligence agents found new evidence of Cobra activities in the Middle East, Europe and South America, some of which were being led by Cobra Commander himself. Additional reports claim that Destro and the Baroness had returned to regain control of Destro's weapons manufacturing business. In the United States, an organized national gang of militarized bikers led by Zartan and the original Dreadnoks had emerged. Surveillaince photos taken by a ninja named Kamakura -- a student of Snake-Eyes -- showed that Cobra Commander arrived at Zartan's headquarters in the Florida Everglades and hosted meeting of many former members of Cobra's high command. It was also learned that Cobra created microscopic machines called nano-mites that can be used to "infect" both computer systems and people. The military acted quickly and reinstated the G.I. Joe team. In command of the new team was Hawk, now a member of the Jugglers. Hawk now serves an advisory role, with Duke in direct command of the team. Many of the original Joes are a part of the team and serve as field commanders, leading a new group of raw recruits. Once again, the G.I. Joe team is ready to defend the world against Cobra.
Now, on to the subject of magic. Let's deal with one area of the DCU that has been fairly well explored; the Earth elemental plane. Obviously the Swamp Thing could pretty much beat anybody it goes up against if they aren't supernatural. He's connected to the superconsciousness of all plant life in the universe and can enter the Green at will.
What is the Green? Okay, if we look at the relationship between the quantum and the classical world (our world) we could say that our world emerges from quantum behavior. On the quantum level almost anything can happen, but some things are more probable than others. What we see on the superquantum level where we can perceive the universe is the result of the most probably quantum behaviors interacting. We are seeing the resultant tendencies of most quantum particles whereas the unique anomalies are so small that we never notice them. Of course, there are any number of ways to percieve the processes of the universe. As noted with Flash, I believe that his time sense is not only faster than our, but also offset so that he remains a little in the present, a little in the past and a little in the futre at all time. He has different seconds than we do.
back to the Green. Life itself is an emergent principle. Also, there is some evidence to suggest that there are quantum particles involved in the creation and maintenance of life (somatid theory). The idea here is that all life is the result of the interaction of specific quantum particles that are even more fundamental than the genetic molecules of DNA and RNA. Now, just the fact that gravity exists suggests that every piece of matter is somehow connected in some extradimensional sense. Also, there is the quantum particle concept that when two particles emerge from the "quantum foam" in a vacuum, the action of one particle will have an instantaneous equal and opposite reaction in the other REGARDLESS of the distance between them.
Personally, I believe that if we ever figure out the quantum interconnectedness of particles that emerge together, we will be on the verge of figuring out gravity. I believe that gravity is that force and came from the "big bang" emergence of our universe in the primordial quantum foam. This means that all the particles of our universe are quantumly interconnected and their behavior is the result of this interconnectedness playing out on a massive scale.
of course, that's neither here nor there, the point is that in the DCU, the Swamp Thing can shift its consciousness to experience and becoem a part of this interconnectedness. Of course, he can only experience the interconnectedness of certain kinds of particles, plant life, and that is what the green is. It is as if the "computer" of the universe has many access codes for different programmers and the Swamp Thing only has a certain security clearance for manipulating the basic structure of the world.
This is how I see magic. Science is the manipulation of the world according to our idea of it, our limited human perceptions. Magic is the manipulation of the universe from the perspective of the basic laws of the universe. Magic is superhuman science in this sense and requires (like the Flash) perceptions of a multitude of aspects of the universe that defy human comprehension. At the same time, advanced magicians(Shazam) and races(Oans) have obtained certain levels in the basic cosmic system and can prevent the unprepared or malicious from attempting to manipulate the universe through magic if they are ignorant of its needs and purpose.
The Zeta beam is an interesting kind of space warp. Essentially, three dimensional space is curved. In other words, if you travelled in a straight line relative to the rest of the universe and did not adjust in route, you would eventually end up back where you started due to this curve in space.
Now, we can't really percieve the curves from this dimensional viewpoint, but if you looked at the universe from the vantage point of four or five dimensions, then you would strat to see the spiralling inward nature of space.
Now even though the speed of light is an absolute, there are plenty of examples of instantaneous transportation or teleportation in nature. There are dual particles that affect each other's behavior instantaneously no matter what the distance between them. The Gravity of the moon is interacting on us with no intervening delay and Electrons often appear to teleport during quantum tunneling.
Basically, this means that from the vantage point of a dimension that we can't fully percieve, these points are in some way interconnected.
The Zeta Beam penetrates through the dimensions and connects the "physical information" of two points in the 3-D universe. In other words, as the 3D universe "falls" through 4th dimensional space (i.e. time) the beam maintains a correlation between the two points, on on earth and the other on the alien planet to which Strange travels.
The teleportation itself is accomplished by reaching into the fifth dimension and "pinching those points together" along Strange to cross billions of light years instantly.
Unfortunately, the "pinching" is a cyclic acton and when the energy dissipates, it reverses the changes made in space (but not time) and sends Strange back to Earth.
A similar method was used by the first Martians who came to earth a few million years ago. Through wars, they eventually devolved to what we now know as the human race, but it was one of their teleporting devices that sent John Carter to Mars in the late 19th or early 20th century.
The Martians, however, developed a secondary system to prevent the "whiplash" back to the teleportation point of origin. Essentially, they traded the teleported person with the same amount of gasseous mass.
How did a communication device malfunction so badly as to become a matter transporter?
Note above when I talk about dual or perhaps bipolar particles having an "instantaneous effect" on each other.
Essentially, what these scientists did not understand and the martians did, is that they had tapped into a faster than light "information exchange" process rather than a "communication" process.
Matter and motion (as discussed before) is a form of computation which uses all particles and waves rather than simply electrons (computers) or neurotransmitter chemicals (human brain).
Erdell's research led him to discover that he could accomplish instantaneous transmission of information from any point to any other point in the universe if he set up an "information exchange" field that overlapped higher (in number) dimensions.
What he hadn't realized is that matter and energy are also information and the dimensional field he set up was actually a sort of warp field pinching the points together.
We are a computation that is performed according to the interaction between the field of gravity and the other four unified forces (electricity, magnetism, strong and weak nuclear), the universe's operating system. Erdell throught that he was simply translating the information of his "communication" to a new kind of information processing system. He hadn't realized that he was actually connecting with the basic operating system of the universe.
The constructs from Green Lantern's ring have been called Hard Light, but it is hard to believe that they are made from photons. Photon are the particle form of electromagnetic radiation, i.e. light, and they can exert pressure, but to develop the actual effects of solidity they'd also have to be nearly as bright and as hot as a million suns.
On the contrary, the ring generates a form of field control, especially in the gravitational range, that can repel matter as if it was a solid wall. It is like trying to push the positive or negative poles of two magnets together, except in this case the field has a "hard" edge and repels all matter up to that point. Of course, this mimics the force fields of atoms and molecules. The atom is 99% empty space, so it would seem likely that the atoms of your fist should easily pass through the atoms of a brick wall. Experimentation uniformly (and painfully) proves that this is not the case. The reason is that the electrostatic field generated by the protons and electrons in the atoms are so powerful that they repel the atoms of your hand up to the point of "contact."
However, the field effect does have a photonic component. The gravitational and electrostatic forces generate green light. Also, the Oan's noticed that if they shifted the formulation slightly then yellow light would be able to create a photonic interference deactivating the field at the point of contact. They included this as a further failsafe should a ring fall into the wrong hands.
They did not count on a scientist (Sinestro) cobbling together stolen "hardlight" technology and creating a less efficient ring that could still generate effective constructs, but these fields projected yellow rather than green photons taking advantage of the Corps' self-imposed weakness.
According to cutting edge mathematical and physical thinking motion in the universe is a form of computation. In other words, when you pour coffee into your cup in the morning, that action is performing a material calculation, an algorithm, based on the operating system of the universe, the laws of nature (Gravity and the other forces). Now, the fastest "processing" speed is C, the speed of light. As relative motion approaches C, then reality comes close to breaking down. Space and time warp and matter comes very close to breaking down. The same thing happens when matter approaches the temperature of absolute zero which denotes no molecular motion at all. Matter at that point condenses into "superatoms" which are basically undifferentiated information, potential but unused data in the processor of the universe.
The Speed Force is an extradimensional space-time "processor" designed to "upgrade" the local environment of the Flash. Basically, it increases the processing speed around the Flash so that he can approach the speed of light without exhibiting relativistic effects. This also accounts for the protective friction"aura" that prevents him from bursting into flames. The speed force's computation creates a tight local field around the Flash's body that makes all molecular contact appear to be no faster than if the Flash was running at normal speed. This also creates an extremely unique perceptual effect in the Flash's mind. While running, he can both experience the relative speed at which he appears to be moving (he can accelerate to near the speed of light) while at the same time he can perceive local events as if they are standing still. Anything within say a six foot radius would appear to slow down the faster he ran while the surrounding environment outside would appear to be r
ushing by. The Flash's are chosen by their inborn ability to handle this perceptual dissonance.
There are a few questions brought up by the speedforce. First, this phenomenon is too sophisticated to simply occur naturally. It is a space-time computer designed to handle motion processing. Who "designed" it? Second, Freezing is a form of motion reduction, the Flash should be able to withstand incredibly cold temperatures by using the speedforce's processing capability in reverse.
Contrary to appearances, Kryptonian, like Kal-El, are not mammals. I don't know what Kryptonian "breasts" are for, but they aren't going to produce milk for babies. Also, Superman's penile appendage is not for reproduction, but that's another story.
In any case, Kryptonian life is a combination of what we would consider plant AND animal life, and their mouths like ours are for eating. Superman is carbon based and needs organic food to stay healthy, but his cells also depend upon a specific kind of photosynthesis.
Hundreds of billions of years ago Krypton was just a giant planet with a dense radioactive crystalline core and megatons of dense rock and earth wrapped around it. It is suspected that the planet may have been the remnants of a neutron star that had accumulated a "coating" of space dust after trillions of millinia spent floating through the nubular regions of the universe. It finally settled in the orbit of a Red Giant star and the first few cells of life formed after a series of comet impacts introduced replicating chemicals and water onto its surface.
Even though Krypton was roughly a third the size of Jupiter, its incredible density gave it nearly 1200 times the gravitational force of that massive planet. Nowhere on Earth even down to the core could you imagine the incredible pressures that were found on the surface of that planet. A paper clip there would weigh roughly the same as the entire population of the continent of Australia.
Naturally, life as we know it would not be able to exist there and most attempts at life failed. Then a strange mutation found the answer. The first Kryptonian virus developed a system by which it could convert the Red Sun's rays into a counterbary (antigravitational) field. In this way, the virus could reduce gravitational effects and proceed to move about and seek out sustinance (other genetic material). Eventually, life progressed much the same way as it did on earth. The pools of viruses coalesced into cells and cells into more complex lifeforms, BUT each contained the Kryptonian counterbaric gene.
Naturally, the Kryptonian dense organic structure required a great deal of organic intake, but volume-wise, there wasn't much difference between the eating habits of a Kryptonian and a human. It's just that here a liter of matter weighs roughli 1 kilogram and there it would weigh several hundred metric tons.
However, density became a disadvantage to life on krypton. As evolution progressed, the counterbaric gene became attached to the nervous development of some beings until it was able to develop a much more diverse field control than simple antigravity. The kryptonians remained very dense but not as much as their ancestors. Eventually, by the time the first advance Kryptonian people evolved, their molecular structure was only ten times rather than a hundred thousand times more dense than humans. However, the field, the Kryptonian Aura, produced by the counterbaric gene had grown nearly a million times more efficient. In this way, Kryptonians, lighter, could walk upright and develop technical skills. Also, other lifeforms with the same gene displaced the denser animals at roughly the same time so Kryptonians rarely had to deal with an diamond hided tiger or the kryptonian equivalent. Nevertheless, kryptonian paleantologists were still fascinated with digs revealing hundred ton s
keletons from the ancient eras.
Now, it is important to note a few things about light. If you look at the spectrum, the rainbow, red light has the lowest frequency. This means that a beam of red light carries the least energy. The counterbaric gene managed to become extremely efficient with red light. Yellow light contains more energy than red. Also (this is rarely noted) Krypton's Red Sun actually put out less light than Earth's yellow.
In the end, Superman's powers are due to an excess of energy affecting the counterbaric gene. It counterbalances the excess by giving him superpowers and heightened senses. Superman may not know this, but the reason he feels driven to be a hero is that his body NEEDS to burn off all that extra energy. If he doesn't it's quite possible that the body itself would eliminate the energy through periodic (and inconveniant) bursts of heat vision.
As to why he loses his powers when exposed to red "sunlight", there are two reactions involved here. First, obviously, red light contains less energy than yellow. But what about the energy Superman stored up before being exposed to Red? It's still there, but when there is a sudden shift in source light, the counterbaric gene goes into reserve mode and starts to shut down the excess power outputs. Superman will remain very dense and resistant to damage, but a bullet will still kill him if shot from point blank range. I'd estimate that he'd have anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on power storage before the red sun completely strips away his invulnerability.
Obviously, his strength cannot be mechanical. To achieve the proper density to accomplish the leverage required for some of his feats, his muscles would be too heavy to move.
But tactile telekinesis is actually a bit misleading when you look at what is actually going on. This ability is actually an evolutionary development of the counterbaric force superman uses to fly. Essentially, as demonstrated by Tesla and others, electromagnetism has the ability to effect gravitation. Superman's Kryptonian cells, eveolved on a planet which lifecrushing gravity, developed the ability to lighten themselves by manipulating electromagnetic forces (these include the nuclear strong and weak forces as well). The cells converted sunlight (weak red in the case of Krypton) into energy that the nervous system would use to regulate gravitation.
In superman's case, there is considerably more sunlight allowing even greater manipulation of weight. Therefore, he can fly at incredible speeds and he can lift impossibly heavy objects. However, it is important to note that he doesn't simply make the objects lighter. Counterbary allows him to manipulate gravity to the point that the earth's gravity can actually repulse objects. For example, a tank has a great deal of mass and that inertia would prevent Superman from even moving it no matter how much he lessened the gravitational pull. The counterbaric force actually allows him to manipulate it exactly as he manipulates his own body when flying. However, note that the more mass he manipulates, the slower he'll have to move.
An interesting side note, When Superman punches through a wall or bends steel, what he is actually doing is spreading electromagnetic manipulation throughout the object he's touching. He's not manipulating gravity in this case, but the other forces that control the arrangement, repulsion and attraction of atoms and molecules in the substance.
I have a few beefs with this series. I mean, if it wasn't for the Scarlet Witch suddenly getting uber, the Avengers would have only got maybe two artifacts at best. The showdown between Thor and Superman was stupid too.
First of all, Thor has had about 1500 yrs more experience in combat than Superman. 2.)Instead of just taking Supermans heat vision in the chest he would have deflected it with his hammer like he does when fighting other foes, no matter how angry he was. 3.)Even without his hammer, Thor and Supes are at about the same strength level. So, c'mon, who's gonna win a fight? A guy with a club vs a guy that doesn't? 4.)Superman is susceptible to magic and Mjolnir is one of the most potent magic items in the marvel Universe, where this battle took place. One smack in the jaw with Thors hammer should have knocked Superman silly. 4.) Thor is NOT stupid, but seems to get easily frustrated when fighting Superman. Then again, maybe he was calling the authors of the JL/Avengers crossovers "sneering jackals" instead of Superman. I know I would if I was in his place.
And c'mon, I love Wonder Woman as much as the next guy, but there's no way she would be able to defeat Hercules,(that is unless Herc was pulling his punches since he was fighting a woman). Herc is almost as strong as Thor, and nearly as old.
But they did get a few things right; Batman acknowledges Captain America's fighting prowess as being his equal or his better. Cap takes on super villians head on and wins consistently. Batman has had less than favorable results when fighting metahumans with just sheer fighting ability, often resorting to gadgets that are suited to defeat that particular foe. Now don't get me wrong, Batman IS the badass, but Captain America's fighting ability is better. Bats had it right when he said "...it is concievable you could beat me, but it would take a long time..." So kudos there.
That's my rant for now. I agree that the JLA is in general more powerful than the Avengers, but there were some battles and pair ups that should have gone in the Avengers favor. It seemed to me that if it wasn't for the Scarlet Witch's sudden increase in power and Iron Man having Mother Box (both of which were "gifts" from the DC universe) the Avengers wouldn't have gained even one artifact, and I think that just plain stinks.
1.)DCU magic is more powerful than Marvel magic.In the DCU, one hit from Thor's hammer DID knock Superman silly.However,in the MU, it just doesn't pack as much of a punch for Superman (who deals on a regular basis with magic that is 100 times more potent).As far as fighting goes, the art has been around forever.There are only so many ways to punch, block, kick etc...Thor being in so many battles does not preclude him from getting hit with punches or rays (heat vision).Also remember that Superman was once trapped in Asgard (DCU) and fought for thousands of years.This crossover was not a voting situation (like the DC vs. Marvel). This was both companies collaborating and makin some canon facts.One of those facts is that Superman will win in a fight against Thor when both combatants are at their proper power levels.
2.)Wonder Womans mother once bested Hercules in single combat.Not a far stretch for her to do the same.
3.)Batman and Captain America are equal in combat skill.This was clearly shown in the book panel by panel.Batman's acknowledgement was a nod to us from the industry that Cap WOULD win after a long time because he has one advantage Batman does not.The Super Soldier Serum.With that Cap will outlast Batman on the basis of fatigue alone.
4.)There are now undisputable facts.The DC earth is physically bigger than the Marvel earth.Magic is much more powerful in the DCU than Marvel.There is no Speed Force in the MU.The MU is a lot more tragic than the DCU.You may not like them, but they are the facts.
July 23, 2049 - Seeking to put an end to the Patriots' reign of terror in the southwestern US, National Guard divisions in Arizona, Texas, Nevada, and Utah were mobilized. Colonel Green's "Regimental Volunteers," as he called them, were better trained and better armed.
August 3, 2049 - After several battles with armed with National Guard units, the Patriots routed their opponents and declared an independent nation in the American southwest called the Neo Confederacy. Although his fellow "Colonels" were happy with their gains, Colonel Green had even bigger ambitions.
September 9, 2049 - ECON attack satellites bombarded several NUN member nations who participated in the talks to oppose the ECON. These attacks were meant to send a message to the NUN that opposition was useless. The Allied war plan expanded to include dealing with the ECON attack satellites.
October 3, 2049 - The Governor of New Mexico, fearing a Patriot takeover, opened talks with the representatives of Colonel Green. Colonel Green saw an opportunity to make an important power grab.
October 5, 2049 - During Colonel Green's meetings with the Governor of New Mexico, armed Regimental Volunteers captured the state capital and executed the state legislature. Colonel Green then offered to have the governor unconditionally surrender to the Neo Confederacy; he took Green's "olive branch." Colonel Green quickly earned the reputation of being a deceptive negotiator.
November 14, 2049 - The Allied nations established a command center in occupied-France to wage the war against the ECON. A separate Allied Space Command was established at the secret U.S. space facility in Colorado run by the Air Force. The two DY-450 ships already assembled were hastily prepped for launch, armed with rail guns, EMP warheads, and kinetic-energy cannons that could unleash a barrage of small bullets into a target.
November 19, 2049 - The German invasion forces in Poland and the Czech Republic inexplicably began to pull back to Germany. Polish and Czech ground commanders ordered their troops to pursue them.
November 23, 2049 - The ECON Command authorized the German military to use low-yield nuclear weapons to fire on Polish and Czech soldiers pursuing the German army.
November 24, 2049 - Germany joined the "nuclear club" when it fired relatively primitive atomic weapons at the Polish and Czech army crossing the German border. Thousands of Polish and Czech troops were killed and the radiation made crossing the border impossible.
December 3, 2049 - In the remote regions of China, the military began to launch new satellites equipped with nuclear weapons into orbit to serve as a new deterrent to the Allies.
January 11, 2050 - Daring prospectors in the radiation zones of America and China discovered a new kind of shocked quartz with a lattice structure similar to lithium. This new substance was dubbed "dilithium," and samples were sent to the planet's leading researchers to analyze it for potential benefits.
January 16, 2050 - The Allies finally developed an acceptable war plan to take on the ECON. The armies of the African Confederation and the Latin American Alliance would serve as the main troops in the war. The Japanese and the Koreans would lead the campaign against ECON China, while the British, Italians, Anglo-French, and the Russians would take care of Germany. The African Confederation and Australia would handle India jointly. The U.S. was charged with waging the war in space and the intelligence war, with the remnants of the U.S. military contributing to the other theaters.
January 19, 2050 - The decision to join the war against the ECON didn't sit well with some Russians. Communist hardliners, still influencing the government even after 60 years of democracy in Russia, had been winning more and more support as the global conflicts escalated. A new communist revolution akin to the one during the first World War was brewing.
February 6, 2050 - Russian Communists marched on the Duma to demand the withdrawal of Russian forces from the war effort. Moscow riot police broke up the demonstrations, but support for the Communists continued to swell.
February 28, 2050 - The Allied offensive began as warplanes began to pound troop concentrations on the French border. The U.S. launched the DY-451, dubbed Republic, and the DY-452, dubbed Independence. Both ships opened fire on the Chinese attack satellites in Earth orbit.
March 2, 2050 - Colonel Green was quite surprised to see that two advanced spaceships were launched from Colorado. He came to believe that the U.S. military's best keep secrets would be found there and started to plot the "liberation" of that state.
March 11, 2050 - Fearing that they would be destroyed, the ECON command ordered the nuclear equipped satellites to be fired. The cities of London, Tokyo, Sydney, and Denver were destroyed. The Allies decided to scale-up their military operations.
March 19, 2050 - The ECON Space Command launched their own combat-oriented space vessels to destroy the Independence and the Republic. These ships were armed with nuclear-tipped warheads.
March 20, 2050: 10:11 GMT - The ECON space fleet, which consisted of 5 attack vessels, closed in on the American space ships.
March 20, 2050: 11:15 GMT - The ECON spacecraft fired their missiles at the American spacecraft.
March 20, 2050: 11:23 GMT - The Republic managed to maneuver out of the way of the nuclear weapons, but the missiles did detonate close enough to the Independence, causing a fatal hull breach.
March 20, 2050: 11:28 GMT - The Republic fired her rail gun to destroy three of the ECON spacecraft. The last two ECON vessels readied to fire their remaining nuclear missiles.
March 20, 2050: 11:30 GMT - The Republic disabled the last ECON ships with their EMP warheads. The American spacecraft docked with the ECON spacecraft and took their crews prisoner.
April 3, 2050 - Russian Communists overthrew the government in St. Petersburg and renamed it Leningrad. Other Communist uprisings in the country weren't as successful.
June 19, 2050 - Newly designed and built armed transport aircraft dropped troops into Germany for quick strikes into military installations then swooped back in to pick the troops up. This was part of the Allies new war tactic to defeat the ECON.
July 19, 2050 - The Patriots attacked a National Guard Armory in Colorado as part of Colonel Green's plan to capture the state.
August 4, 2050 - Allied forces from Japan launched "Death From Above" strikes in China, dropping squads of elite Japanese ninjas in Chinese military installations.
September 15, 2050 - As the tribal wars in the Middle East escalated, both the Allies and the ECON attempted to court the various factions. On this date, the Shiite rulers of Iraq and Iran signed an alliance pact with the ECON. However, the Shiia ayatollahs preached to their followers to not intervene in the war, but to stockpile weapons of mass destruction.
November 18, 2050 - Colonel Green's forces closed in on the Air Force's secret space launch site in Colorado. The President of the United States vowed to end the threat of the Patriots once and for all. She authorized the mobilization of the remaining members of the United States Marine Corps to hunt down the Regimental Volunteers.
January 5, 2051 - The Regimental Volunteers in Colorado were forced to withdraw in the face of the Marines.
February 19, 2051 - Japanese aircraft dropped a squad of ninjas at the personal mountain fortress of Li Quan in Tibet. Although the ninjas were wiped out, they did seriously wound Li.
February 24, 2051 - Like the Japanese, the British Special Air Service dropped a team in Germany on a "decapitation strike" on Otto Muller. Although Muller's private security managed to evacuate him, the SAS did capture many important documents and information about the ECON military.
March 13, 2051 - The ECON Space Command launched unmanned drones into Earth orbit to destroy Allied satellites and installations. One drone was targeted at Tycho City on Earth's moon. The Republic was ordered to prevent the drone from hitting the Lunar Colonies.
March 14, 2051 - The Republic damaged the ECON drone enough to send it off course, thus saving Tycho City from destruction.
April 21, 2051 - The Allies launched the biggest "Death From Above" strike yet, dropping several hundred troops into the German city of Bonn, which had been heavily bombed by air strikes leading up to the attack. The troops in the city continued to get reinforcements dropped in by the Allies to hold the city.
May 9, 2051 - With no one to question it, the New United Nations passed a resolution banning the hunting of animals for sport.
June 4, 2051 - Japanese and Korean forces dropped Special Forces and ninjas into several military bases in China. Many of the Chinese military leaders were eliminated.
June 26, 2051 - American Marines attacked the Patriots positions in New Mexico. The Regimental Volunteers began to pull out after Colonel Red was killed in battle.
July 19, 2051 - Allied forces dropped troops into Dresden and Munich. Australian and African forces landed troops into India as the South Asian front opened.
September 22, 2051 - Scientists from the Lawrence Livermore laboratory announced that they discovered that dilithium possessed a unique fourth-dimensional lattice structure that allowed equal volumes of matter and antimatter to safely pass and come into contact with each other, creating a high energy plasma. However, there still wasn't a way to safely store enough antimatter to create enough of this plasma to make a viable power plant.
November 13, 2051 - Japanese aircraft bombed a bunker where it was believed that Li Quan was living. Li had escaped and started to flee to the Chinese-Mongolian border.
November 21, 2051 - A Japanese ninja squad operating on the ground in China located and attacked the convoy carrying Li Quan. Li Quan was killed. During his reign, Li had executed millions of Chinese dissidents, to say nothing of the millions of Americans killed during the nuclear attack in 2049.
February 2, 2052 - Allied troops landed in Hamburg, Germany. Precision Allied bombing had dramatically lessened German resistance.
May 15, 2052 - Australian and African troops captured the capital of India. . The Indian public was a tremendous help to the Allies, as the totalitarian government frustrated them.
July 9, 2052 - British and Anglo-French forces dropped troops in the suburbs of Berlin and prepared to take the capital of Germany, and ultimately the Eastern Coalition of Nations.
October 2, 2052 - The Andorians began to settle Wehtaan for the first time. The Vulcan High Command became suspicious that this planetoid was being used by the Andorians as a military base.
November 16, 2052 - After a bloody siege lasting for months, the German government formally requested talks for a cease-fire after Chancellor Muller committed suicide. The Eastern Coalition was defeated, but Earth was still at war.
December 29, 2052 - American Marines pushed into Arizona. Colonel Green ordered that the Regimental Volunteers pull back into Nevada. He had one wild card left to play.
January 4, 2053 - American Marines surrounded the city of Las Vegas, where Colonel Green's deputy Colonel Amber was held up with a large contingent of the Regimental Volunteers. Green and a handful of his soldiers drove north to the secret American base called Area 51.
January 19, 2053 - The Allies and the ECON formally signed a cease-fire, ending at least part of World War III.
February 9, 2053 - Islamic radicals in Yemen purchased a large cache of ECON nuclear weapons from a Chinese arms dealer. This was on top of the multitude of nuclear arms they had purchased in the years since the revolution. They were quickly mounted on Iranian-built long-range missiles.
February 23, 2053 - The Yemenite militants fired their nuclear missiles, targeting several major cities in Australia, Africa, Europe, South America, and what was left of the United States. This final nuclear holocaust devastated even more cities, killing millions. The Australian and British militaries fired their own nuclear weapons at Yemen, devastating the country. Missiles were also fired at Yemen's allies in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Almost all of the nuclear weapons on Earth had been expended in the past four years, killing upwards of 600 million people. Only 37 million of these people were soldiers and combatants. A global Dark Age soon enveloped the Earth.
March 11, 2053 - Colonel Green's troops finally emerged from the deserted Area 51. Most of them had been killed by an unusual radiation in the base. Green remained in the complex to find what he believed was an alien spacecraft so he could flee Earth just like Khan Noonien Singh. An air strike by one of the few remaining Air Force aircraft wiped out the base using "bunker-buster" munitions. It was believed Colonel Green was killed in the attack.
March 16, 2053 - The United States Marine Corps broke through what was left of the Regimental Volunteers' lines in Las Vegas. They took Colonel Amber's headquarters in the Caesar's Palace casino, finally ending the reign of terror of the Patriots. World War III was now officially over. The United States was devastated, except for the only city to escape destruction, San Francisco.
January 24, 2054 - Dr. Zefram Cochrane finally found a way to power his "warp drive," as he had taken to calling it. In his private lab in an abandoned nuclear missile silo near Bozeman, Montana, he had discovered that the only power source known to humans that could power the warp drive was a matter/antimatter reactor that used dilithium crystals to create the high-energy plasma that fed directly into the "warp nacelles."
April 16, 2054 - The New United Nations, such as it was after the war, passed a resolution completely outlawing the development, construction, and use of nuclear weapons.
September 13, 2054 - With great reluctance, the Lunar Colonies were abandoned when resources from Earth to keep it running ceased.
August 19, 2058 - Philanthropist Micah Brack introduced Zefram Cochrane to aeronautical engineer Lily Sloane. The two began to confer on how to design a space vessel equipped with Cochrane's warp drive.
December 15, 2061 - Zefram Cochrane and Lily Sloane finished designing their prototype warp ship dubbed the Phoenix. Sloane secretly hoped the warp drive would raise humanity out of the ashes of World War III, so she picked that name. Cochrane kind of agreed with her, saying he liked the name because it sounded "kinda kick-ass." Sloane and Cochrane set out to scrounge for materials to build the Phoenix. Micah Brack donated a few high-quality dilithium crystals and a magnetic bottle containing antimatter to the project.
February 4, 2063 - Cochrane and Sloane, along with a growing group of Montanan locals helping with the project, finished assembling the Phoenix. They planned to launch the Phoenix on April 5th.
April 4, 2063 - A Borg Sphere arrived from the year 2373 to disrupt the flight of the Phoenix. The Borg were almost successful in destroying the missile complex in Montana, but the U.S.S. Enterprise arrived from 2373 and destroyed the Borg ship. Debris from the Borg ship fell into loose orbit of Earth. A large chunk of debris, along with the remains of a couple Borg drones, landed in the Artic Circle. An away team from the Enterprise beamed down to Montana.
April 5, 2063: 11:08 MST - Zephram Cochrane became the first human to travel faster than light when he engaged the warp drive of the Phoenix. The T'plana-Hath, a Vulcan survey ship, detected the warp signature of the Phoenix. After much debate and some consultation with the Vulcan High Command, Commander Solkar of the T'plana-Hath ordered the ship to change course and land on Earth.
April 5, 2063: 19:43 MST - The T'plana-Hath landed near the missile complex in Montana and made First Contact with humanity. It was hoped that this contact would usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for humanity, but they had a long road to get there.
April 6, 2063 - The governments of Earth went into an uproar with the revelation that an alien ship landed in the United States. It was demanded that the Vulcan crew meet with the New United Nation's Council.
April 8, 2063 - Commander Solkar addressed the New United Nation's Full Council at the organization's headquarters in Glasgow. He described his people as a peaceful and logical race and vowed to help Earth as it emerges as a member of the interstellar community.
April 10, 2063 - The Vulcan High Command was not enthusiastic about Solkar's address to the humans. They had reviewed the historical records of Earth's Third World War and were concerned about the repercussions of letting such an "aggressive" species loose upon the galaxy. A decision was made to monitor and control the progress of human space exploration and expansion.
August 15, 2063 - The space agencies that survived the Third World War combined to form the United Earth Space Probe Agency. Zefram Cochrane was named to the Board of Directors.
May 9, 2064 - At a commencement address at Princeton University, Zefram Cochrane related the story of First Contact to the graduating students. He also told of a race of "cybernetic creatures" that had tried to interfere with the launch of the Phoenix and of a group of humans from the future who thwarted them. He would later recant the story, and it would be written off as another alcohol-induced fantasy.
June 17, 2065 - The UESPA launched the S.S. Valiant. The ship was captained by Carlos Tarasco and her warp drive was designed and built by Zefram Cochrane.
March 7, 2067 - The UESPA, deciding to attempt to contact distant civilizations, launched the warp-powered space probe Friendship One. The probe was loaded with a message of peace, instructions on how to build a warp drive, and an open invitation to visit Earth. The Vulcans were opposed to the launch, saying that it was extremely reckless.
June 15, 2067 - Under the auspices of the UESPA, the S.S. Conestoga launched from Earth to colonize a planet 20 light years away from Earth dubbed Terra Nova. The Conestoga's warp engine was designed and built by Zefram Cochrane.
August 6, 2067 - Settlers landed on Mars. A group of independent colonists created a small, self-sufficient settlement at Utopia Planetia.
September 16, 2068 - The Valiant, after wandering in space for three years, fell through an unstable wormhole. UESPA controllers on Earth lost contact with the ship, and the Vulcans were unwilling to send an expedition to locate the Valiant. The ship reappeared several light years near the edge of the galaxy. Seeing a golden opportunity to set a few exploration records that even the Vulcans would envy, Captain Tarasco ordered the ship to head towards the edge of the galaxy.
March 3, 2070 - After a disastrous encounter with an energy barrier at the edge of the galaxy, the S.S. Valiant was destroyed by its own Captain Tarasco after one of his crew members developed powerful telekinetic abilities.
July 6, 2075 - A radical government seized control in much of Europe. Distrustful of practically everybody, this "Optimum Movement" used neurochemicals to control its own army. The government was brutal, trying criminals in kangaroo courts with no lawyers.
April 19, 2076 - The S.S. Conestoga arrived at Terra Nova, where its colonists began to settle the planet. The Conestoga herself was dismantled to construct the habitats for the colonists.
September 16, 2076 - Earth received the first transmissions from Terra Nova.
July 13, 2079 - The fascist regime in Europe reached its peak, sentencing thousands of those who didn't meet their standards of purity to death.
July 4, 2079 - The U.S. Virgin Islands were admitted as a state in the United States of America, becoming the 53rd State in the Union.
March 8, 2081 - A revolution in Europe aided by the United States government overthrew the fascist regime that had executed upwards of 6 million people. The governments of Europe united under the European Hegemony.
November 4, 2081 - The UESPA planned on sending another 200 colonists to Terra Nova, but the colonists there objected. Contact was lost following that heated exchange when an asteroid struck Terra Nova.
January 9, 2082 - The Vulcans stepped up official contact with Earth in the wake of the blossoming peace on Earth. Solkar was assigned to Earth as the first Vulcan ambassador.
February 5, 2086 - The UESPA began planning an audacious project to start terraforming sections of Mars.
March 17, 2090 - Zefram Cochrane successfully tested the Warp 1.5 engine on his test ship Phoenix II. The engine well surpassed his expectations by traveling at Warp 1.8, meaning that humanity was close to breaking Warp 2.
August 15, 2094 - Zefram Cochrane led an expedition to Alpha Centauri Prime. He would eventually take up residence there.
December 13, 2096 - The Earth Cargo Authority was chartered on Earth to facilitate trade ships leaving Earth for the outer colonies and the new alien worlds that had made contact with Earth.
December 4, 2100 - The UESPA landed a terraforming team on Mars. The increased "meddling" of the Earthers angered the Martian colonists already on Mars.
March 7, 2103 - Fed up with further Earth interference, the Martian colonists signed the Fundamental Declaration of the Martian Colonies. The United Martian Colonies declared independence from Earth.
August 15, 2103 - The J-class freighter E.C.S. Horizon was launched from Earth. Zefram Cochrane designed the Horizon's warp drive.
January 1, 2111 - Jonathan Archer was born on Earth. As an adult, he would command Earth's first "starship."
July 4, 2113 - The United Earth government was officially chartered in San Francisco, one of the few cities touched by World War III. Regional capitals were set up in San Francisco, Paris, Kyoto, Lima, and Cape Town. Almost every nation on Earth joined the new global government, except for Australia, who abstained from joining. The Vulcans vetoed a plan to create a United Earth space-based military. The United Earth Space Probe Agency, formerly a civilian organization, agreed to become a government entity in exchange for the added funding.
March 5, 2115 - The Vulcans, who believed that humanity simply was not ready for advanced technology, rejected a request by the Earth government for technological aid.
July 19, 2117 - The Y-class freighter E.C.S. Liberty was launched from Earth's Hokkaido Independent Shipyards. Captain Alger Sanders took command of the ship and moved his family onboard.
April 5, 2119 - The UESPA opened the Warp 5 complex on Earth to develop a faster means of propulsion. Zefram Cochrane was on hand for the dedication, stating that the starships that would be developed there would allow humanity "to go boldly where no man has gone before." Cochrane left Earth aboard his ship Phoenix III and would never be heard from again.
June 6, 2123 - The European Hegemony launched the modified DY-500 vessel S.S. Mariposa. The vessel carried two groups of colonists bound for separate planets.
October 9, 2134 - The United Earth government, in an attempt to broaden the powers of their space forces, ordered the UESPA be dissolved and created the organization called Starfleet. Starfleet maintained the UESPA's mission of exploration, but took on the added duty of patrolling Earth trade routes and colonies. Starfleet wasn't exactly a military; it was more like a space-based version of the old American Coast Guard. Starfleet took up residence at a massive headquarters complex in San Francisco.
January 3, 2135 - Starfleet launched the Repulse, the first ship of the NT-class. The ship had a maximum speed of Warp 1.9 and saw duty as part of Starfleet's Earth protection forces.
March 4, 2137 - Tribune T'Pol joined the Vulcan Science Directorate.
April 5, 2142 - Starfleet, in cooperation with the Warp 5 Complex, began the NX Project. The goal was to test out an engine system designed by the late Dr. Henry Archer. Eventually, the working Warp 5 engine would be used on Earth's first "starship" to be dubbed Enterprise, at the request of the late Zefram Cochrane.
March 9, 2143 - Starfleet Commander A.G. Robinson piloted the NX-Alpha past Warp 2 and peaked at Warp 2.2 before the test ship broke apart. Robinson became the first human to travel at that speed in a human-built spacecraft and the first human to eject in an escape pod at warp.
March 11, 2143 - In an unauthorized flight, Commander Robinson and Commander Jonathan Archer piloted NX-Beta up to Warp 2.5. The spacecraft held together and returned to Earth. The Vulcans ordered all the NX prototypes be grounded until further tests could be run. Robinson and Archer were grounded for three months.
October 12, 2143 - With the NX Project on indefinite hold, Starfleet opted to begin work on an interim class of ship. The first ship of the NW-class, dubbed Independence, was due to launch in four years.
June 4, 2144 - The Vulcans finally admitted that Henry Archer's engine design would work and the NX Project resumed.
June 11, 2144 - Commander Hector Ramirez piloted NX-Gamma to Warp 2.5 to duplicate Robinson and Archer's flight before work was started to go past Warp 3.
February 19, 2145 - Commander Duval broke Warp 3 in the NX-Delta test ship. Convinced that Henry Archer's design would work in a full-scale ship, Starfleet and the Vulcans authorized the construction of Enterprise NX-01.
October 5, 2145 - The first tests of the new transporter device on Mars ended in a large-scale accident, destroying the laboratory and killed all but one person inside who was a member of the Military Assault Command Operations security detail. Subsequent usage of the transporter was limited to low power experiments involving non-organic test subjects.
March 21, 2147 - Starfleet launched the Independence. The NW-class ship had many design features that would be used and improved upon in the much larger NX-class. The ship was capable of traveling past Warp 3. The next two ships, Intrepid and Republic, were scheduled for launch before Enterprise.
July 4, 2150 - After years of holding out, the nation of Australia joined the United Earth government.
August 15, 2150 - Denobulan Dr. Phlox arrived on Earth as part of as part of the Interplanetary Medical Exchange.
September 19, 2150 - Starfleet selected Captain Jonathan Archer to command Enterprise NX-01. There were several accusations of nepotism in selecting the son of Henry Archer to command the ship powered by his engine, but Starfleet Command said that Archer's record made him the ideal choice. Rumors suggested that Captain A.G. Robinson was in line to command Enterprise, but the Vulcans, who felt Robinson was too reckless and passionate, vetoed his assignment to Enterprise.
March 19, 2151 - The Klingon Defense Force launched the I.K.S. Reclaw, the first D6-class battlecruiser. It represented a considerable leap in Klingon starship design. The ship was so new that many of her systems were untested prior to launch. The Defense Force ordered the ship to undergo extensive trials in and around Klingon territory before they would authorize the construction of more ships. The design, if successful, would be the most advanced warship in the quadrant.
April 6, 2151 - A resistance movement against the Suliban Cabal led by Sarin uncovered evidence of a plot by the Cabal to spark a civil war in the Klingon Empire. Also, Sarin's people learned that the leader of the Cabal, Silik, had been receiving technology and orders from the future as part of the ongoing Temporal Cold War. She met with a Klingon courier named Klaang on Rigel 10 in order to prevent a civil war.
April 8, 2151 - While en-route back to the Empire, Klaang noticed that a Suliban Cell ship was following him. He plotted a course towards Earth's solar system to lose the Suliban, setting in motion events that would mark the beginning of humanity's participation in interstellar affairs.
Warp drive works by distorting the fabric of space. Simply put, the drive generates a distortion in the "space-time continuum" - a space warp, using "exotic matter", both in front of and behind an object, that propels it faster than light. Specifically, space-time is contracted in front of the ship and expanded behind it and the starship rest in a "warp bubble" between the two spacetime distortions. This warped space, together with the region between it, accelerates off at warp speed and the result is a wave in spacetime along which the starship surfs.
It can travel faster than the speed of light because the starship is, strictly speaking, stationary in the space of its warp bubble while spacetime itself is moving. Since the spaceship itself is not accelerating, it experiences no time dilation where time passes at different rates for people travelling at different speeds in normal space. So the passage of time inside the warp bubble is the same as that outside it.
Warp technology is fuelled by the matter-antimatter reaction of deuterium and anti-deuterium mediated through an assembly of dilithium crystals, which are nonreactive with antimatter when subjected to high-frequency electromagnetic (EM) fields. This reaction produces a highly energetic plasma, which is channelled by conduits to the plasma injection systems and ultimately through the warp-field coils, which generate warp-field energy.
Warp field coils are composed of cast verterium cortenide surrounding a core of densified tungsten-cobalt-magnesium contained within a nacelle of standard duranium and trititanium construction. In some vessels these nacelles are mounted on variable-geometry pylons to allow them to travel at greater speeds. Further advances in technology allow the most modern starships to feature newly redesigned warp nacelles that eliminate this need for variable-geometry nacelles while still obtaining the speed benefits.
The frequency at which the warp field coils are energized dictates how many layers of warp field energy are generated, much like the skin of an onion. Higher warp speeds require greater numbers of these fields to be generated. These fields cause the warp-capable ship to make the transition into subspace, with each field forcing the ship farther down into subspace. The number of warp coils also influences at what frequency the warp coils must be energized to achieve a specific warp speed and increases the maximum speed of a vessel. For example, the Galaxy class vessels with 18 coils have a top speed of warp 9.6, and the Sovereign class with 26 coils has a top speed of warp 9.95.
The overlapping warp fields generated by a pair of warp engines is what allows a starship to maneuver at warp. Failure of one engine can cause a catastrophic reaction as the delicately balanced warp fields increasingly go out of phase with one another, and can ultimately tear a starship apart.
The warp field of a starship is persistent for up to four seconds following the shutdown of the matter-antimatter reactor as the remaining plasma in the system is exhausted. Ultimately, though, the starship must drop out of warp following such a shutdown.
Warp drives are what makes starships go faster than light. Warp travel is a non- "propulsive" technology. It moves the ship, but it doesn't propel it in any particular direction. Impulse power" operates in the same way as twentieth-century rocket technologies and is thus propulsive with inertial effects; that is, once you turn off the rockets you keep moving forward.
Warp drive does not share propulsive effects or the additive advantages of inertia. Since it operates by creating a separate subspace field, you could instantly stop a ship under warp drive if you could kill the subspace field rapidly enough.
The "stress-energy tensor" mathematically describes each point in four dimensional spacetime it is linked to the mass and energy distribution of normal space (nonsubspace). This distribution and flow of the stress energy of matter is dependent on the surrounding stress-energy tensor, which defines the curvature of four-dimensional space-time. Matter-energy within the warp (or subspace) from the matter- energy outside of the field due to the violent change in the frame of reference produced by the plasma stream within the warp field coils in the nacelles.
This violent change in the local stress-energy within the subspace coils would rip the fabric of space except that nature produces a subspace field around the event to gradually fix the tear. This in effect spreads the event over a general area in a subspace field that looks similar to a gravity field originating from a gravity well and protects the spacetime continuum. It can be manipulated into asymmetric propulsive fields.
Matter within the field is removed from normal space and anchored to the frame of reference of subspace. The effect of this is to allow matter within the field to almost completely bypass relativity's obstacles and allow phenomena such as faster-than-light travel. The limiting factor is the energy required to disassociate the matter from normal space. This energy must be continuously applied or the subspace field gradually dissipates and brings the matter back into normal space.
Subspace is a field that defines a particular frame of reference at all points in known space. It is composed of an infinite number of cells like a honeycomb. A ship entering warp uses subspace so as to keep its frame of reference regardless of speed. The asymmetrical peristaltic warp field propels a ship by pushing against each anchored reference frame of subspace. The first field coil anchors the ship to the occupied position in subspace, then passes the field along to the next coil along with its anchored position in subspace, and so on down the nacelle.
It is not necessary to add extra nacelles to increase warp speed. Once a warp field is established, it takes pure engine power to push toward warp 10. The nacelles create the warp field and sustain it. The number of nacelles is determined by the size and mission of the starship, although three nacelles is a very unstable design. Two extra nacelles made the Constellation-class starships very agile.
Before the current environmentally friendly, movable warp coils on the Intrepid-class starships, ships that went faster than warp 5 polluted space with localized "rifts." The new warp drive technology is top secret, but it has been publicly speculated that the drive could eliminate the risk of pollution because of the orientation of the warp fields (nacelle position), new materials, the configuration of the warp coils in the nacelles, or by computer manipulation of warp formula to synchronize and shape the warp fields.
Dedicated warp coils may produce a subspace distortion field around the nacelles to facilitate moving them quickly. Gravimetric force fields may also be used to move the nacelles.
The relationship between Warp, subspace and "Normal Space" is always the most difficult concept to grasp when discussing stellar physics. Subspace is simple the 'substrate' on which our universe exists. The "subspace barrier" is the albeit flimsy dividing line between the two continuums and a 'Subspace Field' is either a natural or artificial intrusion of subspace into Normal Space.
Each point in subspace coincides with and equal point in Normal Space while the universe exist as a series of spheres, one nested inside the other. Each layer of subspace is smaller as you approach the center. When traveling through subspace, as in Warp, you don't actually move faster, but simply make the distance smaller. It can be said, in error mind you, that you bend or warp Normal Space to make it smaller.
The closer we sink towards the central point, the shorter the distance traveled. Subspace is like a pressurized fluid contained within a balloon of normal space. Causing a rupture in the skin allows subspace to come gushing out, explaining the importance of the Warp 5 speed limit. If subspace were to leak out, eventually normal space would collapse just like a balloon with the air let out.
A ship accelerates at faster than light by establishing a powerful, asymmetric subspace field around the ship by the warp nacelles. This warp field wraps around the ship in a two-lobed bubble, with the focus at Main engineering (by design). The shape of the ship determines the efficiency of the field, and this explains why the starships have such a sleek design. Meanwhile, the subspace field reduces the inertial mass of the ship, aiding in maneuvering.
In fact, a small subspace field is kept around the ship at impulse speeds, so the Impulse drives have less mass to push around. However, this is only a side effect and is not the mechanism used to allow faster-than-light travel.
The subspace field forces the ship to take on the reference frame of subspace itself, which is a special reference frame, circumventing the limits of Special Relativity. So if an artificial subspace field can mimic true subspace and allow faster-than-light travel by warping Normal Space and relative distances, what keeps a ship from accelerating into infinitely. Simply a subspace field must be sustained with energy. Without constant energy the field decays and the vessel slips back into Normal Space.
Scientists, in June of 2048 discovered the existence of the substrate within which our universe exists. A domain outside normal three dimensional space, they named this place "subspace". They found that certain energetic reactions could create an intrusion of this domain into our own space, altering the behavior of things within our spacetime. They called this intrusion a "subspace field". With subspace being a continuum with different laws than our own, subspace fields had the capability of "warping" the spacetime continuum. This led scientists all over the world to foresee the advent of faster than light communications.
While a doctoral student at California Institute of Technology in January of 2049, Zefram Cochrane first postulated that a spaceship could use subspace fields projected by a series of coils to warp the fabric of space and that ship could use the warp to propel it faster than light. This drive would work by contracting spacetime in front of the ship and expanding spacetime behind it. The starship itself would rests in a "warp bubble" between the two spacetime distortions. This warped space, together with the region between it, would accelerate off faster than the speed of light and the vessel would then surf the wave in spacetime created by this distortion.
Travel at velocities exceeding the speed of light would be possible in this fashion because the starship would be, strictly speaking, stationary (relative to the space of its warp bubble) while spacetime itself would be moving. Since spacetime itself would be moving and the starship would not actually be accelerating, it would experience no time dilation, allowing the passage of time inside the vessel to be the same as that outside it.
In January of 2050 interplanetary probes charting and surveying a variety of geological features on the solar system's inner planets discovered a new kind of shocked quartz with a lattice structure similar to lithium on the moons of Uranus. This new substance was dubbed "dilithium," and samples were sent to the world's leading researchers to analyze it for potential benefits. Once on Earth, bids flew in from the scientific community to get their hands on the unique new material. But it was Zefram Cochrane, working in seclusion at his Montana reservation, that made the biggest breakthrough of all.
Dr. Cochrane began experimenting with the properties of dilithium, particularly after witnessing first hand initial experiments by a scientist named Igi Yamora at Tokyo University, that proved that dilithium had the ability to resist antimatter bombardment. In 2054 he finally found a way to power his "warp drive," as he had taken to calling it. In his private lab in an abandoned nuclear missile silo near Bozeman, Montana, he had discovered that the only power source known to humans that could power the warp drive was a matter/antimatter reactor that used dilithium crystals to create a high-energy plasma that fed directly into "warp coils", which are made of a substance called verterium cortenide. When this substance is energized, it would cause the energy frequencies in the plasma to shift into subspace, generating multilayered subspace fields he called "warp fields" that would form a "subspace bubble" that envelops a space craft. The craft could cross the light-speed barrier by manipulating these fields to warp the geometry of space.
A philanthropist named Micah Brack introduced Cochrane to an aeronautical engineer named Lily Sloane in 2058 and the two began to confer on how to design a space vessel equipped with Cochrane's warp drive. In December of 2061 Cochrane and Sloane finished designing their prototype warp ship dubbed the Phoenix. Sloane hoped the warp drive would raise humanity out of the ashes of World War III, so she picked that name. Sloane and Cochrane set out to scrounge for materials to build the Phoenix. Micah Brack donated a few high-quality dilithium crystals and a magnetic bottle containing antimatter to the project.
Cochrane and Sloane, along with a growing group of Montanan locals helping with the project, finished assembling the Phoenix using the frame of an old Titan V nuclear missile in February of 2063. They planned to launch the Phoenix in early April. On April 5, 2063 at 11:08 A.M. Zephram Cochrane became the first human to travel faster than light when he engaged the warp drive of the Phoenix. The T'Plana-Hath, a nearby Vulcan survey vessel passing the outer rim of the system detected the warp signature of the Phoenix via subspace monitoring techniques. After much debate and some consultation with the Vulcan High Command, Captain Solkar of the T'Plana-Hath ordered the ship to change course and land on Earth.
At 7:43 that night, the T'Plana-Hath landed near the missile complex in Montana and a small contingent of Humans and Vulcans came together to exchange greetings, resulting in humanity's first official contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. The next day, the governments of Earth went into an uproar with the revelation that an alien ship landed in the United States. It was demanded that the Vulcan crew meet with the New United Nation's Security Council. Commander Solkar addressed the Security Council at the organization's headquarters in Glasgow on April 8. He described his people as a peaceful and logical race and vowed to help Earth as it emerges as a new member of the interstellar community.
The Vulcan High Command was not enthusiastic about Solkar's address to the humans. They had reviewed the historical records of Earth's Third World War and were concerned about the repercussions of letting such an "aggressive" species loose upon the galaxy. A decision was made to monitor and control the progress of human space exploration and expansion. The Sol System was so richly endowed with dilithium on the crystalline outer planets that it was one contributing and secret factor as to why the Vulcans became so interested in Earth affairs. Soon Earth and Vulcan became firm affiliates in trade and commerce.
On August 15 the space agencies that survived the Third World War combined to form the United Earth Space Probe Agency. The organization's mandate from the start was to explore and chart the more promising star systems close to Earth with the intention of investigating colonization potential. Zefram Cochrane was named to the Board of Directors. Due to the spectacular success of Cochrane's experiment, the Deep Space Mining Corps was established in 2064. Its mission was to oversee the mining of the precious dilithium ore from the outer planets.
Cochrane successfully tested the Warp 1.5 engine on his test ship Phoenix II on March 17, 2090. The engine well surpassed his expectations by traveling at Warp 1.8, meaning that humanity was close to breaking Warp 2. Cochrane later led an expedition to Alpha Centauri in 2094. He would eventually take up residence there.
The Earth Cargo Authority was chartered on December 13, 2096 to facilitate trade ships leaving Earth for the outer colonies and the new alien worlds that had made contact with Earth. The crew of these ships would later spend years travelling from one planet to another with whole generations of these "space boomers" growing up in space, and the ownership of ships would often be passed down family lines.
The United Earth Government was officially chartered in San Francisco on January 4 of 2113. Almost every nation on Earth joined the new global government, except for Australia, who abstained from joining. The Vulcans vetoed a plan to create a United Earth space-based military. The United Earth Space Probe Agency, formerly a civilian organization, agreed to become a government entity in exchange for the added funding.
In April of 2119 the UESPA opened the Warp Five Complex on Earth to develop a faster means of propulsion. Zefram Cochrane was on hand for the dedication, stating that the starships that would be developed there would allow humanity "to go boldly where no man has gone before." Later that year Cochrane left his home at the Alpha Centauri colony aboard his ship Phoenix III and disappeared in space soon after, with official records listing him as missing and presumed dead.
On October 9, 2134 the United Earth Government, in an attempt to broaden the powers of their space forces, created an organization called Starfleet. Using a massive complex in San Francisco as headquarters, Starfleet maintained the UESPA's mission of exploration, but took on the added duty of patrolling Earth trade routes and colonies. Starfleet wasn't exactly a military; it was more like a space-based version of the old United States Coast Guard. The UESPA became an ancillary arm of Starfleet, usually operating only research vessels and probes.
Starfleet, in cooperation with the Warp Five Complex, began the NX-Project in 2142. The goal was to test out the Warp five engine designed by the late Dr. Henry Archer. Eventually, the working Warp five engine would be used on Earth's first starship to be dubbed Enterprise, at the request of the late Zefram Cochrane.
On March 9, 2143 Starfleet Commander A.G. Robinson piloted the NX-Alpha past Warp 2 and peaked at Warp 2.2 before the test ship broke apart. Robinson became the first human to travel at that speed in a human-built spacecraft and the first human to eject in an escape pod at warp. In an unauthorized flight on March 11, Commander Robinson and Commander Jonathan Archer piloted NX-Beta up to Warp 2.5. The spacecraft held together and returned to Earth. The Vulcans ordered all the NX prototypes be grounded until further tests could be run. Robinson and Archer were grounded for three months.
With the NX-Project on indefinite hold, Starfleet opted to begin work on an interim class of ship on October 12 of that year. The first ship of the NW-class, dubbed Saratoga, was due to launch in four years.
In 2144, the Vulcans finally admitted that Henry Archer's engine design would work and the NX-Project resumed on June 4 of that year. Commander Hector Ramirez piloted NX-Gamma to Warp 2.5 on June 11 to duplicate Robinson and Archer's flight before work was started to go past Warp 3. Commander Duvall broke Warp 3 in the NX-Delta test ship on December 19. Convinced that Henry Archer's design would work in a full-scale ship, Starfleet and the Vulcans authorized the construction of Enterprise NX-01.
Starfleet launched the Saratoga under the command of Captain Brody on March 21, 2147. The NW-class ship had many design features that would be used and improved upon in the much larger NX-class. The ship was capable of traveling past Warp 3. The next two ships, Intrepid and Republic, were scheduled for launch before Enterprise.
After decades of holding out, the nation of Australia finally joined the United Earth Government in the summer of 2150. That year, on September 19 Starfleet selected Captain Jonathan Archer to command Enterprise. There were several accusations of nepotism in selecting the son of Henry Archer to command the ship powered by his engine, but Starfleet Command said that Archer's record made him the ideal choice.
While en-route back to the Klingon Empire in April of 2151, a courier named Klaang noticed that a Suliban cell ship was following him. He plotted a course towards Earth's solar system to lose the Suliban, however the Suliban pursuit ship forced down Klaang's ship. He crashed in Broken Bow, Oklahoma on Earth, where he managed to kill the two Suliban that chased him, but was seriously wounded by a local farmer's plasma weapon. Jonathan Archer persuaded Starfleet and the Vulcans to allow the almost completed Enterprise to take Klaang back to Qo'noS. The Vulcans ordered that Subcommander T'Pol accompany Enterprise as both a science officer and an observer in exchange for star charts. Dr. Phlox, a Denobulan, joined the crew as the ship's medical officer.
On April 13, 2151 the Enterprise NX-01 was launched from Earth orbit under the command of Captain Jonathan Archer. After several detours, Enterprise arrived at Qo'noS on April 20 to deliver Klaang. The Enterprise took advantage of a spatial rift that allowed the ship to reach Qo'noS in only a few solar days and it was the Vulcans' star charts that showed Enterprise the whereabouts of this shortcut.
Captain Archer's ship then officially began her pioneering mission of several years to explore deep space. The Enterprise's revolutionary new engine put humanity within reach of thousands of inhabited worlds, compared to the small handful at lower speeds.
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