History
(Updated 09/01/02)
The United States - Birthplace of Mutants
Outside America - Mutants, the '50s Cold War and the Fading Colonial Era (c. 1950-c.1960)
Europe and the Great Mutant Experiment, 1960s
Chaos in Africa and Latin America, 1960s
Asian Conflicts, c. 1960 - c. 1975
Balance of Power in the World, c. 1970 - c. 1990
Russia and Turbulence, 1980-2000
American Preeminence c. 1990 - 2000
The United States - Birthplace of Mutants
Super-heroes started appearing in early 1948 - the first being Superman, basically as found in the comic books. Nobody knew where he came from, though, or what, if any, secret identity he had. He first came to light in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, like Superman, he was also quite vulnerable to krypton, at least in large quantities, and particularly forms which manifested green, which was quickly manufactured by a villain not out of the comic books known as simply "The Mad Scientist" - self-proclaimed and usually followed by his mad cackling. After a crime spree in retrospect aimed at gathering enough cash to afford a stockpile of kryptonite, he killed Superman with green kryptonite bullets. His career was swiftly ended with capture by a character closely resembling Spiderman, first appearing in 1948 in Phoenix. The ball started rolling quickly, spreading primarily but not exclusively from the American southwest and radiating out across the country and beyond.
The world did not take kindly, though, to these "mutants" as they became known (scientists argue over whether they're mutants or mutates, but that's another story). The destructive powers they embodied quickly earned them notoriety due to the few who abused it. It seemed the biggest issue arose with a series of psychotic killers using special powers in their murderous sprees. While most were caught by other mutants, the public became livid as the Evil Brotherhood of Mutants, a crazed group of serial killers and rapists with various superpowers, assaulted some 500 or more people, killing at least 400, in a short two months, all across America. Most troubling was their self-conscious and brazen defiance of society and moreover their organization. In fact, some social theorists argued it was the earlier creation of the Avengers, a group of mutants pledged to organize to do good, that inspired this same organization by their criminal counterparts. Quickly Congress responded by passing the Unnatural Humans Act, under the mutant witch hunt of Joe McCarthy. While McCarthy's career folded when he attacked the military and its use of supers such as Corporal Punishment, he succeeded in establishing the policy that mutants would be registered and their powers outlawed except for where they served the public as a governmental agent. Even unusual weaponry and "unusually applied capabilities" were banned except where given governmental approval and supervised or monitored.
Comic books, incidentally, like in the Watchmen, became focused on pirate and cowboy stories, and later more innocuous sci-fi soap opera, rather than super-heroes in the post-EC era.
As the U.S. entered the 1960s, society attempted to forget about the mutants and Kennedy, emphatically embracing "humanity" and the accomplishments of "hard work", ignored as much as possible the mutation phenomenon. His death by Ricochet, however, sent shock waves through America and stepped up the persecution of suspected mutants.
As the 60s became more turbulent, supers chose sides, engaged in political activism, and, if nothing else, demonstrated they were as diverse and divided a group as the nation itself. Captain Patriot championed puritan American values and went down fighting in Vietnam - only after brutally and covertly attempting to help the government crush student resistance to the war at home. More of a satire than a super, the Peace Baby insisted that everybody must get stoned and used psychic and chemical powers to emanate that vibe. Dr. Strange, the renowned psychic/magician who opened the doors of perception of a generation of mutants, championed the rights of supers, opposed the war, and advocated for an anti-corporate pro-environmental America.
After America won the Vietnam War, the Cold War continued to escalate. The emerging youth counterculture splintered into punks (violently opposed to the system, advocating terrorism), losers (drop-outs who intended to build their own societies), and hippies (advocates of change by peaceful social protest). Against this backdrop unregistered active supers only seemed to proliferate despite governmental opposition.
In 1976 the All-American, the popular hero credited with turning the tide in Vietnam, was discovered as not merely an undercover government agent (explaining his ability to operate boldly), which had long been suspected, but also as a source of psychic tampering on a scale previously thought impossible. And of course worse yet this came about as Nixon had just gotten the constitution changed to allow for a third term. As it turned out, Nixon had invested a considerable fortune, with a number of dubious bankrollers including ex-Nazis living in South America, into a project to chemically and biologically enhance an already powerful psychic such that the psychic could permanently alter people's attitudes and even memories. The All-American was this psychic. While he was suspected to have some psionic abilities, most saw him as an overwhelmingly powerful metahuman possessing great strength, flight, and extraordinary weapons skills. And he was uncovered by Dr. Strange, himself working undercover.
This nearly triggered another American civil war. Nixon at least stepped aside, succeeded by the innocuous Ford for a few months. However, supers became embroiled in a conflict which seemed to embody America's own feelings regarding supers and the government. Some supers, such as the Joker (3rd known incarnation, c. 1971 to 1976) and the Green Goblin, took advantage of the chaos to commit heinous murder and mayhem. Others such as Dr. Strange and his Defenders worked hard to prove that mutants could be moral and upstanding without government supervision. And still others such as Terminator Jones and the Metal Men/Dr. Magnus demonstrated that government law-and-order could be fair and justly enforced. Finally, others working on the side of the government clearly exposed the dangers of power, with the All-American becoming a mass murderer and the Punisher enforcing government dictate with extreme prejudice.
In the end the "good guys" won. Among the mutants, Dr. Strange and his ilk gained a strong upper hand against the rogue, antisocial metahumans. Politically, Jimmy Carter's victory brought a reform of the government's own use of mutants and a general revamp of the government's powers.
At the end of Carter's second term as the United States became weakened abroad, the economy stagnated, and crime continued to rise, the pendulum inevitably swung the other way. In particular the embarrassing spectacle of America held hostage in the bloody 1983 Iranian revolution and the resulting debacle where Hawk and Dove were killed in the rescue attempt served as a turning point in the public's perception. Reagan's close election over Mondale brought an increased use of the government by mutants, from this point on in a more subtle and controlled way. Continued use of supers by the national government was ensured by his foreign policy successes. Notable among them were the increase in pro-American Latin American and African governments in the wake of communism's demise, the "War on Terrorism", and of course the collapse of Eastern European communism. Throughout this period tighter regulations for mutants was restored though proper positive role model mutants were celebrated. Chief among them were the senior Spiderman, the so-called Martian Manhunter J'on J'onzz, and Red Tornado.
A mild recession, a backlash against conservatism, and the confusion of the last couple years of Reagan's last term helped ensure Clinton's election in 1992. Clinton downplayed the roles of mutants in any form while building the still-mysterious agency known as the "Web", which reports to the NSA and tracks mutant activity. While the Web is listed as only an information gathering group, it appears to have a much broader purpose, at least enlisting certain supers to work for the government on occasion and perhaps as an enforcement agency to control other supers.
Outside America - Mutants, the '50s Cold War and the Fading Colonial Era (c. 1950-c.1960)
In the early '50s mutants began popping up throughout the world. Supporting the ambient radiation theory of mutation (as well as certain more laughable conspiracy theories), supers first showed up in Russia. Clouding the issue, though, supers quickly popped up in out of the way places with no clear abundance of radiation.
In the USSR the duo of Hammer and Sickle fought for Russian communism. Hammer, a woman of immense strength, appeared first, in 1951, unveiled in a formal ceremony by the Soviet government. She headed a parade and symbolized Russia's strength. She was not dispatched to the Korean War; such a disposition would have amounted to an overt Russian declaration of involvement and moreover would have benefited China at a time that tension was just beginning to mount between the two countries. Instead she was instructed to bide her time doing great public works and lending humanitarian aid. Another Russian communist hero, Sickle, a flying agile mutant with a sickle, appeared in Korea in 1952. An international incident ensued; the Soviet Union claimed no prior knowledge and, after a couple days' delay and uncertainty, officially recalled Sickle. Unlike Hammer, Sickle was not an "official" hero of the people, but his vigor in defending communism, his high profile, and, more importantly, his immediate obedience to Russia's order determined that he would quickly become one. These two supers with their secret pasts quickly fell into a romance and got married. It's uncertain to this day how much was true romance and how much was government-sponsored.
In any case, more important to Soviet history, in 1953 just as Hammer and Sickle married, Stalin died. It's unclear to what degree they supported Kruschev as he maneuvered to the top but it is clear that they accepted him, helping cement his role. He sent Hammer and Sickle to help quell the Hungarian uprising in 1956, which they did with particular zeal. In fact rumor had it that they did not appreciate Kruschev's de-Stalinization policy.
In secret, Hammer and Sickle also were used to seek out and "educate" other mutants in Russia. That education consisted of ensuring absolute loyalty to the state or imprisonment in one of the gulags (interestingly at the same time Kruschev was liberating millions of political prisoners). This helped keep the presence of other Russian mutants quite a secret throughout the 1950s. It seems Kruschev's goal was to ensure the government would not wield even greater oppressive powers than it had under Stalin; it seems Hammer and Sickle merely wanted to ensure they were the only great Russian heroes.
Elsewhere in the world, mutants popped up in a seemingly random fashion. In the Third World the few who first appeared had immediate impact. In Kenya the super known simply as "Man" headed the successful 1952 Mau Mau rebellion and assisted Jomo Kenyatta's rapid escalation to be the first non-colonial leader of Kenya. Man went on to foment revolution in Congo in 1955 with Joseph Kasavubu, helping him to gain leadership and establish a short-lived independent democracy. His success frightened the white government of South Africa who, after accelerating the apartheid program, paid handsomely to import the English villainous mutant the Ripper to both intimidate the native population as well as to, as it turned out, seek out and destroy Man.
Just as Man moved on to agitate in South Africa, the Ripper intercepted him in combat, reported to an excited world, turning an ideological battle into a sideshow. The 1957-1960 war between Man and the Ripper accomplished at least what the South African government wanted; the nullification of Man as a threat.
In Latin America no such idealism manifested itself. Instead the major supers were mercenaries working for the petty dictators and revolutionaries. The Simian worked first for the Bolivian communists in the 1952 overthrow of the government, then in Cuba for Batista "keeping the peace", before working for Castro, funded by Russian money. The first self-proclaimed mutant Anarchist first appeared in Bolivia as well, also on the side of the communists but quickly turning against them. He was almost killed by the Simian and wandered off to Algeria where in 1954 he assisted in the National Liberation Front against the French but quickly became disenchanted with the Islamic organization. The first Anarchist disappeared shortly after this.
In Europe a number of supers became active but mostly on a small and very localized scale.
Apparently Brezhnev successfully navigated the secret police and the politburo of Russia to lead the quiet coup replacing Kruschev. It was clear he enjoyed the support of communist darlings Hammer and Sickle, and increasingly stories leaked that in fact they were becoming the real power brokers in Russia.
Which may have been yet Brezhnev was not the dull-witted puppet some thought. He understood that neither Hammer nor Sickle controlled the Russian media nor did they have the knowledge or power of the KGB. While details remain scarce, there's little doubt that the couple were set up in Czechoslovakia. Upon the ascension of Dubcek in 1966 and his liberalization of Czech communism, Hammer and Sickle headed into the state to "stabilize" the situation, They were defeated and humiliated by the soon-to-be-legendary archetypical super hero known simply as the Slav; then, adding insult to injury, Pravda reported that Hammer and Sickle were working without authorization and against a "sanctioned" super in a Communist "experiment" being conducted under the direct orders of the politburo.
This signaled a turning point for all involved. Brezhnev's deft handling of the situation over the coming months solidified his position as head of state. Slav became quasi-officially involved in Eastern European governments. Hammer and Sickle became chastened. Czechoslovakia became a center of Eastern European progressivism and a sounding board for Russian experimentation. Overall, this brought about the thaw in American-Soviet relationships of the late 1960s leading to Nixon's "detente policy" of 1970, which in turn confirmed the schism between Russia and China as Brezhnev virtually ignored the collapse of North Vietnam in 1971 (in this universe North Vietnam was affiliated with China rather than Russia).
By late 1972 the Czech experiment folded as economic pressures and the failures of democratization led to the collapse of Dubcek's government and its replacement by a more traditional Soviet-style government. Meanwhile Brezhnev's Russia seemed to be a human-oriented paradise. Hammer and Sickle were decreasingly heard from and from all appearances the government did not need mutants to bolster its position. In actuality rogue mutants were quietly fought and terminated while state mutants worked without exposure. Hammer and Sickle apparently spent more of their time in secret government work in disguise. By 1980, though, the facade could no longer be maintained as the government could no longer afford the resources it was pouring into the law and order effort.
Europe and the Great Mutant Experiment, 1960s
Europe inexplicably remained "behind" the US, the USSR, and eventually even third world regions in the development of powerful mutants. In 1958, the same year he was called to lead and revitalize France, de Gaulle initiated a "search for the French hero", culminating in February, 1960's ceremonial award of "Primary Soldier of the State" to the Freedom Fighter. Later the same month France conducted its first nuclear weapon test in Algeria, cementing France's place as a modern power. Throughout the early 1960s the Freedom Fighter became known as a flamboyant super hero, best known for rescuing the innocent. His earliest test as a formal French hero came early on, during the April Algerian French military coup. In the first day he simply concentrated on keeping things cool and saving lives, both Algerian and French. Just 12 hours prior to de Gaulle's formal denunciation of the abortive rebellion, he began to act peacefully but sternly against the generals leading the revolt. It is still unknown whether the Freedom Fighter influenced de Gaulle or was acting on his orders; in any case, his carefully bold but peaceful actions were an example to all. Later on he became known for his carefully not-too-political involvement in former French colonies where he did much the same, saving lives and assisting the French Foreign Legion on selected occasions. The Freedom Fighter did much to shore up the name of the French in foreign policy, mitigating somewhat de Gaulle's and others' hard line.
While other European countries had scoffed at de Gaulle's "search", by 1961 the English and German were publicly known to be conducting searches of their own, while other smaller European nations were equally clearly open to mutants at home. Almost on cue, mutants began to appear in the rest of Europe.
Dominating the skies of Europe, shining despite the shadows cast by the US and USSR, was the remarkable Miracleman. This British hero exemplified, better than any American or Russian super, the "hero ethic" which would later become the subject of satirical derision. But in his day Miracleman was perhaps the most respected of any. Like Freedom Fighter and later the German hero Wildcat, he stayed mostly out of politics other than being steadfastly anti-communist. In 1963 (the same year France and West Germany signed their treaty of cooperation, the first such agreement between them in four centuries) he formed the Justice League of Europe along with Freedom Fighter, Wildcat, the Nordic hero Thor, and the Italian hero Liberty.
By 1965 things turned sour. Miracleman was said to have known of the Profumo affair and done nothing; though the rumors were never substantiated, they haunted him. In 1966 the Justice League failed to save the infants killed in the Aberfan disaster despite a valiant effort, and worse yet the Freedom Fighter died in a freak accident during the attempt.
The 1968 student revolutions and worker unrest in Western Europe engulfed the nationally-espoused heroes. Worse yet, terrorism suddenly embroiled Europe as the 1960s ended, with the Red Brigades forming in Italy, the Baader-Meinhof forming in Germany, and Irish/English violence rising. The Justice League had no problem fighting obvious terrorists, but in their resistance to communism they seemed out of step. The governments began to put demands on the heroes to stop the strikes and student protests so disrupting the nations. As tensions mounted all the way around, Miracleman disappeared for reasons still unknown. Informally the Justice League was abandoned. Wildcat served the German government just as Liberty did the Italian. But most "second tier" supers went rogue or vigilante. The French successor to Freedom Fighter, the Democrat, joined the student would-be revolutionaries, himself becoming an agitator later. Dark clouds formed over what became known as the "Great Mutant Experiment" as the 1970s started.
Chaos in Africa and Latin America, 1960s
As Africa and Latin America "de-colonialized"
Asian Conflicts, c. 1960 - c. 1975
Balance of Power in the World, c. 1970 - c. 1990
In 1972 Wildcat fell to the Arab terrorists and the Baader-Meinhof terrorist mutant Red Flag. Red Flag escaped as the rest of the terrorists were killed, and went on to shock the world in murdering Italy's hero Liberty. In reaction to this as well as the perceived general failure of the Great Mutant Experiment to protect Europeans, the American model of registration was rapidly adopted in most European countries.
Western European governments saw themselves as a highly specialized arena of war between America and Russia. As America won the war in Vietnam, European officials publicly speculated that the wave of dissension and terrorism in Europe was promoted by the USSR. And they felt abandoned by the US, as it concentrated its efforts in Asia and reeled back NATO support financially. The European NATO members covertly formed an organization of reliable supers to succeed the Justice League under the code name "Justice Sword". This new generation was closely controlled and only performed anti-mutant missions. In 1976 Red Flag, on the run for two years, was found and killed resisting arrest (though rumors have circulated he was outright assassinated); public records do not indicate who was present but it is widely believed that an advanced prototype robot was used (code named "Vision" according to some reports and linked to Doc Magnus), along with the rough British hero Judge Dredd.
By the time Margaret Thatcher came to power in Europe, the conservative swing in Europe presaging that of America,
Russia and Turbulence, 1980-2000
By 1980 the cracks in Soviet society began to show, perhaps most vividly demonstrated symbolically by the sudden and violent open clash between a previously only-rumored Russian super Red Amazon and a black market criminal mutant called the Narrator. Strange booming voices and violent swift strikes by Red Amazon awoke Moscow residents. Red Amazon was successful but in a public way not seen in Russia for years. An ailing Brezhnev was moved finally to admit that Russia employed mutants to suppress crime, and celebrated Red Amazon in a public spectacle. It turned out she was the daughter of Hammer and Sickle; their own characters became rehabilitated as her fortune grew.
No sooner did these events unfold then unsettling news leaked from Leningrad. A local party chief named Domovitch was rumored to have amazing powers of both super-science and magic. Furthering the mystery, his face laid behind a mask for unknown reasons. Little was known about his past but he had a reputation for both ruthlessness against his enemies and unyielding loyalty to his friends. He instituted a "home rule" approach, including an open-door policy for even non-communist residents of Leningrad, with apparently very little Central Committee support. But Brezhnev was so ill that the government was unraveling and at first Domovitch's experiment was allowed. In early 1982 an army column mobilized outside Leningrad and Red Amazon entered the city, heading a sort of parade of tanks. Images escaped to the world media and it became known that the Soviet government, failing in other avenues, was putting military pressure on Domovitch (known as Dr. Hope among a growing Leningrad personality cult) to halt or reverse his reforms. Domovitch literally flew above the city, meeting Red Amazon in mid-air above the tanks. He had donned what would become a trademark iron suit with a folk-ish green cowl and cape. The battle grew atypically vicious as the two fought recklessly. Red Amazon leveled buildings and Domovitch melted the tanks, burning alive the soldiers within. A combination of both Russian and Western journalists coined the moniker which would stick for him outside Russia, "Dr. Doom". The battle ended inconclusively with Red Amazon leaving the city but vowing to return.
It was at this time Brezhnev experienced a stroke. Internal divisions within the Central Committee were exposed as actions against Leningrad were delayed, but before long the military was mobilized for a full-scale assault on Leningrad. Dr. Doom unexpectedly spared the Soviet Union a deeper crisis and went underground. Occasional skirmishes and rare battles between he and Red Amazon continued.
The invasion of Afghanistan in 1983 under Brezhnev's successor Andropov saw more pronounced Russian use of mutants and a clear abundance of such, even if not on the level of America. With the agitation of Dr. Doom and the appearance of the mysterious speechless vigilante X, government corruption and ineffectiveness at home was exposed. Mutants in Russia became popular, similar to American criminal and FBI figures of the 1930s.
But the renewed status of mutants as government agents in the Soviet Union did not last long after Chernenko's brief reign. As Gorbachev came to power he de-emphasized mutants as government agents. As Perestroika began in 1985 he silenced Red Amazon and sent her to "permanent" duty in Afghanistan. As rapprochement with the West began in earnest Dr. Doom was pardoned and allowed to return to power in Leningrad. With the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the rapid disintegration of Soviet influence and even the union itself, chaos erupted among Russian supers. Just prior to the coup attempt against Gorbachev, confrontations between Dr. Doom and Red Amazon resumed, more bloody than ever with hundreds of people caught in the cross-fire and dozens killed. Other mutants took sides, with symbolic more so than effective supers representing nationalist movements in the Baltic and Islamic states and various political movements. Criminal supers, some quite powerful such as the feared Baba Yaga, operated increasingly openly. The Slav made frequent vigilante trips into Russia, assisting the likes of X against a seemingly endless supply of horrific super-crime. The post-coup period with Yeltsin saw severe degradation of the Russian state.
Against this backdrop Dr. Doom essentially created a relatively effective regional government around re-christened St. Petersburg and by 1997 through both public pressure and backroom power struggles ascended to power. It took through the next millennium for him to secure power and establish a strong revitalization program for Russia. In the process he carefully defined his strength by demonstrating his legitimate authority over the likes of Red Amazon. Other mutant operatives for the government were cultivated and organized, and registration became strictly enforced. By 2000 Doom was strong enough to begin moving against the formerly popular vigilante X, demanding that X "conform with the requirements of the revitalized Russian state or become an enemy of the people".