Currently Active Major Supers

In the United States there's a large number of major supers, operating at various levels.

In Boston the dominant hero is Nite Owl.  He's an inventor/detective, fairly close in "powers" to Nite Owl of the Watchmen.  Boston (actually Winchester) is also home to the controversial normal Professor Xavier who has set up a school for properly registered mutants, known as the New School for the Gifted.  Some consider him to be demeaning and separatist to the mutants; others consider him to be secretly training them for "something".  

New York is one of the few places with a major supergroup - the Outsiders.  The Outsiders are a dark hero group composed of the Necromancer (a mage using the powers of the dead), Nightshade (a dark force elemental who can steal life force and turn it into power), Desperado (looks like Eddie Maiden of the Iron Maiden covers, but with exposed muscle tissue, he's a gun artist), and Dr. Time (a master of time travel and manipulation).  But it's more known for its resident master of the supernatural, Dr. Strange, who's generally similar to the Marvel version.  

Los Angeles has four major supers.  There's Red Tornado, who's been around for some time.  He's a robotic or android sort of being, rumored to be created by Doc Magnus, who can move himself via a tornado of wind, which he can also manipulate.  A scarier super who appears (?) to be on the side of good is the Ghost Rider, as in the comics a demonic-looking bike rider with an exposed skull of flame.  There's also the mysterious Randolph Mantooth - nobody knows exactly who or what he is, but criminals have surrendered, been found with incriminating evidence, or just plain been beaten without knowing exactly how or why but indicating it was done by "Randolph Mantooth".  There's the brash and exciting Human Flame, just like the Torch he's a flame-on hero - and been featured in many movies in cameo roles.  Finally there's the Great and Powerful Turtle, as in Wildcards, who is a being inside a turtle-like shell that flies; he can shoot power beams from the shell and is quite clever in combat, as well as a sort of off-kilter but well-respected super for his confident awkwardness.  But Los Angeles or thereabouts appears to also be home to the wanted criminal Magneto, who has been acting as a pro-mutants-rights terrorist for more than a decade.

Detroit, incidentally, is known for Doc Magnus (retired FBI) and his Metal Men, often destroyed and often quickly and miraculously rebuilt.   It's also known for the heavy metal mistress Wilting Rose, who uses sonic guitar attacks and just plain attitude in her crusade against crime.  Her unlikely name comes from her early days when the papers added "Wilting" to her self-professed monicker "Rose" when she ran away from conflict when under pressure.  But those days have long gone.  Detroit's also known for the oddest of American supers, the mysterious and just plain goofy Flaming Carrot.  Finally, a street-wise unnamed woman has been fighting "vampires" (a relatively recent form of mutation, mimicking those of literature) and other monsters recently.  This odd collection of supers is no accident - Detroit has a problem with monsters, freakish mutations, and toxicity that has bred a strange environment indeed.  Detroit also has the nation's highest murder rate by far.  Its besieged police have virtually ignored registration laws in defiance of the federal government due to desperation.  The city, desperate for income in the wake of mass unemployment, has allowed several secretive businesses to locate their with virtually no restrictions, fueling the city's mixture of strange "doings" and toxicity.

Chicago is known for the semi-retired Spiderman, who has been around since the late 1940s and started in the southwest.  He's just like in the comics.  Another Chicago hero is Daredevil, master of derring-do as known in Marvel comics also.  Finally there's the Fly, who is similar to the one in Impulse comics, a hero with wings (mechanical?  no one's sure...), strength, great reflexes, and sight.  Chicago is especially known for these heroes who frequent the skyline!  Incidentally, Chicago is also known for a succession of crazed villains taking the identity of the Green Goblin.  

In the American Southwest the Jaguar, an agile brick female (as in Impulse), patrols throughout the area, often hunting the renegade destructive villain the Hulk.

Seattle is known for its sole major super, the Archer (essentially a version of Green Arrow, just not so green). 

Atlanta is home to the decommissioned Punisher, formerly a government agent, now an aging but still brutal combatant against crime.  His methods are controversial and he has remained underground.  He has been linked to some of the white supremacist militia groups.  It's also home to Terminator Jones, a more genuine good guy, also retired from the government - supposedly, anyway.  Rumors abound he is a government agent.  In any case, he specializes in fighting mutant menaces; he himself is a chemically enhanced human along the lines of Captain America but with specialized stun guns instead of a shield.

Washington, DC, is divided now physically into two cities.  One is a heavily patrolled military zone open only to the government.  The other is the residential city, an economically depressed shambles hidden from the tourists.  It's home to Luke Cage, like in the comic books.

Miami is home to the criminal mastermind the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk, who has yet to be nailed but is popularly known as the nation's foremost mafiosi.  It is popularly rumored he is some sort of mutant, perhaps exercising mind control to continue his criminal empire.  But Miami is also home to the Comet (as in Impulse), a flying energy projector and a tempestuous but sincere good guy.  The Wombat also stalks Miami's streets; he's a super but a more brutal vigilante sort, who has achieved dubious popularity for his murderous war on child molesters and wife beaters.   

In the rest of the world, while the metahuman phenomenon has been somewhat slower to grow, there are plenty of points of interest.  Most notably, Russia has become the first major power to see a known metahuman lead the government.  Dr. Victor Domovitch, known to his enemies as "Dr. Doom", is an open practitioner of "magic" as well as an "inhumanly" intelligent inventor.  He was formerly a criminal for his support of various home rule initiatives during the communist era.  Now, as a reinvented Russian nationalist, his intellectual property and zeal have been invested into the unstable mix of Russian politic.  Other major Russian supers include X, a rogue speechless vigilante known for his work against he mob, and the Red Amazon.  The Red Amazon was a favorite of the former communist government and in fact her mother and father, Hammer and Sickle were popular Cold War heroes of the people.  Now she is out of favor with the government and considered a security risk.  She is not exiled but spends most of her time abroad.  A major Russian super-villain is the witch Baba Yaga.

China's popular "child of the people" China Left has become a troubled representative of the nation, simultaneously a friend of freedom-minded students and the controlling government.  Other Chinese supers either serve the government or are virtual unknowns, as the punishment for rogue activity is immediate death.  In Shanghai there is a mutant vigilante and advocate of freedom known as the Black Hood who has survived on the streets for several years.

In India the great hero Screech the Cat battles dark occult conspiracies and violent criminals alike.  Screech is unique as in fact Screech is, to all appearances, a just slightly overgrown housecat. While Screech has no ability to speak, many claim he/she (no one gets close enough to check Screech for sure) has communicated telepathically with them.   While Screech is an accomplished fighter with its fangs and claws, it also is appears to have some mystical powers, though it is unclear what they are.  While Screech may be vicious in battle, it should be said that the cat has never taken a life.  Screech is revered in India and frequently travels to other countries (methods unknown).

Eastern Europe has seen several active mutants, particularly as some of the nations' lawlessness has made that more possible.  The Slav had become the preeminent Slavic hero, slaving to prevent unnecessary deaths and bring an end to the Bosnian wars.  His death has left a void.

More to come!