Foreword This article covers everything about the Dark Design world that every character should and would know. The information is common knowledge to any educated 20th century American. A second article that will cover the information given to characters that are federally sanctioned will be forthcoming. Keep in mind that the information in this article may not be 100% true, history can be perverted, and the media does warp facts. History The history of the Dark Design world follows the same course as the real world's history. The same empires rose and fell, the same wars were fought, the same people ruled. The difference was that in 1939, men with superhuman capabilities appeared. During World War II nearly 50 or more superheroes appeared and easily three times as many supervillains as well. Shortly after the war, most of these superheroes would retire, until the 1950's, when only a half dozen superheroes remained active. The world would go back to normal for a time until the mid 60's, when the superhero population had another population boom. In the span of two years the number of superheroes went from a half dozen to a score. The number of superheroes, and villains, would rise steadily over the next two decades. That trend lasted until 1998, when the supervillain team Genocide would ultimately cause the deaths of over a score of superheroes. Now new heroes are need more then ever to replace those who have died in battle. Captain Infinity The first superhero was Captain Infinity, and he is known by many as the greatest superhero of all time. He made his debut in Manhattan in 1939 when he saved the life of a woman falling from a skyscraper. Captain Infinity was America's first line of defense against the Nazi's evil superheroes. His greatest enemy during this time was Ubermensch, the Nazi counterpart to Captain Infinity. Their final battle would be on D-Day, when Ubermensch led the Nazi troops in defense of Normandy. Their battle would rage on in the sky above the American troops. Ultimately Captain Infinity would emerge victorious. For the next decade Captain Infinity would protect America and the world from evil, often joined by Miss Infinity, the Infinity Kid, and Epic the Infinity Dog. Infinity's greatest enemy during this time was Lord Evil, and the two fought many times during the fifties. Then, in 1962, Lord Evil changed the rules. He killed the Infinity Kid, sunk the mythical Island of Mu, where Captain Infinity gained his powers, and revealed Captain Infinity's secret identity, Dr. Marcus Conner, to the world. Then, in 1963, Lord Evil attempted his most hideous crime. He attempted to kill Mary Miller, the long time girlfriend of Dr. Marcus Conner. Captain Infinity barely managed to arrive on time to stop Lord Evil from killing Mary, and Infinity was forced to take Lord Evil's life in order to save her. After the tragedy of Lord Evil, Captain Infinity changed his approach to his life as a superhero. He revealed his secret origin to the world, describing how as an archeologist in 1937 he found the lost continent of Mu, and how the spirits of the city bestowed great power upon him to protect mankind. Infinity also retired his identity as Dr. Marcus Conner. Now, he was Captain Infinity twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. He would always be there when the world needed him Soon after Infinity reformed the Order of Freedom and Liberty, the superhero team he was sometimes a part of during the 40's. Of anyone on the Order, Captain Infinity served the most as its chairman. In 1978, Captain Infinity would leave his home in Manhattan, and take up residence on the Order's newly built Satellite. Over the years Infinity would help stop many villains and monsters that would threaten the world, such as Doctor Destroyer, Mechanon, the Omega Monster, and many, many others. Tragically, Captain Infinity's life would end in 1998, with the rest of the Order, fighting against Belial, the creator of Genocide. The Order of Freedom and Liberty The Order of Freedom and Liberty was the first, the longest lasting, and the most respected superhero team. The Order was started in 1941 and lasted nearly ten years. In the sixties the Order was reformed, and soon became the world's greatest superhero team. The Order would last for thirty more years until the tragic explosion, which would claim the lives of all the members of the Order. The heroes of the Order were icons; they influenced nearly every generation of superhero, and were known and loved by the people that they protected. The world is a far better place because of the heroism of the Order of Freedom and Liberty. Cosmic Man and Doctor Killdare who felt that the many superheroes across America should work together as a team founded the Order. The heroes that joined the Order were Minuteman, Conquest, Lady Liberty, Dan Dangerous, Mr. Merlin, Hope, the Rock, and Condor. These ten heroes would work together during World War II to protect America from threats both from the Axis powers and from the home. The Order was there on D-Day, helping American troops push back the Nazis. Condor died that day when the villainous Ubermensch crushed Condors skull in. Conquest apparently died on D-Day as well from a tank blast, but would return nearly forty years later, he brain having survived and been transplanted into an android body. The Order lasted for four more years after the war until 1949 when the last official meeting was held. Most of the team's members went into retirement at this time, and in 1950, Cosmic Man officially disbanded the team, which were only he, Killdare, and Lady Liberty at that point. Minuteman had gone overseas to fight for America's interests, and the rest of the team had simply retired. In 1965 Captain Infinity reformed the Order, and Dr. Killdare, Cosmic Man, and Minuteman joined up with him, as well as five new superheroes: Flux, Lightspeed, Beowulf, Miss Infinity, and the Serpent. They fought many threats, such as the Alliance of Evil, the Great Beast, the original LSD, Gorga, Surtur, Devastator, the Soul Snatcher, and the Master of Puppets. The team would remain the same until 1970 when Minuteman left. He wanted the team to go to Vietnam and end the war, the rest of the Order disagreed. So Minuteman resigned, never to return. Minuteman would be replace by Pyre, a hero who controlled fire. The next several years would see more membership changes. Doctor Killdare would retire in 1971, to be replaced by the Morrigan, and Cosmic Man would leave a year later to be replaced by Rubberman. The next few years would be stable, at least when it came to the roster of the Order. During this time, old enemies were fought and new ones made, the most notable being Archimago. In 1977, Serpent would disappear from the team, after a battle in Asia. It has never been clear what happened to him. He would be replaced by Poltergeist, the spirit of the 1940's hero known as the Spook. Next year, the Order would team up with StrikeForce to defeat the Omega; a monster that would take the life of Lightspeed before it would be stopped. Up until then, the Order had kept its numbers at nine. After the death of Lightspeed, the Order decided to expand its membership to eleven. Three new members joined at this time, Dirge, master of sound; Andromeda, the armored warrior; and Sehkmet, the lion headed goddess of Egypt. Sehkmet was an especially unique recruit due to the fact she had fought the Order several years earlier. Two years later, Doctor Killdare would return to the team, ready to fight crime again. Then in 1982, tragedy again struck the Order when Rubberman died by the hands of the Archimago. Soon after he was replaced by Archon, who helped the team stop Archimago once and for all. The next casualty would be Sehkmet, who died in an explosion set by Doctor Destroyer in 1984. The team would not get revenge until a decade later. She was replace by Dragon Claw. Sehkmet would return fifteen years to join the newly formed Order of Freedom and Justice. A year after Sehkmet died, Pyre retired from the team, and from being a superhero. The fifteen years of crime fighting had finally caught up to him. He was replaced by Knick-Knack, the shrinking inventor. After that three more members would join, Mech-199, the creation of Mechanon that rebelled against his creator; Photon, the man of energy; and Savate, the French martial artist who was formally part of Project: Tomorrow. The next decade would be rough for the Order. They would fight many power threats, such as Doctor Destroyer, Belial, Black Anne, the Society of Sodomy, FEAR, Tyrant, and many others. But no evil would manage to harm the Order, at least until Genocide came along. Genocide was a group of the most powerful villains who had fought the Order over the last few years. It was lead by Belial, the man who believed himself to be the devil. In the first confrontation, Morrigan lost her life. In the last confrontation, fought on the Order's satellite against Belial himself, the Order would all die. During the battle, an explosion went off, destroying the entire satellite and all with in. Only two heroes have survived, Flux and Archon. They were the greatest superheroes that the world has every known. They gave their lives to protect the world they loved. Their deaths were possibly the greatest tragedy the world has ever known. The Teams Besides the Order of Freedom and Liberty, there have been many other superhero teams that have protected the innocents. Here are some of the most famous teams of superheroes.
StrikeForce: In the seventies, it wasn't the Order that was the best-known superhero team, it was StrikeForce. Started in 1969 by Swashbuckler, Lightrune, Phosphane, and Shadow Walker, it lasted for fifteen years, until Shadow Walker officially disbanded the team in 1984. CyberKnights: From 1987 to 1994 the CyberKnights were the superhero team of Atlanta Georgia. The most notable characteristic of this team was their unfortunate end. Nearly the entire team of the CyberKnights died in a battle with their greatest enemies, the Renegades. Only one member is still active as a superhero today, Dynamo, who now goes by the name Cyberknight, in respect of his former teammates. Champions: Defender was the last to join StrikeForce before it was disbanded. Several years later, Defender formed his own superhero team, the Champions. Based in Chicago, the Champions have been one of the two teams that have been filling the shoes of the Order since its untimely demise. Project: Tomorrow: The sidekick team to the Order of Freedom and Liberty, they were comprised of teenager superheroes, most of which were actual sidekicks to members of the Order. This team was forced to disband by the Order when its leader, Target Boy, the sidekick of Doctor Killdare, got Xanadu, sidekick of Archon, pregnant. Most of Project: Tomorrow's members retired soon after except for Savate who went on to join the Order. Primus: Not technically a superhero team, but a branch of the U.S. armed forces. Primus is a crime prevention organization with its specialty in supervillains. Its primary agents are the Silver Avengers, super soldiers, led by the Golden Avenger, the first modern super soldier. Mission Mobius: Not an actual superhero team, but their adventures were often equal in magnitude of that of any superhero group. Comprised of four men and two woman, this team would help out law enforcement in cases to bizarre for the local authorities to deal with. NBC made a TV show based upon Mission Mobius, which ran four seasons. Most people assume that Mission Mobius is a fictional group due to the television show. The Asahi: Japan's number one superhero team, they have been active since the early 80's. Similar to the Order of Freedom and Justice, any active superhero in Japan is considered to be a member of the Asahi. Unlike the Order, this membership is more then hypothetical ideal. Every superhero is required to check in with the Asahi regularly, and to attend meetings if able. The Knights of the New Round Table: The premiere team of England. During its battle last year with Black Anne, a number of the team members were seriously hurt. The team has recuperated since, but is not up to the standard it was before Genocide. Earth Force One: The new official team of the United Nations, Earth Force One is trying to fill the gap left by the death of the Order. Earth Force One also has a notorious reputation due to its initial sponsor, the villainous Tyrant. Millennium Corp: A new hero team, active out of California, they are receiving a incredible amount of press. Millennium Corp claims to be the super team of the next millennium, and is the first corporate sponsored group of superheroes. The New Guard: The Russian superhero team, once known as the Red Guard. When communist Russia fell, the Red Guard split up, with its remaining members becoming the New Guard. The Sentinels: The primary superhero team of Canada, the Sentinels is split into three factions that cover each a third of Canada.
Besides Captain Infinity there have been a number of prominent superheroes over the years that that have captured the imaginations of the innocents that they protect. Here are some of the most well known superheroes.
Dirge: Philadelphia during the late seventies was becoming a haven for supervillains. There hadn't been an active hero in town since Hope in the 40's. Then in 1979 Dirge arrived on the scene. Dirge became a one-man front line against the crime lords of Philly. Like his teammates in the Order, Dirge died in the explosion of the satellite. Flux: In 1964 there appeared a new kind of superhero in Manhattan. Many of the masked heroes before were a bit odd, but they all were human. Flux seemed like something else. He would literally appear and disappear at a moment's notice. Instead of being masked, his face was blurred; it was impossible to tell if he was even human. Some believed Flux to be a myth. But after being one of the founding members of the new Order of Freedom and Liberty, and after a time becoming a more recognizable figure in New York, Flux became one of the most well known heroes in the U.S.. He is the only known survivor of the Order of Freedom and Liberty. Lady Liberty: Lady Liberty was the first hero of Boston back in 1940's. She was one of the first members of the Order of Freedom and Liberty. She remained active until the late 1970's, when, even with her superpowers she had grown to old to continue fighting crime. Her real name was Claire Redford, and through the spirit of America, she could turn into Lady Liberty, hero of the U.S.A.. Lady Liberty made some rather controversial decisions later in her career. She was the only active hero of the original Order who did not join the new Order in the 60's. She participated in many of Martin Luther King's marches, and well as openly protesting Vietnam. Lady Liberty was also a strong supporter of the ERA. Her liberal politics apparently made a few of her old comrades a bit uneasy around her. She died in 1987, from a heart attack. Despite still looking like a 20-year-old when she worked as a superhero, her normal body had finally given out. Minuteman: The first super soldier created by the Army's scientist, he was created back in 1940's to specifically combat the Nazi menace. Minuteman has been active ever since, making his home in Washington D.C.. He was a member of both the original and new Order of Freedom and Liberty, but left the new Order in 1970 when he wished to end the Vietnam conflict and the rest of the Order refused. Minuteman has acted as an agent of the U.S. ever since, placing this country above all others. Minuteman apparently died with the Order. Jetstream: The hero of San Francisco and one of the few openly gay superheroes. Jetstream is best known for his death. He was the first casualty of Genocide. Starburst: In the eighties, Starburst was the most well known solo superhero in America. He was based out of Seattle. He never attempted to be a media darling, but somehow he ended up one. It was a combination of his good nature and his bravery. Starburst often fought enemies that could have been considered way out of his league, such as one victory he had over Mechanon. Starburst retired in 1994, but still will done his costume if he is truly needed. Crusader: The protector of the streets of Chicago, Crusader was known for taking out criminals that the Champions didn't have the time to deal with. During the nineties, when vigilantes became more numerous, Crusader was one of the rare ones who would not kill. About a year ago, Crusader disappeared. Now a similar vigilante protects the streets of Chicago, known as Crusade, who will kill even the pettiest of criminals. Crucifix: The insane vigilante of New York City, he believes himself to be the wrath of God. He crucifies the criminals he captures. The FBI currently wants him for crucifying a New York State Senator. Nazi Hunter: This mysterious individual hunted down and killed Nazi spies during WWII. Little was really known about this hero, but he was the subject of several serials during the times. After WWII he disappeared, but rumors of the Nazi Hunter have popped up over the years, usually in relation to the death of a member of a Neo-Nazi group. Midnight: The first African American superhero. Midnight fought crime in the streets of Harlem, starting back in World War II. He sometimes worked with the Order of Freedom and Liberty, but he was never a full time member. He continued his crime-fighting career until the 1976 when street gangs killed him. His grand daughter has taken up his mantle. The Harbinger of Justice: The most well known vigilante in America, the Harbinger protects the streets of Detroit, considered by many to be the most dangerous city in the United States. Despite the Harbinger's capacity to kill criminals, many law enforcement officials turn a blind eye to his activities. Many consider the Harbinger to be the only real defense against crime in Detroit. Hope: The hero of Philadelphia. Her mother, the first Hope, was a member of the original Order of Freedom and Liberty. When Dirge died, the city of Philadelphia began to have the same problems with supervillains that it had twenty years before. Hope took up the mantle of her mother's superhero identity, and she has pushed back the tide of crime in Philly. She has become a cult figure in the city; gangs who were once criminal now assist her against crime. The graffiti tag of "Hope Lives" now appears across the city.
As there are superheroes, there are also supervillains. These are the most infamous of all the supervillains that have threatened the world.
Eurostar: A powerful group of super terrorists, Eurostar is interested in forcing Europe into a state of anarchy. Led by Fiacho, Eurostar plans have been stopped, but they have never been captured. Billionaire: The nickname for Edwin Wadsworth III, he is the richest man in America. While he has many legitimate businesses, it is suspected his main income is from crime. He is rumored to have his hands in every criminal faction in America. Despite it being common knowledge he runs the crime in the country, there has never been any proof of his crimes that would hold up in court. The Death Bringer: A madman who believes it is his destiny to destroy the world. He has two superpowers, the first is to control any machine, and the second is to completely suppress anyone's superpowers. Death Bringer nearly started a nuclear war, but was narrowly stopped by Minuteman and Midnight II. Death Bringer is now a permanent resident of Prison Station Zero. Omega: The Omega was a three hundred-foot tall monster that only existed to cause destruction. Brought to earth by scientists in 1978 from the negative universe, it went on a rampage that destroyed much of the state of Illinois. It took the combined might of the Order of Freedom and Liberty and StrikeForce to stop the Omega. The battle against Omega would ultimately cost the lives of Phosphene of StrikeForce and Lightspeed of the Order. Ubermensch: The main supervillain of Nazi Germany. He was Captain Infinity's equal opposite. Ubermensch kept the American superheroes out of Germany during the war, and was among the German troops who defended Normandy during D-Day. Ubermensch apparently died that day in a fight with Captain Infinity. The Forth Reich: The Nazi supervillain team who believes in Hitler's dreams of an Aryan rule. The Forth Reich is possibly the most powerful supervillain team in the world. Its leader is the insane Holocaust, a human nuclear power plant. Some believe that Hitler still lives, and he runs the Forth Reich from behind the scenes. Doctor Destroyer: A true mad man. Once he was a Nazi scientist, but he left to create his own path. He always thought the Nazi's were too limited in their views. Doctor Destroyer came very close to taking over the world several times in the 80's. He ruled his own island country, and had many followers, several of which were powerful supervillains in their own right. Finally, in 1994, Doctor Destroyer created his doomsday device, a bomb that would emit a radioactive shockwave that would cover the earth. The result was that nine out of ten people would die from the blast. He recruited half the world's villains to his side, and caused one of the greatest wars of good against evil the world has ever scene. In one night nearly every villain was causing chaos and anarchy across the world. The heroes united to stop the villains, and while this happened the Order of Freedom and Liberty went to Destroyer's island to stop him. Ultimately the Order won, and Doctor Destroyer was mind wiped by Archon to keep this horror from ever happening again. Doctor Destroyer and Menton, his most powerful assistant, would be imprisoned in Prison Station Zero. Genocide: Perhaps the most notorious group of supervillains ever, Genocide's goal was to completely extinguish all superheroes. They appeared in 1998, quickly killing several superheroes, including Jetstream, Krystal Blue, Morrigan, White Star, Wind Blade, and Godfrey. After the initial attacks, the most powerful members of Genocide attacked several of the United State's largest cities. The superheroes of the U.S. managed to put down most of Genocide, but it had left many heroes weakened. In their final attack, the leader of Genocide, Belial made his final assault upon the Order of Freedom and Liberty's satellite. The battle between the Order and Belial would result in the death of all involved. Biohazard: Biohazard is an insane monster with incredible strength that leaks radiation. For nearly two years Biohazard wandered the United States leaving a wake of destruction in his path. It is unknown where he came from or who created him. The Guardians of Justice finally captured him when Genocide attacked all of the major U.S. cities. He now resides in Prison Station Zero. Black Anne: A powerful sorceress, Black Anne is bent on world domination. Black Anne has been active as a supervillain for over twenty years. She was a relatively normal supervillain who used magic when she started her career, but has become darker, more powerful, and more evil over the last two decades. Her archenemies are Morrigan and Archon. She was one of the leaders of Genocide, and led that team against the Order of Freedom and Liberty. Black Anne would later cripple or kill nearly every member of the London Watch. Recently she started to absorb the death energies that existed over Kosovo. Nearly every superhero in Europe fought her when this happened. Only Archon, who had apparently survived the explosion of the satellite, had the power to finally bring her down. Archimago: A powerful undead sorcerer, the skeletal Archimago threatened the Order of Freedom and Liberty back in the late seventies and early eighties. Archimago's battles against the Order would lead to Archon eventually joining the Order to help stop Archimago. Archimago was eventually banished to hell, never to return to earth. The Maniac: An insane serial killer, the Maniac is known for killing over three hundred people. During the forties, the Maniac and Doctor Killdare would fight numerous times. Finally, in 1947, Dr. Killdare shot the Maniac dead. Mechanon: The mad machine, Mechanon is a robot dedicated to destroying all organic life. Its creator is unknown, but every time Mechanon has been destroyed, a new one has risen to take its place. Mech-199, a member of the order, was a prototype Mechanon who had a conscience. Mechanon has fought the Order of Freedom and Liberty and the Guardians of Justice many times over the years. Overlord: The archenemy of StrikeForce, Overlord attempted many times during the seventies to take over the world. He was what Doctor Destroyer was in the eighties and Tyrant is today. Overlord eventually grew tired of trying to take over the world, and retired as a superhero, occasionally helping out StrikeForce. He died quietly in 1996 of heart failure. Deathstroke: One of the most active supervillain teams since the mid-eighties, Deathstroke took a novel approach to world domination. Instead of trying to force it upon the populace, they want to be asked to be the world's leaders. Deathstroke seem themselves as political leaders, with the ideal that its better to have a crook who is honest about themselves then crooks who constantly lie to the public. FEAR: The Fiend, the Enforcer, Angel Eyes, and Retribution, they were four of the most powerful supervillains the Order of Freedom and Liberty had ever fought. FEAR are complete nihilists, more interested in destruction then anything else. After many battles they were finally defeated by the Order and sent to a special prison in the negative universe. Idiot King: Sometimes superpowers aren't what make a supervillain, sometimes its just being completely insane. The Idiot King is a genius without equal, but his mind works on a level that is completely incomprehensible to the normal man. He lives out of Blackgate Asylum, which he seems to be able to escape at will. Doctor Kirby Loo: The sinister Dr. Loo is known as Japan's greatest villain. He threatened the Asahi, and numerous other superheroes on many of occasions, and actually killed Dr. Hiroshima, the most powerful superhero in Japan, and possibly the world. His deeds are all the more impressive due to the fact Dr. Loo had no super powers himself, although he created a number of supervillains. He was a master martial artist with a genius level intellect. Dr. Loo finally died in 1986; committing ritual suicide rather then let the Asahi capture him. The Alliance of Evil: This supervillain team has the distinction of having the most members of any supervillain team, over 50. Originally it was comprised by nine members, each an enemy of one of the founding nine members of the new Order of Freedom and Liberty, it has had more member changes then any other team. Its most powerful incarnation was during the mid-nineties, when the team consisted of Firewing, Timemaster, Dark Seraph, Professor Muerte, Mechassassin, and Sunburst. This version of the team was created with the idea of being the most powerful supervillain team in the world by having the most powerful and effective supervillains join together. It didn't last long due to the egos involved. The Order of Tyranny and Evil: Led by Machiavelli, this team was dedicated to the destruction of the Order of Freedom and Liberty. Formed in the late seventies, and lasting until Machiavelli was put in jail, some of the most infamous villains of the time were part of it such as Black Anne, Devastator, Archer, Skyscraper, Killjoy, Beamline, and Shamrock. Foxbat was also a member. Belial: The man who claimed to be the devil himself. Belial may have been right. He fought the Order of Freedom and Liberty, the Champions, the Guardians of Justice, and nearly everyone else over the years. He first appeared in the late-eighties, and was a constant source of villainy until last year. Belial was the leader of Genocide, and he was the one directly responsible for the explosion of the Order's satellite, and the death of the Order. Fortunately he died in the explosion as well.
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