South Africa via Charles PhippsSouth Africa's superhuman program was quite advanced, in some ways surpassing the United States. This is due to a private agreement between Project: Icarus and South Africa. In the end, of course, the White Sorcerer took it over completely and replaced all of P:I's personnel with his own.
Interesting, in a rather horrible fashion, is the fact that The White Sorceror is perhaos the only scientist in the world to have benefitted from co-operation with the efforts of Project ICARUS and personnel who worked with the original Eugenics Brigade, when those few survivors of Israel's covert operations in Spain after the death of Franco were brought under his aegis (something only those members of the Government who had in fact been Nazi sympathisers during the Second World War were aware of, since every one of the other MPs would have had kittens just contemplating what the United Nations and more especially the State of Israel* would do to them if they found out or would have just gleefully seized the excuse to order him shot for treason - South Africans had fought and died rooting out the Fascists too).
*One of the few nations South Africa had been able to keep something like normal diplomatic relations with after the imposition of Apartheid.
Thankfully, the Red Jaguar destroyed almost all of the fruits of their research before it became a super power of superhumans.
It was, in fact, the success of King Joseph Quatermain in doing just that which persuade PHANTOM that the second Red Jaguar was too dangerous to be permitted to live a day longer - the ferocious efficiency with which he had guarded Nestoria from their efforts (amongst those of many, many others) had been bad enough, but this display of an ability to triumph over enemies half a continent away was enough to convince them to upgrade him from 'Local Difficulty' to 'World-Shaking Threat'.
It is regarded as quite possible that the force of PHANTOM mercenaries which killed the second Red Jaguar was stiffened by several future members of the Praetorian Guard (survival of operations against a Red Jaguar being taken as more than sufficient proof of extraordinary talent in a soldier). This would, in fact, be one of the only cases of actual co-operation between South Africa and PHANTOM - two powers which shared pariah status, but nothing else except mutual loathing.
PHANTOM threw fire on the group as did UNITY, both groups serving as bugbears to the government and Anti-Government forces.
Ironically PHANTOM tended to make inroads with the non-Government crowd (the less ethical personages from that section of the population, at least), whereas UNITY did better amongst those sectors of the Ruling Classes which despaired of the drain Apartheid and the ensuing Sactions put on their nation - a state of affairs with few precedents in the history of either organisation.
Likewise, the early International Crime League made a fortune in the proliferation of drugs as well as weapons. The ICL, of course, never cared WHO they were selling too.
They still don't: Apartheid and UNITY have come, then gone, PHANTOM was never popular - but the heirs of the ICL in South Africa still take in a profit.
Disturbingly, almost no Metamen were ever recorded as being born in South Africa. Those few who did and became superheroes or supervillains or terrorist/freedom fighters (the line was blurry in places) are VERY interested in investigating it.
One suspects that the Tomorrow Nation share that interest and that the Futuremen showed considerable curiosity themselves, back in the day. Interestingly one of the theories most prevalent at the time was that Ultra-Mind had something to do with the disappearences, given that the Cybernetic Sophist was frequently sighted across the African continent, back in the day.
Ironically, the Monster Brigade itself eventually rebelled against the Comrade due to being sentient beings created by the WS using the late Doctor Moreau's research.
One suspects that the abominible Chitin (previously Chitin-girl, before that being decisively cut all ties with EVERY section of Humanity, was a member of the team who provided the 'Monster' in Monster Brigade.
The WS, a.k.a Julius Fauntnaroy, was smart enough to realize that whites had no particular advantage cultural or genetic-wise but had a Hitler-esque plan to eradicate regular baseline humanity and replace it with superhumans of his own creation ruling over a slave caste similarly engineered for his needs. Of course, he himself would be the keystone of this new race.
So yes, the WS is responsible for a few of the "omnicidal genocide" plans of the past. He's responsible for some of the few zombie plagues HED! has suffered.
Any man with the surname 'Fauntleroy' has a lot to overcompensate for - or at the very least a genuinely compelling reason to REVENGE HIMSELF ON CREATION!
It should be noted the Praetorian Guard didn't just fight communists, terrorists, and oppress blacks. Though you'd be forgiven if you believed that.
Well those WERE the preferred pastimes of half the team (AND The Government they served), after all.
The group actually did have some very heroic moments where they ended up thwarting a Tsavong Invasion of the South African government (you think they only invaded the USA and England?), a full-scale D-Day like invasion of the Merrow from the Sea, and fought regularly against superpowered pirates backed by PHANTOM.
One suspects that the isolated state of South Africa at the time made it a particularly tempting target for those elements of the '85 Tsavong Invasion still in the field - unfortunately for them, they arrived right after South African superhuman elements had been rationalised under the banner of the old 'Praetorian Guard': the ensuing boost to organisation AND morale gave the South Africans even more sand in their gullets than usual. Nestorians called the South Africans many things - Fascist, Racist, Imperialist, as well as a range of epithets both less accurate AND infinitely more rude - but 'Coward' at least was never part of that firestorm of verbiage.
One further suspects that the 'Fantomas de la Mer' who dared call himself 'Jolly Roger' was a prime mover in the regeneration of the Black Sail Brotherhood via their temporary alignment with PHANTOM against South Africa - one suspects that the Black Sail boys generated and refined the tactics and strategies which have helped them keep their heads above the water during this Age of Superhumans in combat against the 'Praetorian Guard'.
Of course, they didn't get much repeat business since South Africa liberally employed the death penalty with supervillains.
Well, that and the fact that The White Sorceror kept using them as proxies against Nestoria (amongst other, less fortunate regimes across the World), cheerfully spending their lives like gold in a pub.
Bizarrely, General Venom's book, New Freedom actually created a bunch of African terrorist groups similar to the House of Serpents too. General Venom rarely knew about any of them but they often ended up with HOS equipment sold to them by the Red Spider.
The mind boggles - one suspects that Liberia has a particularly-sizeable organisation of this sort on it's territory, given that it's most powerful minority are descended from American settlers. African-American settlers, to be precise.
Yes, I nearly drowned my keyboard with my drink when I learned that particular tidbit of fact too.
The Praetorian Guardsman (recruited by ME!) What a breath of vile air. Good show.
Ironically, the brand of Portugese Imperialism which The Navigator subscribed was downright liberal by South African standards - it advocated assimilation, rather than segregation, and cultural rather than racial superiority. So long as Portugese citizens of African descent toed the party line, they would be fully paid-up citizens whether they were Black, Brown or Sky Blue.
Sadly defeat in the Colonial War rather destroyed The Navigator's idealism - he would become a thoroughly cynical man more interested in avenging himself on Angola, Mozambique and any who had stood in support of those states. Even so he STILL considered Apartheid a blinkered, short-sighted mess of a system and seldom bothered himself with enforcing it.
He was too busy carving into the enemies off or on the coasts of South Africa.
For the most part, South Africa has forgiven Springbok the first and he's actually worked in close coordination with the country's rising superhuman populace as well as his successor.
It helps that a great many of Springbok's missions were overseas goodwill tours designed to try and persuade the Western World to accept South Africa into the family of nations (not to mention take every opportunity to show off his prowess at sporting events): amusingly he tended to argue good-naturedly with Springbok III over whether Football or Rugby is the better sport and seems to be winning the argument (given that Springbok II is a rugby-loving purist, where Springbok III was tempted into heresy by the 2010 World Cup).
He's even gotten to don his mask a couple of more times.
At the 2010 World Cup and the 1995 Rugby World Cup, to be precise. He's STILL gloating over '95, but then so is Springbok II.
It should come as no surprise the Grayhaven family's African branch fought them on numerous occasions.
Including The Big Game Hunter himself, before AND after his Face Heel Turn, since he'd approached the original Captain Africa regarding a little scheme concerning the profitable mass slaughter of certain endangered species - Captain Africa, having long taken an equally keen interest in becoming king of the Great White Hunters, Fair Play and Wildlife Conservation, chased the cad off his property (only narrowly beating his Leopard familiar - 'pet' implies that Darkie was actually TAME - to the punch).
(To be fair, Lord Grayhaven is quite clear that despite what liberties Burroughs took - he actually routinely fought alongside Africans of equal ability to himself. He considers what happens to Captain Africa's bloodline a crying shame as well).
Captain Africa I spent much of his career in Kenya, hunting Germans (during BOTH World Wars) and the Mau-Mau (when he wasn't wandering the continent of Africa trying to prove himself it's reigning Champion and beyond - because he REALLY disliked Germans).
Captain Africa II spent his career in Rhodesia, alternately trying to win the Bush War and keep foreign threats from taking advantage of the situation: he killed himself after discovering that The Monster Brigade was a SHAM created by the man he'd agreed to serve under - and that the latter had even NASTIER pawns waiting in the wings.
Captain Africa III did his best to bring The White Warlock to Justice, chasing him across half a contient and died trying to repent of his ancestor's follies. Ironically it was Peter Quatermain and Stone Ghost who brought his remains back home for burial. I'm informed that the latter's remarks concerning the habits of Rowland Merrick Mills heirs were ... interesting.
She was offered membership with the Patriots but turned it down, considering that she had more work to do in South Africa.
She certainly did - she's become as much of a mainstay of the South African superhero scene in this era as Orange Matron was in her day.
Ah, what an excellent story.
The worst thing about Balm was the fact that he was quite a quietly-spoken and not-particularly-crazy-Christian: he actually felt guilty about the IDEA of killing someone even after he became convinced that his healing powers effectively wiped the slate clean whenever he used them to heal someone who'd suffered his Interrogations. The man was downright PLEASANT to those who caved in, after he'd healed them, and had the audacity to remain angry with him after that.
After all, how can he be held guilty of inflicting harm when there are no injuries? Besides, he is just doing his j-
HEADSHOT.
The Praetorian Guard (as interpreted by Grey Crusader) One important aspect about the Praetorian Guardsmen was the sheer longevity of the team.
One suspects that it would be longevity via reputation and repeated re-activation rather than simple long-standing: I'd guess there was at least a brief interregnum between the
finis of the Pulp Adventurer/Golden Age incarnation of the team and the bestowing of it's name on a highly distinct superhuman unit in the service of the Republic of South Africa.
They coordinated (and soon incorporated) champions from Allied colonial states (most especially Rhodesia)
One suspects that the Apartheid-era Praetorian Guard grew as large as it did in great part due to following this example by actively recruiting exiles from those states overtaken by the Winds of Change which shook the continent of Africa after WWII.
Though technically dubbed the South African Special Defensemen (by some dull bueracrat), they were more commonly known as Praetor's Pride, after their leader Jerome "Preator John" Shieldsmith, a famed S.A. military hero and guerilla fighter.
Might I suggest that Jerome Shieldsmith was better known as 'Praetoria' John- in the style of 'Indiana' Jones?
I just like the idea that 'Praetorian Guard' as a name derives in some part from Praetoria, one of the capitals of The Republic of South Africa.
Following the end of the Second World War, the S.A. government showed surprising foresight in NOT disbanding the team, but instead going further to organize, train, equip, and back the group with official sanction and public relations/propaganda support.
I would suggest that the team was a particular secret of the South African Government until after the Tsavong Invasion (since knowledge of their success might have attracted even more unfriendly attention than the controversy created by the revalation of their Nuclear Weapons programme - The Soviet Union actually WARNED the US about that one.
Most of the truly heinous activities were committed by The Lawful League, which was composed of cold-blooded murderers, diehard racists who considered non-whites to be subhuman, unrepentant meta-criminals coerced or cajoled into service, and real monsters (mostly brain-damaged aberrations caused by flawed super-soldier experiments). Also nick-named the Eugenics Brigade, Brute League, and Bloodletting Legion, they ranked among the more fearsome supherhumans in African history. It is telling the White Warlock and Balm were the only known Preatorian Guardsmen members who also served with the Lawful League (the White Sorcerer led both teams at various points!)
It's horribly fitting that Apartheid-era South Africa's nastiest supervillains and most famous superhuman defenders were assembled by the same man - albeit not necessarily for the same purposes. Ironically Balm would have been seen by the White Warlock as a MODERATING influence on the Blood-Letting Legion, since he didn't particularly hold with wanton violence - just the infliction of hideous pain with blood-chilling calm on top.
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