Halt Evil Doer! megaverse thread

[Charles Phipps]

Golden Age Villains Part I

Uber Alles

The Uber Alles have often been called an exercise in tremendous expense towards glorious results that exploded spectacularly. Undoubtedly, they were the largest super team ever assembled with close to a hundred members at their height. However, the Liberators and Liberty-Men held nothing back against them and many were killed in numerous encounters. Only a small number were actually public, unsurprisingly the most pleasant and inoffensive of their ranks.
Rather than list all of them, many who survived only for one mission or so, here are some of the few that genuinely lasted throughout the war.

Colonel Krieger: Claimed by the Germans to be the perfect Aryan specimen, it's fairly obvious in retrospect that Colonel Krieger was a Metaman. Immune to bullets and capable of inhuman acts of speed as well as physical strength, Colonel Krieger was famous for his "Iron Cross" boomerang that he hung around his arm like a shield.

Despite his awesome abilities, Colonel Krieger was little more than a footsoldier who was eager to return to his job as a butcher after the war (seemingly having difficulty with the concept he'd never be able to do so). Colonel Krieger was executed by Count Reich II with a literal 'magic bullet' when he attempted to thwart the offering of a thousand French peasants to Orkus.

Colonel Krieger was impersonated by a Demon for the rest of the war (eventually banished by Doctor Aeon harnessing his faith in Science).

Count Reich I and II: Otto and Ludwig Von Mass are the most famous of the Reich's evil geniuses. Otto was the more reasonable of the brother, a semi-willing partipant in Hitler's biological experiments (though he was operating under pain of death to continue some of the more unstable experiments towards the end of the war). Ludwig Von Mass was, bluntly, insane from the beginning and one of the earliest of Hitler's supporters. Ludwig Von Mass was an occultist and actually empowered by the forces of darkness (having sold his soul to Orkus well during the early part of the war). It was from these two and their shared experiments that most of the Uber-Alles were created.

Otto Von Mass was killed by time traveling heroes from the future (in an adventure I never quite finished) along with close to a thousand German Super-Soldiers that had been successfully created through a slow acting chemical formulae that worked through cryogenics and took a year to mature. Ludwig Von Mass survived long enough to become a American operative, found the insidious Fourth Reich, care for Ludwig's children (Cassius and Serena Mass), and eventually become an undead mummy who routinely menaces the world.

Lady Wotan: Calling Lady Wotan a super-villain is stretching the definition. More precisely, it's extremely easy to consider her one of the most hopelessly naive Germans in a nation arguably suffering keeping its eyes closed. A Teutonic sorceress and pacifist (!!), Lady Wotan was recruited early on for her healing abilities and kept under even greater control than most Uber Alles. It was her immensley powerful magic that allowed many of the supernatural powers to be unleashed upon the Allies.

Lady Wotan was eagerly courted by Sir Percy but also cared for by the Time Master who repeatedly just murdered anyone who would do her harm (Ally or Axis). She was nearly executed several times for stopping both sides from using excessive force during war with her awesome mystical powers. Still, by the end of the war, she was able to shake away the web of lies taught her and was driven nearly mad by what she saw.

Calling down the wrath of Odin on the whole of Germany, she was fatally shot by Sir Percy during the last days of the war. Time Master proceeded to take her away to the future for medical treatment and "to a gentler age, more suited to her temperment."

Parsifal Der Rot: "Percival the Red" or simply "Red Knight" is something of the odd man out in the Uber Alles. Whereas most of the candidates selected for the Uber Alles were drawn from fanatical SS operatives, Percieval Schwartzvald (real name: Percy Washington) was ambivalent about the Third Reich and actually intended to eventually replace Hitler as Furher with a more liberal European state after the war.

A colorful ladies man and self-styled knight, Parsifal was never entirely comfortable with the majority of his associates. Hitler was strict with his handling and never allowed him into too many sensitive topics. A fact that was handled for several of the public Uber Alles. This was partially due to the fact that his psychologists recognized he was 'insufficiently devoted to racial purity' and 'lacking in appropriate National Socialist zeal.' That and he was an American by birth.

Jack Washington's Half-Brother, Percy was not a Nazi sympathizer by politics but was deeply interested in the modernization that Germany was undergoing and immigrated to Deutchland to work on the burgeoning fields of automobiles, computers, and rocketry. It's unsurprising when the Steel Commando debuted in America that a similiar and slightly more advanced version of the armor appeared in German service. Percy was also the first to get the machine to fly, even if he could only do it for short distances. An associate of Werner Von Braun, Jack might have disturbingly won the war for the Third Reich if Hitler had been able to comprehend his designs for things like Jet Packs and orihalcon based space travel (though Percy's American pedigree had a lot to do with it).

Percy was unaware of the Holocaust until the end of the war and immediately surrendered upon crash landing nearby one of the camps (after killing about 30 camp guards and releasing a substantial number of Jews and Romani). Surprisingly, the Nuremberg courts found Percy not guilty of any war crimes (much like Admiral Donitz). The only super soldier found such. Even more unusual, he was also cleared in a later trial in Israel (undoubtedly solely because of his final act during the war).

Percy spent the rest of his life building medical equipment and computers after the war. Refusing an opportunity to come work for Operation: Paperclip.

Ronin-32: A member of the Forty-Seven Ronin (the 47 candidates sent to Germany for their super soldier program from Japan). Ronin-32 was lucky enough to be gifted with the power to control electricity and later developed the ability to fly. Toshiro Mitsubishi was never particularly welcome amongst the German soldiers of the Western front and was little more than an unwitting spy for his own government. He spoke German poorly and only Red Knight and Time Master could speak fluent Japanese (Lady Wotan compensated with her magic at times).

Ronin-32 ended up spending more than two years in an American prison before his sentence at Nuremberg was overturned. The war had left him feeling quite melancholy and it is believed by some that part of the reason was due to the fact that he'd been accidentally transported to the future during one of the many battles with Time Master and exposed to the utter pointlessness of the war.

Ronin-32 died with six other fellow Ronin against the survivors of the Forty Seven Ronin when the later attempted a coup against the Post-Surrender Government. The event rehabilitated his reputation and he is considered a Japanese hero by many.

Time Master: The mysterious Time Master was never particularly welcome amongst the Axis. His first appearance before the war showed him capable of defeating the entire Liberty Men team by himself and subsequent encounters were usually stalemates rather than victories. Dressed like a Medieval monk with a Mirror Mask, Time Master displayed knowledge of the future not only of the Golden Age but also Alexander Timon's own time. His devotion to Hitler was never suspect, it was simply nonexistent and he spent the entirety of the war collecting magical baubles and ancient relics while dolling out the occasional scientific discovery.

Time Master's agenda became clear when he assassinated Death Mask III before he could replace Hitler (the paradoxial nature of the event resulting in Death Mask never taking the trip). Alexander Timons would then discover Time Master was his 21 year old descendant, James Moriarty X who was working for the Time Agency at that time. Given their resemblance, this briefly lead to Alex being drummed out of the Fabulous Five and imprisoned before he could prove his innocence.

[Charles Phipps]

Golden Age Villains Part II

Independents

The Black Phantom: See James Moriarty II.

Dracula: The Prince of Darkness was active during this time and doing what he does best. Cynthia Van Helsing never achieved her desired result of forever destroying the Prince of Darkness but managed to briefly slay him once before his cult restored him to life.

Frankenstein: During the 1920s, the Monster was in control but briefly became an enforcer for the Mob in one of the most bizarre periods of his life.

During the 1930s, Victor once more assumed control over the body and transformed him into a mad scientist working for the Italians (this has always struck many as curious but boils down to the fact that Victor honestly just hated the Von Mass family).

Helios the Sun King: The brilliant Olympian scientist gone rogue, Helios is truly famous amongst the Golden Age villains for being in a league all of his own. Helios is responsible for stories like islands where the world leaders were replaced by robots, inviting all the great super criminals to become part of his New World Order, and pure acts of vanity like stealing the Mona Lisa or Tower of Pisa (I'm quite serious).

The favored enemy of Doctor Aeon, Helios honestly considered fighting his old opponent more important than conquering the world and the two had a genial comraderie that belied their mutual enimity. It is quite likely that Helios was an agent of the Illuminati and he's still remembered for his Paris address. "Mortals, you have failed to keep peace and use your powers responsibly. Therefore, by right of superior knowledge, I claim dominion over the entire planet."

Imhotep: Aladdin's Archnemesis and the Mummy Sorcerer of the Past. Imhotep actually only made two appearances and neither was resolved with Aladdin actually destroying him, instead he simply resealed the awesome figure back in his tomb after returning the defiled items stolen from it (or allowing him to claim a willing bride).

"Mister King": It's difficult to take the stories about Mister King seriously given the naked racism that accompanied "The Yellow Lord of the Underworld!" style stories. However, Mister King was actually a 1,000 year old Chinese Vampire and an agent of the Iron Khan (briefly 6th in command of the Black Hand). Mister King's many martial arts minions and Dragon Lady-esque beautiful vampire concubines are still the subject for numerous Pulp stories.

He was a noted enemy of Kung Fu King, Graywing, and numerous other heroes during this time. Mister King met his end at the hands of Kung Fu King who used the Green Dragon sword to cut off his head. Afterwards, his soul was dragged away by Chinese Bureaucrats to suffer 10,000 years of torment for his various crimes.

Doctor Vlad Mabus: The twisted psychic Prince of Crime. Doctor Mabus possessed attributes very similiar to Fantomas and was the barely disguised inspiration for Fritz Lang's movie character. He could generate illusions, possess people, control them, and communicate telepathically. The favored enemy of Antaeus, Doctor Mabus was a sadist who seemed to delight in destruction as much as actual victory.

Doctor Mabus met his end when his body was killed by the Steel Commando and he transferred his consciousness into a purely innocent young woman. The result destroyed him completely as he'd become literally too evil to survive in a mind without malice.

Queen Pendragon: Arturia Pendragon was a very strange woman by the standards of the Golden Age. Claiming to be the time-lost descendant of King Arthur and Guinevere, she actually hailed from an Empire where Lancelot killed Mordred while honoring his oaths. Outraged by the second class status of women in the world, she used her giant robots to attempt to seize control of the United States to enact social change (Democracy wasn't exactly her thing either).

Arturia was notable for leading an army of quite beautiful warrior women pilots, which was always a problem for Doctor Aeon's Fabulous Five to battle. Her first defeat came at the hands of Cynthia Van Helsing who simply infiltrated the group and knocked her out by stealth ("How Un-Chivalrous"). Arturia was no friend of the Nazis and was released from prison to help design mecha to do battle with them. Even then, she made at least one attempt to snatch the Holy Grail and Excalibur to become Empress of the World.

Due to her mannish attire and forward manner, McCarthy would attempt to question that Queen Pendragon was a lesbian. Survivors of the Fabulous Five scoffed at this, in fact she was quite man hungry. Eventually, she was allowed to return to her homeworld by Merlin who actually had brought her to the planet to teach her a lesson about humility.

[Charles Phipps]

The Liberty-Men

Yet another extremely well done write-up and one that I am anxious to see the results of.

1. Aladdin's entry was enjoyable for its connections to Adrian Eldrich. I keep imagining Adrian keeps a certain lamp on his mantlepiece with a "Do not Rub" place card beside it for visitors. But yes, Aladdin was a fun character that sort of developed in different directions that you've managed to run with.

2. Fletcher and Anthony knowing each other as rival reporters is a fun bit of serendipity and fits perfectly. His attitude towards his lost friend is one that must have been exaggerated by the fact that he's almost certainly been approached hundreds of times by people trying to villify him.

3. I can imagine that Athena and he probably softened their relationship over the decades, especially given the Centurion's encounters with his homeworld. I do suspect that the Centurion never quite got around to worshiping her, noting that he was as powerful as most of the Olympians if not stronger.

4. I'd love to hear about the encounter with the Headless Horseman sometime, a personal favorite of mine given his long history as a Demon Hunter in the place. However, Aquarius and the Patriot is a nice nod to the Invaders. Good choice.

5. The horus bit was a nice cache and tie in to the Treaty of the Gods.

6. Midnight and Graywing do seem to be the types that would work well together.

7. I came up with the idea that Ink Spot and his descendants actually do tap the same dimension as the one of Nacht Krieger. It's just that the Stygian Darkness amplifies the darkness that already exists in one's heart. While certainly no saints, their strong sense of responsibility mixed with natural empathy never really gave the ring a hook to harness.

Thus the darkness bound to their souls is actually muted.

8. Jenny Sprockets and the Centurion's date is just hilariously developed. I can see Athena throwing up her hands in disgust in dealing with a girl only slightly less virginal and homey than Vestia.

9. I keep envisioning Spitfire being the one to give Jet Boy the "Boy" moniker when he very much had been intending on the Rocket Man or the Jetstream Commander.

10. Poor Jolly Roger, if he didn't have a girl in every port then all these turn downs would be depressing.

11.Steel Commando as the reluctant gadgeteer always tickles me for some reason. Nice tie with Daedalus.

12. It should be noted that while Yankee grated on people's nerves, he wasn't a total wash-out as a hero. Few took to defending the country with as much enthusiasm and it'd be wrong to dismiss him as an ugly American. I imagine he probably got along well with Reynard (being committed to freeing France and as bombastic as they come).

His suicidal last stand was as much to protect others as preserve his pride.

[Charles Phipps]

Well, that's the major Golden Age hero teams done. I'll type up the independents and then try my hand at: The Golden Age villains!

(I may or may not post a bit about the Immortals of Earth-627 first.)

Charles, if you have any comments or remarks, please take it for granted that I want to read them!

I can't wait!

I must admit that given your brief mention of the Illuminati in the Moriarty and Holmes family sections I would be interested in learning a bit more about the Heroic Earth institution, particularly as it applys to the Second World War, please.

Any information on Golden Age villains of Heroic Earth which you feel can be posted would also be appreciated.

It's pretty much a precussor organization to Phantom. I never wrote much in the way of notes about it but my idea was that there was a conspiracy that might or MIGHT NOT exist in Heroic Earth still that was handling most of the secret behind the scenes maneuvering behind most major superhuman events.

My only real notes were these.

* The group answered to Enlightened Masters who were, shockingly, the Grigori. The ancient beings masterminding the development of cultures galaxy-wide.

* When the Illuminati decided to back the Axis, half the convocation walked out and fought against it.

* It was supposedly destroyed by World War 2 with the survivors breaking up into various other conspiracies.

* The Illuminati generally recruits the best brains in the world into its ranks. Phantom being something of a gross parody of it.

When I was doing up the House of Serpents history for the Book of Villains, I came up with the Illuminati but decided to restrict it only to a small box due to the fact that it was slightly cheesy. It potentially made General Venom too much into an analogue of Big Boss from Metal Gear (with Michelle Holmes as Paramedic)

[Charles Phipps]

Holy Moley! I'd have pegged Timothy Dalton as that sort of fellow. Did they blackmail him over being camper than a row of pink tents? (The movies, if not the man.)

The joke was that Roger Moore's version, Vincent Templar, was always a lot nastier than his camp appearance gave people credit for. Here's an excerpt from Book of Villains.

Honestly, it's a bit TOO on the nose and the final version will be far less direct and more original.

Vincent Templar

"The Minister fell into a tank of electric eels? I'm sure the experience must have given him quite a jolt."

Vincent Templar was the fourth man to sport the Foundation for World Harmony's Agent 13 status. When the second Jacob Hunter retired from his job and the third one was assassinated soon after his first mission, the Foundation tapped Vincent to take up the mantle. Vincent Templar gave up his own identity to become legendary spy, Agent 13, Jacob Hunter.

Anyone who knew the any of the previous Agent 13s would never mistake Vincent for him. The first was a middle class workaholic with a distaste for female foolishness. The most famous of the Agent 13's (the second) was a rugged man's man with an animal's charm. Vincent was much more an English sophisticate whom didn't seem to pose much of a physical threat. Fortunately, for the Foundation, this harmlessness was just an act. Vincent was excellent at disarming villains with his wit and then cold bloodedly murdering them when their guard was down.

Vincent Templar was Jacob Hunter for far longer than he probably should have been. He served in the role for nearly 27 years before they finally decided to retire him from the position. By that time, he'd fought a ridiculous number of P.H.A.N.T.O.M science fiction plots. He'd saved the entire world on at least two occasions and seen the end of the Cold War.

Retirement after a lifetime of beautiful women and vodka martinis didn't really appeal to Vincent. Unfortunately, his flippant manner had made him a lot of enemies at the Foundation for World Harmony. It was unlikely that they'd allow him to rise any
further in his rank. It was a troubling situation until Death Mask III came to visit him.

Vincent is still surprised that he said yes so readily. Defecting to P.H.A.N.T.O.M after spending so many years fighting it should have been far more difficult. The years had worn away any lingering feelings of patriotism that Vincent might have felt towards his country. Most of his heroic impulses had been set aside with the Jacob Hunter name. Vincent only spent three years as a Man in White before murdering his immediate superior and rising to the Inner Council.

As the Inner Councilman in charge of the United Kingdom and France, Vincent plays the part of P.H.A.N.T.O.M's velvet glove over the iron gauntlet. No country wants to be subject to terrorism and Vincent is willing to guarantee it, in exchange for certain concessions. He's not so blindly ambitious as Death Mask III or the Iron Khan. However, while the former spy is not so foolish as to believe that he could seize the organization from either of them, Vincent Templar is not above covertly aiding Foundation agents in missions against P.H.A.N.T.O.M's more destructive and militant plots. While a black hearted rogue and ruthless traitor to the Crown, Vincent still maintains some decorum. It also is an excellent way of undermining his least favorite people on the Council.

Despite being in his eighties, Vincent doesn't look that much different from his early spying days. Those believing he'd be an easy man to intimidate should beware that he's also prone to sporting a ridiculous number of devices on his personage. Many of these items can lay low even powerful Metamen.

* For his game stats, use the Dashing Spy archetype in Agents of Freedom on page 27.

I imagine him as resembling Basil Rathbone, while his Uncle - and the supporting cast thereof - resemble the original Sydney Paget illustrations.

The original Jacob Hunter was meant to be something of a cross between Neyland Smith and the Ian Fleming James Bond (not terribly nice to ladies that one), so technically David Niven would probably be better but either works well.

His successor was the more manly Jacob Hunter II who was a rugged Scottsman with a ruthless charm.

[dirkgentry2000]

Charles

while I certainly appreciate the incredible stuff in this thread - -I have to note that I've actually paid money for Superlink products with less content than your average post here.

[Charles Phipps]

Charles

while I certainly appreciate the incredible stuff in this thread - -I have to note that I've actually paid money for Superlink products with less content than your average post here.

If it makes you feel any better. I did those HUGE Characterizations threads before this.

So as "free content" goes, it's no different really.

[Libra]

Yes and at least it makes up for my attempts on the thread!

The original Jacob Hunter was meant to be something of a cross between Neyland Smith and the Ian Fleming James Bond (not terribly nice to ladies that one), so technically David Niven would probably be better but either works well.

I meant that those were the references I would use for visualising the characters physically.

I never wrote much in the way of notes about it but my idea was that there was a conspiracy that might or MIGHT NOT exist in Heroic Earth still that was handling most of the secret behind the scenes maneuvering behind most major superhuman events.

Taurus territory if ever I saw it!

Yet another extremely well done write-up and one that I am anxious to see the results of.

You already have, old boy. I'm planning to move out from the Golden Age once I have the heroes and villains polished off.

I keep imagining Adrian keeps a certain lamp on his mantlepiece with a "Do not Rub" place card beside it for visitors.

Oh yes!

His attitude towards his lost friend is one that must have been exaggerated by the fact that he's almost certainly been approached hundreds of times by people trying to villify him.

They don't try it more than once.

I can imagine that Athena and he probably softened their relationship over the decades, especially given the Centurion's encounters with his homeworld. I do suspect that the Centurion never quite got around to worshiping her, noting that he was as powerful as most of the Olympians if not stronger.

The former, definately, although the Centurion simply remained a devout, if nonconformist, Christian all his days. He only kept up the Roman rituals concerning ancestors as a part of remembering his homeworld.

I'd love to hear about the encounter with the Headless Horseman sometime, a personal favorite of mine given his long history as a Demon Hunter in the place. However, Aquarius and the Patriot is a nice nod to the Invaders. Good choice.

Thank you. I'm afraid I'd have to think a bit about the Horseman' encounter with the duo though, it was merely a reference I threw in. Have to be a properly hair-raising encounter. Hmmm. . .

Jenny Sprockets and the Centurion's date is just hilariously developed. I can see Athena throwing up her hands in disgust in dealing with a girl only slightly less virginal and homey than Vestia.

So can I. Antaeus laughed himself silly over the whole affair.

I keep envisioning Spitfire being the one to give Jet Boy the "Boy" moniker when he very much had been intending on the Rocket Man or the Jetstream Commander.

Indubitably.

Poor Jolly Roger, if he didn't have a girl in every port then all these turn downs would be depressing.

Poor unfortunate soul. It didn't help his suit that Amelie DuTemps was claustrophobic.

It should be noted that while Yankee grated on people's nerves, he wasn't a total wash-out as a hero. Few took to defending the country with as much enthusiasm and it'd be wrong to dismiss him as an ugly American. I imagine he probably got along well with Reynard (being committed to freeing France and as bombastic as they come).

I shall take this into account.

Thank you for all the information on Golden Age villains. I shall seek to use it well.

[Libra]

Independent Heroes of the Golden Age

Alexander Atom: You remember those very old B-Movies, where the beast/alien fleet/rubber-masked stuntman is foiled by Good Old American Know-How and pure gumption? You will of course remember the square-jawed hero leading the charge, fighting the good fight and getting the girl?

That would be Captain John Wolf (Jack’s dad). During the Golden Age Alexander Atom would be the smaller fellow with glasses in the background, trying to simultaneously work out how to save mankind using the Wonders of Science and how he got into this mess in the first place. He’s a scientist d- it, not a superhero!

Doctor Atom worked with just about every heroic genius during the war, either behind the scenes or in action and – on a purely intellectual plane – overshadowed every one of them, even Doc Aeon.

Atom was fascinated by the Steel Commando’s expertise in mechanical replication of the human anatomy and they formed a certain camaraderie (through a slightly erratic correspondence) over a mutual reluctance to abandon their laboratories and carefully-planned expeditions for ‘Adventure’ and their quest to create a cogitating unit capable of directing Jack Washington’s ‘steel anatomies.’

(Note: While Alexander enjoyed exploration for its own sake he hated physical confrontation. Nevertheless, his adamantine sense of responsibility and fierce devotion to the moral and ethical use of scientific discoveries invariably led him into peril, his common sense howling all the while.)

During his most intensive period of work after Jack Washington’s death, Dr Atom focussed on attempting to complete his former colleague’s work by creating a positronic cogitator capable of functioning as a mechanical brain. ALEX still regards Jack Washington (snr) as ‘the second of my fathers. A pity about my half-brother, but one is stuck with family. Which explains why young Wolf continues to shed all over my carpet despite my frequent gentle rejoinders to place his refuse in the disposal unit.’

While Doc Aeon’s superior in sheer intellectual capacity there was never any friction between the two, since as Doc Atom put it “I may have sheer brain-wattage on my side, but he has the helpful ability to tie others in knots physically. Not to mention that he has a more practical - Ah, is that the jet-propelled personal aeronautic device I’ve heard so much about? Tell me, do you find Orachlium presents a . . . hem. Span of concentrated attention.”

Dr Atom was befriended by Alex Timmons in ’41 and the two enjoyed a close and congenial friendship for the remainder of Timmons’ stay in the period. Atom returned the favour in 1984, but that’s a tale for another time. Suffice it to say that the two remain good friends – Although Dr Atom has cheerfully informed Alex that his grand-daughters are “Off limits, except as students - in the non-biological sciences!”

Britannia: Far more assertive than Lady Liberty, Anne Pennington was much less impressed by Athena’s teachings of ‘A Goddess in Power, A Goddess in mindset.’ As far as she was concerned that sort of mindset caused nothing but trouble. "It’s a good thing to let your soul reach to the Heavens, but rather awful to send your ego up there as well."

Despite this she got on tolerably well with Jane Hermes, rather amused by her habit of "Fighting crime in her nightie."

The Beacon: As noted above Langston Alright tended to be fairly suspicious of those who wielded the powers of darkness, even in a good cause, this attitude towards Ink Spot somewhat exacerbated by the fact that the two never worked together, George retiring quite shortly after Beacon’s debut.

Langston got on quite well with Horus, the Eagle-Eyed having worked with numerous Light-bringers before, to mutual satisfaction, a relationship resumed in the 1960s by Horus the Avenger. Langston also found Kung Fu King’s Martial Arts useful on a number of occasions and worked with the White Lotus Society on numerous occasions in later years, although his membership in the Order of Light has tended to work against him when interacting with the Society.


Codename Kilroy: The consensus amongst the intelligence community is that if anyone knew who Codename Kilroy is/was/will be, then Jacob Hunter was that man. As he once – and only once, since he disliked talking about the matter - put it Kilroy was ‘One man and many men, with all the time in the world.’

Doc Aeon: The single most influential hero of the early Golden Age, having worked – discretely – with just about every heroic individual or team, his morality was a significant influence on the Community. A close friend of Tom Morrow, a man who Freedom Eagle remembers as ‘just magnificent’, he shaped many of the ideals to which Superhumans have attempted to cleave.

It’s a not commonly-known fact that Doc gifted Centurion the foundations of his Sanctum. As Doc put “Even Superman needs somewhere to evade the eyes of The World, a fortress and a sanctum where he might find peace and solitude for a little while.”

Daedalus: (Note: as any student of Greek myth should be able to tell you, having Daedalus call himself Atreus without a blood connection to that House is rather like a Scottish Shakespearean actor calling himself ‘Macbeth.’ I prefer to simply give him the surname Daedalus. Taurus, Medea, The Iron Khan, they all know him too well to be thrown off by a name change, not to mention any villain with a reasonable intellect. Let them have a fact they already know – and remain supremely prepared for trouble. Besides, Daedalus has never been good with names.)

Prior to the Second World War, Pericles Daedalus was a man who may not have left the Isle of Crete very often – The latter part of the 19th Century had been rather strenuous, with the Tsavong Invasion, Ironclad, Taurus, numerous other science-villains and others more mundane and mundane problems aplenty to solve. World War I simply disgusted him and he decided to take a vacation from seeking out trouble.

Nevertheless he kept up a correspondence with numerous great minds of the era, particularly Alexander Atom, Doc Aeon, Michael O’Connor and the Washington Brothers, amongst others. Many an introduction between heroic geniuses was made by the ‘Cunning Cretan’ as Doc Aeon dubbed him (A rather esoteric pun on the literal translation of Daedalus.)

It was one of Daedalus’ greatest disappointments that Percy Washington, with whom he had maintained a particularly close and congenial collaboration (despite his habitual caution when dealing with genius) reported that he had decided to immigrate to Germany. Daedalus having taken one glance at a copy of Mein Kampf and thrown it onto a fire, firmly resolved that he would not so much as respond to any resident of Nazi Germany and their correspondence ended after Daedalus’ attempt to persuade Percy of the folly of his actions failed.

During the War (when Daedalus fought as a partisan in Greece and the Balkans) he crossed swords with many of the Axis Supermen, particularly Professor Frankenstein, whose obsession with ‘the abuse of corpses for pseudo-scientific principle’ particularly roused the Greek Ancient’s wrath – and given Italian imperial pretensions in the Mediterranean - infringed on his area of operation. His hair-raising adventure with Cynthia Van Helsing, during the course of which they thwarted the plans of Dracula, Frankenstein and Wilhelm Kantor – represented by Sea-Wolf – for Ruritania, proved particularly memorable for all the Immortals concerned.

Adrian Eldrich: During the Golden Age Adrian seldom operated openly, preferring to thwart the efforts of Axis sorcerers outside Germany itself, preferring to discretely avoid scrutiny while he attempted to survive his apprenticeship in the Mystic Arts.

When forced by the actions of particularly dangerous foes to oppose them openly, he generally resorted to use of the Mask of the Modrossus (Which he had recovered with the assistance of David Hawthorne) since its potency was often the only factor that allowed him to overpower his opponent and turn the tide.

This dangerous period was not made any easier by the actions of Merlin, a mage of the ‘swim or sink, it’s all one to me’ school. While Adrian took some time to realise the old Magus’ madness – during an event recorded in Lady Celtic’s section – it was swiftly brought to his attention that Merlin was less concerned with teaching him to use magic properly than with preserving his own existence and, incidentally, the World’s. This did not make for a harmonious relationship.

Ehrich Weiss: As far as Adrian Eldrich is concerned – and as he has stated on several occasions of high solemnity – Ehrich Weiss was his tutor in the Mystic Arts, a mentor – and a very close friend.

The two had briefly met on previous occasions, usually symposiums where Weiss had been invited to expound on his efforts to debunk the fraudulent ‘mystics’ who preyed upon the gullibility of the uneducated or unwary. Adrian Eldrich – himself passionately devoted to this goal, although on the academic stage, rather than the theatrical – enjoyed these events immensely. Although vocal in his admiration of the man’s skill, he kept his enjoyment of Weiss’ conjuring tricks quiet, since as he put it ‘Grown men weren’t supposed to have fun in those days.’

It was only after Adrian was awoken to his mystic potential that their friendship truly began, adrift in a Mystic World he barely comprehended, gifted power he thought barely adequate for his purpose, Adrian found he was barely able to cope. Then he and Ehrich met while working on the same case. The two would work together for an extended period, touring the World, fighting the Axis separately or united.

A recent addition to the ranks of True Mages himself, Weiss’ lifelong fascination with the occult and adventures on its fringes had made him aware that, as a mage, his power was insignificant. He admitted this quite cheerfully to Eldrich, remarking that the latter already dwarfed him in raw power and was continuing to grow almost exponentially. He then told Adrian something very important; that magical power did not matter, only what was done with it.

He taught Adrian not how to attain greater power, but how to use the power he already possessed so proficiently that, coupled with common sense and good planning, he could defeat foes far beyond him in terms of simple power. He also helped Adrian to understand that a Master Mage is only as good as the man behind the title. “Don’t try to live up to the expectations of other Mages” Weiss said “Live and work in such a way that they will be proud to live up to your example and never forget that we should be mere servants to our humanity, not Masters.’

Adrian Eldrich has always remembered these teachings.

Merlin: To be fair to Merlin, he found (and kept) himself very busy during the Golden Age. His most active period of outright heroism aside from the Ancient days of Camelot, he aided Heroic superhumans and gave as good as he got from supervillains, the Green Dragon society, the Black Hand and the seemingly numberless hordes of Nazi mystics and their minions, although he seldom attempted to penetrate the Wolf’s lair – He was too keen on existing.

Outnumbered and still faced with the Cosmic Threats he has always preferred to focus on, Merlin decided that he needed a buffer, to be set against the more terrestrial threats he was forced to face. For that purpose he tracked down the latest incarnation of Naran the Wise – Adrian Eldrich – and (in the guise of an academic colleague) offered him certain artefacts indicating clues pointing to the location of the Temple of Sirrion.

Despite these efforts to activate Eldrich’s potential, Merlin refused to take him under his wing, attempting to teach him the lessons he himself had taken to heart – That magic is yours to use and should be used whenever you feel it necessary, that the end justifys almost any means and that humanity (the quality and the people) is a fragile luxury – by ‘tough love’ techniques. If Adrian survived this dangerous time, he’d be the catspaw Merlin needed. If not he’d hardly have been of much use as a student in any case.

While active for much of the Second World War, Merlin grew ever more distant from the affairs of mankind, as Adrian Eldrich grew more capable, as the growing numbers of superheroes assumed the burden of combating mortal menaces - and as humanity grew more disappointing to him. Already disgusted by Auschwitz, Merlin looked upon the Atomic bomb detonations and simply decided enough was enough.

He left Earth on August 10th 1945 and only returned for sporadic visits, until resuming residence sometime in the 1980’s, drawn by the increasing turmoil in the dimensions, mystic and hyperspatial, surrounding Earth.

[Libra]

Apologies for any infelicities or inadequacy in the above text. That finishes my series on Golden Age heroes. That means the villains are yet to come! Any comments are welcome.

In other news I'm planning to work out how the Silver Age of Heroic Earth mixes with the Iron Age of Freedom City on Earth-627, so any information on that period of Heroic Earth history would be very welcome Charles.

I would also be interested in learning more about the Van Helsing family, but that may be a tale for another time.

[Charles Phipps]

Wonderfully fun write ups,

1. Alexander Atom's write-up was my favorite part as I always like the Amazing Stories element of Alexander Timons having such an interesting effect on so many lives only to later have these now brilliant scientists later watching a young man grow up and developing his own brilliant studies.

2. Yes, Percy Washington is a bit of a tragedy, though it should be noted that the U.S. State Department never revealed the hidden connection of the man to Jack Washington. The only one who later found out (via Michelle Holmes- British Secretary of Awesome Mind) was Jack Washington Junior.

Jack was irritated to say the least but eventually came to defend his erstwhile ancestor's American descendants and eventually decided to take one as a student. Unfortunately, that person in question was Cassius Mass.

(The Red King, Red Queen, and Red Knight comparisons being a major clue to their origins)

Percy, whose still alive, is decidedly irritated about his grandson's euglenic's follies. Even though he realizes that they're a persecuted minority. The only adventures he's gone on have been a couple of comic book guest spots. Some where he helped fight the revived Fourth Reich and at least one occasion where he kept some of his designs from the hands of Neo-Nazis.

It's an odd relationship where both The Red King and General Venom look down on him and vice versa.

3. I also enjoyed the write-ups of Adrian Eldrich and Merlin especially as they fit perfectly into the world we're crafting, bravo. The Ehrich Weiss connection was particularly poignant and something that makes me misty eyed.

Beacon's hatred of darkness powers is quite appropriate, though I now imagine Midnight punching his light's out for insulting his old friend.

[Charles Phipps]

In other news I'm planning to work out how the Silver Age of Heroic Earth mixes with the Iron Age of Freedom City on Earth-627, so any information on that period of Heroic Earth history would be very welcome Charles.

In the combined universe, my general idea is that the Patriots pretty much work hand in pocket with the United States government and the Foundation for World Harmony. Given they're the only heroes in the world as far as the US government is concerned, this doesn't really effect too much of the situation for everyone else where it's illegal pretty much to put on a cape and go fight crime as a vigilante in the country.

It's more similiar to Marvel's Silver Age than the DC Silver Age though, so the contrast isn't quite so severe. Ink (and his younger brother Splotch) are wanted criminals derided as menaces by the local papers as they live their hardluck 15-17 year old old lives. The United States government KNOWS that Black Wing is illegally operating in Falconcrest city but is officially denying everything as the corrupt cops gleefully open up with submachine guns at him and his sidekick.

Only really Divinos transcends it and that's because he lives in a Space Station and dwells amongst humanity like the Martian Manhunter, wondering what it is about humans he finds so fascinating and yet why they also do such repulsive things to one another. Even Athena is exasperated and often ends up returning to Olympiana and pointing to her diplomatic immunity (as a religious figure there).

But yes, effectively, the Patriots are spending all of their time cultivating good will from the people. Stopping alien attacks, working against super villains, and attempting to thwart various (deniable) Phantom plots. It's a pretty jingoistic time for America during Reagan and Bush with the House of Serpents getting its own cartoon show villainy (Americans preferring to make General Venom seem silly rather than take his rhetoric seriously-Right up until he covers the United States in a pyramid of darkness)

A lot of heroes are honestly hostile to the Patriots in the Green Arrow to the Justice League sort of way during this time as they're seen as sell outs.

As for the Van Helsing family, I'll try and get on that. They're basically a lot older than they appear though and ironically trace their origins back to Dracula's own lineage (his human son Radu was the founder of this group) in this world. The Belmonts, the Gypsy clan from the Van Helsing movie, and such erstwhile offshoots as the Frankenstein clan. A collection of Vampire Hunters, Alchemists, White Wizards, and opponents of evil since the 16th century.

The Van Helsings are a major part of the White Lotus Society's "Western" branch, effectively being more concerned with slaying monsters than esoteric magic.

[Charles Phipps]

Silver Age of Heroic Earth Part I

The Silver Age of Heroic Earth was pretty much a time when everyone was taking a moment to breathe post-Watergate and Vietnam. People had grown sick of depression and were eager to have something to take their minds off the Anti-heroes and Nihilism that was infecting the nation. It was the time of G.I. Joe, Star Wars, and Transformers. A chance for the nation to reconnect with their heroes and once more remember the carefree days before McCarthy and the Cold War.

Oddly, the event began with the mass murder of five hundred people in Falconcrest City by Blood Wing (the psychotic lord of all evil that had patterned himself after the newly debuted Black Wing). People had honestly grown sick of the Lamplighter Laws that prevented heroes from fighting villains and did nothing to stop costumed evil doers. The government was willing to slacken the leash A BIT with heavily licensed heroes supervised by the Foundation for World Harmony.

The Patriots

Angel Girl: See Part II.

Aquarius: Aquarius' memories of being on the Patriots boil down to the fact that he thinks the team might have done wonders if it had only been himself, Athena, Divinos, George, and maybe the "Boy." Aquarius frequently chided Dawn Wing but ironically was the only one who took him seriously aside from Athena, since they both knew Alex would grow up to be great leader (Aquarius even more so since he was a fellow scientist and understood how painfully dense the rest of the adults often came off to the "Boy Genius"). Instead, he genuinely has nothing but harsh criticism for "religious fanatics" like Samson and "weaklings" like Isis or Robin Hood.

Nevertheless, he'd tried several times to save the team but ultimately judged them by the standards of the Liberty Men and they were a significantly hard act to follow.

Athena: The Goddess of Wisdom found herself returning to an Earth on the verge of nuclear warfare thanks to the hands of Ares. Initially drastically depowered, Athena was frequently frustrated with how much she had to re-learn and cope with as a mere mortal. Eventually, she would be rewarded with a portion of her abilities back which would restore her to a level equal to most of the other Cosmic Eternals. However, Zeus' anger would be a frequent problem during the Silver Age as he sent down tests that did nothing more than screw up her life as a mortal and make trouble for her team.

Athena's mortal identity of Miranda Minerva worked for the Foundation for World Harmony and was partnered with gung-ho Colonel Vincent Valor. Vincent was well aware that his partner was secretly Athena but enjoyed letting her pretend he was fooled. Their relationship honestly never managed to get anywhere due to the frequent disruptions by Zeus. Ironically, Vincent believed that he could never compete with a fellow immortal like Divinos (which is even more of a series of "stop and go" than theirs).

Eventually, to say that Athena's friendly relationship with the US government and hostility to the USSR ended would be an understatement as her prior patriotism from WW2 rapidly soured.

Black Wing I: The original Black Wing's origins boil down to a horrible moment when his wife, Reporter Susan Timons, was assassinated along with his young son during a drive by shooting to kill the corrupt mayor of Falconcrest City. Archaeologist and Socialite George Timons' anger and vengeance awoke the spirit of the Raven and bestowed upon him the power that had belonged to his distant ancestors. He was a man who promised to destroy not only the mobsters and the criminals but the crooked politicians and evil doers who ran the city itself. George himself never killed anyone in his career but crippled several criminals and nearly killed a few others before adopting the child of his old high school sweetheart (the wife of Death Mask) and letting go of some of his anger over his family's demise.

George Timons main contribution to the Patriots was always bringing them down to Earth. As a mere mortal, he was able to understand politics and ideals that escaped his associates. He also was willing to break the rules and frequently defeated opponents (especially aliens or gods) who underestimated him. George Timon's "Nest" is filled with many technological trophies and magical devices that he broke out to help defeat certain villains. Despite the fact that George Timons COULD have been a super armored or superpowered hero but chose to have relatively minor abilities was his way of exalting the common man.

Black Wing was always at odds with Divinos over this. Ironically, the two balanced each other out quite well as they shared a code against killing.

Divinos: It's honestly good to know that Divinos was the first real alien that most people in Heroic Earth became acquainted with. While the Tsavong and other creatures had been known about, it had been a century since the "Martians" had attacked and the government had been ruthless in covering up all other excursions ever since. Divinos, on the other hand, appeared to be human and did nothing but help everyone he met. Stories like Starman, E.T., and so on were influenced by his good looks and fundamentally gentle nature.

While Divinos would occasionally be chased by the government, he would never hold them any ill will and after saving the world a few occasions, even the United States was willing to admit that he posed no real threat. This was partially Ronald Reagan's doing who, despite running a vigorously ruthless government, noted that a man who could catch nuclear missiles was better approached diplomatically rather than violently. In the end, he became friends with both the USA and USSR. [Note: The Chernobyl event in Heroic Earth had far less casualties than in the real one as Divinos helped deal with the nuclear waste as best he could.]

Divinos, himself, was never particularly inclined to go "native" amongst humans like his sister and forewent a secret identity after a few failed attempts. While he was able to maintain numerous close friendships and family associations; he never really forgot that he wasn't human and that humans had a long way to go before they were ready to join the rest of the galaxy. George Timons would often call Divinos on the fact that he could go visit these other worlds if he really didn't want to accept mankind as it was (Divinos' answer was, of course. "It's not for who you are that I'm interested, George. It's who mankind has the potential to BE.")

Dawn Wing: Will be covered in Part II.

Janet Hermes: Jeanette Hermes' granddaughter, Janet was born with her Metaman Abilities and managed to do her job as a London Police Woman in between being the World's Fastest Woman. This "low class" job is actually her form of rebellion against her mother who was even more of a snob than her mother. The title was also a reference somewhat to the fact that Jeanette was a notorious party girl and would often brag that she'd been with most of her team mates on the Patriots (patently untrue).

There's some indications that Janet may actually be related to Hermes, unlike the other members of her bloodline given that she was frequently involved in mythological adventures and Athena took a very mothering instinct towards the descendant of her former team mate. Janet's powers eventually outran her and she was taken up to Olympus after stopping one of Ares' plots to destroy the world.

Queen Isis the Incredible: Unrelated to Eagle Eyed Horus, aside from the man's descendants developing a very very strong attraction to her. Isis the Incredible was a Islamic woman with an interest in Archaelogy who accidentally awakened the spirit of Isis while surveying some pieces donated to her museum by the late Aladdin. Becoming the embodiment of Egyptian sorcery, Isis often struggled between her sensual and powerful alter-ego and her mousy normal self. The fact that she was reasonably faithful to her moderate Sunni faith only made the transformations more irritating to her. Having to deal with the condemnations of a figure from the Torah did nothing to help her mental image either.

Ultimately, Isis would never quite reconcile herself and would become something of a part-time superheroine/washout with her last job being that of a stage performer. Isis was never quite comfortable with Athena and literally viewed Divinos as an Angel.

Red Jaguar: Invited by George Timons to join the Patriots full time. The Red Jaguar did so, mostly to spy on them and get information that would be otherwise restricted to the Foundation for World Harmony's upper echelons. Despite this, he had fond memories of the Patriots and disliked the fact that they were hamstring by accepting so many egomaniacs into their ranks (the irony missing him completely) and that they were serving government interests rather than their own consciences (again-pot kettle black)

The Red Jaguar was one of the few individuals who could get along with Samson just fine, pointing out that he was a descendant of King Solomon and Jewish by blood, which pretty much smoothed over things considerably with the man (even if Samson only knew of Solomon as someone who came later in his time). The Red Jaguar had little patience for Robin Hood's antics and actually just ignored the man. Aquarius and he would work the closest together and thus set up the friendship that would betray the nation they were ostensibly working for.

Effectively, whenever Black Wing was doing his business in Falconcrest City, the Red Jaguar took his place on missions and thus they were able to both pursue their own dreams while not leaving the team without a "human side" and a "brain."

Robin Hood: Robin Hood never entirely felt comfortable amongst the immortals and made up for it by being an obnoxious pain in the anyx (as Divinos would say in his rare moments of using harsh language). George Timons and he would frequently butt heads as he was the only one who felt perfectly happy pointing out Robin Hood was contributing nothing but snark to smoothe over his own ego. Robin Hood would also do little to help Samson as he would often take the Biblical hero on drinking and wenching trips that would leave him in a spire of remorse. Robin Hood was often in the papers though, frequently deriding his team for being "Puppets of Reagan" and "Not doing enough for the common man." The fact the man was an incurable lothario didn't help matters either.

Really, in the end if it wasn't for the fact Robin Hood was genuinely GOOD at his job and they recognized that he was doing his best to help others, he would have been kicked off long ago. Robin Hood was much more at home amongst the original Justicars that were an ambiguous but otherwise down to Earth collection of anti-heroes (ironically invited there by George Timons)

Samson: Samson is in fact the Biblical Judge. At least, that's what he claims. There's still some controversy given his personality is anything close to Godly. Some dissenters believe he's merely a creation of the Grigori using science to resemble what they think the actual Samson would be like. Restored to life by a Hebrew Rabbi to recover the Lost Dead Sea Scrolls from the Fourth Reich, Samson pretty much found himself on the run from the law after promptly butchering the entire cult of secret Nazis that were respected members of the European elite.

Samson's life is pretty much a mixture of incredible rages, glorious feats, falling into temptation, and repentance repeated endlessly. His difficulty with modern morality has caused him no end of trouble even as few can doubt his sincerity. The Patriots themselves were never able to really reign him in and his loathing of Athena mixed with Isis did nothing to help team unity. There was also the fact that, when his hair was at its longest, he could match Divinos blow for blow.

Significantly more comfortable in Israel, he eventually retired there and only occasionally leaves. Ironically, Samson was closest to George Timons who happily recruited him on his Justicars missions (before that group devolved into the Psychotic Seven).

Others: The Patriots had a huge roster of people that pretty much no one can remember or name all the members of since lots of members joined, threw their weight around, and quit or were fired. Plenty of them remained "auxillary" members but few could honestly keep pace with the Patriots demands in the Silver Age (especially when the government involved itself).

[Charles Phipps]

Silver Age of Heroic Earth Part II

The Silver Age's cresent was what is known as the Bronze Age in the Freedomverse. It was the period in which the gloriously overthetop heroics of the Silver Age were getting slowly eclipsed by the fact that the next generation of heroes was already beginning and they were slightly less cheesy in the eyes of the public. Most of these "darker" heroes would eventually go on to form the Iron Age but between them and the Silver Age was the FOF that walked an uncomfortable balance between them.

Ironically, this is mostly a mood of public perception as plenty of the Silver Agers were quite messed up. Still, no one symbolizes the time better than the New Fighters for Freedom whom did their absolute very best to try and struggle against the label of being a team of sidekicks.

Really, there was nothing funny about most of the FOF's missions and they dealt with dramas that put much of their parent team to shame. Unlike the Patriots, the New Fighters for Freedom were also close friends and eventually a family in all but name. It makes their ultimate break up all the more tragic.

[Note: The New Fighters for Freedom are often considered to be a group of "teen" heroes. It should be noted that the team was founded in 1998 and ended TEN YEARS later with most of its original members going from 16 to 26. It's a great irony that they're one of the longest serving superhero teams in the setting's history]

The New Fighters for Freedom

Android Man: The oldest member of the team, Android Man was in his twenties when the FoF rescued him from one of General Venom's laboratories (where he'd been brainwashed into becoming a cybernetic super soldier for the terrorist organization). Android Man had been a police officer before and never felt comfortable returning, Robocop Jokes aside. Thus, he found himelf happily playing older brother to the team and tank. It also helped that Rocket Boy and Dawn Wing were willing to maintain his cybernetics for free and were amongst the few people in the world who could.

Android Man was often intimidated by Dawn Wing's intelligence and irritated whenever he'd do something without consulting the team. He was also uncomfortable with Proteus's bisexuality and blown away when Rocket Boy revealed his homosexuality (a fact that lead their friendship to dissolving for many years-much to Android Man's regret). Android Man often struggled with feeling like Frankenstein and carried an implacable hatred towards General Venom.

Android Man is another teacher at the Tomorrow Academy now. Having turned down a position in the Patriots to work for people who feel "freakish." Android Man is surprisingly close to Dawn Wing II, part of it being they're amongst the few black superheroes currently active and can both relate to being annoyed by Alex's various bouts of megalomania.

Angel Girl: Angel Girl was eager to join up with mortals her own age (despite the fact she was actually significantly older due to differences in Mithran-Human maturity) and was always a bubble of naive sunshine for the early years. Gradually, Angel Girl learned about human speech mannerisms and idealogy (much to her regret in some respects) but spent much of her time being the ray of idealism in a team carrying SERIOUS mental baggage.

Angel Girl's engagement to Dawn Wing is one of the great super hero romances but even she tends to think it was probably doomed from the start. Well beforehand, she'd recognized that Red Queen was jealous of her lover and he was hesitant himself to continue. In the end, she never quite forgave Alex for beginning a relationship with her after their breakup.

Still, she eagerly came to the reformed Patriots at Divinos' call to defend the nation and is considered a full member even though she has difficulty being around Alex to this day.

Ariel the Mermaid: Beautiful, Dark Skinned, Silver Haired, Gregarious. Ariel the Mermaid was always the "fun" one on the team and enjoyed taking them on incongruous trips that were little more than disguised vacations (leading the comic books that adapted these adventures to be called "swimsuit issues"). Ariel was always popular with boys and Angel Girl's closest friend on the team. Ironically, she was always trying to renconcile Red Queen with her (a feat that was never managed despite Ariel spotting the root of their dislike was far from metaphysical). Ariel and Android Man often dated but he was never able to get over the fact that he was half-machine and she often found herself attracted to other young super heroes.

The fight between the Psychotic Seven and the Patriots broke her heart as she couldn't choose between Hecate and her older brother versus the rest of the team. Alex has never blamed her for this nor has Serena but Ariel still curses herself for not choosing a side during that day and has not yet returned to superheroism.

Dawn Wing: The founder and undisputed leader of the FOF for most of its term. Dawn Wing founded the team as an auxiliary of the Patriots when he absolutely could no longer stand being with that "incredible group of egoistical morons." Alex Timon's arrogance and comparative ruthlessness to the rest of the team contrasted strongly with the fact that everyone more or less considered him a kid. The idea to found his own team was suggested by George Timons and happened more or less by chance during the liquidation of a Carpathiastan (now part of Ruritania) ghetto that he'd been visiting because of a chess championship. Using his superior grasp of tactics and coordinating the resistance (plus some heroes who "just happened to be there for various reasons"), he managed to eliminate the PHANTOM backed dictator of the country and liberate the nation. Thus, the New Fighters for Freedom were born.

Dawn Wing would always be the heart of the team but he hadn't yet journeyed back in time to fight in World War 2 or learn Doctor Aeon's fundamental lessons about humility and responsibility with his intelligence. His temperamental and controlling personality often clashed with others and he would frequently go off on his own plans, leaving his team in the dark (something that nearly cost him their friendship on a couple of occasions). It didn't help that, as Rocket Boy would point out, Dawn Wing was also "A teen version of Doctor Gloom" when it came to mad science.

Really, the FOF was nearly as important for forming the modern day Black Wing as his time with George Timons and even more than Doctor Aeon's influence. Ultimately, the lessons he learned with them balanced his darker elements and he came to genuinely love most of his team mates. Their breakup is something that still haunts him to this day.

[Though it probably doesn't need to be noted, despite Black Wing II's reputation as a ladies man; he actually was never involved with any of his FOF team mates but for Angel Girl and and the Red Queen. As he put it "That caused enough trouble to last a lifetime and I'd never want to lose the friendships I have with my other teammates." That didn't stop tabloids from printing material to that effect every time that they went on vacation together---after ten years, the group WAS absurdly close]

Hecate: The daughter of Ares with a woman from Olympiana, Helen Minerva (theoretically Athena's mortal identity's younger sister) was always the "normal" one in the group. No one had ever anything bad to say about Hecate and everyone loved her as a 'cool older sister.' She was satisfactorily able to soothe Alex's ego (comparing his youthful exploits to Alexander the Great), reassure Android Man he wasn't a monster, keep up Serena's spirits that she wasn't condemned to follow in the footsteps of her parents, help ease Angel Girl into the new world, and was happy to take Ariel shopping or just indulge her decidedly human habits.

...Which makes her snapping all the worse.

The murder of Hecata's boyfriend by Blood Wing (as part of his spree of terror) left a hole in her soul that the revelation of her parentage helped fill with hatred. She blamed the Patriots for not killing Blood Wing sooner and the revelation Athena had known she was a child of Ares all along was enough to permanently sever their relationship. Even Serena Mass was unable to reach her with the same reassurances that Hecate had tried to give her.

To this day, Rocket Boy insists she's brainwashed by Ares and refuses to give her up for lost.

Red Queen: Serena Mass, age 15, was on the run from a torch wielding mob of peasants after accidentally displaying her powers. Having killed her own parents in a display of magic and discovering her father was the Devil-God Orkus, she had run away from home. Serena was caught in the Carpathiastan Ghetto when the Phantom armies were going to kill everyone of Islamic faith. Recruited by Dawn Wing after discovering her "demon" powers, she pretty much fell into the ranks of the FOF. The descendant of effectively Satan and Nazis with a terrorist brother and feeling the guilt for what she'd done, Serena Mass spent much of her early years with the team hovering on the suicidal.

Serena Mass during this time was significantly different from her later, more outgoing self. She was extremely conservative in dress and painfully shy with hours spent in meditation and study of magic (mostly in the attempt to "become human"). Angel Girl and Serena were known to despise one another with most assuming it being because of their oppositional heritage. In fact, the actual reason was significantly more mundane as its now painfully obvious in retrospect that Serena was in love with Dawn Wing and Angel Girl knew it. Dawn Wing never had judged her and consistently had been there for her, despite the many bumps in their relationship.

Serena and Alex's relationship remains extraordinarily close, much to Angel Girl's irritation (despite neither woman being presently involved with him).

Rocket Boy: East-German Johan Schwartzvald routinely claimed he was actually the illegitimate descendant of Cody Wilcox from one of his many philandering outings during World War 2. This was to disguise his actual heritage, being the grandchild of Percy Washington (and actually Serena Mass' distant cousin). A Metaman, Johan could build pretty much anything he desired from a rocket pack to ray guns without much difficulty but could never figure out HOW to do so. A fact that frustrated Dawn Wing to absolutely no end. Nevertheless, the Soviet boy helped Dawn Wing in the battlefields of Carpathistan and was there when they killed the head of the Secret Police running the country (though it was technically done by the Resistance). An act that earned him the Red Star from Gorbachev.

Johan was always the crazy jokester of the group and loyal to Dawnwing like a puppy. Part of this had to do with the fact that he'd been dragooned into the East German army and working for Alex's Foundation backed super team was the only way to avoid military service but later evolved to being essentially Alex's sidekick. Johan eventually came out as gay and left the team in an emotional turmoil over his status (it still being controversial at that time) and is now a science teacher at the Tomorrow Academy. Android Man and Rocket Boy have since reconciled their own friendship.

Others: Proteus and Splotch plus a few other cases came on and off the team over the years. The fact that they operated out of Freehold and F.I.T. University only added to this (Alex building their headquarters in a skyscraper just off of it). It should be noted that they eventually moved to Mass castle after recovering from Cassius Mass and one could argue the Tomorrow Society's younger heroes are direct descendants of the FOF (the Tomorrow Society's younger members would VEHEMENTLY disagree and annoy their teachers considerably with their dismissal of the FOF)

[Charles Phipps]

Hopefully that gives you a good feel for the Silver Age, Libra.

I'm a huge fan of the Wolfman era of the Teen Titans if you hadn't guessed.