The center of the superhero community for nearly a century, the people of New York City are no strangers to the day-to-day bizarre and unusual. What do New Yorkers call the end of the world? Tuesday! So, when the night sky lit up with the detonations of the “Pulse Wave Event” most New Yorkers shrugged it off thinking whatever it was, the heroes would handle it.
In the months to come, it became obvious that whatever happened that night, was affecting the entire world and the heroes were not able to stop it! People around the world were spawning superpowers forcing governments to scramble to contain the potential threats and fear quickly set in. People huddled in their homes too afraid to interact with their neighbors increased the demand for TV programing. A favorite new program was a reality show starring young heroes tracking and apprehending supervillains. Against recommendations, the show aired it’s next episode in the aftermath of the “Event”, tracking a group of low-level supervillains to the small town of Stamford Connecticut…
Among the supervillains was the Living Laser, and old foe of Iron Man and a high value target. The Laser’s light powers had been unstable since the Event, and was forced to wear a containment suit. Unaware of their target’s changes, the team corners the Laser, rupturing his suit. The resulting blast killed over 400 men, women, and children as well as most of the New Warriors. The incident sparked the ratification of a Superhuman Registration Act by the world government. Once again, New York City became the epicenter of a superpowered conflict with the lines drawn between those for and those against registration.
There was a split in the powered community around the world with heavy fighting in most major cities. The best the worlds governments could do was to contain the fighting and protect its non-powered citizens or “NPCs” as they came to be called. The Global Civil War lasted over a year with its final battle taking place in New York City’s Central Park…
The battle lasted for hours with the national guard setting up a perimeter around the park. Among the explosions, energy blasts, and flashed of death and destruction, Charles Xavier, leader of the X-Men was trying his best to telepathically coordinate his teams’ efforts and minimize collateral damage when he sensed an unfamiliar presence on the battlefield. An NPC, a teenage girl had found herself on the wrong side of the perimeter trying to find her lost dog. Xavier, a paraplegic made an effort to guide her away from the fighting. Xavier found the girl huddles next to a rock when an explosion knocked him out of his wheelchair. It was in that moment Charles Xavier, the most powerful telepath on the planet, decided to use his power like he had never done before.
In an instant, the entire world ground to a halt. For a brief moment, everyone on the planet was of a single mind and in that instant a simple thought was implanted in their minds. When the world resumed, the war was over, a new sense of cooperation spread among populous, and Charles Xavier was dead…
In the months to come, New York City becomes the “gold standard” for the reconstruction and reconciliation efforts going on around the world. Registration became voluntary and limited to individuals who wished to use their abilities in an official superhero capacity. This is where the legacy of Charles Xavier’s sacrifice comes to fruition in the form of the Initiative, a collection of the most prominent superheroes of the time who act as representatives of the interests of the powered community. Their first act was to establish training facilities in the style of Xavier School for Gifted Youngster. These facilities located throughout the city, helped powered people gain control of their abilities and guide them to a potential career as a superhero…
Today, New York City is once again a thriving metropolis that has fully incorporated the powered community as part of its social and economic tapestry. Having the highest number of superheroes anywhere in the world, you would think New York would be the safest city in the world. This is far from the truth as a new breed of supervillains flock to the criminal underworld of New York to ply their trade in this new reality. Every successful villain knows New York, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere!
