"Today, class, we're going to take a break from our study of World War II and look at the history of supervillains."
Gavin sat up straight, suddenly interested. Thus far, Miss Purview's history class had been almost identically dull to the class he'd been enrolled in back at Brumblefeld High School, but a session on super villains? Now that was something new.
"Who can give me the definition of a supervillain?" asked Miss Purview. A number of hands raised, some quite emphatically. The teacher looked everyone over, then pointed to Hannah Yang. "Miss Yang?"
The excited girl grabbed her crutches and rose to her feet to answer. "A supervillain is a person with a superpower-level ability who chooses to use their talents for evil." Having recited the textbook answer, she lowered herself back down into her seat with a smile.
Miss Purview gave a polite golf clap. "Very good, Miss Yang. That is exactly correct and it shows you have done a very nice job in memorizing the textbook. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the textbook only begins to explain the underlying question. Is there anyone who would like to expand on that answer?" This time far fewer hands were raised. Most of the students, including Gavin, were a bit confused. Supervillains were bad people with talents. What else was there? "Miss Grave?"
Harriet stood, unsure of herself. She looked around the class, quickly. Gavin met her gaze with a smile and nod of support. She took a breath, ready to try. "Well, who decides what is good and evil?" she asked. "I think a better answer would be that a supervillain is someone who uses their talents to do things that the rest of society frowns upon."
"Interesting theory," said Miss Purview. "And perhaps that's something you should discuss in Mr. Bricknoll's philosophy class next year. But I'm looking for something a little more concrete. Anyone else? Miss Clark?"
It took a moment for Gavin to realize who Miss Purview was calling on, but then he remembered that Clark was Jupiter's actual last name. "A Thumbledown student gone bad," she said without getting up. "Or, well, badder."
This brought a general giggle from the entire class, including Miss Purview. "I suppose that's one way of looking at it," she said. "But the answer I'm hunting for is that a supervillain is anyone whose nefarious activities are too much for regular law enforcement to handle. And they don't have to have a superpower. Let's not forget the first true supervillain, Gus "The Angler" Angles, did not have an ability."
"He was super intelligent," argued Orianley Klugbot. "That's a superpower, isn't it?"
"He didn't get his intelligence from any talent or ability," corrected Jud, speaking up for the first time. "He was just wicked smart."
"Correct, Mr. Dagnall. He was incredibly smart and charismatic, which enabled him to lure the Four Henchmen to his side and place THEIR superpowers under his control."
Gavin tried to recall what he knew about The Angler. It had been long before he was born, but basically, as close as he could remember, The Angler had convinced four kids who had abilities to join him in his dastardly ways. Most of the history focused on The Angler, but personally, Gavin had always felt the betrayal by what became known as the Four Henchmen was the bigger crime. They had powers, The Angler didn't.
"The Heroes managed to put The Angler behind bars where he belonged," continued Miss Purview. "But not before he and his Henchmen had caused the death of six people and had stolen a number of priceless works of art that remain lost even today. His defeat was a turning point in history. Anyone care to tell me why?"
"That's when Lord Thumbledown began his school," answered Tisha Flores.
"Very good, Miss Flores."
"Out of which came every other supervillain in history," added Gavin, frowning.
"As well as every other superhero, Mr. Mallard," reminded Miss Purview. "The school itself is not a force for good or evil, it is simply a place for those with abilities. Not long after Thumbledown's was chartered, of course, our own school came into being."
The class shifted uncomfortably in their seats. What was going unsaid was the fact that St. Hibbard's was created specifically as a place to house those not good enough for Lord Thumbledown's. It was, as the students all knew, the School for the Unimpressive.
"But we're getting ahead of ourselves," continued Miss Purview, walking slowly between the desks, criss-crossing through her students. "The history of supervillains runs through four distinct phases. First, we have the reign of The Angler, and we've already gone over that. Next was what some call the Golden Age of Villainy. Spurred on by The Angler's example, a number of true supervillains popped up and plagued the world. They were able to run free because Lord Thumbledown's had just begun and there hadn't yet been a graduating class of well-trained heroes to take them on. Even after Thumbledown began spewing out heros left and right, it took something else to end the age. Who can tell me what that was?"
Every hand shot up, but Egbert Salvadore didn't bother raising his hand. He just blurted out, "Memorax!"
Memorax had been the ultimate supervillain. An older woman who seemed harmless on the outside, she'd had the power to alter people's memory. She'd used this to great advantage and had swiftly placed all supervillains under her direct control, forming an empire of corruption, power, and greed. It had taken the combined talents of nearly every superhero around to finally bring her to justice.
"Exactly, Mr. Salvadore. And when the Forces of Peace ended her reign, we entered our current age. An age of stability, peace, and prosperity. Now, then." The teacher walked back to the front of the class and stood behind her desk. "Why have I brought this subject up today?"
Her question was greeted by silence. She smiled. "I'm not surprised if you're all a bit baffled. But surely someone has an idea?"
A sneaking suspicion dawned in Gavin's mind and he raised his hand. Miss Purview gave him a nod. "Well," he began slowly. "This era of peace we're in, it's kind of like the era the world was in when this whole cycle started, isn't it?"
"Go on."
"These days, supervillains are kind of a thing of the past. I mean the Forces of Peace are everywhere, with Lord Thumbledown's graduating more and more members into its ranks each year. The idea of someone going up against all of that is kind of ridiculous. So nobody thinks about it."
"And what does that have to do with history?" the teacher pressed him.
"If nobody's thinking about it, nobody's preparing for it. And that would give any new supervillain an opportunity to strike while our defenses are down. The world would be taken by surprise, like it was when The Angler showed up. Basically, if we let our guard down, we're ripe to enter a new age of supervillainy."
"Exactly, Mr. Mallard. Which is why it is important to stay forever vigilant and not get complacent. History can teach us many things if we only take the time to listen."
She continued with the lecture, going into the framework of supervillainy and the exploits of some of the more famous supervillains, but Gavin's mind remained focused on what he'd said. He felt Miss Purview was trying to tell the class something important. Perhaps even something that had to do with the current situation. What if the attacks weren't the result of students at Lord Thumbledown's after all.
Could there be a new supervillain on the scene?