First, there was "The Traveler".
No one knows if he was a god, rogue cultivator, arch-mage, ancient vampire, alien, or "something else".
He showed up one day, speaking strangely accented English (some sources claim he had incredible difficulty with "R" sounds), on the west coast of the United States in the 1850s, and single-handedly stopped the "Withering Plague"; which modern sources identify as a vampiric outbreak.
Before he "returned home", The Traveler passed a smattering of "god-like" powers to a youth - who would later become "Paragon".
Paragon possesses many virtues: justice, integrity, and bravery. He played a key role in many historical events, saving countless lives, and thus he was deeply loved by the American people.
As he grew in strength, Paragon not only became a symbol of the heroic spirit of the United States, but also shouldered the important task of maintaining peace in the West.
But, no matter how powerful a hero is, there is one enemy he cannot defeat - Time.
In the 1950s, Paragon was over a hundred years old. Although he still possessed godly super powers, his aging body prevented him from using them effectively.
Paragon announced that he would grant his powers to a successor, someone who possessed the heroic nobility of the American spirit.
Politicians, tycoons, and various personalities took turns visiting Paragon on his deathbed, hoping that he would choose one of their many carefully selected candidates as his heir.
Paragon, however, saw through their thoughts and realized that if his powers fell into the wrong hands, the world would be doomed.
So rather than choosing a successor, Paragon decided that he would sprinkle the "seeds" of his powers across the entire United States, so that every American would have the chance of becoming his successor - a "superhero".
It was Paragon's firm belief that only virtuous individuals who possessed the qualities of integrity, justice, and kindness can gain the support, trust, and love of the American people. Consequently, Paragon tied his "empowerment ritual" to the faith of the American people; that is to say, the strength of a superhero would depend on how popular he is as a "heroic figure".
Paragon believed that all Americans, collectively, would choose the right successor(s) for him.
This way, he would rest in peace, knowing that America will always be protected.
Many people, including famous politicians, scientists, and businessmen, tried to dissuade Paragon from sprinkling his powers all over the United States, but he was unmoved by their arguments; obviously, these people just wanted to monopolize his powers...
What Paragon didn't foresee was that most people, even those who many others would consider villainous, see themselves as the "hero" of their own story... and if those villains can convince enough people that they are "heroic" and inspire fervent support from their "fandom"... well, that's how "super-villains" are made.
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New Amsterdam City, a rainy night.
New Amsterdam City, sometimes called the "Big Orange" or "The City", is one of the most prosperous metropolitan areas on the north-eastern coast of the United States. The weather here is fickle, changing from cloudy to sunny in the span of an afternoon. The City's weather, however, does have a point in its advantage; the temperatures are relatively consistent within the same day; unlike some cities in the interior of the US, where temperatures can vary +/-40 degrees F over the span of a day.
New Amsterdam City is a huge melting pot; nowhere is this more evident than in the architecture. Everything from soaring skyscrapers, to post-modern, to Chinese architecture, Dutch colonial, gothic, modern, neoclassical, pueblo revival, Victorian; you name it, and "The City" will have it.
Underneath the glitz and glamour on the surface, however, is the scum and dirt of the back alleys.
Although New Amsterdam City is one of the most prosperous and wealthy cities in the US, it also boasts one of the highest crime rates - almost three times the national average. However, with the concerted efforts of the superheroes and the police, "crime is going down" and "hope springs eternal". People often see all kinds of superheroes patrolling in the air, and every day there are news reports of various criminal organizations being destroyed. However, if one just look purely at data, the crime rate in New Amsterdam remains obscenely high.
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Alexander Malger, the only son of real estate magnate Ryan Malger, is a famous playboy in New Amsterdam City.
Sports cars, yachts, private jets, supermodels, wild parties... Alexander's greatest talent is spending his dad's money in order to have a good time.
Alex is by no means the wealthiest heir, but he is one of the most high profile. A shameless braggart with narcissistic tendencies, he has accumulated millions of fans via his social media accounts.
Having a fanbase in the "mere" single-digit millions seems to be quite lacking, especially compared to superheroes and superstars; who can have tens of millions of fans. Alex, however, is not a superhero or a superstar; he is just a rich person - a rich *male* person. With the exception of the truly lonely and desperate, no one is subscribing to Alex's social media accounts for masturbation purposes; someone like Alex getting millions of fans shows his talent at self-promotion.
At this time, Alex, who is in the prime of his life - with two advanced degrees, a handsome face, and a toned body, is dangling 1400 feet high, off the roof of the West Tower of the Global Trade Center.
Alex's tailored trousers are stained with a slowly expanding dark wet spot.
An extremely thick humanoid arm covered with segmented "lobster-like" shells is grabbing him by his favorite silk shirt; if it weren't for the arm holding the shirt, Alex would have fallen and made intimate contact with the ground.
Alexander Malger's face distorts with tears, snot, and rain; a small part of it flowed into his mouth as he hoarsely begged for mercy.
"Please don't kill me! My dad has a lot of money, no matter how much you want, he'll give it to you!"
The person holding Alex's favorite silk shirt is an eight foot tall "Lobster-Crab Centaur". The upper torso looks "mostly" human, if you can overlook it being covered with segmented lobster-like shells, but the head has been replaced with a giant "lobster-like" head, and the lower body has been replaced by that of a crustacean - complete with six legs.
Earlier that night, Alex Malger had been driving one of his many sports cars when the "Lobster-Crab Centaur" suddenly darted into the road and smashed into Alex's car.
Flipping Alex's car to the side, the Centaur then smashed open the car's hood, ripped open the cabin, and dragged Alex out of the car. Alex, who was temporarily stunned, put up no resistance as the Centaur scaled up a nearby skyscraper.
When Alex came to his senses, he found himself dangling from the roof of the skyscraper, completely at the mercy of the Centaur.
Alex had no plans to resist.
Although there are not many "super villains" like the Centaur in New Amsterdam City, each one gives the police a major headache.
While the crime rate in New Amsterdam City is higher than the national average, crime is usually confined to the poorer neighborhoods. Alex only frequents the wealthy areas; in his thirty years of life, Alex has never encountered a situation like this before.
Trembling with extreme fear, Alex shakes involuntarily; as he's unable to properly control his body.
Powerless, Alex can only beg for mercy.
And this super villain, who looked like a strange "Lobster-Crab Centaur", leers at Alex with the impression that it's mocking him.
Although the villain's appearance, intelligence, and wealth can't compare to Alex's, the villain does have one thing that Alex doesn't have - and that is Real power.