Capeworld Comics

The Mighty Universe

 

When you travel to the solar system of the Mighty Universe, you might not notice anything out of the ordinary right off the bat. You’ll see Pluto (they still classify theirs as a planet, good for them), Neptune, Uranus, Saturn…and then you hit Jupiter and you find that something’s wrong. 

 

It’s green. Jupiter is green. You look a little closer and you see that it’s not just Jupiter that’s green, it’s the space around it. You’re looking at a green nebula. You look closer and you see that the nebula stretches back behind Jupiter.

 

That’s when things get really weird.

 

You see rings of Earths. You see glowing rings of blue and white marbles looping around a black center where the sun should be like a blue ribbon. Hundreds. Thousands. Each Earth is sealed within a barrier of light that simulates the absent sun’s effects and protects it from the gravitational effects of moving in a chain with the other Earths. They glow together, and if you stood at the very edge of the solar system and looked right at them you would see a blue line marking the defiant survival of humanity against cosmic odds.

 

This is the Earth chain.

 

The light barriers around the Earths filter the green of the nebula, the “Universe M” version of the Earth, so that from the ground it appears as if the sky is still blue. This was done as a courtesy for the many Earths that have yet to discover space travel. The absence of a sun and moon and the addition of a chain of Earths in the sky was traumatic enough for them. The heroes of Universe F, whose Earth produced the light barrier machines placed at the polar regions to prevent primitive meddling, believed that there was no reason to further traumatize them with green skies.

 

Welcome to the Mighty universe, and if it’s your first time visiting, you’ll quickly find out why they’re called that as the Mighty Guard surrounds you and bombards you with questions. They don’t get many visitors into their universe, and they’re very suspicious of them when they do get them. Each and every member knows how fragile universes can be against outside influences.

 

The Merger

 

How did this universe come to be? Recall that Archon walls are capable of creating new universes when they curve into themselves and create a pocket called a reef. These reef universes can sometimes become mosaic universes through a process called reef induction where elements from worlds adjacent to them in macrospace are absorbed. Typically, this amounts to planets and stars and galaxies being absorbed. In the case of the reef universe that became the Mighty universe, this amounted to the entirety of thousands of universes fusing within it, their unique Fox harmonics becoming one and their previous harmonics routing to the surrounding Archon walls until nature takes its course and generates reefs to occupy those harmonics.

 

Thousands of universes suddenly becoming one isn’t as catastrophic as it may sound. Universes are unquantifiably infinite, and infinity can fit inside infinity just fine. Within most universes, matter and energy only make up a fraction of a percent of the universe. The rest is empty space. Random teleportation is, on the macro-scale, extremely safe, and the Estrel of our own universe “blind jump” to cover great distances all the time. An Earthling has a better chance of being struck by lightning and then developing superpowers from that lightning than an Estrel does of teleporting inside an asteroid or star.

 

But every lottery has to have a winner and sometimes all dice go up snake eyes. That’s what happened to the solar system as thousands upon thousands of suns suddenly tried to occupy the same space.

 

If the powers-that-be in the inducted universes hadn’t become aware of what was happening and acted in zeptoseconds, everything would have been lost. A supermassive blackhole made of the fallen lifegiver stars of thousands of worlds would have swallowed what would have been left of an overcrowded solar system–and then the crysaloids from Earth F, supercharged on the energy, would have consumed the universe.

 

Fortunately, there were cosmically powerful superheroes who detected what was happening and acted, particularly the different versions of the ghostly Mr. Justice.

 

The Earth chain was the best the powers-that-be could come up with in the time they had to work with. They focused their powers on the Earths and flung the other planets across the cosmos except for the planets of Universe F as they were inhabited by human and alien colonists. Each Earth was given a light barrier, a technology from Universe F used to transport planets from solar system to solar system, to act as gravitational balance and surrogate sun. The murky cloudlands of Earth M’s (which doesn’t actually have an Earth) green nebula surrounded the Earths and their black hole center and channeled their magic to fortify the light barriers. It took not only power to make the Earth chain work, but wisdom. Several supergeniuses were pulled into the fractions of a second in which the many Mr. Justices worked so they could crunch the numbers and check and double check and triple check their work. These supergeniuses included several versions of the superhero the Wizard along with the Star-studded Shield of Earth S, a superintelligent robot boy.

 

Many primitive worlds in the Earth chain see the chain as the result of a divine, unapproachable, unknowable will, but the truth is that it was a group effort pulled off by beings that just wanted to save their homes.

 

It is indeed possible for planets to orbit a black hole. The “sucking” power of a black hole is exaggerated. So long as the event horizon isn’t crossed (at which point matter is subjected to gravitational effects of a one dimensional point of infinite density known as a singularity) planets can orbit a black hole just as they can a star.

 

The greatest heroes of several universes knew that if they could just find a place for all the Earths around the black hole, they could let nature take over and allow the Earths to naturally orbit. The Wizards they recruited had the math to prove it. They arranged the Earths in a band like a ring in an orrery and programmed their light barriers to keep the pull of nearby Earths from affecting the natural progression of the tides. Once the system was ready, they just had to sit back and allow the Earth chain to “fall” into the black hole and start spinning from now until eternity.

 

The crysaloids from Earth F were then dealt with in a war that taught the inhabitants of the Earth chain that their new home was dangerous, but also that they could rely on their neighbors. For most Earths, their involvement in the war against the crysaloids amount to nothing more than watching distant explosions like celebratory fireworks.

 

The inhabitants of the Mighty universe have come to call the induction that brought them together the Merger. The direct cause of the Merger, if there ever was one, remains unknown to this day. Several universes were going through big cosmic catastrophes when it happened and they may have each contributed to the Merger. Earth F was dealing with an infestation of crysaloids within their sun which the Merger substantially aggravated by increasing the energy of the sun thousands of times over.The heroes of the Mighty universe deserve respect. They not only successfully responded to thousands of Earths suddenly locked in orbit around a black hole, they responded to an army of energy-hungry multiverse parasites.

 

On Earth B, the villainous Executioner killed the ghostly guardian Mr. Justice (or more accurately, rendered the ghost senseless and inert) and absorbed his power in an attempt to remake the world into one of absolute and brutal justice. 

 

On Earth M, the Crusading Host fought against the Black Comet, a dark sorcerer and astrologist, who enacted a ritual to give himself omnipotence.

 

And on Earth N, a master criminal known as the Spider attempted to escape capture by opening a portal to the multiverse. 

 

All these events may have acted together to aggravate what would have been a typical induction into a chaotic pile-up of universes, but there is another theory…

 

In a multiverse series known as “S,” there’s a world that has had crossovers with several worlds in the Mighty universe set, most prominently Earth P. This world, like Alfagon and Alizam, is a cartoon world, and you know how much of a headache those worlds can be for their neighbors.

 

In universe S-1, speedster Rapid the Rabbit (a green rabbit) leads a planetary rebellion against evil techno-mage dictator Dr. Robotussen. Apparently, during one battle against Dr. Robotussen, Rapid used a group of cosmically powered artifacts called the bedlam diamonds to stop Dr. Robotussen’s “cosmic tidal wave” from destroying and recreating the S-series in his image. Dr. Sivana would have been proud.

 

Rapid pulled it off…to an extent. He wished on the bedlam diamonds for a counter-force strong enough to overwhelm the tidal wave. This meant that the tidal wave was pushed back through macrospace. It was like a tidal wave of water meeting a shoreline. It “splashed” across the wider multiverse causing fairly minor changes mostly in the harmonic dimensions of Mu50 and Sigma251. The Warp Authority’s investigation has declared that, though the cosmic tidal wave did in fact reach and interact with Earth P, it had a negligible influence on the Merger. But their conclusion hasn’t stopped several worlds from declaring rabbit reason, particularly Earth B. It’s very easy to blame a cartoon rabbit with attitude than it is to say that the cause of the Merger was distributed. 

 

The Mighty Universe is a fairly recent addition to the Multiverse community having joined in 2020. They remain standoffish and furtive with little interaction in the community. They consider themselves a multiverse onto themselves and look at outsiders with suspicion. The wider multiverse already turned their lives upside down, and they aren’t looking for a repeat of the Merger anytime soon.

 

Sample Earths in the Earth Chain

 

Earth A

Before the Merger, the Shield led a band of loosely-affiliated American superheroes against the Axis during the 1940’s. After the Merger, a ceasefire was declared between the Axis and Allies and the Shield and his allies guard the borders of America waiting for the first signs of Axis aggression. So far, there have only been spies and saboteurs written off by the Axis as “unaffiliated gangsters.”

The Shield believes that, in time, the Axis countries will tear themselves apart under internal pressures. Hitler’s already had several assassination attempts against him, so why not wait for nature to take its course? The Shield believes that so long as the Axis are kept contained, they can be defeated without the bloodshed of open war. He’s worried that a faction of American superheroes led by his friend Steel Sterling may launch an operation to assassinate the Axis chain of command and plunge their Earth once again into open war.

Earth A has allied with Earth C and Earth J to form the ACJ Alliance due to the similar circumstances of their worlds.

Prominent superheroes of Earth A include:

The Shield, Joe Higgins, the son of brilliant chemist Tom Higgins who was killed by Nazi spies before he could mass produce his superhuman SHIELD treatment (Sacrum, Heart, Innervation, Eyes, Lungs, and Derma), but not before he left just enough for Joe to use to become the Shield. Charismatic and bombastic, Joe is the unofficial leader of the superhero community.

Steel Sterling, John Sterling, a chemist who managed to partially replicate the Shield’s superhuman treatment after analyzing his blood. Hands-on and head-strong as his friend and inspiration Joe HIggins, Steel Sterling is almost as influential in the Shield. But in recent times, he’s started to clash with the Shield over whether or not to strike at the leadership of the Axis while a ceasefire is declared.

Black Hood, Kip Burland, a police officer who underwent hyperstasis under the stress of being hunted for a murder he didn’t commit and gained enhanced speed and strength. Black Hood was trained to use his powers by a mysterious man who helped him evade capture. It is only recently that Black Hood has learned that his mentor was none other than Captain Flag. Kip cleared his name, but kept the persona of the Black Hood as a symbol to remind people that justice always prevails in the end. Kip has always considered himself a police officer first and a superhero second and sides with his country’s decision and the Shield, even if it places him against his old mentor.

The Fox, Paul Patton, a newspaper photographer who achieved hyperstasis after developing photos of a bank robbery and wishing he could have done something other than watch and record. He became a “human camera.” He could emit a blinding light that burned a perfect image into his memory. He’s 100 percent against Steel Sterling’s plan and believes that the Axis’ ultimate end will come from superhumans like himself setting an honorable example for their citizens. All of Hitler’s propaganda can’t make him pull people out of burning buildings.

The Web, John Raymond, a criminologist who underwent hyperstasis after visiting his brother in jail, whose criminality inspired John to become a criminologist. The Web could extend his senses out in a “web” from his body. He could see around corners and through walls. He could perfectly hear what was happening in any building he looked at. He could sit outside a restaurant and taste the food–something he did quite often, remarking that though it was weird, it was perfectly sanitary. His extrasensory power is critical to Steel Sterling’s assasination plot.

Panther Man, half-man, half-panther, all hero from the jungles of South America. Originally thought to be nothing more than a legend, he emerged from the jungles when a criminal used his legend as cover to murder anyone who got close to the legendary Ramm ruby. The Black Hood investigated the Panther Man after several archeologists turned up dead or missing and it resulted in the two doing the meet-fight-teamup thing common to superheroes. Panther Man told Black Hood that he was an orphan taken in and raised by the Caipora who transformed him into a form that would survive the jungles–the form of a mapinguari. Surprised to find someone as strange and strong as he was from the outside world, Panther Man decided to travel with Black Hood back to America where they became partners in crimefighting. Panther Man often defers to Black Hood on matters of society and culture, and the matter of Steel Sterling’s plan is no exception.

Captain Flag, Tom Townsend, who achieved hyperstasis under the stress of being kidnapped along with his father by the supervillain Black Hand. He developed the power to fly and control birds, one in particular, a bald eagle he named Pep, became his loyal companion after it saved him from the Black Hand by crashing through a window and providing a distraction. Tom waged a personal war against the Black Hand for months until the villain finally met his end. A firm believer in evil men getting what they deserve, he’s more than willing to go along with Steel Sterling’s plan.

And Mr. Justice, the mightiest of Earth A’s superhumans. Mr. Justice is the ghost of prince James, an 11th century monarch of England who was assassinated inside Rogers castle in Scotland. His spirit haunted the castle for centuries until it was deconstructed and moved brick-by-brick in 1940 in the hope of sparing it from the blitz. While being moved by boat, a Nazi u-boat targeted it and Rogers castle sank to the bottom of the ocean. This made Mr. Justice a spirit with a thoroughly disturbed resting place. That placed a considerable amount of vengeful power at his disposal. But before he could wreak vengeance upon the Germans, James had to process what had happened to him. He remembered the centuries only vaguely as if he dreamt them. The last clear memory he had was of sitting down to eat dinner and a sharp pain in his back…and the next thing he knew, he was here, in a weird city of square, metal towers lit by lamps without fire on a continent he didn’t know existed. And as much as the world changed, he had changed even more. He was…not human, but something human shaped. He was something like cold, misty air. He could feel water condense inside him. He occupied the New York Public Library and began to educate himself. It was slow going at first–even English had changed radically from his time! When the Shield responded to reports of a ghost haunting the Public LIbrary, James got to meet his first superhero. He instantly took a liking to them. Here at last was something familiar in their strangeness. These superheroes were, in their own way, as strange and misplaced as he was. James shadowed the superheroes and basically copied what they did. He took the name Mr. Justice, because that seemed like a good superhero name, and became a beloved member of the superhero community. Somehow, he had found a home among the strangest people of this strange land. Currently, Mr. Justice is the leader of the Ribbon. His ectoplasm flows throughout the Earth chain making sure everything moves in perfect balance. He is preoccupied with matters of import far beyond those of Earth A and is glad for it–he doesn’t want to pick a side in the Steel Sterling vs Shield debate. The superheroes are his only friends, everyone else that he loved died centuries ago. He doesn’t want to have to fight them–ever.

 

Earth E

 

The history of Earth E was extremely similar to that of Earth A until a key twist in the timeline. On Earth A, Dr. Tom Higgins was assasinated by Nazi spies before he could mass produce his superhuman treatment and left only enough for his son Joe to use to become the Shield. But on Earth E, Joe arrived at Tom’s lab soon enough to shield his father with his own body thus ensuring his survival at the cost of his own. 

 

Tom Higgins mass produced his shield treatment (Sacrum, Heart, Innervation, Eyes, Lungs, and Derma) to create an army that brought WW2 to an end in a month. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, in the Axis’ arsenal that could stop the march of hundreds of Shield Soldiers led by Tom Higgins as Shield Commander. They even took a victory lap into China and installed Chang Kai-shek as ruler which sent a strong message to Russia.

 

Tom and the Shield Soldiers had virtually won the planet. America was the indisputable leader of the world. Peace reigned, and yet Tom could not ignore a troubling animosity slowly growing in America. The Shield Soldiers outcompeted other Americans for jobs. Just one could do the entire work of a construction company–and then some. Normal Americans felt that the Shield Soldiers should have had their powers taken away now that the war was over. Shield Soldiers believed that they earned an edge in competing for jobs by their service.

 

Americans want the government to step in and legislate against the Shield Soldiers. But if they do that, what happens if the Shield Soldiers resist…

 

Tom hopes that tensions can be diffused by moving the Shield Soldiers away from the homefront. Together with the Shielded of Earth I, Tom has established the Shield Army as a peacekeeping force for the entire Earth chain. So far, it seems to have worked. People back on the homefront have started to see the Shield Soldiers as the heroes they always were as they hear about all the dangers they meet out in the Earth chain.

 

But is the Shield Army a solution or a distraction from the root causes of Earth E’s social unrust? Time will tell…

 

Earth K

The year is 1975, and things are very groovy–except for the lack of a sun and the other Earths floating in the sky.

International peace organization MIGHT has responded to the Merger by recruiting a team of superhumans to infiltrate neighboring Earths and neutralize any danger they may pose to Earth K. Subterfuge is Earth K’s weapon by necessity. Their superhumans are all some form of basic enhancile. They’re a little stronger and tougher than normal people, and may even be able to catch bullets with their hands or punch through walls, but none of them exhibit anything close to the truly godlike powers of superhumans from other Earths. Earth K is sneaky when it comes to inter-Earth affairs because they have to be–and fortunately for them, they’re very, very good at cloak-and-dagger work. How good? They have agents on every Earth in the sample list, and many are in high-ranking government positions. That good.

Prominent agents of MIGHT include:

Riot Shield, the cop who wouldn’t die, who achieved hyperstasis after surviving an ambush his traitorous partner led him into. Disfigured but alive, he armed himself with an arsenal of riot gear and a heavily customized “battle car” made out of a 1970 Dodge challenger and took his vengeance. Justified or not, extrajudicial killings are illegal, and he now works for MIGHT in exchange for a pardon which would allow him to resume something like a normal life. Riot Shield is staking out the tough world of Earth B and once broke cover to save Meteor from an ambush.

Black Belt, a young man who mastered the martial arts to control the vicious anger in his heart. As a half-white in Japan, he was the nail that stood out and got hammered down, but he found an outlet for his alienation by training under an old, eccentric master descended from the Koga clan of ninjas. He found happiness, and even romance as the old master’s granddaughter took a fancy to him. But then the Yakuza killed his master and kidnapped his girlfriend and his peace shattered. But in the stress of the moment, he achieved hyperstasis, and it allowed him to take his revenge. He cut a brutal path through the Japanese underworld with the skills his master taught him and the power that was now in his, power enough to punch his fist through human rib cages. He rescued his girlfriend, but it wasn’t a happy ending. With so much blood on his hands (literally and figuratively), he felt unworthy of being loved and fled into the night. He was picked up by MIGHT who were very interested in recruiting a man capable of clearing roomfulls of trained combatants. Perhaps the gentlest agent of MIGHT despite his body count, he feels uncomfortable spying on other worlds and so serves as an ambassador to the Spectrum of Heroes. Little does he know, his old flame has joined MIGHT to try and reconnect with him. If he ever finds out, he’s likely to be upset that MIGHT would allow her to place herself in harm’s way.

Panther Brother, the most baadasssss man in the world. An ex-pimp/police detective/private eye/social activist with a good aim and a strong right hook. He worked as a “problem solver for hire” in Chicago until the law found that he was more loose cannon vigilante than problem solver. Now he works for MIGHT not only for a pardon, but for a fat paycheck–he does nothing for free. Though Panther Brother is very mercenary and self-serving, he holds himself to a strict code of honor–no women, no children. MIGHT has him keeping tabs on Earth N.

Captain Flag, a patriotic crime fighter armed with a flying shield and a rocket-powered motorcycle built for him by the Riot Shield. Reb Rogers, son of MIGHT scientist Joe Rogers, was given the experimental FLAG formula (full latent ability gain) after a kidnapping gone wrong perpetuated by enemy agents left him at death’s door. Believing he owes his life to MIGHT, Reb works as one of their top agents. He’s stationed on Earth S where he’s right at home with his optimism and honor.

And the Wizard, the man with the magic touch, who serves as spymaster and voice of wisdom for the agents. The Wizard is the top agent of MIGHT and has foiled criminal conspiracies around the world since 1962. A master of disguise, his true name and appearance are unknown to all but the highest ranking members of MIGHT. He officially retired from spy business after foiling a bizarre drug dealing operation in Louisiana with ties to a voodoo cult in 1973, but off-the-record continues to do field work. So far, he hasn’t assigned himself to any alternate Earth…or so he claims.

 

Earth Q

 

As with Earth O, who Earth Q has a tenuous alliance with, Earth Q is a world in the year 2021 which only began to record hyperstasis after the Merger.

 

While the superhumans of Earth O are united through a shared connection through their noosphere they call the beat, the superhumans of Earth Q feature a wider variety of hyperstasis profiles. Their world is also more politically stable due to the lack of sudden and widespread telepathy. Due to this and the historical similarities between Earth O and Earth Q, many inhabitants of Earth O are immigrating to Earth Q through channels legal or otherwise.

 

Earth Q is very concerned not only about their population swelling out of control but people from Earth O bringing telepathy with them. Minor telepathic storms have already been reported which confirm that “O-ers” can in fact bring their telepathy with them, it’s not an isolated feature of their world. If these storms continue, the leadership of Earth Q might find themselves compromised like the leadership of Earth O. Earth O might have even allowed unrestrained immigration into Earth Q in an attempt to equalize relations between the two. But in any instance, the governments of Earth Q will likely seek to retaliate against Earth O if their dirty laundry gets aired over their nascent noosphere, likely in a form involving their superhumans clashing with Earth O’s superhumans.

 

That presents a problem as the superhumans of both worlds actually get along. They find they have far more in common with each other than they do with their government contacts.

 

Neither the governments of Earth O or Earth Q anticipate their superhumans doing anything other than obeying orders, which goes to show their inexperience with superhumans. They think they can treat them like they do ordinary humans and get away with it.

 

Prominent members of Earth Q’s superhero community include:

 

The Wizard, an independent journalist fired from America’s largest news network for not sticking to the script and underwent hyperstasis while basking in the exhilaration he felt in no longer having his expression dictated by stuffed suits. The Wizard can walk through shadows (meaning he can walk through Mahorela) who is more than willing to plant bugs that instantly livestream to the internet in all the secret places of the archons. They’re never able to shut down all of them before the broadcasts get saved on millions of computers. To the news agencies that used to deploy him, he’s a racist/sexist/homophobe/leftwing/rightwing/socialist/communist/nazi, which means he’s one of the most moral and principled men on his Earth. 

 

Shields, a depressed software programmer and failed video game designer who achieved hyperstasis after a sleepless night burning through the library of an old Atari 2600 he repaired. Finally, the skills he took out a loan to learn gave him a brief time of happiness. It was a hollow victory, but a victory nonetheless. He felt something, and he hadn’t felt anything in so long. When he woke up the next morning, he found that he could create glowing barriers of energy he calls “pong paddles.” At first, he just wanted to be left alone with his power. It was something special that only he knew about, that only belonged to him, and he didn’t want to share it. It was the only special thing in the world that belonged to him, and all the world had ever done to him was make him feel worthless and ordinary. But after he used his barriers to fly on a trip around the world, he was inspired by the suffering he saw to do something special rather than try and be somebody special. He now leads a nonprofit construction company built around using his barriers to lift, suspend, and support building materials.

 

Waving Flag, a low-level drug dealer who quit the life after feeling he was called by a higher power to use his ability to create water-like areas of force that ripple and wave like a giant flag for something more important than cheap internet videos. He now hunts down coyote traffickers in Southern Texas and suspends them in his “flag fields” for federales and ICE agents alike. Highly religious, he truly believes people with superpowers were placed on this Earth to do the Lord’s work.

 

And Jackpot, a troubled homeless man who spent his life drifting in and out of psychiatric hospitals and flophouses until one day he wished he had a quarter in his pocket so he would have just enough to get a small fry with his cheeseburger…and found that he did. Then he found he had another quarter…and another…and another…and another…and soon he discovered that he didn’t even have to reach into his pocket. He could make quarters appear in his hands, on the ground, on tables…anywhere, and in any amount he wished. Feeling overjoyed and not truly understanding the consequences of his actions (he had a diagnosed IQ of 83), he caused the skies above Dallas to rain quarters. The federal government started a manhunt demanding the surrender of the superhuman behind the “greatest counterfeit operation in the world,” which frightened Jackpot into hiding. After the rain of quarters continued for several days, the federal government declared the superhuman behind it a terrorist and a Russian/Chinese asset out to crash the world economy, which frightened Jackpot further. After the rain fell for two weeks, the United States voided the quarter as legal currency and virtually begged the superhuman to come forward “to just talk” before he crashed the worlds’ copper market, which frightened Jackpot even further. Eventually, it was Waving Flag who finally got Jackpot to appear. He wouldn’t appear before anyone in uniform, but he knew Waving Flag was a good man because of the stories on the news about him capturing human traffickers and decided to meet him when Waving Flag promised on the news to meet him at a local Burger King without anyone else involved. Waving Flag did his best to explain how fiat currency and counterfeiting worked, but Jackpot still didn’t’ quite understand how what he was doing was wrong. He wasn’t stealing anything. He was creating money. Didn’t that mean he was creating more wealth for everyone? Crushed that his attempt to make the world a better place did the opposite, Jackpot had no idea what to do with himself. Waving Flag made a suggestion–help him take down the cartels. And Jackpot did just that, because Jackpot might very well be the most powerful superhuman of his Earth. He can not only generate mass out of thin air, he can determine where it’s generated. More than a few cartel kingpins have been found dead, stuffed with quarters.

 

Earth R

The year is 1776, and after synthesizing a golden elixir from the heart of a feathered dragon found within Aztec ruins, British alchemist Gregory Higgins becomes the Escutcheon, an invincible, immortal man who cannot be harmed by anything–not even a cannonball from an 18 pound cannon.

With his newfound powers, Gregory brings a swift end to the insurrection occurring in the New England colonies  and captures several leaders of the rebellion including general George Washington and politician John Adams who are promptly tried and executed for high treason against the crown. Gregory, once a poor scholar, is declared by King George to be the greatest natural philosopher since Paracelsus and given the governorship of Virginia.

But the spirit of 1776 lives on in 1786…

As if in response to the Escutcheon, several superhumans began to appear in the colonies–the Black Hood, privateer of an “American” navy that doesn’t exist whose gentlemanly swagger and habit of tossing looted gold from British galleons to eagerly awaiting crowds won him the hearts of colonists, especially of the female persuasion, the Wizard, self described “smartest American–and thus smartest man on Earth” whose trickery and illusions have caused his supporters to second his declaration and enemies to declare him a witch, and the Fox, a man who could outrun horses and vanish from sight who, unknown to all, is a woman in disguise.

None of these rebels possess the power to defeat the Escutcheon, but they do have the power to make his governorship a disaster and keep the spirit of rebellion alive. At his wits end how to defeat an enemy that won’t stand and fight and whose greatest weapon is an illegal broadsheet printed by their ally Benjamin Franklin, the Escutcheon hired a young Iroquis woman, an Oneida, named Godasiyo, to hunt down and deliver the Wizard, Hood, and Fox to the Escutcheon alive or dead in exchange for a pardon for the man who raised her, a Mohawk named Akiatonharónkwen, better known to the revolutionaries as Joseph Louis Cook. Godasiyo had the power to call upon spirits from a force she calls the orenda (the Astral dark) through the use of hand-made masks. She prefers to command these spirits to heal, but she can also call upon them to bedevil or even kill.

Though Escutcheon believed Godasiyo would come through for him, continual sightings of her targets confirmed that failed–and what was worse, there were rumors that she had been seen with the rebels. Some even said she worked for them. Some even said she was  the lover of the Wizard.

Godasiyo’s failure drove Escutcheon to his mental limit, and the Merger drove him over it.

With the sun gone and copies of the planet hanging in the sky, he’s started to wonder if the Wizard really isn’t a witch as people say. The Escutcheon is an alchemist, a man who derives his power from empirical observation of the natural world, but he’s never believed that men could actually sell their souls to the Devil for favors…and yet, he also never believed that the sun could vanish. Could the Wizard really have sold his soul to the Devil to cause the Merger? The Devil was real. A woman from Earth C claimed to work for him. And ambassadors from so many worlds claimed to be from “America,” a country that was won from the British…

Did the Wizard ask the Devil to bring their world to this place filled with super powered Americans? So far, the other Earths have been neutral with regards to their own…but for how much longer?

This question has made the Escutcheon hellbent on destroying the American rebels. Maybe if he could stabilize the colonies that would deter any potential off-world intervention? He has become merciless. Anyone that is so much as suspected of working with the rebels faces the gallows. His advisors are worried that he’s going too far, but King George is just happy to know that such a powerful being has absolute tunnel vision on the colonies.

Despite his intentions, the Escutcheon’s actions may very well bring off-world attention down upon him…

 

Earth S

The year is 1959. A team of scientists, space aliens, and oddities come together to fight for justice. Utilizing creative applications of superpowers and science, they right wrongs, punish evil, and defend the weak and helpless. They are the League of Right and Might, the LRM.

Right is might!

The LRM are one of the most good-natured superteams in the Earth chain. Slow to anger, they eschew the drama and squabbles of other superteams for cooperation and friendship. Though more jaded supertems call them saccharine and naive, they produce results. Earth S is one of the most prosperous Earths in the chain. Though successful, the LRM are also humble, and attribute their success not to themselves but to the people of their planet. They may be right. Good societies may be the ultimate cause behind good superheroes. It’s hard to imagine the people of Earth B, for instance, tolerating the LRM.

The LRM were no strangers to the multiverse before the Merger and because of their experience were able to assume a leadership role when it happened. Mighty Mr. Justice in particular was instrumental in preventing what could have been a cosmically huge loss of life. He used his “power possession” ability to possess time itself and allow the heroes of thousands of worlds to act together to save their respective Earths. 

The LRM remain leaders within the Earth chain and often serve as a neutral party in inter-Earth disputes. Remember, Right is might!

Prominent members of the LRM include:

 Proud Pan, the Greek god of nature himself (who fortunately eschews the more lurid aspects of his legend) who single-handedly restored the depleted rainforests of Brazil and the wetlands of Louisiana. He spends his free time teleporting across the parks and gardens of the world charming whoever he finds with free panpipe concerts.

The Star-Studded Shield, a robotic child with a phd created by Dr. Higgins to promote goodwill between intelligent machines and humanity. The Shield, in his naivety and youthful exuberance, is truly like a child and looks up to the other members of the LRM as his parents.

The Kooky Comet, a hip and happening wander of the stars. With the ability to alter reality by snapping his fingers, something natural for all Beta-Nikians, he longs to understand how other races like man influence reality when they have no special powers and have to rely on culture, argumentation, and compromise. He’s a huge fan of pop culture and fills his diner/coffee shop/museum of oddities called Homeworld Bound. He’s vowed to protect the freedom of expression, seeing it as the source of our collective power, and though his naivety has sometimes led to him being manipulated by evil men (That bank over there stole our money!) he remains the most happening spacecat this side of alpha centauri. Word, daddy-o. Lately, the Kooky Comet has been seen working with the Spectrum of Heroes. He likes working with the SOH as it allows him to travel to and learn about the cultures of various Earths, each as interesting in its own way as the Earth he calls his home

The Sensational Scarlet Avenger, a man who was once a grim (by Earth S standards) vigilante with the power to dull men’s minds through hypnotism and give them horrible nightmares about their crimes until they repented but softened considerably after meeting the LRM. He now works as their stealthy man-in-the-shadows surprising badguys while they’re focused on his more colorful and noisey friends.

The Bellicose and Beautiful Black Hood, a female police officer who developed enhanced strength and speed after the mob killed her husband in an attempt to intimidate her. She’s a brash, swashbuckling heroine with a fondness for motorcycles and other things that go fast, like the Kooky Comet. She’s a maternal figure to the Star-Studded Shield, a source of encouragement for the Scarlet Avenger every time he thinks about backsliding into his loner vigilante ways, and a source of frustration to Pan as she often shoots down his advances. Unlike other Black Hoods in the Earth chain, her hood doesn’t cover her face. She wears her hood “Red Riding Hood style,” as the Shield puts it. She believes it’s very important that an officer of the law looks human and approachable, and that means no face covering.

And their leader, the Mighty Mr. Justice, who unlike other Mr. Justices of the Earth chain, isn’t a ghost but a member of an alien race called the Phanfasms, and though they share a name and powers with the Phanfasms of the Nonestican fairy country of Phantastico, it’s a very fortunate thing for the inhabitants of Earth S that their Phanfasms are much, much, MUCH nicer than those of Phantastico. Their Phanfasms are naturally invincible and immortal and travel around the universe protecting races not naturally invulnerable. They see other races as precious and fragile as the finest jewels. Mr. Justice is the Phanfasm “life agent” assigned to Earth. Professional, confident, and always smiling in the face of danger, Mighty Mr. Justice is the light the LRM rallies around, though he hasn’t been active with the LRM recently. He’s been recalled to deep space to lead the Phanfasms into helping the outer ministries of Earth F in bringing peace to distant galaxies disturbed by the Merger.

 

Earth T

 

On this Earth, WW2 was brought to a swift end by the Chosen Few, a small but powerful group of superhumans consisting of Steve Higgins the Patriot Shield, who unlike other Shields actually took to using a shield made out of dynacite (their name for perkunite) after being empowered by a government experiment, William Roman the Atlantean, noble of the aquatic Thule race mutated by a toxic oil slick into having wings on the side of his head that somehow allowed him to soar through the air as easily as he swam through water, and Tim Atlas the Comet, a mechanical man built for the 1939 World’s Fair who gained the ability to lower temperatures with the power of his computerized brain and could fly by inducing convection currents.

 

After the Chosen Few won the war in 1942, their world remained at peace until a sudden series of giant monster attacks in the early 1960’s heralded the arrival of a new age of hyperstasis with its vanguard being a band of four scientists and explorers known as the Fearless Four. They were composed of a second Comet, a burly, misshapen giant made of ice who hid his feelings of inadequacy by declaring that he was better than the “old-timer” Comet, Mr. Justice, a super-mind inside a super-body composed of malleable cosmic ectoplasm, Lady Justice, wife of Mr. Justice who could turn as intangible and invisible as the wind, and Firefly, their bubbly daughter who could influence minds by emitting multi-colored light.

 

An uneasy respect existed between the Chosen Few and the Fearless Four for years. The Chosen Few believed superhumans should engage with society as little as possible and serve only as protectors and emergency responders while the Fearless Four believed superhumans had a duty to change society and be a proactive, not reactive, force. Through their inventions and discoveries, the Fearless Four hoped to bring about a golden age for mankind…while the Chosen Few looked on and prayed they didn’t blow the planet up before it could reach that golden age.

 

Still, an uneasy respect is still respect. Both teams acknowledged the other as heroes who did what they truly thought was best. They gave each other the space they needed to operate how they saw fit. The Comets even became friends with the older mentoring the younger.

 

But that uneasy respect quickly decayed after the Merger.

 

Earth T had to decide whether or not to engage with the Earth ring. The Chosen Few saw entangling their Earth within the business of other Earths as a huge liability while the Fearless Four saw it as a chance to lift their Earth to undreamt of heights. “There was so much to learn from the other Earths! There was so much their own Earth could share!” But the Chosen Few saw it as “There’s so many ways these other Earths can destroy our own!”

 

 Without proper mediation, the two teams may very well come to blows over the matter.