Timeline for a Age of Heroes:
LEGEND
- Black Text = Events from the DCU (primarily pre-52).
- Red Text = Events from the Marvel Universe.
- Blue Text = Events from independent universes.
- Green Text = Events unique to the Age of Heroes universe or marking a significant change from Marvel/DC canon.
Before Time
Galan of Taa survives the destruction of the previous universe. Endowed with the remaining power of his universe, Galan eventually is reborn in this universe as Galactus, Devourer of Worlds.
The Source, Eternity, and the Presence are formed. Their exact relationship is unknown. It is, indeed, unknown if they are actually three separate concepts.
Angels are created and the Silver City is built.
The first of the Endless come into being.
The GodWorld, home of the First and Second Worlds, forms.
13.7 billion years to 10 billion years BCE
The Big Bang occurs, creating the physical universe.
The first life forms are not matter but energy based. These include the Aurakle.
A flood of entropic energy results in the creation of an anti-matter universe beside the matter universe.
Lucifer leads a rebellion against the Presence. He and his followers are cast out of the Silver City and into Hell.
Raguel, one of the six archangels, is given a mission to become the Presence's wrath as the Spectre.
The Lords of Order and Chaos come into being.
The GodWorld, seemingly having sinned against the Source, is destroyed.
Sentient life evolves on Maltus.
5 billion years to 4 billion years BCE
Sentient life evolves in other locations as well but these species no longer exist. The last survivors of these various species, discovering immortality through the pursuit of specific goals, would eventually form a loose brotherhood known as the Elders of the Universe.
The Sol solar system begins to form.
The GodWorld's molten remains form two new planets: New Genesis and Apokolips.
The planets of the Sol system begin to form, including Earth. Reality is still flexible at this point in the universe's history so, while the Earth is a mass of cooling plasma, one frame of reference away it is a concave disc inhabited by horrible entities known as the Pre-Dead and Elder Gods. Knowing their time would end, the Pre-Dead arranged for artifacts to be hidden on the physical Earth. These artifacts, properly utilized, will eventually draw the Pre-Dead back into existence. The Elder Gods, meanwhile, were destroyed or banished by Demogorge, the child of Gaea.
The Earth cools. The Parliament of Stones, the group consciousness of Earth's mineral element, forms.
The energies released by the destruction of the Elder Gods become a series of powerful demonic beings, including the ones known as Mephisto, Satanus, and Neron.
Life evolves on Apokolips and New Genesis.
Krona, a Maltusian scientist, attempts to view the big bang. His experiment floods the beginning of time with entropic energy, creating an anti-matter universe. To atone for Krona's actions, the Maltusians relocate to the planet Oa and become the Guardians of the Universe. Among their early experiments the Guardians create the Psions, gather much of the galaxy's "free magic" and imprison it in the core of a star (it becomes known as the Starheart. A fragment will eventually break free and fall to the Earth), and gather pure "green energy" (willpower) to create a giant power battery.
Not every Maltusian agrees with the decision to relocate to Oa. Some follow a philosophy of non-interference. These Maltusians branch off and undertake a mission to document the history of the universe. They become known as the Watchers.
An interstellar war begins as the Daemonites rebel against the Kherubim.
4 billion years to 220 million years BCE
A mysterious race of beings with cosmic power known as the Celestials first appear. They treat planets as laboratories. Their first experiments give birth to the modern Skrull race.
Biological life begins on Earth. By now, Mars has a thriving civilization.
The Guardians of the Universe create the Manhunters, an android peace-keeping force. The Manhunters will patrol space for a billion years before they rebel and are exiled. The Manhunters are replaced by the Green Lantern Corp. The rebellion eventually results in a series of philosophical debates among the Guardians. One faction of Guardians leaves Oa to become the Controllers. Another, consisting entirely of female Guardians, leaves Oa to become the Zamarons.
The Green gains consciousness on Earth. It will eventually come to be "ruled" by the Parliament of Trees. Other elemental consciousnesses also come into existence, ruled by the Parliaments of Flames (fire), Waves (water), and Vapors (air). The elemental consciousness of fungus (the Grey) and animals (the Red) do not have parliaments.
Dinosaurs become the dominant life form on Earth.
Martian civilization reaches its peak, expanding out to colonize the solar system, including Earth and Saturn.
65 million years BCE
An alien species known as the Fortisquians begin a mission to monitor the evolution of various species. They do so by disguising their research laboratories as comets.
A great extinction wipes out the dinosaurs. Mammals rise to become the dominant life form.
4 million years BCE
Humanity's evolutionary ancestors evolve.
The Celestials, powerful beings of unknown origin, visit Earth for the first time. Their experimentation on proto-humans lead to the creation of three races: the cosmically powered Eternals, the grusome Deviants, and a more subtly powered race that would eventually evolve into the Atlanteans.
1 million years BCE
The Skrull empire is founded. Early in the Skrull's history, they come into conflict with a race known as the Kree. This meeting will lead to generations of war. Shortly after the empire is founded, the Skrull breaks into two branches. The Skrull and the more mystically oriented Dire Wraiths.
The Kree build the Blue Area, an unmanned city with a breathable atmosphere, on Earth's moon.
The first major human civilization forms, centered on Atlantis. One of the first kings of Atlantis is a warrior named Kull. The people of Atlantis spread around the globe. Another civilization, based on Lemuria, also forms. Lemuria will eventually be overrun by the Deviants.
The god Set creates a race of humanoid reptiles known as the Serpent Men. These Serpent Men often war with both Atlantis and Lemuria.
500,000 years BCE
The House of El is founded on Krypton.
48,000 years BCE
A meteor fragment lands on Earth. Two proto-humans are bathed in the meteor's energy and gain immortality, becoming Vandal Savage and the Immortal Man.
43,000 years BCE
The mage Arion becomes ruler of Atlantis and the first human Sorcerer Supreme. He sends expeditions out to explore new lands. One of those expeditions finds Skartaris, the 'land in the center of the Earth'.
40,000 years BCE
Aurakles, the "first super hero" battles the Sheeda.
38,000 years BCE
Anthro, the "first human boy" is born and has many adventures.
33,000 years BCE
The first of Earth's gods seemingly comes into being, marking the rise of the Third World.
30,000 years BCE
The soul of a murdered woman is seized by the gods. She will eventually be reincarnated as Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons.
28,000 years BCE
Beings on Apokolips and New Genesis obtain godhood, marking the rise of the Fourth World.
23,000 years BCE
Civil war breaks out between the Eternals. The losing side are banished from the Earth and eventually create a colony on the moon, Titan.
22,000 BCE
War breaks out between the Eternals and the Deviants. The Deviants, who were already weakened from their war with Atlantis and the loss of Lemuria, will lose.
10,000 years BCE
The last ice age ends on Earth.
9,500 years BCE
The Darkhold, an ancient book left behind by the Elder God Cthon, is used to create the first vampire, Varnae.
9,600 years BCE
The Serpent People create the Serpent Crown.
The last remnants of Atlantis sink beneath the ocean. Survivors use science and magic to save themselves and adapt to the water either growing gills or becoming full merpeople. Atlantis will rise, and sink, again.
The Hyborian age begins. This is the age of of Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja, Crom the Barbarian, and Ulysses Bloodstone.
8,000 years BCE
The first Camelot (proto-Camelot) briefly rises and falls, destroyed by the Sheeda.
A young boy is given powers by the gods. He will eventually become the wizard Shazam, the second human Sorcerer Supreme.
5,900 years BCE
By this point in time, the water-breathing Atlanteans had settled into multiple kingdoms. One, populated mostly by blue skinned Atlanteans, centered their kingdom in the ruins of Atlantis proper. Another, populated primarily by pale skinned water-breathers, settled in the ruins of Lemuria.
5,000 years BCE
Two ships, one Kherubim and one Daemonite, crash land on Earth. The crews of these two ships begin a proxy war on Earth, using native humans as their pawns.
The Kree visit Earth and experiment on the humans they find there, creating the Inhumans.
4,000 years BCE
The book of Vishanti, a text of unparalleled mystical knowledge, seems to simply spring into being in Babylon.
3,000 years BCE
A civil war breaks out on Mars between the White and Green Martians. Outposts on Earth and Saturn are abandoned. In the end the White Martians are defeated.
A race of avian Inhumans found the isolated city-state of Feithera.
The blue Scarab, a weapon of the Reach, either falls to or is planted on the Earth and found in ancient Egypt.
2,500 years BCE
A time traveler visited Egypt and became the Pharaoh known as Rama-Tut.
A slave boy known as En Sahah Nur manifests metahuman abilities. He will eventually become the metahuman menace known as Apocolypse.
2,300 years BCE
Fin Fang Foom and several other, draconic aliens, come to Earth but end up locked in suspended animation.
Stonehenge is built in what will become Britian.
2,060 years BCE
Amentep uses the Ibis-stick to become Ibis the Invincible.
2,000 years BCE
Nabu, a Lord of Order, becomes an active participant in the fight against evil on Earth.
Around this time, the Orb of Ra is used to create the first Metamorph.
1,275 years BCE
Anath-Na Mutt discovers an ancient temple hosting a mysterious artifact known as the Ka stone. The stone gives Anath-Na Mutt immortality and great power, transforming him into the being known as the Sphinx.
1,200 years BCE
The gods use the souls of women who died through violence to create the Amazons.
1,100 years BCE
The Amazon nation splits in two, one half following Queen Hippolyta and the other following Queen Antiope. The Amazons following Antiope eventually found the city of Bana-Mighdall in Egypt. The Bana-Mighdall Amazons are joined by several members of the alien Coda sisterhood. The Coda sisterhood begins selecting human Coda sisters from among the Amazons.
1,000 years BCE
The Amazons following Hippolyta are exiled to the hidden island of Themiscyra by the gods.
50 years BCE
Many of the race of mystically powered humans known as homo magi, descendants of the ancient Atlanteans, relocate to a hidden city in the mountains of Anatolia.
A Green Lantern is corrupted by power and punished by the Guardians. He falls to Earth, where his consciousness is absorbed by a rogue fragment of the Starheart.
30 CE
A Roman centurion pierces the side of an executed Jesus of Nazareth with a spear. The spear becomes a mystic artifact known as the Spear of Destiny.
Marcus, the Golden Gladiator, becomes a champion and hero in the heart of Rome.
391 CE
The Library at Alexandria is destroyed for protecting heretical works.
476 CE
The Western Roman Empire falls.
Valoric, who will one day become time-lost and come to be known as the Viking Commando, is born.
496 CE
King Arthur unites all of Britannia and establishes court at Camelot. This is the time of Merlin the Magician, Nimue (she who will one day be known as Madame Xanadu), Sir Justin the Shining Knight, the original Black Knight, Prince Valiant, Brian Kent the Silent Knight, and Yason Blood. Camelot and Arthur's golden age finally falls to the forces of Morgaine le Fey and Mordred. A dying Arthur is swept away to Avalon and it is prophesied he will return in Britian's most dire hour.
At this time Merlin either splits himself into multiple Merlins or has several imposters, all of which wield considerable mystical power. The truth of the matter is unknown.
500 CE
A meteor of pure vibranium crashes into what will someday be the nation of Wakanda.
698 CE
Uxas of the Apokolips takes the name with which he will inspire fear throughout reality: Darkseid.
700 CE
Millenia of war between the Skrull and Kree has allowed a new interstellar empire, dominated by the Sh'iar, to grow.
800 CE
Charlemagne rules the Holy Roman Empire. Among his allies are Valda the Iron Maiden and Arak, Son of Thunder.
964 CE
Jon Haraldson becomes known as the "Viking Prince" and has many adventures. Some say he achieves immortality.
1000 CE
A human wizard transforms two house cats into humanoids, granting them sentience. These two cats would be the beginning of the Cat People, who would settle a pocket dimension known as the Land Within.
1187 CE
The Order of St. Dumas forms as a splinter branch of the Knights of the Temple of Solomon (the Templars).
1190 CE
Robin Hood fights the corrupt rule of Prince John, becoming an example other archers and heroes against tyranny will follow.
1202 CE
The Church of Blood is established on the isle of Zandia.
1205 CE
A woman named Camilla becomes queen of a lost Greek colony in the jungles of Asia.
1230 CE
The man who will be known as Ra's al Ghul discovers a Lazarus Pit and gains immortality.
1274 CE
A strange emerald lantern is given to Marco Polo as a gift while in Xanadu. He brings it to Europe.
1389 CE
A slightly drunk Hob Gadling tells a friend he won't die because he refuses to. Amused, Death of the Endless grants him immortality.
1407 CE
Sinbad the Sailor, aka Zheng He, begins the first of many adventures.
1450 CE
A skilled scholar creates the Montesi formula, a mystic spell which, it is said, can destroy all vampires.
1453 CE
In North America, Strong Bow has many adventures. On another part of the continent, Flying Stag gains the powers of "Super Chief".
1476 CE
Vlad the Impaler becomes the vampire known as Dracula.
1492 CE
Christopher Columbus's landing in the Americas ushers in the age of exploration.
1500 CE
The only survivor of the HMS Drake, a ship that found its way to a mythic savage land, drinks from a mystic cup and becomes an immortal known as the Petrified Man.
1536 CE
In Africa, Kit Walker swears to avenge the murder of his father and becomes the first Phantom, the Ghost Who Walks.
1572 CE
An astrological event signifies the end of an age of magic. A young sorceress named Citrina leads twelve great mystical houses to colonize another dimension, Gemworld. Meanwhile, the faerie court of Titania and Oberon withdraw from Earth.
1580 CE
Jon Valor, the Black Pirate, sails the seas as an English privateer.
1635 CE
The villages that will one day become Gotham City and Metropolis are founded.
1641 CE
Fero of the Careb Indians, aka Captain Fear, builds a legend as a buccaneer.
1648 CE
Port O'Souls, which will one day become Opal City, is founded.
1650 CE
By this point, the Sorcerer Supreme is a man known as the Ancient One. One of his first acts as Sorcerer Supreme is to repulse an invasion by the Dread Dormammu.
1694 CE
Destruction of the Endless abdicates his role and begins wandering reality.
1698 CE
As if mirror images of each other, High Father and Darkseid rise to rule their planets, New Genesis and Apokolips.
1700 CE
Keith Everet, the Earl of Strethmere, is murdered. He will one day rise as the Grim Ghost.
1715 CE
Civilization on Mars ends in flame.
1741 CE
Mad Hettie is born in England.
1760 CE
Owayodata, the Wolf-Spirit, empowers a champion with his essence. This champion becomes known as Red Wolf.
The first Hellfire Club is founded in England. Within ten years, a second Hellfire Club will be founded in America.
1775 CE
The Daily Planet is founded in Metropolis.
The Revolutionary War begins in America. During this time a group of founding fathers create a mystic avatar of the newly emerging nation. The avatar is first known as the Minuteman but will eventually be known as Uncle Sam. More mortal heroes also rise to prominence during this time, including Miss Liberty, Dan Hunter, and Tomahawk.
1791 CE
Lady Elisabeth Saint-Marie becomes the first in a long line of heroic Mademoiselle Maries.
1816 CE
The Frankenstein Monster is created.
1820 CE
Hawk, son of Tomahawk and Firehair, a white raised by the Blackfoot clan, are both actively adventuring.
The Science Council takes control of Krypton, ending an era of military rule.
1840 CE
A crashed alien spacecraft grants intelligence to a group of primates in Africa. They use the technology of the spacecraft to found Gorilla City.
The man who will one day become known as Yellow Claw is born in China.
1859 CE
Businessman Joshua Norton becomes Norton I, "Emperor of these Unites States and Protector of Mexico".
1865 CE
The end of the American Civil War marks the beginning of a great age of adventure. This is the time of Jonah Hex, Two-Gun Kid, Bat Lash, Nighthawk, Kid Colt, El Diablo, Madame .44, the Scalphunter, the Lone Ranger, Zorro, the Trigger Twins, Red Wolf, Pow-Wow Smith, The Phantom Rider, and more.
John Carter is somehow transported to the planet Barsoom and has many adventures.
1870 CE
Captain Nemo and his mysterious Nautilus terrorize the seven seas.
1881 CE
Sherlock Holmes moves into 221B Baker Street. Holmes will work with his partner and biographer, Dr. John Watson, to solve many cases and become known as the greatest detective to ever live.
1894 CE
Hugo Danner, one of the first true metahumans, is born.
1897 CE
The Daily Bugle is founded.
1899 CE
Two infants are rescued from a demon by the Seven. They will eventually become the occult detective duo known as Dr. Occult and Rose Psychic.
1900 CE
Jenny Sparks, the spirit of the 20th Century, is born.
Jim Corrigan is born. He will become a host of the Spectre.
1904 CE
Jonah Hex is killed shot by George Marrow. He is then stuffed, and mounted.
1905 CE
Alex Olson becomes the twentieth century's first Swamp Thing.
1912 CE
John Clayton Earl Greystoke is raised by Apes in the deepest, darkest Africa. He becomes known as Tarzan.
1914 CE
World War I begins. It is a time of horrors and heroes, including Enemy Ace, the Balloon Buster, and a new Mlle. Marie. It ends in 1918.
During World War I, the first, modern team of "costumed" heroes is formed. Members of the Freedom's Five include Union Jack, Phantom Eagle, and Sir Steel.
1916 CE
A battle weary Dream of the Endless is captured by Roderick Burgess. Many people around the world fall victim to a mysterious sleeping sickness.
1918 CE
Baron Eric von Emmelmen, a German flying ace, is shot down over a swamp. He merges with the plant-life there, becoming the failed plant elemental known as the Heap.
1919 CE
Lee Travis discovers the mystic city of Nanda Parbat. He is told the city has no age and has always existed and always will exist.
1921 CE
Arkham Asylum is founded just outside Gotham City. Dr. Amadeus Arkham, the facility's founder, will eventually become a patient there.
1925 CE
Several women, including Marcia Reynolds, are abducted to a planet they believe to be Venus. Marcia escapes her captors and leads the human-like natives in a rebellion as Futura.
1930 CE
Kent Allard aka Lamont Cranston uses his amazing skills and mysterious abilities to strike fear into the hearts of evil-doers as the Shadow.
1931 CE
Detective Dick Tracy fights to clean up the streets of Chicago using forensic science, quick wits, and his fists.
1932 CE
The Stark family builds a mansion at 890 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
1933 CE
A secret government program, Project M, lays claim to the body of a giant gorilla that was killed in New York City.
Doc Savage begins his adventuring career.
1935 CE
Johann Schmidt attracts the attention of Adolph Hitler. Hitler personally trains Schmidt to become the Red Skull.
1936 CE
African-American athletes Jesse Owens and Will Everett, who will one day be Amazing Man, win medals at the Berlin Olympics, discrediting the racial theories of the ruling Nazi party. Terry Sloane, the future Mr. Terrific, earns three gold medals.
Brian O'Brien fights crime as the Clock, becoming the first masked mystery man of the modern age.
1937 CE
Speed Saunders, Hop Harrigan, and Slam Bradley begin their adventuring careers.
Sheena, queen of the jungle, is an active adventurer in Africa.
1938 CE
Plagued by troubled dreams, Wesley Dodd puts on a gas mask and fights crime as the Sandman.
Lee Travis seeks to fight injustice as the Crimson Avenger.
Jay Garrick gains the power of super-speed. He dons a costume and becomes the original Flash.
Jor-El of Krypton tests an experimental hyperdrive. The drive malfunctions and he is thrown through both time and space.
John Zatara hides his magical skills in plain sight as a stage magician. He also battles crime.
Rex Tyler invents a steroid called miraclo that gives him super-strength, one hour at a time. He becomes the Hourman.
1939 CE
Nazi Germany invades Poland, marking the beginning of World War II.
Alan Scott debuts as the Green Lantern.
Ted Knight invents his first gravity rod and becomes Starman.
The Blackhawk Squadron, an international and elite squadron of flying aces, is put together to fight the Nazi menace.
In Gotham, an urban legend rises about a crime fighter known as the Bat-Man. Some say the Bat-Man is a mystery man. Others believe the Bat-Man is a demon, vampire or even an alien.
Doctor Phineas T. Horton creates an android that bursts into flames when exposed to oxygen. The android learns to control its abilities and becomes a hero, fighting crime and Nazis as the Human Torch.
Namor, a half-human prince of Atlantis, is sent to the surface world. At first seeing the land dwellers as a threat, Namor eventually joins the side of the Allies in the fight against the Axis powers.
A number of other mystery men and women premiere this year, including the Invisible Hood, Phantom Lady, Hawkman, the Living Doll, the Whip, the Flame, Samson, Sparkman, Invisible Scarlet O'Neil, the first Blue Beetle, and Steel.
1940 CE
Jim Corrigan dies and is bonded to the wrath of the Presence, becoming the modern incarnation of the Spectre.
The helm of Nabu is donned and a new Dr. Fate appears.
A skinny American kid named Steve Rogers is chosen to take part in the Super Soldier project. Rogers is given a secret formula and stimulated with vita-rays. The project is a success and Rogers becomes the patriotic symbol of the United States, Captain America!
The Justice Society of America is formed at the suggestion of President Roosevelt.
Mystery men and women who debut this year include Spy Smasher, Bulletman, Black Condor, the Spider, Red Torpedo, Red Tornado, 'the Blazing Skull, Johnny Thunder, the Red Bee, Neon the Unknown, [[the Thin Man, the Atom, the Scarab, Midnight, Minute-Man, Silver Streak, the original Daredevil, Hydroman and Rainbow Boy, the Whizzer, the Blonde Phantom, the Green Hornet, the Angel and Mr. America.
Saul Baxter forms Team One, a covert missions group that battles Daemonite influence on World War II.
1941 CE
Japanese forces attack Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, marking the entrance of the United States into World War II.
Roy Lincoln ingests the chemical 27-QRK and becomes the Human Bomb.
The Seven Soldiers of Victory forms.
The Freedom Fighters forms.
The All-Star Squadron is formed by the order of the President. It serves to coordinate the activities of just about every masked mystery man during the war.
A spell cast by occult forces in Germany and Japan and powered by the Spear of Destiny and Holy Grail prevent the majority of the Allied mystery men from participating directly in the war effort.
Mystery men and women who debut this year include Fury, Hawkgirl, Dr. Mid-Nite, the Jester, Captain X, Miss America, the Spar-Spangled Kid and Stripsey, Vigilante, Johnny Quick, Wildcat, Mr. Terrific, Uncle Sam, Liberty Belle, Robotman, the Tarantula, Firebrand, the Blue Diamond, Manhunter, the Ray, Sandy, Fearless Flint, Man O'Metal, Judomaster, and Tiger.
1942 CE
While most Allied mystery men can't operate in either war theater, other heroes can. These include Sgt. Frank Rock and Easy Company, the Haunted Tank, the Blackhawks, the Losers, a new Mlle. Marie, the Viking Commando, the Howling Commandos, Sawyer's Rangers, the Unknown Soldier, the Creature Commandos, GI Robot, the Ghost Patrol, Stratosphere Jim and his Flying Fortress, and Gravedigger Hazard.
Diana Trevor, an American pilot, crash lands on the island of Themyscira. The Amazons learn of the war from Diana and their queen, Hippolyta, decides that the Nazi threat is great enough to require intervention. She travels to man's world and becomes the mystery woman known as Wonder Woman.
Jor-El of Krypton's ship exits hyperspace several years and millions of light years off target. He crash lands in Kansas and is taken in by the Kent family there. He befriends their young son, Jonathan Kent.
The All-Star Squadron fights and defeats an incursion by Nazi forces on the west coast of the United States.
Mystery Men who debut this year include Miss America, TNT and the Dyna-Mite, Amazing Man, the Destroyer, Wildcat, the Scarlet Scarab, the Guardian, Silver Scorpion, Neptune Perkins, the Vision, Iron Monroe, the Sub-Zero Man, Red Raven, Flying Fox, and Tsunami, and Spirit of '76.
1943 CE
Jor-El saves FDR from Nazi assassins. Dubbed Superman by the press, Jor-El joins the All-Star Squadron.
The Invaders, a team of heroes who are able to operate in Europe, are active in the war effort.
Allied forces invade Sicily. The course of the war begins to change.
By this point, the Holocaust has claimed the lives of millions of Jews, Romani, and others.
1944 CE
The Seven Shadows forms. The team is short-lived.
The D-Day Invasion opens up a second front in Europe. Sgt. Rock and the Easy Company take part, as do the Howling Commandos.
General Glory debuts.
The Battle of the Bulge takes place, marking the end of Germany's major offensives.
1945 CE
The Spectre bears witness to the treatment of Japanese-American citizens and flies into a rage. He is talked down by Starman.
Members of the Justice Society serve as honor guards at the funeral of FDR.
Adolf Hitler is assassinated in Berlin by the Unknown Soldier.
The Allies declare victory in Europe.
The Spectre bears witness to the atrocities of a concentration camp. He flies into a second rage but is calmed by members of the JSA.
Captain America and his partner Bucky are subdued and tied to an experimental, explosive drone. They manage to wake and free themselves, then stop the drone before it can destroy a city in the United States. Bucky apparently dies and Captain America falls into the icy waters where he is placed in a state of suspended animation. The public is not informed of Captain America's apparent demise and there will be a number of new Captain Americas throughout the years.
For reasons that are still unknown Roy Lincoln, the Human Bomb, makes his way to the city of Hiroshima in Japan. There he detonates himself, destroying most of the city and thousands of lives. Once more, the Spectre flies into a rage. This time, nothing can calm him. The Spectre appears to all of humanity as a great figure in the sky and passes judgment. Metahumans everywhere lose their powers and the strength of magic and super science are both diminished. Alien influences on human civilization, including Hipployta and Jor-El, are teleported back to their homelands. Human civilization is isolated from both the universe and "alien" civilizations on Earth such as Themyscira and the Hidden City of the Homo Magi.
The Japanese surrender unconditionally, marking the end of World War II.
Sgt. Frank Rock is killed by the last bullet fired on the last day of the war.
1946 - 1949 CE
With the war over and the Spectre's judgement in effect, the All-Star Squadron is disbanded. The Justice Society of America continues to battle gangsters, smugglers, and Axis agents who refuse to surrender, though the team is greatly diminished.
The Blackhawks are recruited to work for the CIA.
HYDRA, a terrorist organization born from the remains of the Third Reich, is founded.
1950s CE
"Cracks" begin to form in the Spectre's judgement as powerful entities assault it. Occasionally, something strange slips through these cracks.
Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) spins out of Hydra as a scientific think tank unrestricted by the moral, ethical, and legal mores of society.
The Blackhawks break away from the CIA and become free agents.
The Korean War begins. It lasts three years.
Under pressure from Congress to reveal their identities, the Justice Society disbands and the few remaining members retire.
Task Force X, which includes the Suicide Squad, is formed in the United States to carry out missions, mostly in the newly polarized cold war Europe.
The newly formed United Nations commissions the Global Guardians, an international team of costumed adventurers. It operates mostly in the eastern hemisphere, battling smugglers, proto-terrorist organizations, and organized criminal cartels.
The UN also forms the Strategic Hazard International Espionage Law enforcement Division to deal with less public and more covert matters. SHIELD's primary adversaries are HYDRA and A.I.M.
Cave Carson and a team of explorers use the Mighty Mole for subterranean exploration. They eventually find a cache of Nazi gold that allows them to operate independently.
The Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first known man-made satellite. The space race begins.
The planet Krypton explodes.
1960s CE
Four men somehow survive a plane crash that should have killed them. "Living on borrowed time", the four band together as the Challengers of the Unknown.
The mysterious Mockingbird forms the original Secret Six.
Sightings of the Bat-Man continue in Gotham.
The United States becomes heavily involved in the Vietnam War. The conflict will last well into the 1970s.
1970s CE
Two new costumed hero teams are formed. In Boston, the Echoes of Justice are active. Elsewhere, a hero inspired by the Bat-Man legend, the Acro-Bat forms the Justice Experience.
The Sea Devils, a team of underwater adventurers, explore the depths of the Earth's oceans.
Jeffrey Burr becomes Naga Naga, head of the international terrorist organization known as Kobra.
1980s CE
Dream of the Endless escapes from captivity at the hands of Alexander Burgess.
Intergang, a criminal organization that has been languishing for decades, is revived as a major criminal force by Bruno Mannheim.
Another criminal organization, the H.I.V.E. is formed.
Team Seven, a small special ops squad is formed. Some members have powers (although low key and unreliable). Others are given minor powers as a result of experiments done on team members. One of the members is Charles Xavier.
1990s CE
Sightings of the Bat-Man increase in Gotham. As if this serves as inspiration, a new wave of unpowered, costumed heroes and villains begin to appear in the United States. Ironically, the costumed hero has all but vanished from the rest of the world. The United Nations disbands the Global Guardians.
A new crime family, the 100, comes to prominence in the United States. It calls Metropolis home.
In the Vegan system, a rebel group called the Omega Men battle the tyranny of the Citadel.
The Soviet Union dissolves, officially ending the cold war.
The Agency, a black ops intelligence organization nominally under the control of the US government, is founded to deal with the realities of a post-cold war world. They often clash with SHIELD.
Nekron, Lord of the Unliving, attempts to invade the living world. The invasion is stopped by the Green Lantern Corps.
2000s CE
A new Suicide Squad is formed, consisting almost entirely of imprisoned costumed criminals.
Baron Winters forms the Night Squad to battle the dark forces that slip into the world as the Spectre's judgement increasingly fractures.
Metahumans are beginning to emerge. Their powers are unreliable and often weak but they do exist. Charles Xavier, realizing this, founds a school in Westchester County, New York. The Xavier Institute's mission is to find children born with "mutant" powers and help train them to be a force for good in the world.
On September 11, 2001, agents of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda crash hijacked airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A third plane, intended to crash into the White House, instead crashes into a field in Pennsylvania. This begins a a decade of war, with the United States and allies invading first Afghanistan and then Iraq.
In the wake of the the 9/11 attacks, a petition is made to move the New York Stock Exchange. Metropolis, with the help of LexCorp, makes the most convincing argument. Metropolis becomes the new financial center of the United States.
In space, the Darkstar Program rises to compete with the Green Lantern Corps as an intergalactic police force.
Following the 9/11 attacks, the Agency is reorganized into Checkmate.
The Suicide Squad is sent in to the "rogue" nation of Quarac to destroy their secret nuclear weapon's program. The mission goes horribly wrong and a nuclear device is set off, destroying Quarac's capital city. The United States successfully disavows knowledge of the event.
The nuclear catastrophe in Quarac ends a long series of events that began with the 9/11 attacks. By now, the Spectre is weary from defending his judgment against attack by outside forces (ranging from the Lords of Order and Chaos to Darkseid to the wizard Shazam). More open to reason, the Spectre listens to the entreaties of the Phantom Stranger that the Earth must be allowed to evolve without the Spectre's interference. The Spectre's judgement ends on 12/31/2009. Metahumans, magic, super science, and aliens are once more allowed to influence the world.
2010s CE
The mysterious Lord Emp gathers together a group of metahumans who operate as the WildCATs. They battle increasing Daemonite interference in human society. The WildCATs are disbanded by present day.
An earthquake sinks a portion of the city of San Diego beneath the sea. Residents of the sunken area find themselves somehow adapted to subaquatic life. The area is rebuilt and becomes the city of Sub Diego.
An alien attack on Metropolis is resolved when the alien technology merges with the city itself, converting it into "the City of Tomorrow". Attempts to exploit the new technology fail as it ceases to work when removed from the Metropolis city limits.
In Dakota, police attempt to quell a brawl between several rival gangs with tear gas. The tear gas is laced with an experimental marker designed to make it easy to track down tagged fugitives. The marker, when mixed with the tear gas, possesses mutagenic qualities. Most of the police and gang members present die but others are mutated and given metahuman abilities.
The Department of Extranormal Operations (D.E.O.) is established to monitor and, if needed, take action against the emerging metahuman population. It is headed by Valerie Cooper.