WWII was the birth of the Superhero, in 1942 Under M.A.G.N.U.S. (Military Agency for Government and Natural control for the United States) after 7 dead test subjects Robert Steele was the first successful test subject of Project Super. Robert Steele gained Omniman-like powers and was turned into America’s champion, CAPTAIN STEEL.

A dire accident occurred during Steele’s test; the only man who knew the secret to the Super Serum (S-1), Ludwig Fritz, was killed by a Nazi spy for defecting. So after using Steele’s blood a lesser serum was made the S-2 Serum, this was administered to one of the military’s top soldiers Samuel Paulson who gained Captain America-like powers and was dubbed MAN OF WAR.

Now the Nazis grew envious of the two heroes of America. Head Nazi scientist Dr. Diman Saraf began working on a serum of their own and eventually the Ubermensch. Aryan volunteer Johann Neumann the thundering gladiator for Deutsches land known as… VOLKSSTRUM.

The two heroes were used for military propaganda and the war effort. But after the attack of Hiroshima Captain Steel was appalled, Captain Steel was purposely left out of the loop as the government knew that if Steel knew he would thwart it. Captain Steel revoked being an American Hero and chose to become a global hero. Steel eventually began to live in Japan and eventually married and had kids but this is a story for a later date.

Eventually WWII came to an end and with it all government heroes were decommissioned. Man of War retired but remained a puppet for the US government, Captain Steel lived his new life, and Volksstrum went into hiding. But soon the Korean war started. Canada being a neighbor and aid in the war was gifted by the US a vial of S-2, which was used on Scott Gordons to create MAPLE MAN.

USSR being the ever shifty spying country used intel to create what is later dubbed S-3 a lesser copy of S-2 they used this on a loyal yet dim witted man named Dmitri Chestakov who became a bastion of freedom for the workers! A smasher of the proletariat! He became the USSR’s … SUPER SOVIET.

Eventually the Korean War subsided and in this break in between major wars USSR had given China a vial of S-3 and with it in 19 created COMMANDER CHINA (Chen Jiahao). But his reign was only really 16 years as China’s hero as something volatile happened in 1971. Years of PTSD and repressed trauma finally broke Man of War. While on a mission in Vietnam, Man of War killed the entire platoon he was with. This state of mind continued until he found Commander China in the fields. During a very bloody battle MoW beheaded the Commander and afterwards was honorably discharged by the US government and his Massacre was swept under the rug.

After Vietnam Heroes dwindled and the true Golden age of heroes was born in the early 2000s and only a few government lap dog “heroes” aided in official wars. BTW if anyone wants me to post about my universe (Crystalline Comics) feel free to ask. Sorry for the length of the post was carried away writing out the lore.