Whatever happened to the "heroes" of tomorrow?
The Dark Champions were going to rule the world. They had it all worked out, you see. An entire legion of supervillains, disguised as their heroic counterparts.
They had the government in the palms of their hands. The civilian populace was under their thrall.
So why aren't they in charge right now?
Simple. They died.
Or so it seems...
The story so far
Following a disastrous attempt at pacifying our world, Extradimensional Roman Emperor Decimus was driven to complete insanity. Bonding with experimental nanomachines, and furthering his plunge into the depths of madness, he crafted his own macabre version of the famous Champions of Peace, featuring a lineup of villains disguised as heroes. Now renamed Victor Tenth, the mad Emperor now had at his disposal an elite team of covert operatives, ready to further his mysterious agenda. Quickly winning the trust of the unwitting public as the patriotic Model Citizen, they operated out of New York City, engaging threats to both the USA and Victor's plans, all while coming into conflict with the regular Champions. This imposter team called themselves the Dark Champions.
But now, both teams have ceased activity. There have been no sightings of either team all together in one place, and New York has once again been left without a team of defenders. People have a hard time remembering the new Champions; their thoughts would often mysteriously wander when mention of them was made.
Why have people forgotten the so-called heroes that would have eventually damned them all? What had happened to them? Many say the team disbanded. Others, that they perished in a secretive fight against a world-conquering entity, a threat from behind the stars. Some insist they fell prey to infighting, taking themselves out of business out of different ideals, differing philosophies, or splintering ranks.
With the new breed of Champions on the rise, and no activity from Victor in recent months, it is logical to assume that such an aspiring villain had met his end, and his team had died with him.
And yet...something impossible has happened.
The Model Citizen is back. But this isn't the one that the public adored. This isn't the one that deceived a world, that had plans to conquer this universe and all others.
And it certainly isn't Victor wearing the armor this time...
Who is the new Model Citizen?
His identity is a complete mystery. His face has never been seen. Eye color, hair color, complexion, voice, even gender; all a mystery. Is he a rookie, aspiring to be like the heroes of yesteryear? Or a veteran protector, taking on new powers and a new look in order to save lives once more? An empty suit, perhaps, controlled remotely from a secret location? A clone of the original, or an illegitimate son? All pure speculation. Only time will tell.
Wearing an aesthetically altered version of the suit Tenth himself wore in his bid to conquer Washington DC, there is no doubt that this newcomer radiates power. But for what purpose? He bears the markings of a hero, but his association with the former New York-based Champions of Peace have strewn distrust throughout the ranks of other metahumans that had their own suspicions regarding the "Dark" Champions' activities. Why choose to take the identity of a such a controversial figure? Is there any relation to the old Model Citizen, formally presumed dead?
As for his enigmatic intentions...it seems he has something planned for the new generation of Champions that have sprung up in place of the old.
But what happened to the Dark Champions...? Was he somehow...responsible?
And what of his plans for the new generation of superheroes? Is he trying to build his own team, perhaps? The plot thickens. The plot thickens.
Coming Early 2015: Dark Champions...Redux.
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