A YJA Moment - Hercules

The demi-god known as Hercules is well known in the ancient world.  Born of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena, he grew up to be incredibly strong and resilient.  He was heralded as the greatest of the Greek Heroes, emulated by many throughout the years.

Although in his life he did great things, it seemed everything Hercules did came at a terrible cost.  He opposed the great goddess Hera, which ended up costing him his family.  During his great labours, he subdued the Amazons but committed great crimes against them which made them their lasting enemy despite all attempts to atone for his sins.

At some point, he left for the stars using the great Star Chariot with his good friend Dorian to found the colony world of New Calydon.  Joined by Newton and Tewt (actually the centaur Nikomedes and the satyr Thoön), he had many adventures before returning to Earth.

In the modern-day, Hercules found himself without much of a purpose.  His attempts to become a hero in New York City ended when he ran afoul with Thor, a frequent rival. Their spectacular brawls in midtown Manhattan ruined his reputation in the city and made him an enemy of Thor's team The Shield.

When he learned of fabled monsters in the sewers underneath the Big Apple, Herc took up his mighty club and descended into the depths of the city to earn glory and rehabilitate his reputation.  He ended up turned to stone when he gazed upon the Gorgons living in an abandoned subway station.

And so, that appeared to be the end of the Son of Zeus, until the fates decreed otherwise.  During a conflict in the Underworld, Hercules's soul was whisked away by the Reality Stone to serve in the Grail Wars.  When he was not called into service, his essence simply disappeared.

Awaking on a strange planet, Hercules had been returned to life, but in a mortal body. Undeterred by this, he called upon his mighty Star Chariot and traveled to New Caledonia, the planet he had once called home.

There he reconnected with his centaur and satyr companions and retrieved his mighty Tempest Band, a magical ring that contained a lightning bolt stolen from the Wizard Shazam.  Wearing the ring, he called down the lightning and was again empowered to do mighty deeds.

Now traveling the space-lanes, Hercules seeks to forge a new legend amongst the hundreds of species in Known Space.

A YJA Moment - A.I.M.

HYDRA has many heads; separate divisions and sects, all of which are led by charismatic leaders with grandiose plans.  Though this has caused many civil wars within its ranks, it has also been a source of survivability for the greater organization. In other words, try as they might, it's very hard to permanently eliminate HYDRA.

Advanced Idea Mechanics (or A.I.M.) was founded in the 1960s by Dr. Killian Devo, it was composed of some of the brilliant but unethical scientists at that time.  Most of those working for A.I.M. believed they were undertaking cutting-edge research unfettered by legal and ethical concerns.  Instead, they were the technical division of HYDRA, a return to the deep-science roots of the organization.

Initially, A.I.M. was seen as a conventional, albeit eccentric think-tank.  They even garnered government contracts, supplied technology to various covert agencies such as the Office of National Emergency.  Eventually, their allegiance was revealed and A.I.M. shifted to what it's universally known for today - technological terrorism.  The most intelligent, resourceful, and ruthless of their number would be elevated to leadership, taking the title of Scientist Supreme.

In the intervening decades, A.I.M has remained steadfast in both its commitment to unrestrained science and its dedication to The Hydra, the mythical beast at the center of their mythology.  Though its anonymity has depended on who was the Scientist Supreme, few ever thought of abandoning the organization which spawned them.  At least until their progenitor was destroyed.

The elimination of the White Martian known as the Hydra struck the group to the core.  While few believed their mythological progenitor was a god or worshipped it in any way, it was a pivotal figure within HYDRA as a whole.  The aftermath of the revelation caused widespread disruption in worldwide operations and left A.I.M isolated. Some even abandoned the organization to groups such as Orchis.

This caused a further schism in the ranks of A.I.M which only grew worse after the Apokalips Invasion occurred.  A.I.M. facilities across the globe were under attack by Parademons and Hunger Dogs, but calls for military assistance from HYDRA went unanswered.  The already fragmented HYDRA further fractured and were unable to provide meaningful support to themselves, let alone one of their branches.

 A commander of a force of elite HYDRA soldiers stationed on the Eastern Seaboard violated orders to come to the Scientist Supreme's aid.  The two leaders then were further assisted by various other criminal groups, many of them that had been rivals previously. From those harrowing days was forged an alliance that would be the basis for Underside.

When HYRDA representatives returned, they were met not with open arms, but with charged energy weapons.  The message was clear - Advanced Idea Mechanics answered to no one.

A YJA Moment - The Hand

The origins of The Hand lie within the destruction of the Iga clan of the ninja by Oda Nobunaga in 1581. Untold numbers of shadow warriors escaped the massacre, forced from their province and into enemy territory.  

Salvation came from the mysterious figure known as The Black Sky, who came to their aid. Possessing great wisdom and mystical knowledge, he led the tattered remains of the Clans and brought them to a hidden village that was magically shielded from detection by the outside world.  There they found shelter, food, and safety.

Though they did not know their benefactor the necessity of an alliance for survival drew them together.  The Black Sky knew this and used his natural charisma to take advantage of their need.  Within a generation, they were united in body and spirit and became known as the Yaminote.  The Hand.  The Black Sky organized ninja under five generals, who became the Five Great Fingers of the Hand.

Over the years, the Hand swept across Japan, absorbing other Ninja Clans, warriors, and assassins into their fold - occasionally voluntarily but mostly by force.  From the island, they moved across the globe, making and breaking alliances as they went.  

For a brief time, they were allied with the League of Shadows, long enough to gain access to the waters of the Lazarus Pits.  From the fluid, they created a means of resurrecting the dead and promptly betrayed Ra's Al Ghul.  In retaliation, The Demon's Head took some of their best Ninja, including a famed family that would eventually to the League's legendary Sensei.

In New York, the Hand found an excellent base to wage operations in the Western world. Though they clashed with heroes such as Daredevil, the ninjas maintained a level of security within the Big Apple.  At least until the Apokalips invasion.

The attack caused great damage to the Hand organization, fragmenting their supply chain and killing vital warriors and leaders in collateral damage.  After the attack ended, S.H.I.E.L.D. and an alliance of street heroes took down most of the Hand leadership, including one of the Great Fingers. Nobu Yoshioka.

Elements of the Hand that could not make their way back to the Japanese homeland were forged into a new Ninja clan, by the ruthless Shredder, Oroku Saki.  After refusing to rejoin the Great Fingers of the Hand, he named this group The Foot.

A YJA Moment - The Templars

Untold thousands of years ago a meteor broke up in the Earth's atmosphere, its fragments coming to Earth across the globe.  These fragments gave animals self-awareness, ultimately creating the intelligent creatures of the Chittorgarh Hills, the Pride Lands, and the 100-Acre Wood.  It was also responsible for the creation of many strange phenomena, such as the healing waters of the Lazarus Pits.  On humans, they had another effect, granting them literal immortality.

The first of those immortals, the man who would later name himself Vandal Savage, gathered those like him into a group he called the Order of the Ancients, which sought to twist the world to their will.  Though the Order would make many enemies over the years, their only main rivals were the Hidden Ones, a group of assassins who worked to tear down the perfect autocratic societies the Ancients were trying to build.

Much like the Hidden Ones, the Order of Ancients went through many name changes over the centuries, but their association with the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon would gain them the title of Templars in the modern age.  While most of his fellow immortals had perished over the years, Vandal Savage remained alive and in control of the organization.  He would even make peace with the League of Shadows, the current incarnation of the Hidden Ones, inducting its last leader Ra's Al Ghul as an honorary member of the Order.

Much of the Templar's command and control was devastated by Thanos, who came to Earth seeking the Anti-Life Equation.  Believing that the keys to finding it were in the treasure vaults of the Templars, he attacked their hidden base underneath Oak Island. Unable to stand against this melding of New God and Eternal, Savage sent waves of his best warriors in order to stall the Mad Titan.  In the process of Battle, C.C. Batson, the original Captain Marvel and the current Man of Storms appeared on the battlefield.

The Time Stone disabled every living person in the area, granting them visions of their true past and possible futures.  Scarred by what he saw, Thanos ended his attack and returned to space.  Vandal, however, saw a future dominated by the forces of Apokalips, the moon replaced by the artificial Warworld.  Soon all life was under the control of the Anti-Life Equation, all enslaved to the will of the Lord of Entropy himself, Darkseid.

Shocked by his vision, Vandal Savage set in motion a plan to prepare for the arrival of Darkseid and his Parademons.  He contacted Apokalips and offered his services in securing the world.  Though Darkseid did not believe he needed the immortal's help, Savage's offer amused the New God and he accepted immediately.

From that point onward Vandal Savage abandoned the Templars and left them to their own devices. The Order fractured, forming dozens of competing groups all claiming to be the true Templar order.