A YJA Moment - Merlin the Magician

 Perhaps the most famous magic user in history, the mysterious wizard known as Merlin has been the subject of countless legends and fictional tales.  While many believe he was part-demon, the truth was stranger still.  He was in fact an Angel who served the Valar, the heavenly caretakers of Middle-Earth, the Earth that existed thousands of years ago. In those days he was not known as Merlin, but by another name - Saruman the White.

Like his sibling Olórin (Gandalf), Curunír was sent to Middle-Earth in order to help the people in the Third Age to prepare for the coming darkness.  A powerful magician and a natural leader, he took on the identity of Saruman and rose to leadership over his fellow Wizards.  At the high of his career, he held the coveted seat at the head of the White Council.  It could be argued he was one of the most powerful members of the Army of Light.

However, he was not of the light, at least not anymore.  At some point pride and greed took hold of him and he sought to aid Sauron and his Army of Darkness.  He formed an army of his own, composed of genetically-enhanced Orcs which he called his Uruk-hai. While he had some early success, his armies were decimated by the Army of Light, his fortress of Isengard toppled by the Ents of Fangorn Forest, and he himself was slain by his lackey Grima Wormtongue.

But evil has a way of coming back.

As an angelic being, his spirit drifted through various realms until it settled on a recently deceased mortal whom it could possess.  Who this person was is unimportant, what mattered was that Saruman used his powers to sunder what remained of its spirit, take its place within the body, and then raise it from the dead.  The miracle earned him some recognition within the ancient community in the British Isles, gaining him the first followers in what would later become the Order of Merlin.

Taking the name of Myrddin, he would use the land of the neolithic Britons as his base of operations, first contesting with his arch-foe The Champion for the title of Guardian of Magic, then manipulating the line of Pendragon to create a great and glorious Camelot Empire.  Ultimately his quest for empire was dashed, when he was betrayed by his partner Morgana Le Fey.  The war between Morgaine and Arthur ended Camelot and destroyed centuries of planning.

Seeing that great project spiral out of control and burn in front of his eyes, Myrddin was forced to use the last of his magic to send his tower into a pocket dimension which legendarium would label as Avalon.  It took centuries to recover from the great spell he cast, requiring him to remain in hiding, rebuilding his armies of Uruk-hai, and crafting grandiose plans for his return.

Yet, each time he attempted a return he was thwarted.  When he attempted to aid the forces of Apokolips during its invasion, his own daughter Roma stole the Amulet of Right in order to empower Brian Braddock as Captain Britain.  After reclaiming Excalibur, the Sword of Power, from Eternia after the death of its champion He-Man, he was betrayed by his apprentice Sabine Delacroix, who gave the weapon to Kentauride of the Mythic Avengers.

Even after a lifetime of defeat, Merlin persists in his schemes of domination.  At a very small gathering of the extremist Norsefire party, Merlin sees a chance at a new empire.  There is a brand new frontier ahead for the planet, and S.H.I.E.L.D. and its Special Security Zones are now the keys to his plans.

A YJA Moment - Fear State

When Sebastian Hady became Mayor of Gotham in 2019, he won on a "law and order" platform. Gotham had seen nearly half-a-century of crime and corruption and its citizens were more willing to give unproven but charismatic candidates the keys to City Hall. This was all before the Apokolips Invasion, which increased Gotham's woes a hundredfold. 

 The city was in desperate need of aid, and while S.H.I.E.L.D. provided food, shelters, and the added protection, they weren't enough to deal with the rot within the system. Hady petitioned the World Security Council and the New Earth Government for action and it was received. Hady was named Magistrate of the Gotham Special Security Zone and given unlimited power to fix what he perceived were the ills of the city. 

Waves of firings followed, including the entirety of the Gotham City Police Department. He brought in Christopher Smith and his private security firm, the Peacemakers, in order to provide law enforcement within the city limits. Without Gordon's influence, all heroics were banned in Gotham and arrest warrants were issued for the entire Bat-Family. Only Smith and his cop-army were allowed to patrol the streets. 

Few people understood that before Sebastian Hady's tenure in municipal government, he was a long-standing member of the Court of Owls, a secret society made up of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Gotham. They had enriched themselves at the expense of every other citizen. His influence with the Court led him to be recruited as a regional director of the public face of Checkmate before it collapsed. 

During his tenure at Checkmate, he had learned about their experimentation with the biochemical agents used by Dr. Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow. Hady had come to the conclusion that he could use that research to develop a gas capable of sapping emotions and creating a mental state open to suggestion. 

Granting Crane freedom in exchange for his assistance, he put him to work creating what was effectively an Anti-Fear Toxin. He also hired Amora, the Asgardian Enchantress in order to enhance its effects, once the proper chemical balance had been achieved. Operating out of Arkham Asylum, Project: Baseline made a lot of progress, but mistakes were made and word reached the streets. 

Bruce was too busy dealing with the fallout of Yutani's takeover of Wayne Enterprises but sent Tim Drake to notify the Mythic Avengers. The team took action, by revealing the existence of Project: Baseline to media outlets, while Mel used her power of dreams to influence Mayor Hardy in his sleep. In the resulting firestorm of controversy, Mayor Hady abruptly quit and handed the role of Magistrate to Jim Gordon. 

Jim Gordon immediately signed an accord with the Sword Nations to place Gotham under their protection pending a city-wide referendum regarding becoming a permanent Treaty-State. He then began the process of reestablishing the GCPD and all the other disbanded agencies in order to once again provide goods and services to the populace. 

The New Earth Government threatened military intervention but S.W.O.R.D. accurately predicted it was mostly bluster. While S.H.I.E.L.D. could have successfully defeated the Sword Nations in a conflict, it would have taken resources that were already allocated to urgent needs across the world. In the end, the N.E.G. was certain that Gotham would have to return, that they took no action to stop them.

A YJA Moment - Special Security Zones

The Treaty of Novigrad was one of the most ambitious diplomatic undertakings in modern history.  Getting the members of the United Nations on board for a one-world government is a seemingly impossible task.  There were dozens of areas of contention between the various factions, ranging from global spanning concerns to those with a more local impact.

One of the issues was the use of Special Security Zones in order to tackle the extreme lawlessness some cities and regions were experiencing.  Proponents of the Zones argued that in order to recover from the Apokolips Invasion, radical means had to be used to restore basic order.  Its opponents had great concerns over the use of the Zones and the loss of individual rights in the process.

With a deadline looming for the Treaty to be finalized, the parties were unable to fully agree on the Zones.  A temporary measure was written into the document, with the stipulation that a series of future Summits would be held to amend the issues regarding the Treaty, including the rules regarding Zones.  After the passing of the Treaty, however, there has been so interest within the N.E.G. in scheduling any further meetings on the subject.

A Special Security Zone is a region of land where most laws and regulations are suspended in order to secure law and order.  One or more officials are designated Magistrates, who are given almost complete authority to enact laws and undertake any actions without legal or administrative oversight.  According to the Treaty, a Zone may only be set up for five years, after which it has to be renewed.

The problem was the Treaty was vague on many features of the Zone.  It did not set limits on how big a Zone could be, nor did it indicate how many (or few) Magistrates could be appointed.  In addition, the rules regarding Zones did not even guarantee citizens basic rights under the Consolidated Citizen Bill of Freedoms.  And while each Zone mandate was limited to a five-year duration, the supreme authority of the Magistrates meant they themselves could renew the measures without New Earth Government veto.

Historians would chronicle that there were no further summits regarding the Zones and that the loopholes would have devastating consequences: It enabled the Norsefire party to turn much of England into a fascist state and allowed the Corporate Council to create the Chicago Megacity which is patrolled by violent Street Judges.  

However, the most immediate result of the Security Zones was Gotham, which initiated a scandal that rocked the New Earth Government to its core, but also led to the succession of the city to the Sword Nations.

A YJA Moment - The Yutani Corporation

 The Yutani family is very old money, hailing back from the Meiji Restoration. A merchant by trade, Soji Yutani made a fortune importing technology from the West and selling it to the emerging democratic government.  His descendants continued that success, transitioning from trading to industrial manufacturing and then to research and development. 

Though they were weakened by the tech collapse in the early 2000's, they used their valuable assets to buy up OmniCorp, as well as the Nakatomi, and Yashida Corporations.  When the economy tanked after the Apokolips Invasion,  they went on another buying spree, taking control of dozens of companies, including arch-rival Kanemitsu Corporation, to become the largest corporation in Japan.

Their young CEO, Okata Yutani, who had taken over the company from his father at age 15, was now one of the richest, and most influential individuals in Asia. That meant very little to Okata because although his business acumen was a natural talent, he wanted to be something more.  He wanted to be adored as a knight of justice - he wanted to be a superhero.

Schooled by the best martial artists and personal trainers, he spent years honing his body.  He had an entire secret Yutani division devise a costume and gadgets patterned on those utilized by the vigilantes of Gotham.  Inspired by his heroes in the United States, he crafted the persona of the Most Excellent Superbat and set about creating himself a team of young heroes that would further enhance his reputation.

While the Super Young Team became one of the most popular groups of young heroes in Japan, Okata wanted more.  He didn't want to be famous; he wanted to be a legend, remembered for generations as an icon of heroics.  In short, he didn't want to be as popular as Batman - Okata wanted to be Batman.

When Bruce Wayne outed himself as the financier of Batman, he had established trademarks for all of the Dark Knight's monikers and equipment to protect Batman Incorporated from imitators and imposters.  As the corporation's money to make Batman, the legal rights to these trademarks were held by Wayne Enterprises. Yutani knew that if he were to take control of the company, he would gain control of the legal identity of Batman.

The hostile takeover of Wayne Enterprises was easier than he had imagined.  Its board of directors had their fill of Bruce's bankrupting the company in order to rebuild Gotham.  Wayne himself had gone so far as to sell some of his stock in order to achieve further liquidity, becoming a minority shareholder in his family's company for the first time in his life.

In a single week, the Board removed Bruce from his corporate positions and announced the company's acquisition by the Yutani Corporation.  This effectively included Batman Incorporated, as much of their designs and image were now under his legal control.  Though most of the existing Dark Knights immediately quit, Okata went to work to claim what was left in order to remake the legacy in his own image.

It is unimportant who the Batman was; the new and improved Batman would be Okata Yutani.

A YJA Moment - Heirs to the Legacy of Shazam (Part One)

 Over the years many people have interacted with The Wizard, some as allies and disciples, others as rivals and enemies.

In the late 1960s, Kree agents on Earth discovered the powers of Shazam from the original Captain Marvel C.C. Batson that hadn't been erased by the Time Stone.  Thinking it was an interdimensional power source, they recovered items infused with "strange radiation"  and created the Nega-Gauntlets to access and channel the power. Though they did not transform the subject, the power enhanced the person's physical capabilities to well beyond physical norms.  It also provided him energy manipulation abilities, which included a personal protection field, energy blasts, and flight.

The Nega-Gauntlets were given to a Captain in the Kree Starforce known as Mar-Vell, who became an intergalactic super-hero.  Sadly the very technology which granted him great power also affected his health, leading to him eventually perishing.  The Nega-Gauntlets would pass down to Mar-Vel's son Genis-Vell, who succumbed to the same illness as his father. Currently, the Nega-Gauntlets are in the hands of Phyla-Vell code-named Martyr who was engineered with alien DNA in order to protect her from the Guantlet's side effects.

The druid Myrddin had long been a rival of the wizard Shazam back long before he was known as The Champion.  They had fought on different sides during the Shadow War, and it was said that they were rivals for the attention of Agamotto so that he would name one of them the Guardian of Magic.  In the end, Shazam would lay claim to the Rock of Eternity.  The rest as they say is history...

...or is it.  Myrddin was incensed at being passed over for guardianship and sought a means of stealing the power for himself.  Though he would never reach that goal, he would succeed in drawing down the lightning on multiple occasions.  He perfected his art on the Tempest Band, a magic ring that passed into the hands of the demigod Hercules.  Eventually bestowed the powers of the Rock into two objects - the Amulet of Right and the Sword of Might.

The Amulet of Right was considered the lesser of the two artifacts and was stored away in the vaults of Avalon.  There it would be untouched until the Apokalips Invasion when the British Isles were threatened.  The immortal magician Roma, the daughter of Merlin (Myrddin) gave the Amulet to Brian Braddock, who was infused by the powers within to become the mighty hero Captain Britain.

The Sword of Might had a much-storied calling. The dwarven-made sword already had great power, from its forging on Nidavellir and the lightning from the Rock amplified its abilities a thousand-fold. It was given to King Arthur as the legendary blade Excalibur, who wielded it as Pendragon the King of Camelot.  On his passing, the weapon passed from warrior to warrior under dozens of different names.

How the Sword managed to reach Eternia is unknown but given to the Lord of Castle Grayskull by the enigmatic Sorceress to aid him in his battle against Noldor. The King served as ruler and champion of the planet for many years until his passing, leaving the sword sealed within his Castle.  It would remain there for many centuries until it was claimed again by Prince Adam, the heir to the Kingdom of Eternia in order to become He-man.