Plot

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Hard to believe but everything started with a simple game. A cosmic entity's boredom and desire for fun. The Grandmaster saw how much fun The Beyonder seemed to have in Secret Wars, but knew he could do better. With some help from The Beyonder and other cosmic entities he hatched his plan. It would be the greatest show and greatest battle ever. He would merge the Marvel and DC universes, pitting some of the greatest heroes and villains against each other, like something that had never been seen before. It would be incredible. It took some time but soon the plan went into action and slowly the universes merged. Before anything could be done SHIELD was face to face with CHECKMATE, the Justice League face to face with the Avengers and some of the most dangerous villains suddenly realized they had competition.

But the Cosmic entities wouldn't get their show just yet. While the villains did their best to grab power they were no match for the joined forces of the heroes. Friendships were struck as were romantic relationships. The world was entering a brand new era of peace and prosperity. But alas, it would not last.



While the world was prospering others weren't as happy. A magical and evil cabal began to form, possibly being nudged by a Cosmic entity. The team of Thanos, Circe, Dormammu and Darkseid, along with a handful of minions declared war on the Earth and the losses were staggering. They stood their ground in New York city and dared anyone to defy them. They were met with a massive army consisting of the Justice League, Avengers, X-men, SHIELD and numerous other heroes. Per the cabal's orders and power the entire battle was televised for the world to see. What they saw was the death and maiming of numerous heroes, until help came from an unexpected source, the world's villains. Perhaps no sight proved this more than the Joker, leading all of the escaped Arkham inmates, saved Batman from what would've been a death blow from Circe. This, along with the timely arrival of the Lanterns and Nova Corps, turned the tide. But by then it might've been too late.



Almost half of New York city was a barren wasteland and the deaths numbered in the millions. Among those were numerous heroes and temporarily reformed villains, as well as civilians in the wrong place at a very wrong time. The world was in mourning but the evil had been defeated. However it wasn't all bad. People had seen mutants fight and die, all to save humans they didn't even know. The Friends of Humanity had tried to use the time to attack Jean Grey's only to find a line of humans defending them. The newly deserted Raft had been turned into a hospital for the superhuman heroes and villains who'd survived The Battle.



The name for the next generation of heroes. Its been 8 years since The Battle and things have changed. Young heroes found themselves without parents and mentors in a world badly needing heroes. The survivors of The Battle were either maimed or driven insane and running a muck. Crime has begun to climb back up, and people need heroes now more than ever. But they'll have to settle for a generation learning the ropes while others exploit the lack of heroes and people to stop them.[/ul][/ul][/div]