History of superhumans

Most historians believe that metahumans have always lived among us, but starting in the 1940s the existence of metahumans became a documented and generally accepted fact.

A quick summary:
 * During World War II, metahumans were a major strategic factor. In early 1942, Captain Star went public and is generally regarded as the first public metahuman.
 * On April 15, 1960, VIPER's attempt at world domination was publicly revealed and defeated by teams of metahumans, organized and led by Captain Star. Subsequently, UNTIL was chartered to deal with metahuman activity.
 * Over the next several decades, metahuman criminals, vigilantes, and law-enforcement/government agents (popularly known as "superheroes" and "supervillains", or more generally as "capes") became increasingly common around the world.

To 1945
It is uncertain how long superhumans have walked the Earth. It is suspected that some of the great legends of the past, those about Hercules and King Arthur for instance, may have been inspired by the actions of early superhumans. What is certain is that the first documented superhumans appeared during World War II. The Nazis were the first to use "capes," sending them in ahead of their blitzkrieg attacks, and then using them to help keep the conquered populations in line.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before superhumans began springing up to help the Allied cause. At first, they kept their actions as secretive as possible. Rumors and guesses were all that was known about these first heroes, until one of them, Captain Star, finally stepped forward to speak. What he said changed the world forever.

"Do not be afraid of us, or of what we can do. We are not perfect by any means.  We are human, just like anyone else.  And like anyone else, we can make mistakes.  Some of us will not always choose the best path; that you've already seen.  But I can promise you that I and all of those who share my vision will always put our abilities to use on behalf of all of mankind.  We are here.  We are here to stay."

The Captain's words would prove to be accurate. He and his companions fought long and hard, and at great sacrifice, to help defeat the Nazis. Following the war, more and more superhumans began to spring up, most of them falling in line with Captain Star, although a few, unfortunately, decided to put their powers to use for themselves and became the world's first supervillains.

1945-60: Rise of VIPER
One of the most notorious and powerful organizations ever known to man was being created just as Hitler was being defeated. Hoping to take advantage of a new and chaotic world, several of the planet's richest and most powerful businessmen came together and laid the foundations for VIPER. Their goal was nothing short of world domination. The plan was to pool their resources to create a global financial empire, and to then use those monies to fund their own army of agents.

For almost a decade, VIPER prepared, and planned, and planned some more. Independently operating VIPER Nests were established in all major cities. Giant international cartels were established. Before long, VIPER was wealthier than all but the largest nations. VIPER agents had infiltrated the governments of several nations, including the United States. Soon, The Day had arrived, April 15th, 1960: the day when nearly every world leader was to be assassinated. VIPER troops in every capital were set to take control.

Unfortunately for VIPER, they hadn't taken into account the superhumans. Teams of superhumans, organized by the aging Captain Star, got wind of the plot and launched their own first strike against VIPER. The Nests were smashed, the plot collapsed, and more than one VIPER leader was captured.

1960s and 1970s
Although the day was saved, the world was shaken. People realized how close VIPER had come to victory. Although grateful to the heroes, no one wanted to come that close ever again. An emergency meeting of the United Nations to discuss the matter resulted in the creation of UNTIL. Its purpose was to combat all forms of international crime, specifically terrorists on the level of VIPER. Before long, UNTIL's role was expanded to include the monitoring and control of superhumans as well.

UNTIL's move into the superhuman world was brought about by the increasing numbers of supervillains. All through the 1960s, villains were appearing faster than the heroes could effectively deal with them. By the 1970s, government figures put the hero to villain ratio at 5:4, not good numbers, considering the villains always seemed to have more raw power than the heroes, and were far more ruthless in using it. The United Nation's response to this situation was to authorize UNTIL as a sort of superhuman policing force. Before long, its intelligence information on superhumans was the best in the world.

During World War II, the heroes and villains had both taken part in the fighting of the war, but now they seemed more interested in staying out such conflicts: The Vietnam war had largely disillusioned many heroes with wars. Villains began to see more profit in working for themselves, rather than risking their lives in some government's cause. Increasingly superhumans were creating their own culture. The villains were out to use their powers for personal gain, and the heroes were out to stop them.

1980s and 1990s
With the help of UNTIL, the heroes were able to resume the offensive against the villains. The 1980s saw a dramatic upswing in the hero population, as it became 'cool' to be a hero once again. Unfortunately, along with the increase in the number of heroes, the number of villains also increased, and apparently much more rapidly. Perhaps the "decade of greed" caused those who had superpowers to decide to be greedy rather than noble. Perhaps the return of VIPER to the scene, apparently more organized and under better leadership than before, had something to do with it. Whatever the cause, by the late 1990s, there were many supervillains abroad, and only a handful of heroes (in relative numbers) to stop them. Heroes often banded together into "teams" for protection against these villains, and to more efficiently cooperate to stop them.