TV Superheroes Timeline

From Stormravengaming

Current revision as of 01:42, 18 October 2007

The following timeline describes some of the source material, events, time periods and interpretations that influence the world of TV Superheroes. Note: spoilers regarding the plots of these shows appear throughout without special marking.

40000 bc

Bennu and Mira come to Earth as part of a “fact-finding” and exploration mission for their home world of Eldebran. However, the mission is a failure as they find the indigenous race to be not significantly advanced. Bennu and Mira get put in suspended animation to await the completion of the mission. Bennu gets placed in what will become Peru, while Mira gets placed in what will become Tullner, Texas in the United States. (The Phoenix)

9th century

880

Anyanka (then known as Aud) turns her cheating lover Olaf into a troll, and D'Hoffryn makes her a vengeance demon. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

15th century

1444

Milo Rambaldi is born in Parma, Italy. (Alias)

1462

During his travels to Rome, Milo Rambaldi meets Cardinal Rodericus of Borgia. (Alias)

1470

Archdeacon Claudio Vespertini, fearful of the implications of Milo Rambaldi's ideas, begins to suppress Rambaldi's work and erase his name. Vespertini and Rodericus came into conflict over their differing views of the inventor. (Alias)

1492

Cardinal Rodericus of Borgia becomes Pope Alexander VI. He retains Milo Rambaldi as an architect, consultant and prophet. (Alias)

1496

Claudio Vespertini has Milo Rambaldi excommunicated and executed as a heretic. Rambaldi's workshop is destroyed, but he leaves behind a legacy of inventions, artifacts and prophecies, many of which are sold at auction with no comprehension of their true value. (Alias)

17th century

1609

The Master sires Darla in Virginia. (Angel)

18th century

1753

Darla sires Liam, who becomes the vampire Angelus, in Galway, Ireland. He murders his family there. (Angel) (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

1760

Darla introduces Angelus to the Master. The two fight, and Darla chooses to stay with Angelus rather than the Master. (Angel)

1764

Darla and Angelus kill the family of vampire hunter Daniel Holtz in York, England. They sire his daughter and leave her for Holtz to kill. Holtz hunts Angelus and Darla for the next decade. (Angel)

1771

Daniel Holtz captures and tortures Angelus, but Darla rescues him. Holtz escapes the two vampires.

1773

The demon Sahjhan puts vampire hunter Daniel Holtz into suspended animation in York, England, supposedly to hunt Angelus and Darla at a more opportune time, but actually as part of a larger plot. (Angel)

19th century

1860

In London, England, Darla shows Drusilla to Angelus. Drusilla is innocent and gifted with the Sight. Angel decides to make a depraved project of her. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

After months of tormenting Drusilla, Angelus finally drives her mad in a convent in Prague. As the culmination of his masterpiece, he turns her into a vampire. (Angel)

1880

Drusilla sires William Pratt, who becomes the vampire Spike. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

July 1893

Brisco County, Sr., a famous marshal, is murdered by John Bly and his gang. (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)

August 1893

Brisco County, Jr., a noted bounty hunter, hunts for the gang of John Bly. Bly and his gang were responsible for murdering Brisco’s father. Bly tries to steal a gold shipment, but the main thing he is trying to recover is a mysterious orb that grants increased strength. Brisco stops the gold theft, but Big Smith and the orb are lost in the river. (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)

September 1893

Brisco County, Jr. is lured into a trap by his old friend and town Sheriff Donovan Joe. Donovan is corrupt and working with John Bly. Brisco is shot, but is then healed by the power of a second orb. (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)

The Swill brothers steal an experimental army tank. They are brought to justice by Brisco and Lord Bowler. (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)

October 1893

The ghost of Brisco County, Sr. returns to help his son. Brisco County, Jr. learns there are more than two orbs. During a shootout with Bly, the third orb is destroyed. (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)

November 1893

Brisco is implicated in a murder and some bank robberies. He is being tracked by Crystal Hawks, a famous female bounty hunter. He is later absolved as the real culprit is found. The real culprit is Big Smith, purified by the first orb. Bly and Smith are turned over to the government, but Bly escapes, killing Smith in the process. (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)

January 1894

Brisco and Bowler are seemingly contacted by Professor Coles, but it's actually a ploy by John Bly, who is in cahoots with the professor's daughter. She is suffering from an aging disease and needs the second Orb's power to heal herself. She has sold out her own father to try and obtain the Orb. Brisco eventually corners Bly and shoots him with a bullet made of orb metal. This traps Bly in the Orb (at least for now), and Brisco turns it over to the government. (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)

February 1894

The last member of Bly's gang, a cat-burglar named Pepe Bendrix, escapes Bowler and Brisco but is arrested by Agent Brown, who offers him a pardon in return for Pepe's recovering the last Orb. Meanwhile, a naked time traveller, Karina, arrives and tells Brisco that the Orbs are artifacts from the future. Bly, a criminal from the future (somewhere in the 2900s, but before Karina’s time) managed to steal the Orbs and sent them to the past (Brisco's present). Pepe frees Bly, who had been previously imprisoned in the Orb. Eventually Brisco confronts Bly, who uses his powers to kill Bowler before being killed himself when Brisco throws him out a window. Brisco uses the Orb to travel back in time, changing the outcome so that Bowler isn't killed, and drives one of the Orb's rods into Bly, turning him into dust. Karina takes off her clothing and departs with the two remaining Orbs. Following these events (and after suffering betrayal by some of their own conventional agents), the U.S. government realizes it is not equipped to deal with high-powered, idiosyncratic or supernatural events, and creates a task force reporting directly to President Cleveland, with Socrates Poole as The Official in charge of unconventional agents Brisco and Bowler. This task force would eventually become The Agency under many names and in many forms. (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.) (The Invisible Man (2000))

March 1894

Brisco gives the green light on a project to have dime novels written about him. Brisco and Bowler repeatedly have to correct the publisher, who persistently refers to Lord Bowler as a sidekick, not a partner. (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)

April 1894

Brisco is assigned to transport an English spy, Emma Steed, to Mexico as part of an exchange. Trouble arises when it turns out there is an assassin aboard the stagecoach, sent to make sure Steed doesn't get to her destination. (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)

Pete Hutter gets hold of a Chinese baby who happens to be the future Emperor of China. Hutter is killed by "Chinese death stars" (but only temporarily), and Dixie Cousins gets hold of the baby. She ends up going to Brisco and Bowler for help. The head of the Black Lotus assassins after the baby, Chan, killed Brisco's mother when trying to get at his father; he is also an old rival of Brisco's contact and family friend Lee Pow. Further complicating things, they free Pete, who gets hold of the baby and tries to ransom it back for "Pete's Piece" and a da Vinci flying machine. Lee Pow and his allies show up along with the Black Lotus, and Chan defeats Lee Pow. Brisco manages to beat Chan, avenging his mother, and Dixie is invited to travel to China with the baby. (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)

May 1894

Brisco and Bowler are captured by the U.S. Army and put on trial as traitors. In flashback at their trial, they tell of how they were unofficially sent by the President to recover the daughter of a newspaper magnate, kidnapped by a Mexican bandit. They put together a team of Professor Wickwire, Sheriff Vila, Pete Hutter, and Whip Morgan, but when they break out the daughter, they find she is there willingly due to her romance with the bandit. They rescue her anyway, only to discover that it is all a plot by General Quarry, the person railroading them through the court-martial, to overthrow the President. They are not believed and are found guilty and lined up in front of a firing squad with death imminent. Brisco and Bowler manage to escape the firing squad by faking their deaths. Unfortunately, their ploy doesn't last long, and the megalomaniacal General Quarry sends Colonel March and a squad of elite trackers on their trail. The bounty hunters manage to ultimately bring Quarry to justice and clear their names. (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)

1898

In Romania, a Kalderash gypsy witch restores Angelus's soul, together with a curse that he would lose it again if he ever experienced a moment of pure happiness. Darla, Drusilla and Spike wipe out the Kalderash tribe in retaliation. (Angel) (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

1900s

1900

Angel tracks Darla, Drusilla and Spike to China during the Boxer Rebellion. Spike fights and kills a Chinese Slayer. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

1902

Angel arrives in New York City. (Angel)

1905

Anyanka and Halfrek are involved in the Russian Revolution of 1905. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

1930s

1936

Ben Hawkins, a young man with the mysterious ability to heal by taking life from others, is hidden by the traveling circus "Carnivàle." He has an unexplained connection with Justin Crowe, a preacher in central California with special powers of his own. The two are entangled in events stemming from the battle between good and evil during World War I, ultimately battling over which instincts of humanity will control the awesome power of the atomic age. (Carnivàle)

1940s

The United States government creates the Demon Research Initiative during WWII, a corollary to similar Nazi programs. (Angel)

January 1945

Dr. Von Reichter flees Germany to Brazil. Von Reichter, a leader in robotics and electronics, starts work on his androids. His plan is to ultimately have them supercede humanity, and to rule the world as their leader. (Cybersix)

August 1947

Rabbi Judah Hirsch and Frankie McCarthy create a golem to defeat some racketeers. (Snow in August)

1950s

1952

The Silver Shadow fights crime in Australia with advanced technology. He battles such criminals as the Crab. (Legacy of the Silver Shadow)

September 1958

British scientist Peter Brady, while working on an invisibility formula, suffers a tragic accident which turns him invisible. Unfortunately there is no antidote, so while working on a method to regain his visibility, he undertakes missions for the government ministries MI5 and MI6. (The Invisible Man (1958))

July 1959

While working on a mission for MI6, Dr. Brady disappears. He is never seen again. (The Invisible Man (1958))

1960s

1960

The Silver Shadow dies battling his arch-nemesis the Crab. (Legacy of the Silver Shadow)

1961

May 4, 1961

At 1:20:45 p.m., at the Sunshine Motel outside Gallup, New Mexico, an unexplained event rips room 10 and everything inside into a pocket dimension. The room and all its contents are retroactively erased from our reality, for all purposes as though they had never existed in the first place, except that the door to room 10 acts as a portal between the two worlds. Each item in the room becomes an Object that, when brought back to our world, has an ability – sometimes useful, occasionally very powerful – that defies explanation. The Collectors come together to gather the Objects. (The Lost Room)

1966

Arlene Conroy and the other members of the Collectors attempt the Conroy experiment at room 9 of the Sunshine Motel, but they accidentally tear a hole in reality that might threaten the entire world. The Occupant ends the disaster from within room 10, trapping Conroy there. Most of the Collectors are killed or driven mad in the disaster, and the organization is destroyed. (The Lost Room)

The Time Tunnel

1968

The Champions

1969

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969)

1970s

1970

Alexander Khasinau recruits Irina Derevko into the KGB. (Alias)

Ace of Wands, The Immortal.

1971

The first Cabal War. (The Lost Room)

February 1971

The USSR starts Project: телепатия. An extension of experiments conducted in the 1930s, they study the military applications of mental powers. The project seeks to develop mental powers in agents as well as other military applications like mind-guided rockets. (The Phoenix)

1973

The Tomorrow People (1973), Westworld

March 1973

Col. Steve Austin crashes while flying an experimental plane. He is rebuilt using bionic grafting processes pioneered by FLAG and appropriated by the OSO (which later becomes the OSI). (The Six Million Dollar Man)

October 1973

Col. Steve Austin stops the hijacking of an American submarine. (The Six Million Dollar Man)

1974

Land of the Lost (1974)

February 1974

Col. Steve Austin saves Professor Abbott (creator of a portable laser) from kidnapping with the help of his daughter Susan (who possesses ESP). Major Sloan is replaced by a robot, created by Dr. Dolenz. Steve Austin stops the scheme. (The Six Million Dollar Man)

March 1974

The Athena One space capsule is rescued by Steve Austin. (The Six Million Dollar Man)

April 1974

Astronaut Josh Lang develops mental powers (including being able to talk to dolphins). Steve Austin is kidnapped to learn how his bionic limbs work. He foils the scheme. (The Six Million Dollar Man)

November 1974

The OSI fields a second bionic agent, Barney Miller. Barney was injuring during a car race. Barney proves not the wisest of choices and has his bionics reduced to normal levels after he goes rogue. Santa Ventura, a small Latin-American country, brakes off diplomatic ties with the United States. (The Six Million Dollar Man)

January 1975

Dr. Dolenz tries to use robot duplicates to steal a prototype energy formula and is stopped by Steve Austin. (The Six Million Dollar Man)

March 1975

Tennis star Jamie Sommers, and Steve Austin’s fiancée, is injured in a skydiving accident and is given bionics to save her life. She suffers amnesia as a result of the accident. (The Six Million Dollar Man)

April 17, 1975

Sydney Bristow is born. (Alias)

May 1975

Dr. Daniel Westin was a brilliant scientist working for the American thinktank KLAE. He discovered a method to turn objects invisible. Not wanting his notes to fall into the wrong hands – including those of the U.S. Government – he destroyed all evidence of his discovery and turned himself invisible as an experiment. Unfortunately he didn't know how to turn himself visible again, so he wore an extremely realistic mask in public while searching for a cure. (The Invisible Man (1975))

1976

The Bionic Woman, Futureworld, The Monster Squad

May 1976

Secret agent Sam Casey is injured during a diving accident, leaving him invisible. The agency called INTERSECT finds a way to control his invisibility by the use of a wristwatch. Pressing a button on the watch would make him invisible, which was a helpful tool in his line of work. However, he could only do this for fifteen minutes per day, or else he would die. (Gemini Man)

Electrawoman and Dynagirl stop the Sorcerer's mad plan. He swears revenge on the duo. Electrawoman and Dynagirl

April 1976

Project Quicksilver is proposed by Dr. Peter Donovan. The premise is that invisible agents, long known to exist, can be created in mass if the right catalyst can be found. (The Invisible Man (2000))

September 1976

Gemini Man takes on a robot minotaur. (Gemini Man)

1977

Spike kills Slayer Nikki Wood in New York City. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Bigfoot and Wildboy, Man from Atlantis

April 1978

Dr. Simon Shane and Dr. Ezra Louthin, noted bio-chemists, succeed in cloning Dr. Shane thirteen times. While protecting their process from unscrupulous government agents and a greedy industrialist, Dr. Shane and his clones split up and go underground to avoid problems. A side effect of the process allows the clonemaster an unlimited-range mind link with his clones. (The Clone Master)

1979

Irina Derevko kills Bill Vaughn and several other CIA agents. (Alias)

The Omega Factor

December 1979

The Afghan-Soviet war begins. The soviets use telepathy as their main communication, the results of Project: телепатия. (The Phoenix)

1980s

1980

Beyond Westworld, Hero at Large

1981

Irina Derevko fakes her own death. While Jack Bristow is subsequently interrogated by the CIA, Sydney Bristow goes to live under the guardianship of Arvin and Emily Sloane. (Alias)

The Greatest American Hero, Mr. Merlin

January 19, 1981

Buffy Summers is born in Los Angeles, California. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

April 1981

Bennu is released from his suspended animation. His sarcophagus is damaged, so he does not have access to his mission specifics. (The Phoenix)

September 1981

The Soviets begin to develop the "Mind Games" series of mind-guided missiles. (The Phoenix)

1982

Harry Dresden's father is murdered in San Francisco, California, by his brother-in-law, Justin Morningway, using black magic. Harry goes to live with his uncle. (The Dresden Files)

Standardized tests containing embedded Project Christmas questions are administered throughout the United States. (Alias)

Nadia Santos is born. (Alias)

Knight Rider, The Powers of Matthew Star, Voyagers!

January 1982

Captain Jack North of the U.S. Air Force becomes an astronaut. (Northstar)

March 1982

Bennu starts looking for Mira. He comes close to finding her, but she is abducted by his enemies. (The Phoenix)

April 1982

Bennu stops a plot to steal uranium. (The Phoenix)

June 1982

Yago, an alien prisoner of great power, escapes from Eldebran and arrives on Earth. (The Phoenix)

1983

Manimal and Automan both in LA at same time (tie-in).

1984

Ghostbusters, The Master

1985

MacGyver, Manimal Annual, Misfits of Science

January 1985

Major Jack North becomes the pilot of Athena Six. (Northstar)

February 1985

Dr. Von Reichter starts the cyber line of androids. (Cybersix)

June 1985

Athena Six blasts off into space. Piloted by Major Jack North, the crew includes Captain Smith and is commanded by Colonel Evan Marshall. During Major North’s EVA test of the Stellar Scanner, a strange radiation field comes out of nowhere, irradiates North, and is just as suddenly gone. After landing, North realizes he has superpowers and his intelligence has been greatly enhanced. He uses his new powers to solve the murder of his colleague, Captain Smith. He continues to fight crime, while he is watched and examined by Dr. Alison Taylor. (Northstar)

1986

KGB operative Elena Dankova attempts to sabotage the Wilmington Nuclear Facility, but NSA agent Richard Fox prevents her. Dankova escapes. (Jake 2.0)

The Greatest American Heroine, Starman

1987

Werewolf

1989

Ghostbusters 2, Hard Time on Planet Earth, Puppet Master, Quantum Leap, The Wizard of Speed and Time

1990s

September 1990

Project Quicksilver is approved. (The Invisible Man (2000))

1991

Noah Bennet joins the Company, a shadow organization that abducts, studies, tracks and sometimes eliminates superpowered individuals "to keep people safe." He becomes manager at their front company, Primatech Paper, and meets his new partner Claude. (Heroes)

Land of the Lost (1991), Puppet Master 2, Puppet Master 3: Toulon's Revenge

1992

In Los Angeles, Califonia, Sydney Bristow is recruited into SD-6, believing it to be a branch of the CIA. (Alias)

In Argentina, Nadia Santos runs away from the orphanage operated by Sophia Vargas. (Alias)

In Kermit, Texas, an explosion and subsequent apartment fire claims 14 lives. Meredith Gordon escapes into hiding and is presumed dead. Her 18-month-old daughter, unbeknownst to her, also survives the fire. Noah Bennet adopts the little girl, naming her Claire. (Heroes)

Forever Knight, Nightmare Cafe, The Tomorrow People (1992)

1993

Puppet Master 4, Time Trax, The X-Files

1994

Louise Beckett graduates from Georgetown University. She and Alex Brandt start dating. Jake 2.0

M.A.N.T.I.S., Ocean Girl, Puppet Master 5: the Final Chapter, Weird Science

1995

Strange Luck

August 1995

Dr. Von Reichter destroys the cyber line of androids because they develop free will. Due to a slave revolt, at least one android escapes. Designated Cybersix, she decides to fight back. (Cybersix)

November 1995

Cat assassinates her first victim. (Her Name Is Cat)

1996

Buffy Summers becomes a Slayer. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

A good demon named Whistler brings soul-tormented Angel from New York City to Los Angeles, California to show him Buffy Summers, giving him a chance to make something noble of his life. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Early Edition, The Sentinel

1997

Buffy Summers and her family move to Sunnydale, California. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

While stationed in Vienna, Austria, NSA agents Alex Brandt and Louise Beckett break up over Beckett's devotion to her work. Jake 2.0

Night Man, Team Knight Rider, The Visitor

March 1997

The vampire known as the Master is awakened in Sunnydale, California. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

April 1997

Angel stakes Darla to save Buffy Summers' life. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

May 1997

Project Catevari is closed down by The Agency when the test subject goes into a coma and cannot be awakened. (The Invisible Man (2000))

June 1997

Buffy Summers slays the Master. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

September 1997

Spike and Drusilla come to Sunnydale, California. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

1998

During a covert NSA operation in Serbia, Alex Brandt is captured and becomes a POW. Believing him dead, his superior, Louise Beckett, gives the order to leave him behind. Jake 2.0

Brimstone, Charmed, Curse of the Puppet Master, The Vanishing Man

January 1998

When Buffy Summers and Angel consummate their relationship, he experiences a moment of pure happiness. He immediately loses his soul to the gypsy curse, becoming the villain Angelus. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

May 1998

Willow Rosenberg succeeds in restoring Angel's soul, but not before he has awakened the demon Acathla, who would destroy the whole world. Buffy Summers kills Angel to stop Acathla. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Project Quicksilver begins testing in earnest. (The Invisible Man (2000))

June 1998

Cat falls in love with the detective sent to stop her. (Her Name Is Cat)

October 1998

Slayer Faith Lehane arrives in Sunnydale, California. Angel finds a way back to Sunnydale from the hell dimension he had been trapped in. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

December 1998

Anyanka arrives in Sunnydale, California to deliver vengeance for Cordelia Chase. She falls in love with Xander Harris. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

1999

Noah Bennet attempts to assassinate his partner and friend Claude, who has been identified as a security threat to the Company. Claude is badly injured but escapes; he is believed to be dead. (Heroes)

Good vs. Evil, Now and Again, Retro Puppet Master, Roswell

January 1999

Amy Madison turns herself into a rat to escape an angry mob, only to find herself trapped in that form for years to come. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

February 1999

Faith Lehane accidentally kills a human, starting her descent into villainy. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Project Quicksilver tests on its first human test subject, Simon Cole. Cole is chosen because he is a CIA operative. (The Invisible Man (2000))

July 1999

Mayor Richard Wilkins completes his ascension, becoming an Olvikan demon during graduation ceremonies at Sunnydale High School. Led by Buffy Summers, the entire graduating class fights and destroys him and the school. Buffy and her friends graduate. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

September 1999

Following the murder of her fiancée, Sydney Bristow discovers the true nature of SD-6 and starts working for the CIA as a double agent. (Alias)

October 1999

Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg begin attendance at the University of California, Sunnydale. Spike is captured by the Initiative. He soon escapes, but not before the Initiative implants him with a chip to prevent him from harming humans. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

2000s

2000

The Others, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000)

February 2000

Human-demon-cyborg hybrid Adam kills Maggie Walsh and escapes from the Initiative. He undertakes plans to create an army of hybrids like himself. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

May 2000

Buffy Summers, with much-needed magical help from Rupert Giles, Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris, kills Adam. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

June 2000

The Catevari recovers from a three-year coma. He goes on a killing spree, trying to kill The Official of The Agency. (The Invisible Man (2000))

August 2000

Project Quicksilver results in a success. Darien Fawkes, an ex-con, is recruited by The Agency and given the power of invisibility via the implantation of a special Quicksilver gland in his head. The gland lets Fawkes secrete a light-bending substance called Quicksilver from his pores and follicles. The substance quickly coats his skin, hair, nails and clothes and renders him invisible. (He can still see because the Quicksilver covering his eyes shifts other wavelengths of light into the visible spectrum.) He can consciously release the Quicksilver, which then flakes off and disintegrates. The catch is that the Quicksilver gland was sabotaged at its creation to release a neurotoxin that accumulates in his bloodstream and causes intense pain, followed by psychosis and antisocial behavior. He requires regular doses of "counteragent" to keep him sane and healthy, which is controlled by the Agency. (The Invisible Man (2000))

September 2000

The Order of Dagon turns the Key into Dawn Summers, Buffy's younger sister, in order to protect it from Glorificus. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Cat resurfaces in Thailand. (Her Name Is Cat)

October 2000

Arvin Sloane becomes a full partner in the Alliance of Twelve. (Alias)

2001

Alex Munroe takes over as head of The Agency. (The Invisible Man (2000))

Black Scorpion, The Chronicle, Special Unit 2, Tracker

January 2001

Joint international operations shut down and capture all twelve SD cells, effectively destroying the Alliance of Twelve. Arvin Sloane escapes, himself instrumental in bringing the Alliance down in order to protect his wife. (Alias)

Spring 2001

NSA agent Kyle Duarte stands up Mei Ling Wong in Hong Kong, saving her life from Chinese agents sent to confirm that she was a double agent and, if so, to kill her. She doesn't know about her government's suspicions and resents being spurned by her lover. The two will not meet again for 2½ years. (Jake 2.0)

May 2001

Sydney Bristow is abducted and brainwashed by the Covenant. Over the next two years she would perform operations for the Covenant under the alias Julia Thorn. (Alias)

Buffy Summers defeats Glorificus but cannot prevent another villain from using her sister Dawn to open in interdimensional gateway that will destroy the world. Buffy leaps into the gateway, giving her life to close it and save both the world and her sister. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

October 2001

Willow Rosenberg, with her friends Xander, Anya and Tara, bring Buffy Summers back from the dead. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Warren Mears, Andrew Wells and Jonathan Levinson form the Trio, with the purpose of taking over Sunnydale. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

November 2001

Willow Rosenberg returns Amy Madison to human form from the rat she had been for nearly three years. Together they indulge their magic addiction. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

2002

The First Evil begins a campaign against the Watchers' Council and the Slayers, intent upon breaking and ending the line of the Slayers. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Harry Dresden kills his uncle in self-defense, using black magic, and has to hide from the High Council. He meets Bianca and Jake Darius. (The Dresden Files)

January 2002

In Australia, four kids find the Silver Shadow's lair and are accepted as his replacement by the lair's AI. (Legacy of the Silver Shadow)

February 2002

Fiona Radcliff joins her grandfather's Australian criminal empire as Crab Girl. (Legacy of the Silver Shadow)

Sydney Bristow escapes her captors and desires to return to the CIA, but FBI Assistant Director Kendall persuades her to remain with the Covenant to protect her loved ones and serve as a double agent. (Alias)

March 2002

Asuka Nanakasa dons the powered suit to become Power Sis to protect Japan from an escaped bio-weapon. (Powered Sister)

May 2002

The Trio is disbanded; Warren Mears attacks Buffy Summers but kills Tara Maclay instead, sending her lover Willow Rosenberg insane with grief. Willow kills Warren and nearly destroys the world before Xander Harris is able to talk her down. Spike survives the necessary trials to regain his soul. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

September 2002

John Doe awakes on Horseshoe Island off the shore Washington state. He makes his way to Seattle, where he discovers that although he has no memory or knowledge of himself before Horseshoe Island, he has complete command of the sum total of all other human knowledge. Doe befiends Detective Frank Hayes and helps him solve difficult cases while searching for clues to his own past. (John Doe)

2003

Puppet Master: the Legacy, Tremors

May 2003

In the culmination of their battle against the First Evil, Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane lead the potential Slayers in an assault on the Hellmouth in Sunnydale, California. Willow Rosenberg casts a spell that makes all current and future potential Slayers into full, actual Slayers. The Hellmouth is destroyed, and with it Sunnydale collapses into a pit. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

September 2003

To protect a vital secret about a Rambaldi artifact, Sydney Bristow has her memory of the past two years erased and returns to the CIA. (Alias)

Computer technician Jake Foley is infected with experimental nanites at an NSA research facility. He develops superpowers, including the ability to control computers, and enters training as an NSA field agent. (Jake 2.0)

October 2003

After successfully stealing $10 million from the Federal Reserve, hacker DuMont (a.k.a. Death Owl) is captured and brought into federal custody by agents of the NSA. He vows revenge against Jake Foley. (Jake 2.0)

2004

Julian Sark and Lauren Reed assassinate the six cell leaders of the Covenant. They become coleaders of the criminal organization's North American cell. (Alias)

Hex, Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys

May 2004

DuMont escapes from prison, captures NSA agent Jake Foley and uses an electromagnetic weapon to confuse Foley's nanites and erase his memory. DuMont is captured again, but Foley goes on the run. Dr. Diane Hughes eventually wins Foley's trust, brings him back to the agency, and restores his memory. Executive Director Valerie Warner begins an alliance with DuMont against Foley. (Jake 2.0)

The NSA discovers that agent Alex Brandt is alive in a prison camp in Serbia. They stage an operation and successfully rescue him, but he blames Deputy Director Louise Beckett for leaving him behind six years earlier. He tries to kill her but is foiled by Jake Foley and winds up in psychiatric therapy. (Jake 2.0)

September 2004

Thunderman fights crime in Denmark. (Thunderman)

2005

Charlie Jade, Supernatural, The Triangle

January 2005

Koga Saejima takes up the sword of his ancestors in Japan and becomes its newest protector. (Golden Knight Garo)

APO is formed as a covert division of the CIA. Arvin Sloane is appointed head of the division due to his experience directing SD-6. (Alias)

May 2005

Elena Derevko is killed and with her the Covenant is destroyed, thwarting their plan to use a Rambaldi artifact and the world's tainted drinking water to touch off an apocalypse. (Alias)

2006

Scarlett

January 2006

Zamir, a reformed gangster, fights crime in Chile. (Kiltro)

April 2006

Noah Bennet recruits Eden McCain. Chandra Suresh travels to New York City to seek out people with specific genetic markers that indicate superhuman potential. He meets Sylar. (Heroes)

April 24, 2006

Hiro Nakamura arrives in Midland, Texas, from six months in the future, hoping to rescue Charlie Andrews. (Heroes)

May 2006

Kelly Peyton assassinates the Twelve, crippling and perhaps destroying Prophet Five. (Alias)

September 2006

Sylar murders Chandra Suresh in New York City. Chandra's son Mohinder soon arrives there and takes up his father's project. (Heroes)

October 2006

Sylar attempts to kill Claire Bennet at her homecoming in Odessa, Texas, but Peter Petrelli intervenes. Sylar is captured by Eden McCain, working for Claire's father. (Heroes)

November 8, 2006

The nuclear explosion predicted (by both Hiro Nakamura and Isaac Mendez) to devastate New York City is averted when Nathan Petrelli flies his brother Peter to a safe altitude. Peter, unable to control his recently acquired nuclear power, explodes, but both he and Nathan survive. (Heroes)

December 2006

Detective Joe Miller obtains the Hotel Key and discovers the Lost Room. When his daughter Anna becomes trapped in the Room, he tracks down other Objects to try to rescue her, eventually becoming an Object himself so that he could save her. (The Lost Room)