TV Superheroes Timeline

From Stormravengaming

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)

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)

19th century

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.)

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

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 MI-5 and MI-6. (The Invisible Man (1958))

July 1959

While working on a mission for MI-6, 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 and The Immortal.

1971

The first Cabal War. (The Lost Room)

February 1971

The USSR starts Project: телепатия. An extension of experiments in the 1930s, they study the military applications of mental powers. The project seeks to develop mental powers in agents, as well as develop other military applications, like mind-guided rockets. (The Phoenix/1982)

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. Col. 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 later 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 an American thinktank (KLAE) who 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 to test it. 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 Monster Squad, The Bionic Woman Futureworld

May 1976

Secret agent Sam Casey gets injured during a diving accident which renders him invisible. The agency called INTERSECT found a way to control his invisibility by the use of a wrist watch. Pressing a button on the watch would make him invisible, which was a helpful tool in his line of work. He could however, only do this for 15 minutes per day or else he would die. (Gemini Man)

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

Man from Atlantis, Bigfoot and Wildboy

April 1978

Dr. Simon Shane and Dr. Ezra Louthin, noted bio-chemists, succeed in cloning Dr. Shane 13 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 ranged mind link with his clones. (Clonemaster)

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/1982)

1980s

1980

Hero at Large, Beyond Westworld

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 and Mr. Merlin

April 1981

Bennu is released from his suspended animation. His sarcophagus is damaged and so he does not have access to his mission specifics. (The Phoenix/1982)

September 1981

The Soviets begin to develop the "Mind Games" series of mind-guided missiles. (The Phoenix/1982)

1982

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

Nadia Santos is born. (Alias)

The Powers of Matthew Star, Voyagers!, and Knight Rider

January 1982

Captain Jack North of the U.S. Air Force becomes an astronaut. (Northstar/1986)

March 1982

Bennu starts looking for Mira. He comes close to finding her, but she is abducted by his enemies. (The Phoenix/1982)

April 1982

Bennu stops a plot to steal uranium. (The Phoenix/1982)

June 1982

Yago, an alien prisoner of great power, escapes from Eldebran and arrives on Earth. (The Phoenix/1982)

1983

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

1984

The Master, Ghostbusters

1985

Misfits of Science, Manimal annual, MacGyver

January 1985

Major Jack North becomes the pilot of Athena Six. (Northstar/1986)

February 1985

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

June 1985

Athena Six blasts off into space. Piloted by Major 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)

1986

The Greatest American Heroine and Starman

1987

Werewolf (TV show)

1989

Quantum Leap, Hard Time on Planet Earth, Ghostbusters II, Wizard of speed and time, Puppetmaster (and all of its sequels)

1990s

September 1990

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

1991

Land of the Lost (1991)

1992

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

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

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

1993

The X-Files and Time Trax

January 1993

Black Rose and her sidekick Thorn battle crime in Hong Kong. (?)

1994

Weird Science, M.A.N.T.I.S. and Ocean Girl

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

The Sentinel and Early Edition

1997

Team Knight Rider, Night Man and The Visitor

May 1997

Project Catevari is closed down by The Agency when the test subject goes into a coma, and is unable to be awakened. (Invisible Man/2000)

1998

Brimstone, Charmed and The Vanishing Man

May 1998

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)

1999

Now and Again, Roswell and Good vs. Evil

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)

February 1999

Project Quicksilver tests on its first human test subject, Simon Cole. Cole is chosen because he is a CIA operative.

2000s

2000

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

June 2000

The Catevari recovers from a 3-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 said government agency. (The Invisible Man (2000))

September 2000

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, Tracker and Special Unit 2

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)

2002

John Doe

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. (?)

March 2002

Asuka Nanakasa dons the powered suit to become Power Sis to protect Japan from an escaped bio-weapon. (Powered Sister/2002)

2003

Tremors and Jake 2.0

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)

2004

Hex

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

September 2004

Thunderman fights crime in Denmark. (Thunderman)

2005

Charlie Jade, The Triangle and Supernatural

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. (?)

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

Mr. 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 to try 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

Hiro Nakamura accidentally travels through time from five weeks previous and witnesses the detonation of a nuclear explosion in New York City. He slips back to his own time just ahead of the shock wave. (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)