World building...

Just some things I need to set in stone... thought I'd share them.

Now with 100% more Batman comparisons.

The American Superhuman League, chartered by Then-President Gerald Ford at the behest of The Commander and several other Superhuman veterans of the Vietnam war in 1975. The League receives government funding and League members have formal ranks and titles in the US military: in times of war, active-duty members of the League will be called upon to serve the United States to the best of their abilities. However, the League is self-regulating and has its own rules and conditions that exempt its members from US certain US laws. The League has always differed from the military in that it does not categorize or divide its members based on gender, race, or sexuality. It is open to anyone of significant ability and drive, and all members are expected to fulfill tasks based on their individual skill set.

Super-powers follow a mendelian inheritance pattern, but there are some complicated masking genes known to exist, hence super-powered children can be born of apparently mortal parents. For any given couple in which both parents are super-powered, the chances of them having a child without powers range from zero to one in four. For a superpowered/mortal pairing, the chance is between zero and one in two. There is no correlation between heterozygous/homozygous status for the Superhuman allele and overall strength of powers.

The exact manifestation of powers is highly subjective based on the individual. Powers of children do not have to reflect those of their parents. Powers can flux later in life, usually due to physical or psychological trauma. For example, a former speedster who finds themselves paralyzed after an accident may develop telekinesis.

Powers solidify by the age of ten. Formal League training begins at age ten. Young heroes begin a "Sidekick" apprenticeship with an experienced hero at the age of twelve [Batman and Robin], although their formal schooling continues until a high school equivalency degree, usually earned at the age of sixteen. Sidekicks remain apprenticed with their mentors until the age of twenty, and although legal adulthood in the united states is considered to be age eighteen, Sidekicks are obligated by league charter to remain subordinate to their teachers until they complete their apprenticeships.

At the conclusion of an apprenticeship, Sidekicks may choose to remain as an "assistant" hero to their mentor,  or may contract with a League-organized team stationed in the United States or abroad. Sidekicks do not retain their hero titles from their apprenticeships, graduating to a new name that marks their status as an adult hero [Robin becomes Nightwing, Batgirl becomes Blackbat]. Usually these titles are chosen by the mentor and agreed upon by the sidekick, but sometimes sidekicks choose their own titles. Heroes will also sometimes change their titles later in life if they feel their previous title no longer fits [Batgirl becoming Oracle].

If a hero is killed in action or dies of natural causes, it is acceptable and even expected that their closest apprentice assume their mantle [Nightwing becoming Batman].

Hero/Sidekick relationships are expected to retain a Teacher/Student dynamic, but are typically unmonitored. Abuse is rare but does occur, but is almost never reported.

Superhero teams are created based on diversity and dynamic. A team will seldom have two heroes with the same power set unless those powers are somehow linked. Teams are created with gender balance and diversity in mind - the League has occasionally come under fire for tokenism, but they'll be damned if their teams don't reflect the diversity of their proud nation. A range of personalities are favored in drafting a team, although there will almost always be a clear leader.

Some heroes operate independently of an overal team, but are still contracted with the League. Vigilantism is frowned upon, and heroism without a license is punishable by law and by the League.

The incidence of powers is about 1% of the general population. The trait knows no racial or economic boundaries. A billionaire playboy is as likely to be born with super-powers as is the child of poor, immigrant parents. Heroes tend to be over-represented in media - most superhumans who do not find work contracting with the League find themselves involved in the entertainment industry, as actors, stuntmen, technicians, acrobats, etc.  Superhumans who choose fields outside of the League or entertainment tend to be quiet about their abilities, as there is a degree of suspicion held by the general population, as well as a sentiment that they ought to not waste their abilities.

Religious acknowledgement of heroes tends to differ from denomination to denomination. A comparable debate may be Evolution vs Creationism, whether powers are the result of god or the result of evolution. (Evolution is winning, as powers are genetically linked). Heroes are not well-recognized in the historical record until the 1800s and did not formally organize until the 1970s, but much speculation exists about various historical figures prior to that.

Heroes exist openly, although those contracted with the league tend to maintain a secret identity. Those working in the entertainment industry generally go by their own names. The important thing here is that people know they exist. Heroes do not live in fear of discovery or persecution. They are protected as a minority by the US government and generally viewed favorably.

It is possible to draw a great many allegories between superhumans and any minority group that you like, but the fact is that they themselves are not the metaphor, simply background for my storytelling.