The Margayverse is the placeholder name I have for the universe my superhero character, Margay, lives in! I'm terrible with names, so I have yet to find a better name for the universe. That said, I am working on this universe with help from a few of my friends, so I'm sure we'll figure out a better name soon!
The first Margay story begins in December 2023. This is mostly an arbitrary date I chose, mostly because the first story takes place in winter, and I figured 2023 was a recent enough year to choose. I'm writing this Janurary 2nd, 2023, so here's hoping this year isn't too crazy. Edit August 2024: 2023 sucked actually so I'm changing it to 2024 instead lol.
In this universe, being a superhero is a career, which you can pursue if you possess the right attributes. These attributes lead to three different types of heroes, which can be categorized in three ways:
Tech heroes are heroes whose powers stem from technology. Most often, tech heroes are rich individuals whose hero activities are akin to PR stunts. This is not true of every tech hero, naturally, but nevertheless the reputation of being a tech hero looms large. If their tech is removed, these heroes lose all "superpowers" they possess. They are typically seen as the ideal hero type, as anyone can choose to use technology for "good", theoretically, meaning they actively choose to be a hero rather than it being a necessary career path.
Magic heroes are heroes whose powers stem from magic. Magic only develops in an individual if they are born with it, although magic can be gifted in a fetus if they are scientifically given those powers via medical testing. Magic tends to be unpredictable when compared to tech, and gives heroes powers unnatural to a regular human. Magic cannot be removed, and even when a fetus is given the necessary genes for magic development, no science exists that can pick an exact power. While magic heroes are heavily respected, they are also somewhat feared, and tend to be treated as a frightening "other" in everyday life. Superhero work is essential for magic heroes, as most other careers are likely to turn them down due to this fear. It is also common to see magic humans turn to villainy, as it is a more "free" way for them to express their frustrations with the system.
Enhanced heroes are heroes whose powers stem from a mysterious incident approximately 20 years prior to the start of Margay's story. On a dark and silent October night, a huge meteor fell to Earth, exploding into thousands of star-like comets. These comets fell all across the globe, and while they fell, they did not leave any craters, simply stopping and floating in the air above where a crater would have been left. Many people touched these strange star comets in curiosity, and were subsequently given superhuman abilities. While those powers are not anything a human didn't already possess, these abilities were enhanced far beyond the usual capabilities of a human, essentially creating powers such as enhanced strength, enhanced speed, enhanced sight, etc. While enhanced heroes can choose to become heroes, they lack the same protections that tech and magic heroes naturally have, putting them at a disadvantage, as well as some abilities only being situationally useful. Most enhanced humans who choose to be heroes only do so as a side business, and are only called in when their powers are relevant.
Heroes tend to work closely with the military and law enforcement, and are generally paid more the more they are willing to obey them as authorities. Heroes who tend not to obey are often seen as rebellious, dangerous, and may even be labelled as villains if not apprehended. This makes exposing any corruption in those authorities difficult, even for powerful heroes.
I don't see why not. Many of the staple characters of the Margayverse, such as Redshift, Marvel and Rictor are characters created by my friends!
Now, that said, I do not know how I feel about anyone besides my friends and I making canon material for the universe. I think I would need to think on it more. For now, though, just enjoy what we've created.
Margay, also known by his civilian name Milo Braatz, is a 26 year old Romani and Jewish enhanced superhero living in modern day Canada. While he always insisted that he encountered a star comet on that fateful October night, he spent much of his childhood ridiculed for having no explicit or obvious superpower from said claimed encounter. Eventually he settled on a regular 9 to 5 job, but he never gave up his dream of being a hero.
One day, while struggling with his seeming lack of power despite his encounter, he meets with another enhanced hero who lives in his apartment complex, Oliver Gamble. Ollie was always praised for his super strength, and teased Milo as a child, but as adults they have made ammends and become good friends. Ollie, seeing how downtrodden Milo is, suggests that he try things he has never done before as a test to find his powers. Milo is unsure of how to do this, but as they speak, Ollie watches as Milo effortlessly scales a fence and miraculously keeps his balance atop it. This is where Milo discovers his power; superhuman balance. He quickly quits his old job and dives headfirst into the world of superheroism.
Milo is a cheerful, optimistic, and kindhearted man who does everything he can to help the people around him. As Margay, he is willing to take risks and speak his mind in a way he is generally too shy to as Milo. Among heroes, Margay is a bit of a laughing stock, and he is known as quite a nuisance to authorities, but many regular people respect and admire Margay for doing smaller, kinder hero work that other heroes are far too busy and arrogant to do, such as helping dementia patients who wander from home and providing food and water to the homeless.
His escapades as a hero are not necessarily action packed at all times, but they are always kind, thoughtful and assumes the good in everyone he meets, besides the authorities and other, more selfish heroes. Above all else, while he has his flaws, Margay is what I think is the best aspect of any good superhero; someone willing to help, however he can, even if there isn't much he can do. He cannot give you the mental help or money you need, but he is there to give you a shoulder to cry on, and a hand to guide you away from the edge.