League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The War of the Vermicious Knids
(part of
A Fictional History of the United States)
The planets and moons surrounding Earth have long been populated by innumerable extraterrestrial species. At the dawn of the 20th century, humanity at large became aware of the existence of terrestrial life following the Martian invasion of Britain. While there had been previous incursions into space by lone travelers, and the United States had sent multiple expeditions to the Moon (clashing with the indigenous
Vespertilio-homo) the Martian invasion of the United Kingdom was the first significant conflict in modern times between humans and aliens. The Martian invaders were ultimately felled by disease, and the American inventor Thomas Edison persuaded the British government to loan him captured Martian ships. Edison invaded Mars in 1898, initially conquering a wide swath of territory in retaliation for the Martian assault on Earth. The motley crew of mercenaries and cowboys hired by Edison had little interest in scientific exploration, rather plundering and killing at will. The Molluscs were the species which launched the invasion of Earth, but the Edison Expedition didn't distinguish between the various Martian species and nations, instead holding the entire planet responsible for the attack on Earth. The Edison Expedition made little effort to study the numerous sentient indigenous species of Mars, further confounding the situation. Edison destroyed the dams of Mars, resulting in flooding that killed millions of people. However, Edison found himself unable to replicate the schematics of the Martian vessels which carried his army, and thus after a year Edison found himself cut off from Earth supplies surrounded by a hostile and rebellious population. Edison aligned with certain pfifltriggi tribes to obtain more manpower, but was nevertheless in a dire situation. The indigenous Martians did not take kindly to being conquered and the Edison Expedition quickly found itself outnumbered. Edison himself was captured by scouts of the Martian nation of Helium and brought before John Carter, Warlord of Mars. Carter was an American who married into the monarchy of Helium, and was thus the Martian leader most sympathetic to the Edison Expedition. While other Martians called for Edison to be executed, Carter allowed Edison and his men to return to Earth on the promise they would not return. Despite the failure of his expedition, Edison was hailed upon his return as the "Admiral Perry" of Mars. Educated people in Europe and the United States believed that Earth would eventually return to space and subjugate the various species of the solar system. The American, French, German and British governments established scientific agencies dedicated to extraterrestrial expansion. As the 19th century had seen the conquest of much of the world by the white race, many imperialists believed the 20th century would bring about the conquest of space by the white race.
A series of wars in the early 20th century shattered these dreams. The dawn of the 20th century saw the onset of a global race war. During the Boxer Rebellion, China unexpectedly invaded the United States, occupying California and the West Coast. The European Powers united with the United States to repel the Chinese invasion. Multiple Black nationalist uprisings lead by Bernard Belgrade resulted in a large number of deaths in the American heartland. Initially flush from victory following the Spanish-American War, the United States was forced to abandon its' plans for extraterrestrial expansion following the War of the Boxer Rebellion. Henry Fleming, an imperialist left office following the 1900 presidential election which saw the victory of the populist John Smith. Smith took a more isolationist attitude towards space, viewing it as a distraction from domestic concerns. The American space program was allowed to languish. By the 1910s, Congressional Republicans had regained their congressional majorities and pushed for further expansion into space. The invasion of Europe by the Polyphemes, a race of giant ants, and the outbreak of World War I forced Republicans to abandon these dreams. The ensuing decades of conflict and world war left few resources for space exploration. General Oomlaug of the Treens, the species which inhabited the northern half of Venus, launched a failed invasion of Earth in 1928, briefly reviving American interest in extraterrestrial expansion. The Great Depression however saw America turn inward as it suffered from multiple dictators and fascist coups. During the Second American Civil War in 1938, the Molluscs invaded New Jersey, seeking to replicate their invasion of the United Kingdom while taking advantage of political chaos in the United States. However, the Martians did not expect to encounter a powerful alien defending the United States- Superman, in one of his first outings as an adult superhero, single handedly defeated the Halloween Invasion of 1938. The Molluscs allied with the Laiderplacker to attack Earth but the Laiderplacker were defeated at the same time by the Eighth Doctor. The fascist government of Dewey Haik, withering under attacks by the pro-democracy New Underground, viewed the Martian invasion as indicative of American weakness and sought to cover up the whole affair. The radio broadcaster Orson Welles, who was sympathetic to the New Underground, was accused by the Haik government of faking the invasion in order to undermine morale. The media mogul Charles Foster Kane, an ally of the Haik government, threatening to buy out and shut down Welles radio station unless Welles agreed to admit responsibility. Welles was detained by the Haik government but was released following the victory of the New Underground and the restoration of constitutional government. The incoming Craig administration, uncertain of the intentions of Superman, persuaded Welles to continue to uphold the hoax.
Following Allied victory in World War II and the onset of the Cold War, the question of extraterrestrial relations again became prominent. Multiple alien invasions occurred during the 1950s, the most successful of which was by the Kanamits, who posed as benevolent but were later outed for seeking to breed humans as livestock. The American and Soviet governments thus invested heavily in space defense forces in preparation for future alien invasions. As expeditions were sent forth from Earth, the United States expected to re encounter the Lunar, Venusian, and Martian species. NASA scientists scanned for Martian or Lunar radio waves in the 1960s, but were surprised to find that the Martians had seemingly vanished. The last contact with the Martians occurred in 1964 when Kimar , the leader of an obscure tribe of highlander Martians, abducted Santa Claus. Santa was later able to negotiate for his release, and Kimar promised to maintain relations with Earth. Santa Claus reported to the American government that Kimar had been outed in a coup by the xenophobic traditionalist Volmar and that his contacts with Mars had ceased. Expeditions to the Moon uncovered no evidence of extraterrestrial life. While the United Nations was in occasional (mostly hostile) contact with planets outside the solar system, scientists speculated as to the disappearance of other species native to Sol.
In the reaches of the Oort Cloud at the edge of the solar system is the planet Vermes, a barren empty world. On this dark world the eldritch race known as the Mi-Go engaged in terrible experiments intended to breed soldiers. The fruit of these experiments were the Vermicious Knids, terrible formless blobs that devoured all that they touched. The Vermicious Knids were also incredibly fast, traveling at speeds of a million miles per hour. While the Mi-Go eventually abandoned Vermes, the Vermicious Knids remained in darkness, ever hungry, ever famished. The Vermicious Knids traveled aimlessly around the Oort Cloud, wanderers in the dark, for an unknown number of centuries. Eventually, the Vermicious Knids discovered that life was concentrated closer to the sun, where the warmth of Sol cast out the darkness and allowed life to take shape. Tired of the dark emptiness of the void, the Vermicious Knids decided to migrate to the inner solar system and devour all they could find. The Vermicious Knids lacked a true civilization and lacked a complicated language, but were intelligent enough to establish a rudimentary dictatorship which could direct the hordes of Knids, although the Knids were lacking in any real strategy. The Knids descended upon the moons and planets of Sol and devoured entire civilizations. Human scientists are still unclear as to the extent of life in our solay system, but it seems that numerous worlds and civilizations were completely eradicated by the Vermicious Knids. The various people of Mars were forced to unite in the 1960s to battle against the Vermicious Knid invaders., but to no avail. Mars was rendered devoid of all life. The Green Martians, the Red Martians, the White Martians, the Hrossa, the Seroni, the Pfifltriggi , the Okar and various other Martian species were destroyed in a terrible genocide. Only the Ice Warriors who remained trapped in stasis beneath the surface of Mars escaped extinction. Climate change on Mars had long threatened the survival of civilization, but the Vermicious Knids accelerated the process, rendering a world which was once green and full of life an empty wasteland.
The Vermicious Knids then turned to the Moon, devouring the Selenites, the Man-Bats, the Moon Fairies, Dragons, the Noomites, the Sulvans, and the Triffids. (The Triffids, first
encountered by John Doolittle, had invaded Earth in the early 1960s by a
process of infiltration into plant shops and botany labs, but were nevertheless easily slaughtered by the Vermicious Knids.) Only the gods of the Moon, such as Chang'e, were able to escape extinction. American expeditions to the Moon from 1969 onward did not discover any evidence of life. The Vermicious Knids attempted to invade Earth, but the invasion force was unable to survive Earth's atmosphere and was killed. The Vermicious Knids invaded Venus after infiltrating a Venusian spacecraft, leading some to suspect that the genocide of the Martians and Lunites had been replicated on Venus. The Venusians were able to fight off the invasion and the Treens united under the Mekon, a guerilla resistance fighter who subsequently became the dictator of Northern Venus. The peoples of Earth were at first unaware of the terrible atrocities occurring on neighboring planets.
Perhaps the most egregious of the war crimes of the Vermicious Knids was the Rape of Basidium. While the genocides on Mars and the Moon likely resulted in higher casualties, the Rape of Basidium is considered particularly egregious as the Basidiumites were completely pacifistic. Basidium is a minor moon of Earth that largely escaped notice by humans until 1954, when David Topman and Chuck Masterson, two children, launched an expedition to Basidium on behalf of Tyco Bass, the descendant of expatriate Basidiumites. (Topman and Masterson would later join NASA and participate in the War against the Knids.) Bass established a society of Earthlings sympathetic to Basidium, including his cousin Theo Bass. The Friends of Basidium maintained contact with the Basidiumites and pressured NASA to declare Basidium off limits to colonization after the U.S government became aware of the existence of Basidium. NASA sent three expeditions to Basidium. Basidium used to be covered with giant mushrooms, and the Basidiumites had developed a symbiotic relation with the mushrooms. The NASA expeditions collected biological specimens but did not interfere with the politics of Basidium. The Soviet Union sent unmanned probes to Basidium in 1965 and 1967. While Basidium was considered too insignificant to merit colonization, the Friends of Basidium nevertheless worried that Basidium would become a casualty of the Cold War as the space race escalated. The Friends of Basidium were unprepared for the horrors that would be visited on Basidium.
The Basidiumites, upon the arrival of the Vermicious Knids, welcomed the visitors to the planet, preparing a festival for their arrival. The Vermicious Knids attended the festival, and subsequently ate all of the Basidiumites in attendance, and then plundered their village. The Vermicious Knids then devoured the mushroom forests of Basidium. The native fauna of Basidium, unused to natural predators, were easy prey for the Vermicious Knids. In less than a week, the Vermicious Knids had exterminated all life on Basidium. A NASA expedition to Basidium in 1974 found no survivors of the genocide, but recorded the devastation in footage which would later be used for propaganda purposes.
The United States first encountered the Vermicious Knids during the launch of the Space Hotel. President Lancelot Gilligrass, seeking to encourage American expansion into space, ordered NASA to aid in the development of a Space Hotel by Drax Industries. The station was labelled Space Hotel U.S.A and was intended to be the first space station orbiting Earth. President Gilligrass ordered the opening of the Space Hotel be televised as a show of strength. The Vermicious Knids, however, infiltrated the station when it was empty. The staff who first arrived at Space Hotel U.S.A were devoured by the Knids. The surviving astronauts were rescued by chocolate baron Willy Wonka, who fortuitously happened upon the scene in his Great Glass Elevator. Wonka lured the Knids into following the Great Glass Elevator into Earth's atmosphere, in which they completely burned up.
Subsequent investigation by NASA discovered the extent to which the Solar System had been infested by Vermicious Knids. President Gilligrass, impressed by Wonka's performance against the Knids, invited him to the White House to further discuss the issue. Wonka had vanished from public view for ten years, but had opened his chocolate factory in York to a small tour group selected by lottery. This lottery process of Golden Tickets had been widely publicized in the Press, and Wonka was thus fresh on the mind of President Gilligrass. Wonka additionally invited Charlie Bucket, who he had designated as his heir, to the White House. Wonka informed President Gilligrass of his knowledge of the Vermicious Knids. The American government, which was recovering from the Secret Empire scandal, was suspicious of Wonka. It was unclear as to why a chocolate manufacturer who remained secluded from the public eye was more informed about extraterrestrials than the American government. Later, British investigations into the Wonka Company would reveal unsafe labor practices and that Wonka was employing a race of African pygmies known as the Oompa-Loompas without pay. President Gilligrass would direct the CIA to open an investigation into Wonka to determine the origin of his knowledge and remarkable technological abilities. However, Gilligrass had little choice but to ally with Wonka in order to combat the threat of the Vermicious Knids. While the Knids did not immediately pose a direct threat to Earth, America's history of alien invasions made it hyper alert to potential threats. While the solar system had suffered alien invasions before, no previous invading species had been as thoroughly genocidal as the Knids. National Security Adviser Harvey Wallinger proposed to Gilligrass that a team of experts be assembled to counter the Knid threat. The British government had previously assembled Leagues of Extraordinary Gentlemen when facing threats to the Empire, Wallinger proposed the creation of an American equivalent, of which Wonka was the first recruit.
The renowned scientist Benton Quest, who had researched weapons development for the American government, was considered the best scientific mind the Americans had to offer. Quest was a genius polymath considered on par with Newton and Da Vinci, and had traveled extensively around the globe. Quest had defeated mysterious monsters before, and was thus considered well equipped to face off against the Knids. Lacking in martial prowess, Quest suggested that his government assigned bodyguard from Intelligence One (part of the Office of Scientific Intelligence), "Race" Bannon be assigned to the League. Quest had never personally met Wonka, but Wonka had sent him correspondence under an assumed name in order to uncover information about Dr. Quest's research. Wonka had previously invited Quest to a conference on pygmies. Quest and Bannon departed for space with Wonka, while the Quest boys were left at home with a responsible adult.
Wallinger additionally sought help from the Justice League, as the presence of superheroes was deemed necessary to defeat the extraterrestrial threat. Superman, America's strongest hero who had saved the Earth from alien invasion before, was considered a natural recruit. Superman was reluctant to cooperate with the American government given that before Gilligrass ascended to the presidency his arch nemesis Lex Luthor held the office. Luthor had persecuted Superman, and now the American government wanted his help. Superman reluctantly agreed to the proposition given that the Vermicious Knids represented an existential threat to life on Earth. The U.S government was still reeling from the Secret Empire scandal, in which Lex Luthor was revealed to be leading the Secret Empire, a splinter group from the Nazi organization Hydra. Luthor was later discovered to be the founder of the Legion of Doom. Captain America, who had confronted the Secret Empire and witnessed Luthor's suicide, abandoned his moniker and assumed the identity of Nomad, disgusted at the corruption of the American government. Superman was appraised by Steve Rogers of Luthor's involvement in the Secret Empire, and was suspicious of Gilligrass given that he had served as Luthor's Vice President. Gilligrass assured Superman that he was not privy to Luthor's crimes. Superman would later court controversy by inviting Raoul Duke, sports correspondent for Rolling Stone, to cover the War with the Vermicious Knids. Superman had first met Duke in his civilian identity, Clark Kent, at a professional journalist convention. Duke and Superman would later bound over their shared opposition to the Luthor administration (at this time Luthor was using the name Ferris Fremont). Duke's controversial obituary celebrating the death of Luthor - "Fremont's body should be burned in a trash bin"- aroused the ire of the Gilligrass administration. While Luthor was known to have committed crimes, the Gilligrass administration had kept classified the depths of Luthor's treason, and Duke's obituary was considered gauche. Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen would associate with Duke in the press room of Space Hotel USA along with Daily Bugle publisher J Jonah Jameson. Jameson unusually assigned himself as a field reporter to cover the Knid war since his son John Jameson was an astronaut participating in NASA's efforts to defeat the Knids. Jameson and Duke shared cigars and shared journalism stories, but later got into an argument over a poker game.
The Martian Manhunter, an expatriate from Mars, also volunteered to join the effort. J'onn J'onzz was informed by the American government that all life on Mars had been eradicated and that he was likely the last surviving member of his species. J'onn J'onzz was thus extremely motivated to defeat the force which had exterminated his people and potentially discover if there were any survivors.
The remaining recruits into the American League of Extraordinary Gentlemen were all government agents. CIA agent Cleopatra Jones, who had previously worked in busting international drug smuggling rings, was recruited into the League due to being a personal favorite of Wallinger. Former astronaut Steve Austin, an OSI agent who had gained super strength through bionic surgery, was also recruited to the League. While Austin had no prior experience with extraterrestrials his background as an astronaut and battling national security threats made him one of Wallinger's top recruits.
The Soviet Union was kept apprised of the effort against the Vermicious Knids and stood ready to give assistance to the United States as needed. Since Willy Wonka was a British national, the United Kingdom and NATO were informed of the League's formation and offered technological support. The British government attempted to recruit the famed Hong Kong martial artist Lee into the League, however Lee joined the effort too late to be considered a formal member of the League. The United Kingdom ordered that the Torchwood Institute cooperate with the American League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Torchwood operative Jack Harkness, an immortal time traveler from the future, led the cooperation with the League and was eventually added as its' final recruit. Harkness suspected that Willy Wonka was the Time Lord known as the Doctor in disguise. Wonka's Great Glass Elevator even resembled the Doctor's TARDIS. Harkness repeatedly asked Wonka as to his origins, but Wonka remained circumspect.
Using Space Hotel USA as a base, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen prepared for war against the Vermicious Knids. Dr. Quest recognized that significant military force would be needed to force the Vermicious Knids to retreat to the Oort Cloud. Dr. Quest persuaded Harvey Wallinger to assemble an international space fleet in preparation for the war. The United Nations agency U.N.I.T was charged with coordinating American and Soviet forces. President Gilligrass established the International Aeronautics and Space Administration as a forum for cooperation for the world powers to defend Earth space from alien attack. While Wonka informally led the League, Dr. Quest was appointed the first director of IASA. Secretary of State Henry MacNeill negotiated the MacNeill Accords establishing the IASA. Wallinger controversially recruited Latveria, a technologically advanced dictatorship, into the IASA despite the objection of the Fantastic Four as to America's cooperation with Victor Von Doom, the brutal dictator of Latveria. The Fantastic Four reluctantly cooperated with the IASA alongside Doctor Doom. Gilligrass further established a military branch dedicated to space combat known as Starfleet.
While the combined space forces were hastily assembled, the combined space fleets of Earth nevertheless were a significant concentration of military power. Thousands of astronauts from numerous nations were included in the expeditionary force. The initial challenge of IASA and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was to discover the locations of the Vermicious Knids. The Knids were scattered across the vast reaches of the Solar System, and IASA feared it could take decades to root them all out. Previous APOLLO expeditions to the Moon had missed the presence of the Knids entirely. Wonka and Dr. Quest thus worked on constructing a beacon which would attract all the Vermicious Knids in the Solar System into one spot, allowing the IASA to destroy them all at once. Steve Austin, Cleopatra Jones and Jack Harkness led an IASA expeditionary force to the Moon in order to find Vermicious Knids to capture for experimentation so that Dr. Quest could complete the beacon. Willy Wonka supplied a special fluid to Steve Austin's force of space marines which could be used to defeat the Vermicious Knids. (Of note is that Colonel Scott, who would later lead a raid on Hugo Drax's space station, was a member of this expeditionary force.) In the Battle of Hausen Crater, Austin's forces defeated a nest of Vermicious Knids, capturing two Vermicious Knids for experimentation by Dr. Quest. Superman and the Martian Manhunter would repel attacks on the IASA fleet in port at Space Hotel U.S.A.
As Dr. Quest worked on constructing a beacon with the aid of Wonka's Oompa Loompas, the Mi-Go suddenly resurfaced. The Mi-Go had been appraised as to the spread of the Vermicious Knids across the Solar System and wished to align with the Knids to destroy all life on Earth. The Mi-Go attacked the IASA fleet at Space Hotel U.S.A, clashing with Superman, the Fantastic Four, Martian Manhunter and various superheroes. Superman managed to defeat the Mi-Go, but the IASA incurred significant casualties. Dr. Quest was briefly assailed by a Mi-Go, but the Mi-Go was defeated in hand to hand combat by Race Bannon. Race Bannon protected the beacon while several Oompa Loompas gave their lives in defense of their home planet. The Battle of Space Hotel U.S.A saw an allied victory and the defeat of the Mi-Go, allowing Dr. Quest to complete his beacon. The Mi-Go additionally launched attacks on Washington D.C and Moscow, which were also repelled. The surviving IASA ships would engage in minor skirmishes against the Vermicious Knids until Dr. Quest completed his beacon. Jack Harkness distinguished himself in killing a high number of Vermicious Knids, since he was indestructible and could reconstruct himself after being eaten by them.
Upon the completion of the Quest Beacon, Superman and the IASA flew to the Moon carrying multiple nuclear weapons. The weapons were intended to be used against the swath of Vermicious Knids which would assemble at the Quest Beacon. Superman deployed and activated the Quest beacon at the Mendel-Rydberg Basin. Within a few hours, the Basin was swarming with millions of Vermicious Knids. Lee, the Kung Fu champion was deployed by the British to battle the Knids. Lee defeated hundreds of Knids but was eventually overwhelmed and killed. The IASA under Steve Austin deployed multiple nuclear weapons against the Knid hordes. However, the Mendel Rydberg Basin continued to swarm with an untold number of Vermicious Knids, overwhelming the capacities of the IASA forces to respond. Jack Harkness pleaded for Willy Wonka to deploy an invention to turn the tide of the battle. While berating Wonka, Harkness discovered Wonka's Chameleon circuit, a device which housed the consciousness of Time Lords. Harkness broke the Chameleon Circuit, restoring Wonka's memories. While Wonka confirmed to Harkness he was a Time Lord he did not state which Time Lord he was, to Harkness' disappointment. As Superman battled against thousands of Knids, Wonka ordered his Oompa-Loompas to deploy a teleporter he had constructed for the transportation of chocolate. Wonka happened to be storing dozens of hydrogen bombs at the Wonka Chocolate Factory, and he used his teleportation device to move the hydrogen bombs immediately to the Moon. Harkness agreed to use the teleporter to deploy the hydrogen bombs against the Knids who swarmed over hundreds of kilometers of the Moon's surface. Harkness was teleported by Wonka into the heart of the Knid swarm, activating the bombs. The Vermicious Knids were almost entirely wiped out. The remaining Vermicious Knids were disoriented, allowing them to be destroyed by IASA. Harkness, being immortal, healed from the blast of the hydrogen bombs and was rescued by Willy Wonka's Great Glass Elevator. The Great Glass Elevator had been heavily damaged- it was a replication of a TARDIS, not a TARDIS itself and was thus vulnerable to the blast of the hydrogen bomb. To Harkness' surprise, Willy Wonka had been caught in the blast of the hydrogen bomb while attempting to evacuate Ooompa-Loompa staffers. Wonka's body had thus been destroyed, and Wonka had regenerated into a woman. Harkness began to flirt with Wonka, but was curtly rebuffed.
The Battle of the Mendel-Rydberg Basin was a resounding victory for the Allies, and ended the war with the Vermicious Knids. The remaining Knids on Venus would be repelled by the Treens, and the remaining inhabited worlds of the Solar System were rendered secure from extinction. The members of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, however, would not suffer such lucky fates. Willy Wonka, who dressed in drag to hide that she had regenerated, came under increased scrutiny from the British government since he clearly possessed technology far more advanced than any humans. The British Army threatened to seize the Wonka Chocolate Factory, viewing Wonka as a potential threat to national security. Wonka refused to turn over the blueprints to her inventions despite a court order. The Prime Minister eventually authorized the British Army to raid the Wonka Chocolate Factory and arrest Willy Wonka. Wonka vanished in 1976 rather than comply with the requests of the British government. When UNIT forces entered the Wonka Chocolate Factory, they found that Wonka had taken her inventions from the Invention Room, leaving only some unusual chocolate production techniques. Numerous governments would attempt to replicate Wonka's inventions, but to no avail. (After decades of research, Starfleet eventually replicated Wonka's transporter.) When Harold Saxon became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, he deleted Wonka's file from the Black Archives, removing any clues as to Wonka's identity. Research by Dr. Osgood suggests that Wonka assumed the name of Ms. Frizzle and became an elementary school teacher in the United States in the 1990s. The Wonka Chocolate Company thus came under the management of the young Charlie Bucket, who was unprepared so such awesome responsibility. Bucket was compelled by the British government to pay the Oompa-Loompas with cash and to obey standard labor laws, making Wonka Chocolate Company resemble a standard chocolate manufacturing operation. While Charlie Bucket was considering honest, the businessmen he brought onto Wonka's Corporate Board were not. After decades of mismanagement, Wonka Chocolate went bankrupt in 2009 and Charlie Bucket was forced to cede control of the company to his aunt by marriage, Hyacinth Bucket.
Dr. Benton Quest would later meet up with an unfortunate accident. Dr. Quest maintained blueprints given to him by Wonka as to some of Wonka's inventions and continued to experiment on them. This made him a target of multiple Communist governments, and even the United States became increasingly suspicious of him. On the orders of his arch nemesis Dr. Zin, Dr. Quest's compound in Palm Key Florida was destroyed and Dr. Quest was killed in 1977. It is believed that the assassin who carried out the attacks was notorious killer Anton Chigurh, Chigurh demanded the Wonka blueprints from Quest, but Quest burned the blueprints and sabotaged his computers rather than hand over the blueprint, the assassin then killed Quest and burned his home. His son Johnny was not present, being a student at Faber College. Johnny entered a deep depression following his father's death.
Race Bannon was retained as an OSI agent and was deployed on multiple missions following the death of Dr. Quest. Bannon later died in a parachute accident while deployed on a mission in 2004, shortly before his scheduled retirement.
Superman continued to remain an active superhero for decades and was deployed the the American government on multiple occasions. Superman was killed in 1991 by the supervillain Doomsday, leaving America without its' primary defense against invasion.
The Martian Manhunter would return to Mars in search of surviving members of his people. While J'onn J'onzz found Green Martians living in underground compounds and assembled them into a colony; this colony was destroyed under mysterious circumstances and J'onn J'onzz would return to Earth, the last member of his race. In 1996, he and the surviving members of the League were assembled to combat the Harvester Invasion of Earth. Austin, J'onzz, and Jones were all killed by the Harvesters in a battle outside Washington D.C.
Steve Austin remained under the employment of the OSI, occasionally cooperating with Race Bannon. He remained on active duty before being killed in the War of 1996.
Cleopatra Jones' relation with the American government was more strained. President Gilligrass resigned in 1975 following the North Vietnamese capture of Saigon and the revelation by the Washington Herald that he had covered up Luthor's involvement in the Secret Empire, as well as various other corrupt schemes. Documents obtained by the Washington Herald revealed the existence of the King Alfred Plan- a proposal by President Luthor which called for the extermination of all African-Americans in response to an escalation in attacks by black nationalist militants. Upon discovering that her direct superiors in the CIA were already aware of the King Alfred Plan, Jones resigned from the CIA in disgust and joined the black nationalist Cobras. Jones remained a political activist throughout the 1970s, agitating against the moderate Republican administration of Henry MacNeill. Jones subsequently worked as a private detective. When Steve Austin called her in 1996 seeking help against the Harvesters, Jones agreed to rejoin the League, which resulted in her death.
Jack Harkness returned to his work at the Torchwood Institute for several more decades. While Torchwood was eventually disbanded after suffering from multiple crises, Harkness survived and traveled around the Cosmos. He is believed to be the last surviving member of the 1970s iteration of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, as the fate of Willy Wonka remains unknown.
Roaming bands of Vermicious Knids are still believed to be at large.
List of Sources:
Edison's Conquest of Mars, The Great Moon Hoax, War of the Worlds, Barsoom, Out of the Silent Planet, A Short and Truthful History of the Taking of California and Oregon by the Chinese in the Year A.D. 1899, Imperium in Imperio, Dan Dare, The Vanguard of Venus, The Polyphemes: A Story of Strange Adventures Among Strange Beings, It Can't Happen Here, The President Vanishes, War of the Worlds 1938, To Serve Man, Day of the Triffids, Little Shop of Horrors, Doctor Doolittle in the Moon, The First Men in the Moon, The Magical Land of Noom, Chinese Mythology, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, The Whisperer in Darkness, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Johnny Quest, The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet, The Bold Ones: The New Doctors, Cleopatra Jones, Doctor Who, The Six Million Dollar Man, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Enter the Dragon, Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Radio Free Albemuth, Moonraker, No Country for Old Men, The Spook who sat by the Door, The Man Who Cried I Am, Independence Day, The Magic School Bus, Animal House, The Venture Brothers, Farscape, Star Trek, Keeping Up Appearances, House of Cards,
Hunter Thompson's Obituary for Richard Nixon
