The First

The first Superheroes were called Demigods.

How else to explain their powers - great strength, the ability to create technology un-conceptualised, breathing underwater, invulnerability - but by divine inheritance? But they were injured and died like any mortal, so they must be only the offspring of gods.

Like all mortals, they had the potential for both good and evil, and the moral choice to decide what to do with their powers.

Some became wanderers, roving the land and protecting those who lived there from whatever evils they encountered. Some became warriors, soldiers, and justified the wars they fought as a battle against Tyrants. Some settled down, defending their neighbourhood and city against anything that threatened it.

Others became robbers and bandits, or Tyrants themselves. They cared nothing for the helpless and innocent, only for what they could gain by exploiting them with the use of their powers. Those individuals became the first Supervillains.

In time, their deeds evolved into legends. Legends eventually became mythology, and later generations wondered how much was true. There were still Superheroes and Supervillains, but powered individuals of more recent ages learned different lessons.

That great power bestowed great responsibility, but also that people looked for someone to blame, and if everyone knew where their local Superhero lived... well, it made it far easier for trouble to come knocking.

So, they created Secret Identities, a degree of separation between the larger-than-life ideal that the public saw, and their true selves. With the rise of technology, and the public's obsession with Celebrities, this became a vital necessity. Masks and Code-names became a shield as much as their powers were, because the harsh truth was that no Hero could save Everyone.

And Civilians caught up in grief always sought out somewhere - someone - to lay blame upon.