Alright, so here’s my concept for the Secret Society of Super-Villains. First, we’re going to really emphasize the secret society aspect of the team. We’ll make a bigger deal of their code language; we’ll give them a secret handshake and signs; and we’ll give them an initiation ritual complete with blindfolds and an oath. Our members will be called “initiates” and they’ll be working to become worthy of being “grandmembers.” No one will know who is running this, but there’ll be rumors that it’s a heavyweight like Luthor or Sinestro. Only the best get to join their upper echelon as a grandmember. In this regard, we’ll keep Funky Flashman around as the figure who hands out assignments. We can even have the new Sinister Citadel be Mockingbird Manor and have Funky pull the mission details out of that bust of Kirby’s head like in Mister Miracle # 6.
For my members, I don’t want anyone too notable. I want to emphasize that these are c-list villains being recruited to make their big break. I also wanted each member to be an enemy of a different member of the Justice League, with two notable exceptions which we’ll get to later. Anyway, my core team will be Merlyn, Mirror Master, Fisherman, Angle Man, Terra-Man, Copperhead, and I’m keeping the “French” version of Star Sapphire.
My eighth member and the main character of the series will be the “Trickster.” However, this Trickster is obviously not Giovanni Giueseppe. This Trickster has brown hair, no anti-gravity boots, and his “tricks” comprise of conventional weapons rather than over-the-top gadgets. He claims to be the new Trickster since the other one was pinched by the Flash. This bothers most of the other members, particularly Mirror Master. However, this brings Trickster and Star Sapphire closer together since the other members also don’t recognize or trust her. They inevitably become romantically involved. Essentially, this new Trickster will be the reader’s window into this new world. He’s new and confused just like we are.
Each story arc of my Secret Society run is going to be a mini heist of important locations in the DCU like the Justice League Satellite, Atlantis, S.T.A.R. Labs, GCPD, Ivy University, and finally the Flash Museum. At each heist, the Secret Society steals a part to what is called “a very special device” that will help the Society achieve their “ultimate goal.” After each mission, the team loses a member. Either one of them gets captured by the Justice League or one of them disappears and Funky tells the team that member has been selected for “grandmember initiation.” Every time this happens, the villain in question leaves behind a gadget that our new Trickster adds to his arsenal.
As this goes on, Trickster has these recurring nightmares. In these dreams, he’s visited by the Norse god Odin. Odin refers to him as “Loki” and urges him to “find Thor.” The raven god says, “This nightmare world will not end until you find Thor.” When we get to the end of my run, there are only three members remaining: Trickster, Star Sapphire, and Copperhead. After the Flash Museum heist, when the team steals the shell of the Cosmic Treadmill, Star Sapphire confronts her lover. She tells him that she’s been looking into him and learned that there was no record of him being a villain prior to the Society and she can’t figure out who he really is. She demands answers. Trickster looks at the women he loves and suddenly she morphs into Odin. He starts to move toward her, she frantically tries to defend herself, and everything goes black. Then, there’s another Odin nightmare. The god’s costume has started to take on color. Odin says, “The time is nigh. Take the serpent and find Thor.”
When Trickster wakes up, Star Sapphire is gone. Funky calmly assures him that she’s been taken to “grandmember” initiation and tells him it’s almost over. The surprise ninth member enters the scene in the form of the Reverse-Flash. Thawne uses all the parts that the Society has stolen to rebuild the Cosmic Treadmill and uses it to take Trickster and Copperhead to Earth-X. Once they get there, Reverse-Flash takes his leave reminding Trickster that his staying was not part of the deal. Trickster and Copperhead make their way through a city in Earth-X. As they progress, the weather turns overcast, and Trickster becomes sure of his purpose and his mission. As night falls and it begins to rain, they reach their destination: a quiet house in the suburbs. The name on the mailbox reads “Richards” and, as they sneak into the backyard, we see a doghouse with the name “Thor” printed on it.
The dog, Thor, attacks Copperhead and takes him out of the picture as Dan Richards, the Manhunter of Quality comics, comes out back to see what the trouble is. Here is our climactic battle as Trickster uses all the weapons he’s acquired to try and kill Dan Richards, Manhunter. Overmatched but resilient, Richards is able to desperately defend himself by taking out each Trickster weapon until Trickster is only left with Mirror Master’s Mirror Gun. Trickster starts creating mirrors with the gun to confuse Richards, but he catches his own reflection in one of the mirrors. Odin appears behind him in the reflection. Then the reflection morphs and it’s no longer Trickster and no longer Odin. It is the Manhunter, Paul Kirk, and the Manhunter Grandmaster.
The Grandmaster reflection explains that Trickster is really the last clone of Paul Kirk. His mission was to destroy the pretender, Dan Richards. However, he needed a way to reach Dan on his alternate Earth home. He hatched a scheme to obtain the means of multiversal travel while making sure that evildoers were punished along the way. Using his knowledge of Manhunter cult organization and rituals, he created the Secret Society to trick villains into aiding his cause. The villains would then either be captured or he would imprison them in his secret jail under Mockingbird Manor. While Paul is distracted by this hallucination, Dan kicks the Mirror Gun away from him. The two struggle until Paul comes out on top and is about to stab Dan with a combat knife. The knife melts in Paul’s hand before he can deliver the killing blow. Having been alerted of the multiversal incursion, the Justice League and the Freedom Fighters converge on the scene to set things right.
Back on Earth-One and in the Justice League’s custody, Paul takes the League back to Mockingbird Manor where they start dismantling his operation. Funky is taken into custody and as he is walked past Paul, he asks him, “Did you do it, boss? Did you get him?” The League frees the Society members locked in the secret jail under the manor and takes them into custody. However, Green Lantern tells Paul that they couldn’t find Star Sapphire. Hal asks, “Where is she? What did you do?” The last clone of Paul Kirk sinks to his knees and cries.