The Simian Manifesto

The Simian Manifesto

Ego feci omnes ad simia

 
You know who he is. Of course you do. The Mighty Doc Stalwart. Yes. But you may not know my story. Or how our shared stories intertwine.
 
Let me tell you.
 
While a young Nathanial Stalwart was in the third grade, recreating the Freedom Formula, the original elixir that granted Heartland his superhuman abilities, I was a common primate living a blissful existence in the jungles of Africa. 
 
And while young Nathaniel was experimenting on himself, I was a victim of experiments by members of the Final Reich and their leader Dr. Voltus. They believed that if they could grant primates superhuman abilities, they could then modify this process for men. They were wrong, and many of my family paid the price in blood for their arrogance.
 
And while Nathaniel made his discovery on the first attempt, I was subject 66 - the first 65 suffering ignoble deaths. The Super Simian Serum worked all too well on me, granting me powers and knowledge beyond their imaginings. With my newfound gifts, I drove these inhuman men from my lands. I was able to stabilize the serum, granting lesser gifts and awareness to my kin, without any concern for harming them. Now, among others with intellect and gifts like myself, I was willing to live in peace. And I did. For a time.
 
But then I learned of events in the world of men. Nathanial became the Mighty Doc Stalwart. Spurred on by the Freedom Formula, he demonstrated physical gifts and an intellect comparable to mine. And… I knew, if he could make all humans equal to himself, enhancing them as I had enhanced my kin, they could easily, with but a thought, wipe my people from the annals of history entirely.
 
I would not let humans do that to me or my kind again. So, despite my desire for peace, I prepared for war. Despite my desire for home, I knew the only path ahead was invasion. We had to strike our enemies and imprint fear into their hearts.
 
And so, I set my armies, and our remarkable technology, upon our foes. Success was in our grasp. We had made our point, dealing destruction that would be a symbolic reminder to leave us be. That the Simian Supreme would not be trifled with. And I was about to turn for home when Doc Stalwart had to interject himself. He could not let us claim this small, symbolic victory that would even the scales for what humans had already done. No. He and his kind would not be satisfied with accepting us as a comparable force. They must exert absolute domination over us. 
 
But I came to realize something more. Now that humans knew that we were their equals, that we may in fact have surpassed them, they would not - nay, they could not - be satisfied until we were wiped out. Now, I had only one choice - I must claim utter dominion over mankind, or die in the effort.
 
You may think this objective to be mad. I can see why. I am no fool. I know now that wiping out 7 billion humans may prove impossible. I am a genius after all. I recognize this, in my heart of hearts, despite some efforts I may have made to do it anyway. But there is a victory that would be symbolic for all time, and would finally convince mortals that the Simian Supreme are justly named, and that Simian Prime is their ultimate master. 
 
I must kill Doc Stalwart, and do so in such a way that leaves no doubt. I must humble him, breaking him in mind, body, and spirit. I must crush him so completely and absolutely, and so obviously, that humans have no choice but to bend their knee in subjugation.
 
Every super villain he defeats (and what a ludicrous term - super villain - as if he is the hero?) is but another step in forging his legend. I welcome each of his ‘victories’. Each only adds to a mythology around him which will be all the more devastating when the pillars of his infamy are brought to ruin. Only then can we be free. Only then can I rest. Fate has set me on this course, and fate will be satisfied.
 
Ego feci omnes ad simia.