Although the Equalisers are one of the largest and most enduring superhero teams in the world, and the European Super Soldiers are perhaps the best funded and merchandised, neither are regarded as the greatest or strongest team on the planet. That honour tends to fall to Elements, a quartet of powerful super-beings that are not so much a traditional team, as a collective that works to their own agenda, most often falling in favour of defending humanity. Assembled by Der Flieger, only one member of the team has not spent time in prison previously and each is remarkably powerful in their own right. Combined, Elements may represent the greatest concentration of superhuman power on the planet.
To pose Elements as the rivals to The Equalisers would be somewhat legitimate, though also a gross oversimplification. There are grievences between both teams, that have spilled into violence in the past, but there are far more instances of the two cooperating when the chips are down. Elements have the raw power on their side, but often the sheer number the Equilsers can deploy can carry the day against the existential threats. On those rare occasions that all four Elements are gathered, it can be a dark day for the planet, but if any collective can save humanity, it is they.
Tempest (Michael Loeb): Perhaps the most famous mutant terrorist in the world (prior to both Athena and The Mutant Scion emerging), Tempest is an Australian First-Peoples man who originally worked for Alpha Section in ARMOUR prior to the founding of the Equalisers. Working as a Metahuman asset for the Australian Defense Force, Tempest found himself most often deployed against other Mutants and soon chafed at the role, feeling that he was betraying his people. Being under Wildcat (Edward Caan) also caused friction and soon the two came to loggerheads, resulting in widespread destruction in Melbourne from a superhero fight that killed several members of Alpha Section and resulted in the public revelation of Metahumans for the first time since the Second World War. After the "Tempest Event", Loeb was imprisoned in the Boomerang Facility, ARMOUR Headquarters, for several years until the Pendragon attack on the facility, where he was freed. Rather than taking part in the ensuing battle, Loeb fled and avoided interacting with Superhumans for several years until the Blackwing Assault drew him into the open once more. Approached by Der Flieger, Loeb agreed to help form a team free from national alignment or corporate oversight to help defend the world against larger threats.
Helia: With her true origins shrouded in mystery, the woman known only as Helia first emerged shortly after the Pendragon attack on the Equalisers and appeared to already be working with Der Flieger at the time. Current consensus puts Helia as a mutant, though her demonstrated level of power is significantly higher than most observed mutants, Tempest, Athena, The Mutant Scion and Wildfire being the notable exceptions. Able to generate extreme levels of heat within her body at no harm to herself, Helia can literally melt or burn her way through any barrier or foe. More so than any other member of Elements, Helia is rarely seen in the field, as her powers can cause a great deal of unintentional damage, but when she does appear, the effect can be devastating to friend and foe alike.
Sharkman: The enigmatic Sharkman has a chequred history, first being sighted attacking fishing vessels and oil platforms, but then becoming instrumental in the Equalisers' defeat of the Black Wave. In fact, Sharkman's being a member of Elements was not confirmed for years after he first appeared, with many labeling him a villain because of his anti-capitalist actions, especially against the fossil fuel industry. Many have softened on Sharkman's radical politics due to his work with the Elements, though he has not truly slowed in his attacks on whaling vessels and oil platforms. Sharkman has never spoken on any record, though Der Flieger and Wildcat assert that he can talk in a fashion, just chooses to remain taciturn much of the time.
Der Flieger: Once a living symbol of Aryan supremacy, then branded a war criminal, the man known as Der Flieger (the Flyer) has ever struggled to forge his own identity. Famously defeated by Red Tide and WRN during the battle of Berlin in the closing days of the European war, Flieger was unable to be executed after the Nuremberg trials so was incarcerated and forgotten about for decades, until a private equity firm began to advocate for his release. After being freed, Flieger found himself working for Morgane le Fey as a member of Pendragon Security for an attack on the Equalisers. Defeated again, this time by Colonel Quantum, Flieger surrendered to custody, but was soon released. Allowed his own choices for the first time in his long life, Flieger was drawn to the superhero lifestyle, attempting to repent for his time with the Nazi Party by using his strength, invulnerability and flight to help people in need. Forming Elements was something of an organic process, with the team just coming together as Flieger met other metahumans with dark pasts, though as time went on, the team gelled and became one of the most powerful superhuman forces on the planet.
