Thinking Out Loud: Villain Apocalypse

Pretty much since my first year of doing this, I've been hinting at the idea of "Villain Apocalypse", occasionally lifting the veil but never really getting it down properly. So what is "Villain Apocalypse", and why have I been fixated on it for so long? Simply put, "Villain Apocalypse" is a shorthand term I use for a post-apocalypse superhero setting in which the world-ending cataclysm was not a nuclear war or natural disaster, but instead the act of a supervillain or villains. I first used this idea with, of all things, a one-shot Pokemon role playing game I ran at a convention, where the world had been rendered an Anime version of Fallout by a battle between Mewtwo and other Legendary Pokemon. Of course, there are plenty of examples of this in all superhero media, from Age of Apocalypse and Old Man Logan through to Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks or even Samurai Jack. Not only is a Villain Apocalypse an interesting and engaging setup for a setting or adventure, it can really make for great characters as well. How? Let's go through this. 

Putting superheroes in a post-apocalyptic setting is, weather you intend it to be or not, a statement on the heroes in general and a broader response to the genre as a whole. Keep in mind, that if the world ended (or at least, was drastically changed) by the acts of super powered individuals, be they heroes or villains, that makes those characters the bomb or plague of the story. Post Apocalypse is a subgenre of Science Fiction which tends to be heavily allegorical, with the cause of the end of the world not being so central to the narrative as people's reaction to it. In a Villain Apocalypse, however, the heroes are not only survivors, but walking reminders of the end of the world; imagine playing a walking nuclear bomb or a Nazi after the fall of Berlin in 1945. Even if the heroes inhabiting this world are truly altruistic, how can anyone ever really trust them again when they, or someone like them, is responsible for the end of all you knew? Even if the actual event itself was caused by a supervillain, either directly (Infinity Gauntlet) or indirectly (Legacy Virus), there would be anger over the fact that the heroes didn't stop it this time, that's what they're here for, right? 

I tend to think this approach works best when the "apocalypse" was in living memory, such as Old Man Logan, so that people can miss the comforts and ease of Late Capitalism, despite its flaws, and remember a time where heroes won and villains lost. There is a tragedy there that can drive the surviving heroes, either inspiring them to try and fix things or crushing them into depression, but it makes for a real opportunity to tell stories. Although I tend to prefer running games with lower-powered player characters, how much could even the godlike heroes really accomplish? Controlling the weather is all well and good until the climate collapses, and super strength can only help so much when people are starving. Whilst I'm yet to get a game up and running based around a Villain Apocalypse, it's an idea I just keep coming back to and wanting to make work, when the right opportunity hits. Though I'm constantly raging against the proliferation of "grim and gritty" in the genre, I think there's room for legitimate pathos and tragedy, with genuine hurt driving characters, rather than "damage" or fixations on revenge. I hope someone else draws some inspiration from this idea and, if you do, please let me know.