At first glance, Springfield seems utterly ordinary. It sits in a picturesque mountain valley with some nice views. It has mild, pretty summers and bitter cold winters. Most of its power comes from the nearby hydro-electric dam. It makes its money chiefly on the tourist trade: skiers, hikers and mountaineers all come through Springfield on the train and spend the night before going on to their sporting destinations.

It has an old-fashioned barber shop/soda fountain on the corner of Main Street, a bank on every corner, and a baseball diamond that draws crowds to the park every Saturday afternoon. It boasts the central office of the local newspaper (the “Springfield Shouter”) and also the broadcasting station of the region’s most-watched news channel.

It is kind of large, but not really, and has an utterly disproportionate amount of crime, mostly in the form of over-dressed super villains. Most people know their neighbors, and people smile at each other on the street, as long as they’re not dashing for the nearest cover from exploding debris. The fact that tourists still show up on a seasonal basis speaks to the sublime quality of the skiing, and also to the entertainment value of people running around in spandex.

Most of the town excitement for locals centers around the local high school, Springfield High. Their football team is mediocre and the only sport to ever win an award is the boys’ swim team. Their mascot is the Terrier, for reasons no one is clear on. Virtually every Springfield citizen graduates from Springfield High, and those of the older generation are now sending their children there. A nearby community college provides degrees for those who seek higher education.

It would almost be average, except it’s not. The reality is that a surprisingly significant percentage of the town’s population consists of people with extraordinary powers. Superheroes—and Supervillains— do indeed dwell among us. Springfield has the single highest concentration of superpowered individuals in the world, so it’s safe to assume you know one or two whether you realize it or not.

These individuals are a normal part of everyday life. Some live entirely undetected. Others routinely wreck Springfield’s buildings and other private property in attempts to defend/defeat truth, justice, and the American way.

The only problem is, it turns out that superheroes are people too…and not always extraordinary ones. And even more surprisingly, sometimes the real heroes prove to be those with no powers at all.

Welcome to Springfield. You’ll get used to it.

*not including: possible alternate identities, duplicates of the same person, the same person in multiple time periods/physical forms, astral or other psychic projections, or beings of the robotic persuasion.