White Event

The White Event was the name given to a mysterious blinding flash of light which bathed the Earth on July 22, 1986. In the wake of this strange event two person out of every one million humans began to develop paranormal powers, and some also mutated physically, in ways which seemed to defy medical science. It was later revealed that The Old Man, one of the wielders of the immensely powerful cosmic artefact known as the Star Brand, had attempted to rid himself of his unwanted power by transferring the Star Brand onto an asteroid near Earth. However, the Brand required a living being's will in order to control it, and when placed in an inanimate object, a flood of power was released, infusing many human beings with a fraction of the Star Brand's energies.