The Bastion Award
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Excerpt from a TV documentary:
...Nicknamed by some "the superheroics Nobel Prize", the Bastion Award traces its origins back to Sebastian Bergberst, more commonly known as Bastion.
A first generation American immigrant from Germany, Sebastian was the son of an aspiring industrialist. He was also among the very first mutants, manifesting superhuman strength, and following the Avatar's example to become one of Philadelphia's greatest superheroes. He was also one of the first superhumans to rely on technology: While the devices of the era were not advanced enough to generate superpowers, Bastion combined his industrial resources with his mutant abilities, wielding a two-ton hammer in battle, or, during wartime, his distinctive portable canon.
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When America joined World War II, Bastion was among the first superheroes to join the Armed forces. Due to his German heritage and nationality, he was sent to fight on the Pacific front, where he would go on to become the most decorated American super-solider of the war.
[...]...earned his first Purple Heart after being shot by a battleship canon in the head...
[...]...turned the tide at Iwo Jima. [...]On the 12th day, he encountered the Undying in battle.
-Image goes to an old war veteran-
"It was...titanic. The Undying was the biggest super-solider on the Japanese side, a real legend; he'd been going through our troops like butter. Then Bastion showed up with his canon and giant hammer, and they started fighting. Every time Bastion hit the Undying, he just regenerated. Every time the Undying hit Bastion, he just got back up again. It felt like it went on for hours. It can't really have been more than a few minutes, but it felt like hours. Finally, Bastion managed to crush him bad enough to push beyond his regeneration. The Undying was dead. That's when I knew - I knew that we had Iwo Jima."
Bastion was gravely injured in the fight, earning him his second Purple Heart. His actions at Iwo Jima also earned him the Medal of Honor.
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After the war, Bastion returned to his family, his business, and his crime-fighting career in Philadelphia. [...] Unfortunately, in 1949, it all came to an end. Lighter, after having her plans foiled by Bastion twice, decided to destroy him once and for all. To that purpose, she sought out another supervillain with a grudge: Alpha Punch.
[...] After breaking him out of prison, Lighter worked with Alpha Punch, laying a trap for their target. Two days afterward, they took the local elementary school hostage, demanding that Bastion come in alone and unarmed.
-Camera shows an old lady-
"We were all terrified - both us students and the teachers. Then Bastion walked in. Most of us recognized him, but the villains were still using us as hostages. They told him that if he even tried to fight back, they'd kill us all. Then they started...alternating...Either the big man was hitting him while the woman was aiming her hand at us, or she was scorching him with those energy rays while he was holding some of us by the throat.
It lasted for a long, horrible time. They would keep hitting, and he wouldn't even lift a hand. Those were both villains he had defeated before, but he just let them hurt him. Finally, he collapsed after a hit from Alpha Punch. He then told Lighter, "I think he's dead". But when she got closer, he - Bastion - suddenly got up, grabbed Alpha Punch by the leg, and used him as a weapon to hit Lighter. She just...fell. Then he started wrestling with Alpha Punch, while screaming at our teachers to get everybody out."
After the civilians came out, the police tried to rush in, but the building was collapsing - several walls were being shattered by the fight between Bastion and Alpha Punch. Finally, the police were able to intervene and neutralize Alpha Punch with knock-out gas grenades. Unfortunately, by that point, it was too late for Bastion.
Lighter would join Bastion in death within hours due to the wounds he had inflicted on her. Alpha Punch, while he survived the fight, would subsequently be tried, convicted, and executed. All the civilians in the building, however, survived.
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Bastion had been a great contributor to charities. He had invested a significant sum in the reconstruction of Europe, and donated fortunes to American charities - in particular, though hardly restricted to, funds for the families of war casualties.
After his death, his children agreed to create what came to be the Bastion Foundation - a society devoted to the advancement of superheroics across the world. Though that is hardly its sole purpose, the Bastion Foundation grants every year the prestigious Bastion Award to a superhero or group of heroes it has judged worthy. The first prize was awarded in 1950 to the Avatar. Regulations state that no person may be awarded twice.
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Over the decades, the Bastion Award has become almost legendary. It has been observed that many recipients were members of the Global Champions, or joined them later. Such members have included The Avatar, Lightyear for rescuing a nuclear submarine from Shadow, Hyperspeed for his role in the first Avalon invasion, Titan for capturing Doc Prometheus, Bleu-Blanc-Rouge for his work against the Combat Network, Techno-Paladin for exposing Valerius's impersonation of New York's governor, and Tracer Pulse for rescuing the Global Champions during the Sydney crisis. Other notable recipients of the award have included Signor M for rescuing the Vatican's vault from Golden Dawn, the Pendragon League for saving London from Nollius, the Congo Angel for single-handedly stopping the Green Glove Army, and the Soviet Maelstrom, posthumously, for his actions at Chernobyl.
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...though the Foundation's charter grants every award recipient permanent membership on its board...
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Some critics have accused the Foundation of giving too much attention to A-list heroes...
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...the Foundation's role in financing full-time superheroes...
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...Sebastian Bergerst's descendants, four of whom are active superheroes this day...
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