City of Heroes: Prepare for the death of the Statesman

NCSoft and Paragon Studios have announced that their long-running superhero MMO, City of Heroes, is about to face a defining event on par with the deaths of Superman, Bruce Wayne, or Captain America. The game's statesmanlike peace will be rocked, as long-standing alliances are broken by... oh, hell, it's not a spoiler if you put it in the damn press release. The Statesman is going to die in the next story arc. There.

The character served as City of Heroes' mascot and, um, Statesman, since the game's launch in 2004. Leader of the game's signature gang of superfriends, the Freedom Phalanx, the Statesman's death will serve as the catalyst for a shifting of the balance of power in future story arcs and the transition to the free-play City of Heroes Freedom. The event will also propel the upcoming Signature Story Arc #5, with players thrust into unraveling the events surrounding the character's demise on the battlefield.

The Signature Story Arc containing the death of the Statesman will be available next month in the in-game Paragon Market, and will be free to VIP subscribers to the title. This year's previous Signature Story Arcs, detailing the lead up to the event, are still available in the Market too. Just remember, though: you know what they say about death in comics, and the Statesman is no Uncle Ben.