Created by Ed & Jeff Messina

The Hero Wars was a multi-part saga that interweaved storylines throughout all the comics in the Watchstar Universe. In addition, a separate eight-part miniseries told of the major events of the invasion. This crisis was a major event, affecting most major villains and heroes in one way or another.

1. "The Gathering Storm!"

A manned probe to Mars, Ares One, crash-lands in New York City. The crash unleashes an alien virus that has horrible effects on those nearby the crash site. The virus is a fast-acting mutagen that rewrites human DNA. Kodiak attempts to help, and he is overcome. Many other heroes, as well as villains, are soon affected.

Doctor Nathaniel Nova, in a meeting convened at the quarantined United Nations, where Phase Two has its headquarters, surmises that the crash was deliberate and the virus has been genetically engineered as a weapon. However, his theory is publicly scoffed at by Michael Sargon, who is considered a reclusive inventor and philanthropist.

2. "Hammer of Mars!"

Watchstar 2, returning from battles in deep space against the Horde, is asked to detour to Mars to investigate the landing site of Ares One. The heroes discover a large mothership buried under Olympus Mons. Their craft is destroyed, and they are captured by the S'Ta crew of the mothership. The S'Ta leader reveals that they are the advance force of an invasion of Earth, and that the Xenovirus is intended to neutralize Earth's best defense: superheroes! The heroes escape on board a S'Ta shuttle so they can warn Earth of the impending danger.

Sargon allies himself with the S'Ta, while secretly developing weapons to destroy them. He plans to allow the S'Ta to weaken Earth's defenses, destroy the reptilians, and then rule in the aftermath.

3. "What Rough Beast!"

Chicago is besieged by news of weird events: lights in the sky, weird noises, and people acting strangely. The Furies (Dark Angel, Streetwolf, Mack Truck and Viceroy) must fight a huge, mutated beast that rampages ashore from Lake Michigan. Viceroy is certain that his own people, the Karnak, are behind this. The heroes barely manage to save the city from destruction. During the battle, Mack Truck's powers grow out of control, and he is no longer able to turn off his energy absorption powers.

4. "A Call to Arms!"

Back at the UN, with Watchstar's news, Doctor Nova coordinates reports of worldwide chaos. The Xenovirus unleashes by the S'Ta into Earth's atmosphere is wreaking havoc with both super-powered and normal individuals. Many superheroes and villains are being killed or altered, and the virus is creating new metahumans as well.

In the chaos, Dr Omega, leading a remnant of HAVOC, takes over a portion of eastern Siberia, and renames it the Republic of Transasia.

NORAD reports an incoming alien fleet. Agents of the Karnak Imperium arrive and offer to help Earth to defeat their hereditary foe. Viceroy shows up and nearly starts an interstellar incident in defying the Karnak.

5. "The Tables Turn!"

The Hellrazers escape from the Rocky Mountain Stronghold containment facility. They flee to a remote northwestern town near a nuclear power plant, where they expect easy pickings: the bank is full of loot and they have little idea of the chaos that the world is in. They are actually horrified to find that their world is under siege. The power goes out and the town is invaded by S'Ta commandos seeking plutonium isotopes from the nuclear plant. The Hellrazers rally the town and lead its defense, driving back the alien lizards. For once, the villains are heroes!

6. "Furious Vengeance!"

With a S'Ta fleet in orbit around the Earth, Protector, Viceroy, and The Gauntlet lead a team of heroes to engage the aliens in direct combat. There is a huge space battle high in the stratosphere. In the crossfire, a Karnak ship is damaged, ejecting SHOC, and crashes in Isola.

Viceroy and Protector disable the S'Ta flagship, and Viceroy brutally vaporizes the S'Ta crew on board before The Gauntlet lands the flagship at a Phase Two research base. Soundwave, with Doctor Nova, uses the wrecked starship to gather valuable intelligence about the enemy. While in orbit, Protector intercepts a transmission from Sargon's asteroid base, which is in the moon's orbit, making it clear that Sargon is working with the S'Ta.

7. "Waiting for the Apocalypse!"

Watchstar discovers that Inferno has recently taken files from their computer that he was not authorized to have. They track him to an undersea base where parahumans, mutant heroes and villains, have gathered under Lucifer's leadership. Lucifer explains that although the Xenovirus is making mutants of many humans, for the existing mutants, the virus will kill them. As long as they stay here in his haven, they will be safe. A battle breaks out among the mutants, with Watchstar caught in the middle and trying to make peace. A brilliant geneticist, Lucifer believes he may have developed a cure for the Xenovirus. He tests it on himself, but the cure kills him. With his dying breath, he realizes that he was missing a vital element and passes his notes to Watchstar.

8. "The Last Stand!"

An international alliance strikes at the main S'Ta landing base near Pacific City, and Watchstar delivers Lucifer's cure to Dr. Nova for refinement. While battle rages in California, the Phase Two team perfects Lucifer's cure. A team of heroes teleports on board Sargon's asteroid base, takes Sargon into custody for war crimes, and uses the asteroid's systems to distribute the cure, rendering the virus harmless. Sargon escapes from custody. The S'Ta invasion force is defeated when Viceroy nearly kills the S'Ta leader.

The power of the S'Ta Dominion is broken, and Earth is saved.