The Wildstorm Universe was anchored by Jim Lee's WildC.A.T.s, but the Covert Action Teams was hardly the superhero group in that universe. There was also Stormwatch and its later permutation, The Authority, which had a much more hands-on approach to superheroics. Two of both teams' most well-known members were Apollo and Midnighter, who offered a very different take on the classic World's Finest team-up.

Blatantly based off of Superman and Batman, the Wildstorm equivalents of DC's biggest heroes were also openly lovers, and eventually, spouses. After Wildstorm's original iteration came to an end, both Midnighter and Apollo ended up in the DC Universe, fighting both against and alongside its biggest icons. With the two making their return to prominence in Superman and The Authority, here's a look at how they first came to the DC Universe.

RELATED: Blue Beetle: DC Officially Clears Ted Kord to Jump Back In Action

Stormwatch

Stormwatch in the New 52

In the original continuity, Midnighter and Apollo got their uncanny abilities through the genetic manipulation of Henry Bendix, who was also known as the Weatherman. They were the only survivors of an experimental group of seven Justice League-esque heroes and would go on to form a romantic relationship in the pages of Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch's The Authority.

After the Flashpoint storyline, DC Comics heavily rebooted its continuity, incorporating characters from both the Milestone and Wildstorm universes. These included Apollo and Midnighter, who were both included in a new DC Universe incarnation of Stormwatch, initially by Paul Cornell and Miguel Sepulveda. Their backstories were also changed quite a bit, namely in relation to the origin of their powers. Apollo was Andrew Pulaski, a young man who had been experimented upon after being abducted by aliens. This gave him incredible strength, flight, speed and invulnerability, all of which were derived from his exposure to the Sun. He used these powers to discreetly defend innocents, such as when he killed a child abuser.

Stormwatch, including DC figurehead Martian Manhunter, would attempt to track Apollo down and recruit him for their team. He refused, leading to a fight in which only Midnighter's intervention saved him. The two would develop an attraction toward one another throughout the course of the series, with their continuity briefly being reset to a facsimile of the original Wildstorm Universe. This saw the two officially become a couple, even after the New 52 timeline was restored.

RELATED: Old Superman's Costume Changes Are Dark... and Revealing

Midnighter and Apollo

After the Future's End storyline that spotlighted some Wildstorm characters, Midnighter would begin showing up in the book Grayson, which featured Batman's former sidekick as a super-spy. Midnighter would also get his own ongoing series written by Steve Orlando, ACO and Hugo Petrus where he attempted to track down files pertaining to his own mysterious origin. These stories had him having broken up with Apollo and even gaining a new boyfriend.

Tise World's Finest couple would reappear together in a Midnighter and Apollo mini-series by Orlando and Fernando Blanco. There, they had apparently gotten back together, with the story focusing on Midnighter's attempts to save Apollo's soul from the clutches of the Lord of Hell, Neron. This run would ironically feature a surprising redemption of the sorcerer Extrano, DC's first explicitly gay character, who was noted for embodying several offensive stereotypes. Since then, Midnighter, despite his oftentimes violent means, has remained a staunch ally of the Batman family, most notably Dick Grayson. Both he and Apollo are headed back to their Wildstorm-era team, The Authority, which is now led by Superman.

KEEP READING: Batman: A Forgotten '90s Icon Is Back In the DC Universe With a New Look