Syndicate

Syndicate is an animated television series produced for Axiom Prime from 2023-2027. It is the culmination of a series of interconnected shows, featuring characters introduced in Squad Æ, Project Jeptha and Bandit Territory along with new characters. After having faced smaller threats in their own series, a ragtag group of losers are forced to unite against a conspiracy in the strange city of Elysium. The general format of each season follows an overarching storyline with occasional self-contained plots. The show draws on science fantasy elements (nonhuman species, theoretical technology, deities and magic) in a retrofuturistic setting reminiscent of the raygun gothic aesthetic. It is a lighthearted, lore heavy drama (similar to Avatar), with larger than life characters adding levity in the form of dark humor and lampshade hanging.

Synopsis
In 2012, Jeptha crash-landed in New City, Oregon, shortly before Mayor Kingman went mad and enclosed the city in an impenetrable barrier. Jeptha played integral roles in forming a resistance and eventually discovered the mayor was being brainwashed by his assistant, Lote. Although Jeptha freed the city, Kingman ultimately died as a scapegoat for Lote, who managed to escape.

In 2023, Jeptha is in Elysium on a lead from Collector, who discovered where Lote was hiding. Jeptha's friends from New City gave up the hunt years ago after all their leads went dead. When the two close in, however, they instead find the corpse of Æ, mayor of Elysium, and are framed for his murder. Instead of being helpful, Mage is peer pressured by Web and their lackey, Saint, into attacking the precinct and busting them out.

Season one
Jeptha, Collector, Mage, Web, and Saint spend the majority of the season as fugitives and find themselves relentlessly pursued by Kizal, an insubordinate detective who is given one last chance to redeem himself. They are caught up in a conspiracy by a transhumanism movement called Excel, whose goal is to slander and purge the nonhuman populace. Lote is also collaborating with the group as a means to an end.

Main characters
Mage had been keeping tabs on the group since his defection. After learning of a plot to capture Collector, he traveled to New City shortly before Kingman's siege to stop Symmetry. He was eventually convinced to join the resistance where he became acquainted with Jeptha. In 2018, they kidnap Mage per the request of the Bishop, founder of Symmetry. Mage is blackmailed into helping the group and is partnered with Saint on several missions. Later, through a misunderstanding, Saint and Brutus are lobotomized by Web to make them complaisant. Brutus accidentally dies, but Saint becomes their inside man and ultimately contributes to Symmetry's downfall alongside Mage, Web, and Collector. Due to a slipup on Alistair's end, Nozus suspects his friend had a hand in Æ's death, which puts him on the trail of the conspiracy behind it. Faced with potential bankruptcy, he devises a plan to expose Excel and profit off of the unsung heroes, spinning them as civil rights activists, rebranding as the consumer-friendly Syndicate, and cashing out on the licensing and endorsement deals.
 * Jeptha: Sole survivor of the Kreonian race, Jeptha is a big fat meanie 😡😡
 * Mage: A hybrid clone created from the genetic material of an Immortal and a fabled, precursor race called the Arcadians. Mage is a violent, lazy, and socially awkward weirdo with no concept of personal space and a penchant for appearing behind people unannounced. He doesn't have any inherent desire to do anything and only sticks around out of personal loyalty for Collector. His entire life was engineered to serve a shadow organization called Symmetry. Mage was intended to be the ultimate weapon against the Immortals, but he had no genocidal ambitions. His first and last mission was to eliminate Collector; they clashed over the course of a century before talking things over.
 * Collector:
 * Saint: A hyper-competent killing machine brainwashed into becoming Mage and Web's personal manservant. Saint is an optimistic and easygoing Dahlism pastor who took up contract killing as a part-time job, cheerfully committing atrocities for Symmetry after his Sunday morning sermons. In 2012, he secured a spot on their mentorship program under the tutelage of Brutus, a largely incompetent senior agent. Together they were tasked with capturing Collector which led them to New City shortly before Kingman's siege. Their mission was derailed by Mage and they're later arrested, spending 2 years in a dungeon until the city is liberated.
 * Web: The most unconventional of the lot, Web is a sentient 8-bit sprite.
 * Kizal:
 * Nozus: The founder of the Syndicate brand, Nozus is a corrupt entrepreneur motivated by his own personal interest. After a corporate scandal in 2022, many executives at Zeppelin Industries were arrested except for its founder, Nozus, who was absolved due to a lack of evidence. The incident was a PR disaster and permanently damaged his brand and reputation, forcing his bestfriend, Councilman Alistair, to distance himself because of the bad press.
 * Erin:

Villains

 * Lote:
 * Excel
 * Sapient:
 * Alistair: Sapient's right-hand, Alistair is a demagogue who exploits human frailty to create a fear of nonhumans. He is a member of the city council and becomes a mayoral candidate following Æ's death.
 * Ludwig: An "expert" in genetic engineering although his experiments are known to go spectacularly wrong, usually resulting in the deaths of many personnel.
 * Stan:
 * Commissioner Avraf:
 * Imperium
 * Eris:

Secondary characters

 * Morningstar:
 * Ricky Frizz: Jeptha's cellmate who escapes during the jailbreak. He is implied to have burned down a daycare center. Frizz runs a support group for stigmatized half-human hybrids, as they're known to suffer from mental instability and physical deformities. He offers refuge to Jeptha and his friends, but his neurotic behavior drives them away.
 * Hagel:
 * Azenna:

Minor characters

 * Æ:
 * Dappu: