The Golden Dragons history goes back to just after World War I when a small, Asian Pacific criminal gang based out of Hong Kong operated as a simple theft and piracy ring. During World War II, the Golden Dragons actually helped the Allies against the Japanese Empire, providing intel, stealthy arms shipments to island inhabitants and even drugs to the Allied troops (medicinal and recreational). After World War II, the Golden Dragons became embroiled in conflicts with the major crime syndicate in the region called The Triad.

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The Triad (as per Wikipedia) was a Chinese transnational organized crime syndicate based in Greater China and had outposts in various countries with significant overseas Chinese populations. The Hong Kong Triad was distinct from mainland Chinese criminal organizations. In ancient China, the Triad was one of three major secret societies. It established branches in Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Chinese communities overseas.

 

When the Golden Dragons tried to 'muscle in' on the Triad's territory and operations, the Golden Dragons were summarily robbed, beaten and stolen from by the Triads.  This left a humiliating and indelible mark on the honor of the Golden Dragons; an honor that the leader of the gang in the 1980s believed was critical to their gang's value in the criminal underworld.

 

That leader was summarily executed by his own Golden Dragons gang members in 1990.

 

The Golden Dragon's new leader was a bit of a drama king, calling himself 'The Golden Dragon'. He made his gang members wear outlandish costumes and clothes, while himself dressing in (by today's standards) a very stereotypical oriental warrior set of robes and a flowing cape. Although garish in costume, the Golden Dragons kept a foothold in robberies, thefts and piracy all the same. They even started getting an international reputation, enough of one to warrant the interest of international policing organizations such as Interpol and GUARD. Still, the Golden Dragons weren't a major threat to commerce or trade in the region, and as such, were mostly dealt with by the local authorities. Anything more than that, the Triads themselves would 'punish' the Golden Dragons to 'keep them in their place', usually resulting in the Triad taking whatever it was that the Golden Dragons stole 'fair and square'. The Triad, on the other hand, was dealing with major law enforcement and superhero interventions. As a result, the Golden Dragons garnered 'less' attention, allowing them to still operate and make a profit from their ill-gotten gains.

 

In 2000, the Soltan Star Empire invaded Earth. The Soltans tactically knew that the Triad would be a dangerous resource in the region to leave operational and as such, as part of their first wave of attacks, nearly all of the Triad's bases, warehouses, ships and leadership were immediately bombed and obliterated, leaving the Triad in shambles. The Golden Dragons, however, remained relatively untouched. Thanks to this, the Golden Dragons aided the locals of Hong Kong with weapons, intel, stealthy operations, and resistance troops.  Sadly, this diminished the ranks of the Golden Dragons to inoperable levels, however, by the time the Soltans were driven off several months after the start of the invasion, the Golden Dragons were capable of surviving long enough to be considered local heroes. 

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Several months after the Soltan Invasion ended, the remnants of the Triad attempted to reform, only to be taken over site by site and region-by- region, by the once small-time Golden Dragons. The Golden Dragons' new leader at that time was Dragonmaster (I). Dragonmaster, with his mythical magical powers, was said to be able to use the planet's newly ramped-up magical energies and tap into it to enhance and empower dozens of his own gang members and leaders into super-powered and super-human beings, albeit temporarily (estimated 1/2 hour duration). The effect of Dragonmaster's powers made the Golden Dragons a force to be reckoned with; a force that the broken Triad wasn't able to effectively overcome.

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By 2003, the Golden Dragons were the dominant criminal organization in the Asia Pacific theater.  Before all this, Dragonmaster (I) usually only dealt with theft and piracy, however, with new resources and thugs at his disposal, he added the entire litany of crime to his organization, to include white collar crimes, controlling politicians, human trafficking, drugs, prostitution, gun running, assassinations and a new market in magical relics, scrolls, books and items.

 

From 2003 to 2018, Dragonmaster kept to the shadows to operate his empire. During this same time, superhero intervention in the Golden Dragon's operations grew to intolerable levels against the Golden Dragon crime empire, requiring Dragonmaster to use decoys to fight the heroes in his stead.  Over time, he sent in several Dragonmaster-clad decoys, all of which proved to not be the actual Dragonmaster.  Dozens of new super-powered Golden Dragon combatants came out and fought as best they could against the authorities, however, in 2018, it became clear that the Golden Dragon criminal empire was being dismantled by international policing authorities such as GUARD, the Challengers, the Protectors, the Commonwealth, the Pacific League and even China's own Champions of China heroes.  As such, the original Dragonmaster (I) was said to have disappeared, replaced by a new Dragonmaster (II) to take over the waning criminal empire.

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Today, no one knows who Dragonmaster (I) or Dragonmaster (II) actually are or were. Some say Dragonmaster (I) retired to some ancient family property in the mountains of Mongolia; others say he died of old age or was assassinated and usurped by the current Dragonmaster (II), but most believe that he is still alive and somehow pulling the strings of not only the Golden Dragons, but something far greater and larger.

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As for the Golden Dragons, they are a shadow of what they once were. Once a might criminal empire, they are merely considered to be only a 'gang' again. The Triad has reared its ugly head again, intending to once again take over the Asia Pacific criminal empire that recently belonged to the Golden Dragons. Much to the Triad's chagrin, Dragonmaster (II) and the Gold Dragons gang don't seem to want to relinquish that title any time soon. In fact, it seems like the Gold Dragons are getting help in rebuilding their empire; the big question is, from whom?

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