The Big Nine

It's not their official name, of course, not the one that anyone uses in articles or anything, but that's how everyone thinks of them. Always nine of them, and always the best of the best. Or at least, the best of the best who can be persuaded to work together. Tricky, that.

— Quote from secret correspondence by SIVIC agents

There are bigger teams. There are teams that end up being more powerful in certain situations because they are the best ones to deal with that situation. There are teams that deal with threats so far beyond most people that no one even knows they exist. But if you want to find the iconic heroes of a generation, you look to the Big Nine.
If you want to find the leaders of all those other teams, you look to the Big Nine.
They started way back in the dawn of superpowers. Funny how these kinds of things organize so quickly. In those days there were nine of them, and they were just a team. The only team, as far as I can determine. They were some of the first to operate in a more public sphere, taking interviews, letting people take pictures, and in one case even revealing their secret identity.
Of course, that was when she died and with her dying breath she chose to tell the world who she'd been, but her day job was an actress, so it's not really a surprise that she wanted the fame out of it, even if she wasn't alive to enjoy it.
That death was part of what catalyzed the Nine into what they are today, because there was immediate demand for them to fill that ninth position. Which they did, carefully choosing someone who could fit with the powers of the others. After that, it's been a continuous line of nine heroes teaming up, through countless deaths and retirements and even a few traitors villains appearing in the ranks.

Type

Superhero Team