The Zugzwang Gang was always a minor nuisance in Midiston around the time that Arielle Mackay returned to her city, robbing banks, stealing from museums and art galleries, whatever they could think would be valuable. Back then the crew was simply, Roy Koenig, Phil Lovett, Cheryl Torres, and Silas Pike, and they weren't too much trouble for the police to take care of, so they were in and out of prison a few times. That was until Cheryl Torres met her cell mate, a woman named Regina Damon who, alongside her powered partner Joan Cavil, were arrested for thefts all up and down the eastern seaboard.
When they all eventually were released from prison, the Zugzwang Gang decided to expand their numbers. And with the leadership skills of Queen and the tactical ingenuity of King, they decided it was time to up the ante. The crew broke into Mackay Services, it was there that they stole three items, one was a strange headpiece that allowed for the control of another's emotions, another was a glowing staff that could shoot beams of light from it, and the last was a briefcase with three manmade crystals. After that night, the Zugzwang gang were no longer simple thieves, but rather a nigh unstoppable force.