Wilson Zander's family was massacred during his childhood. Before dying at the hands of the traitor Peter, Wilson's father imparted his lifelong martial arts mastery and entrusted him with the Dark Iron Token. Fifteen years later, Wilson concealed his identity and toiled as a lowly worker at Logan's Martial Arts School. There, he witnessed the lackey Quinn brazenly humiliating Shanok's martial traditions, subjecting his fiancée, Rose Logan, to unimaginable torment. Unable to endure any longer, Wilson's long-buried memories resurfaced. Unleashing his true strength, he defeated Quinn—only to draw the attention of Musah Yagu, a formidable warrior from the Eastern Isles. With the unparalleled power of the Tai Chi Thirteen Fist Forms, Wilson overwhelmed Yagu. Soon after, he uncovered Peter's sinister conspiracy and exposed his treachery to the world. In the final confrontation, Wilson defeated Kuma Amano and ascended as the Martial Lord of Shanok. He vowed to defend Shanok's martial legacy and stand against the impending threat of the Eastern Isles.
In the wake of her marriage to Bart Snow, Nicole Hill gave birth to three daughters. But as the girls were still young, the Snow Group teetered on the brink of collapse. To stave off disaster, Nicole stepped in to steady the ship, a mission that would consume most of her time in the following two decades. Throughout their formative years, the cunning maid, Hilda, manipulated the narrative, instilling in the daughters a belief that Nicole was a heartless mother. As Nicole anticipated her return to domestic bliss and retirement, Hilda hatched a plot to eliminate her and seize her place. When Bart and the daughters walked in on the attempted crime, Hilda's persuasive deceit turned the tide of suspicion against Nicole, making her the accused rather than the victim. Amidst her desolation, Nicole drew her last breath, her final moments marred by the sight of her daughters rallying around Hilda, who showed no respect for the deceased. In her final moments, Nicole vowed that if fate granted her another chance, she would exact a heavy toll from those who had wronged her.