Marvel Origins: Alpha Flight

If there's one thing diehard Marvel Comics fans have loved over the years, it has been the vast array of unique heroes and villains, many of whom are still making a profound impact on American pop culture via the silver screen, modern comic books, and countless other venues. But besides loving the solo, "Lone Ranger" heroes, fans have always clamored over super heroic teams. After all, what could be better than multiple good guys taking on hoards of bad guys? Sure, Spiderman and Iron Man are great on their own. But a hero needs his sidekicks every now and then. From the Fantastic Four and the Mighty Avengers to the X-Men and the New Warriors, two has always been better than one...or three, or four, or twelve. Although the majority of the aforementioned have seen their day on the silver screen, one relatively unheard of Marvel team that has yet to evolve in cinematic experience is Alpha Flight.

Originally published by Marvel Comics in Uncanny X-Men #120 (April 1979), Alpha Flight is most often remembered for being one of the few non-American superhero teams, as most of its members were Canadian by birth. British-born Canadian-American comic book artist/author John Byrne (born July 6, 1950: Wikipedia Bio) created the one-of-a-kind team during his tenure with one of Marvel's other well-known hero team series, The Uncanny X-Men. Interestingly enough, Alpha Flight was tied to the X-Men in a somewhat unique and special way, as their leader, James MacDonald Hudson, "was Wolverine's old friend and benefactor." (Sanderson, Peter. The Marvel Universe, Abradale Publishers, 1996). Longtime X-Men fans, as well as recent Marvel moviegoers, will remember Wolverine's important ties to Canada, as it was the birthplace of the Weapon X Project responsible for his creation.

As an arm of the Canadian government, Alpha Flight typically worked for Department H, a "fictitious branch of Canada's Department of National Defense that deals with super-powered persons." (Alpha Flight: www.wikipedia.org). Having evolved from nothing more than a miniscule back story for the X-Men's Wolverine character, they have since become of Marvel's more remembered and fan favorite teams, spanning over 120 issues and making countless guest appearances elsewhere in the Marvel Universe.

But what made Alpha Flight so unique was not merely their publication history or Canadian heritage. It was their member diversity and ability to appeal to audiences of all ages. The Alpha Flight of the mid-1980s was comprised of Northstar, a French-Canadian capable of moving at superhuman speeds; Snowbird, the "daughter of an Inuit goddess" who could transform into any Arctic animal (Sanderson, 236); Shaman, a Native American mystic; Puck, a rather acrobatic dwarf who more resembled a circus sideshow than a hero; Vindicator (aka Guardian-James Hudson and leader of the team); Mirrana, a green-skinned, amphibious, mermaid-like, female alien who could breathe in and out of water; Northstar's sister Aurora, also capable of running or walking at lightning speeds; and Sasquatch, a human scientist of relatively unknown origin who had discovered the ability to transform into the legendary, ape-like, Canadian beast.

Needless to say, series writers, particularly Byrne, were greatly influenced by the Canadian heritage, motif, and legends, as is reflected in the majority of the team's members. Additionally, this Alpha Flight of the 1980s made waves through pop culture with rather controversial social issues manifesting in their characters. Imagine the early unpopularity of a Native American hero or a hero challenged by a height birth defect. Although dwarves and Indians failed to make for interesting reading material early on, Alpha Flight soon caught fire and sparked the minds of readers everywhere, young and old alike.

Perhaps the most controversial issue of all manifested itself in the lifestyle of Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier, a native of Montreal), the first openly homosexual superhero in the Marvel Universe. He would eventually become a member of the X-Men. Aurora's character even suffered from somewhat of a split personality disorder: in her street guise of Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, she was a reserved, pious, Catholic school teacher; however, as Aurora, she was "sensual and even exhibitionist." (Sanderson, 236)

Over the years, Alpha Flight underwent several changes in terms of theme and even membership, typically reflective of the whims of new series writers. Volume 2 of the series (1997) included only three of the original members (Vindicator, Guardian, and Puck). In 2004, Marvel re-birthed the franchise one last time and implemented some new members, including Puck II (the daughter of the original Puck, who shared in his dwarf syndrome). The team even managed to make it into an episode of the popular 90s animated TV series X-Men, in the episode entitled "Repo Man."

With recent films aiding in the cultural acceptance of many of the aforementioned types of characters (gays in several films; dwarves as in The Lord of the Rings trilogies; Johnny Depp slated to play Tonto the Indian in the upcoming remake of The Lone Ranger), it seems that a live-action Alpha Flight film would do well in today's modern movie going society. Such diversity and coverage of social issues would no doubt spawn an entirely new appreciation for Alpha Flight's early origins, while simultaneously drawing in a whole new generation of fans.