Alpha Flight

Alpha Flight

Alpha Flight
Promotional art by John Byrne
Top row: Sasquatch
Middle row: Northstar, Snowbird, Shaman, Guardian, Aurora
Bottom row: Puck, Marrina
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance X-Men #120 (April, 1979)
Created by John Byrne
In-story information
Type of organization Team
Base(s) Parliament Hill
Tamarind Island
Maison Alpha
Department H
Agent(s) Current members:
Aurora
Guardian
Marrina
Northstar
Puck
Sasquatch
Shaman
Snowbird
Vindicator
Roster
See: List of Alpha Flight members

Alpha Flight is a team of Canadian superheroes created by comic book writer John Byrne. The characters premiered in the April 1979 issue of X-Men, published by Marvel Comics. Marvel published an Alpha Flight comic book series from 1983 to 1994.

Publication history

Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in X-Men #120 (April 1979).

Most team members have distinctly Canadian attributes, such as Inuit or First Nations heritage. Throughout most of its history, the team has worked for Department H, a fictional branch of Canada’s Department of National Defence that deals with super-powered villains.

The team was originally merely a part of the backstory of the X-Men’s Wolverine but, in 1983, Marvel launched an eponymous series featuring the group, which continued until 1994, lasting 130 issues as well as annuals and miniseries. Three short-lived revivals have been attempted since, most recently an eight-issue limited series in 2011-12, after the resurrection of the team in the one shot comic Chaos War: Alpha Flight during the Chaos War event.

Fictional team biography

Pre-regular series

Alpha Flight first appeared in X-Men #120 (April 1979), in which they are sent to follow up on Vindicator's first mission to retrieve Wolverine from the X-Men.

The initial makeup of Alpha Flight was pan-Canadian, including:

Volume 1

The first Alpha Flight comic book series started in 1983.

Promoted from Beta Flight despite Department H being closed down by the Canadian government were:

Heather MacNeil is the wife of James Hudson. After Guardian's apparent death in Alpha Flight #12, she becomes the leader of the team. Later, she takes a replication of his costume and takes the codename of Vindicator then Guardian.

Alpha Flight continued for 130 issues, and introduced dozens of characters and villains (the most prominent of which were Talisman, Madison Jeffries, Box, Diamond Lil, Wild Child, Persuasion, and Witchfire).

Volume 2

In 1997, Marvel relaunched the series with different characters. The new additions to the roster included:

Returning members were Vindicator (Heather Hudson, with a new costume and new geothermal powers), a de-aged Guardian (who turned out to be a clone of the original James Hudson, set at age 19), and Puck. Sunfire was also briefly a member while looking for a cure to a crippling illness.

The focus of this series was on Department H's consistently hidden agenda and Alpha Flight's reluctance to comply thereto. The conspiracy plotline saw Weapon X allowing an incarnation of the Zodiac Cartel to kidnap Madison Jeffries, who was subsequently brainwashed into becoming the group's "Gemini". To keep the group from interfering with their "deal", Department H brainwashed the team into forgetting Jeffries' kidnapping. Also, Department H employed an actual sasquatch as the new team's version of Sasquatch, without telling the team that it was not Walter Langkowski. Department H also arranged the kidnapping of Diamond Lil, another former Alpha Flight member and Madison Jeffries' wife, when she began to enquire about the location of her husband, with the intent of using her as a test subject for illegal medical experiments.

The series ended with issue #20 with most of the major storylines (such as the identity of the younger version of Guardian) unresolved, until Wolverine, vol. 2, #140-142, when the plotline was resolved with the return of the real Guardian and the heroic sacrifice of the clone version.

Volume 3: "All-New, All-Different" Alpha Flight

In 2004, Marvel started a new volume of Alpha Flight, with the "All-New, All-Different" prefix.

The new team recruited by Sasquatch includes:

The second six-issue story arc, entitled "Waxing Poetic", saw the return of some original team members as both the original versions visited in the past, and temporal copies brought to the present. These members were Guardian, Vindicator, Puck, and Shaman.

Omega Flight

Main article: Omega Flight

Sasquatch, Guardian, Vindicator, Shaman, Major Mapleleaf II, and both Pucks are attacked by a new villain, the Collective (inhabiting the body of U.S. postal worker Michael Pointer), in New Avengers #16. Pointer continues on to the United States, leaving their bodies in the Yukon Territory.

The Alpha Flight title was relaunched as Omega Flight in April, 2007 as a five-issue mini-series.[2] The new series was written by Michael Avon Oeming and drawn by Scott Kolins. The current roster includes Beta Ray Bill, U.S. Agent, Arachne, Talisman, and Michael Pointer in a suit that looks like Guardian's uniform. Sasquatch appears as the group's recruiter and leader. Since the mini-series the team has ceased to exist losing Beta Ray Bill, U.S. Agent (joining Hank Pym's new Avengers team), Pointer, now calling himself Omega, who has joined Norman Osborn's Dark X-Men, and Julia Carpenter (who has recently become the new Madame Web).

"Chaos War"

Fred Van Lente, Greg Pak and Mark Paniccia at a signing for Alpha Flight, vol. 4 #1 at Midtown Comics Downtown in Manhattan, June 18, 2011.

In the 2010 storyline the "Chaos War", the four mainstay Alpha Flight members alive (Snowbird, Aurora, Northstar and Sasquatch) are reunited with Guardian, Vindicator, Shaman and Marrina Smallwood returning from the grave after Amatsu-Mikaboshi's victory in the death realms.[3] The group comes together to fight the Great Beasts until Amatsu-Mikaboshi impales the Great Beasts.[4] The resurrected members of Alpha Flight remain among the living after the defeat of Amatsu-Mikaboshi.[5] At the same time Puck also appears in the "Wolverine Goes to Hell" storyline in Wolverine (2010), beginning in issue #2.[6]

Volume 4

In 2011, the team appeared in a series tied to the crossover storyline Fear Itself,[7] with the newly alive team to be joined by Puck.[8] Alpha Flight provides rescue efforts for the victims of a tsunami unleashed by Attuma in the form of Nerkodd: Breaker of Oceans. As Sasquatch, Shaman, and Vindicator help save victims of the water itself, Guardian saves a news crew when their helicopter is shot down by Nerkodd. As Marrina Smallwood and Aurora also arrive to help fight Nerkodd, the female reporter that Guardian saved comments to the television viewers on why Northstar isn't with the team.

After providing rescue efforts for victims of the disaster, Guardian ejects Nerkodd from the country by dumping him off the coast of Cape Race. Once Nerkodd is defeated and repelled, Alpha Flight returns to their headquarters, only to end up betrayed by Gary Cody and his newly elected Unity Party. To make things worse, Vindicator has sided with him.[9] It is shown that six weeks ago, Guardian and Vindicator were unable to regain custody of their child Claire. In the present, Marrina is dehydrated, Sasquatch's gamma energy is drained enough for him to revert to his human form of Walter Langkowski, and Aurora and Snowbird are taken down as well. While bringing Guardian to the Box Units for imprisonment, Vindicator is ambushed by Puck. After knocking out Vindicator, Puck tells Guardian that he had just returned to life after his fight with Ba'al.[10]

At Parliament Hill, Walter is informed by Agent Jeff Brown that the concussions he had when he played football will cause him to act less human when he changes back into Sasquatch. Jeff also tells Walter that he will soon achieve Unity. Meanwhile, Marrina pretends to give in to the Unity treatment so that she can break free. Shaman manages to knock out Jeff and frees Walter, while Guardian frees Snowbird. Northstar and Puck manage to find Marrina, who has knocked out the guards and scientists present. After Alpha Flight escaped, they learned that Gary Cody and his Unity Party are group of fascists.[11] Northstar abducts a Department H operative and uses aerial torture in order to learn where Department H took Kyle Jinadu.

After reclaiming her daughter Claire from her cousin, Vindicator assembles Alpha Strike (consisting of Persuasion, Ranark, a Wendigo, and a brainwashed Citadel) in order to spread the Unity program and take down Alpha Flight. It is soon discovered that Master of the World is behind the Unity Party, the formation of Alpha Strike and what has happened to Department H as he introduces himself to Kyle Jinadu.[12] Alpha Flight ends up robbing a treasury in order to fund a special tactical training from Taskmaster in an isolated Yukon Territory.

While overseeing the formation of a revolution against the Unity Party, Guardian, Sasquatch, and Shaman hatch a desperate and dangerous plan that involves the bad personality of Aurora.[13] Aurora's personality begins to cause her to become unstable to herself and Alpha Flight. Meanwhile, Master of the World explains his history involving the Plodex to Claire. Alpha Flight manages to rescue Kyle Jinadu and end up running into Wolverine.[14] While at a beach in Ontario with Claire, Vindicator is visited by Wolverine who states that the people in the United States are starting to be concerned about the Unity Party's actions and him seeing Vindicator call the rest of Alpha Flight traitors causing him to investigate. Wolverine ends up finding Alpha Flight and learns of their revolution against the Unity Party. Wolverine agrees to help them take back Canada just as Alpha Strike attacks.

During the ensuing fight, Alpha Flight managed to capture Persuasion as she is a component for a cure that would be used against the Unity Process. Alpha Flight, Wolverine, and Taskmaster are then prepared to take Canada back as Master of the World comes out of hiding.[15] Master of the World begins his attack on Parliament Hill with Agent Jeff Brown and Claire Hudson present in his spaceship. He even manages to kill off Gary Cody upon him is serving his purpose. Guardian continues to fight Vindicator as she orders the rest of Alpha Strike to free Persuasion and destroy the machine she is hooked up to.

Alpha Flight managed to defeat Alpha Strike. Vindicator (still under of Master of the World's mental control) helped Alpha Flight against Master of the World when he attempts to kill Claire. Alpha Flight has success creating the machine to free the people that Master of the World had under his mental control. They manage to kill Master of the World, but Vindicator flew off with Claire to an unknown destination. Afterward, Alpha Flight celebrates after the Unity Party is abolished.[16]

Alpha Flight later comes to the aid of Red Hulk when the Mayan Gods appear on Earth.[17] Alpha Flight helps Red Hulk fight them with one of the battles putting Aurora, Sasquatch, and Snowbird in a coma, which they recover from.[18]

Notable villains

Alpha Flight has fought many criminals and malevolent entities. Many were unique to them as they were based in Canada. Notable examples include:

Other versions

Space program

A different version of Alpha Flight debuted as part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel event. This version is a space program that is Earth's line of defense from extraterrestrial threats and resides in the Alpha Flight Low-Orbit Space Station. It's prominent members consist of Captain Marvel, Abigail Brand, Aurora, Puck and Sasquatch.[19] The first wing of the Triskelion is where the ground crew of the Alpha Flight space program resides.[20]

During the Civil War II storyline, it is revealed that the Alpha Flight Space Program is overseen by its Board of Governors which consists of representatives of the different nations of Earth and other planets that share the Alpha Flight Space Program's interests. Known members of the Alpha Flight Space Program's Board of Governors are Black Panther of Wakanda, Henry Peter Gyrich of the United States, Philippe Beaulieu of Canada (revealed to be a revived Master of the World in disguise), Mentor of the Shi'ar, Bar-Konn of the Kree, an unnamed Rigellian ambassador, and an unnamed Kronan ambassador.[21]

Ultimate Marvel

Ultimate Alpha Flight debuted in Ultimate X-Men #94 with Vindicator, Shaman, Jubilee, Sunfire, Sasquatch, Snowbird and Aurora. The team ambushes the X-Men in the middle of a friendly baseball game. All of its members appear to use godlike powers; they easily defeat the X-Men and kidnap Northstar. It is later revealed by Wolverine, who apparently has a history with them, that they used a drug called Banshee to enhance their abilities, making them more powerful than normal mutants. Vindicator claims that Alpha Flight is the first internationally sanctioned mutant team made powerful enough to take on any "considerable" threats such as the Liberators, the Brotherhood, and the Ultimates, as Vindicator sees the latter as loyal only to America and Alpha Flight to the world. They are defeated by Colossus's team of X-Men, who were also being powered by Banshee.

Marvel Adventures

In issue #11 of Marvel Adventures Iron Man, Tony Stark travels to Nunavut to try to find his father Howard. As he is flying through a series of mountains, he is attacked by Alpha Flight after Northstar and Aurora mistake him for a training robot built by Guardian. After the real drone appears, Sasquatch and Guardian make some hasty apologies before Iron Man continues on his mission. Later in the issue, Alpha Flight aids Iron Man in a battle against the Living Laser.

Marvel Zombies

A zombified version of Alpha Flight (consisting of Guardian, Northstar, Aurora, Sasquatch, Puck, and Snowbird) appeared in the first issue of Marvel Zombies: Dead Days, attacking the X-Men at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, and killing Professor X in the process. They are later killed by Magneto, who uses his powers to make various metallic objects pierce their brains.

In other media

Television

Film

Video game

Music

Collected editions

Their appearances have been collected into a number of trade paperbacks:

Alpha Flight Volume 1

X-Men crossovers

Alpha Flight Volume 3

Omega Flight

Alpha Flight Volume 4

See also

References

  1. ↑ ""Captain Marvel" #1 Introduces the New Alpha Flight". Comic Book Resources. 2016-01-20. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
  2. ↑ NEWSARAMA.COM: MARVEL COMICS SOLICITATIONS FOR APRIL 2007
  3. ↑ "McCann Brings "Alpha Flight" Back From the Omega". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  4. 1 2 Chaos War: Alpha Flight #1
  5. ↑ Chaos War #5
  6. ↑ "Cup O' Joe: Marvel T&A: Brevoort's Big Ideas". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  7. ↑ Jason Brice. "TAG TEAM REVIEW: Alpha Flight #1 Review - Line of Fire Reviews - Comics Bulletin". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on July 2, 2011. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  8. ↑ "Marvel's Next Big Thing: Alpha Flight". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  9. ↑ Alpha Flight Vol. 4 #1
  10. ↑ Alpha Flight Vol. 4 #2
  11. ↑ Alpha Flight Vol. 4 #3
  12. ↑ Alpha Flight Vol. 4 #4
  13. ↑ Alpha Flight Vol. 4 #5
  14. ↑ Alpha Flight Vol. 4 #6
  15. ↑ Alpha Flight Vol. 4 #7
  16. ↑ Alpha Flight Vol. 4 #8
  17. ↑ Hulk Vol. 2 #53
  18. ↑ Hulk Vol. 2 #54
  19. ↑ Avengers Vol. 6 #0
  20. ↑ Ultimates Vol. 2 #1
  21. ↑ Captain Marvel Vol. 9 #6
  22. ↑ "Courage My Love- I Sell Comics". YouTube. 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2014-07-11.

External links

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