Alpha Flight

Alpha Flight is a Marvel Comics superhero team, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by Chris Claremont and Canadian native John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 (August 1979). more...

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

The team was originally merely a part of the back story of the X-Men’s Wolverine but, in 1983, Byrne launched an eponymous series featuring the group, which continued until 1994. Two short-lived revivals have been attempted since, with a third recently hinted at.

Volume 1

Though reluctant to take the job, Byrne wrote and drew the series for 28 issues before handing it off to another creative team. During that time, the series attracted fans with storylines that dealt with one or two characters at a time, seldom bringing all the members together. This unusual approach contrasted with other Marvel team series like the X-Men, the Avengers, or the Fantastic Four.

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

• Guardian, Originally Weapon Alpha, then Vindicator, he was a scientist from Ottawa who wore a suit of battle-armor that lets him fly and have an energy field around him. Guardian was the leader, and wore a stylized maple leaf flag on his costume, marking him as the Canadian team's equivalent of Captain America.
• Vindicator, Guardian's wife, who after Guardian's death in issue #12 took his costume and became leader of the team.
• Marrina, an amphibious woman from Newfoundland. She was a former member of Beta Flight.
• Northstar and Aurora, super-speed flying twins from Quebec.
• Puck, a dwarf bouncer from Saskatoon who said "eh" at the end of every sentence. Puck was also a former member of Beta Flight.
• Sasquatch, a scientist from British Columbia who could transform into a giant furry creature.
• Shaman, a First Nations medicine man from Calgary.
• Snowbird, an Inuit demi-goddess from Yellowknife who could transform into animals of the north.

After Byrne left, the series was written by many others, including Bill Mantlo, James Hudnall, Fabian Nicieza, Scott Lobdell & Simon Furman. It continued for 130 issues, introduced dozens of characters and villains (the most prominent of which were Talisman, Madison Jeffries, Box, Diamond Lil, Manikin, Persuasion, and Goblyn), and featured cross-overs with other characters in the Marvel universe. The series ended in 1994.

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