Before X-Men, Wolverine Was Part of a Canadian Avengers-Like Team

The iconic Marvel superhero Wolverine, also known as Logan, has a rich history in the comics that stretches back nearly 50 years to his debut in The Incredible Hulk #180 in 1974. Throughout his extensive comic book career, Wolverine has been a member of several superhero teams, including the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. However, before joining the X-Men, Wolverine was part of Canada’s foremost superhero team, Alpha Flight. As Wolverine prepares to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in Deadpool & Wolverine, it’s an ideal moment to explore the history and significance of Alpha Flight.

Alpha Flight functions as an official superhero team for the Canadian government, under the oversight of the Canadian military branch known as Department H, and directly reporting to the Canadian Prime Minister. This setup mirrors that of the Avengers and their relationship with the United States government. The comic introduces Department H as a government-sanctioned entity for overseeing superhuman activities, founded by Canadian scientist and original Alpha Flight member, James MacDonald Hudson. Hudson and his wife, Heather, were responsible for discovering Wolverine in the wilderness after experiments conducted by the elusive Weapon X program fused Adamantium with his skeleton. James and Heather nursed Wolverine back to health, assisting him in rediscovering his humanity.

Upon reading about the formation of the Fantastic Four in the newspaper, Hudson realized that superheroes were the missing element for Department H. Consequently, Department H evolved to oversee all superhuman activities for the Canadian government. Understanding the need for a Canadian response team to tackle superhuman threats, Hudson donned the identity of Guardian and formed the original Alpha Flight team. The initial lineup included Guardian (also known as Weapon Alpha and Vindicator), Sasquatch (Walter Langowski), Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier), Aurora (Jeanne-Marie Beaubier), Shaman (Michael Twoyoungmen), Snowbird (Narya), and, of course, Wolverine.

Over time, Wolverine grew weary of his role within Department H. Disheartened by the government-sanctioned assassinations that emotionally scarred him, he sought a way out. He eventually resigned from Department H when Professor Charles Xavier recruited him to join the X-Men, which occurred in Giant-Size X-Men published in 1975. This marked the beginning of Wolverine’s long-standing association with the X-Men, who operate out of Westchester, New York. The X-Men gave Wolverine a new purpose and a cause he found worthy of fighting for. Although Wolverine was close to the Hudsons and secretly loved Heather Hudson, he chose not to act on these feelings out of respect for the couple.

Despite Wolverine’s resignation, the Canadian government did not accept his departure. Consequently, Department H sent Guardian after Wolverine in The Uncanny X-Men #109. Although the X-Men intervened, the conflict with Department H continued. Alpha Flight officially debuted in The Uncanny X-Men #120 in 1979, with Hudson bringing the entire Alpha Flight lineup to capture Wolverine. This ensemble included Sasquatch, Shaman, Snowbird, Aurora, and Northstar.

Ultimately, Wolverine chose to leave voluntarily with Alpha Flight to prevent harm from coming to his X-Men teammates. Although Guardian initially had the advantage, Wolverine managed to outsmart Alpha Flight and avoid capture. He later settled his debts with Department H and Alpha Flight by helping them defeat the Wendigo, a monstrous creature causing havoc in the Canadian wilderness. The further adventures of Alpha Flight were chronicled in their dedicated ongoing Marvel comic book series, which first appeared in 1983.

Wolverine’s early confrontations with Alpha Flight were adapted into animated form in the 1990s X-Men: The Animated Series. The Season 2 episode “Repo Man” featured Vindicator and Alpha Flight’s attempt to recapture Wolverine for Department H. It showcased the original lineup from the comics, with the addition of Puck (Eugene Judd), who had joined Alpha Flight in the comic series. The episode portrayed the Hudsons’ conflicted feelings as they conducted experiments on Wolverine under General Chasen’s orders. Ultimately, Alpha Flight intervened, freeing Wolverine after realizing Chasen’s malevolent intentions.

Alpha Flight made a brief return in the third season episode “Child of Light,” where they helped Canadian citizens during a crisis caused by the evil Shi’ar Emperor D’Ken. “Repo Man” remains one of the standout episodes of the series, marking the animated debut of Alpha Flight and adapting classic encounters from the X-Men and Alpha Flight comics.

Although Alpha Flight has appeared in animation and Department H has been mentioned in the X-Men film franchise, Alpha Flight has yet to make its live-action debut. With Marvel Studios working on a new big-screen reboot of the X-Men, it presents an ideal opportunity to introduce Alpha Flight. A Disney+ series or special could showcase these Canadian heroes and bring lesser-known characters into the spotlight. Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine will appear alongside Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine, finally bringing the character into the MCU.

Source: Collider