NORTHSTAR
Real Name: Jean-Paul Beaubier
Group Affilation: X-Men, former member of Alpha Flight
First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #120
Creator: John Byrne

        As an infant Jean-Paul Beaubier's parents were killed in a car crash, and he and his twin sister were separated. Adopted by a family named Martin, Jean-Paul led a rather lonely childhood. At some point he attempted to steal from a man named Raymonde Belmonde, who ended up taking the youngster under his wing.

        Belmonde helped the young Jean-Paul deal with his emerging super-human powers. [Compiler's notes: Presumably Belmonde helped J-P deal with his sexuality as well. This has never been stated, however. I WILL state my position on the "Belmonde as J-P's first lover" theory - Nope. Too old, and I doubt Byrne would show a pedophile as a positive character. Belmonde was definitely a father-figure though.]

        Beaubier was a restless young man, not taken with attending school. At one point he lived in France, at another he joined a circus as an acrobat. [It should be noted that Jean-Paul apparently abstained from using his powers while with the circus. -C] After his time with the circus came to an end Jean-Paul became involved with a radical sect of Quebec Nationalists. He left the group when he was forced to use his powers to stop one of their bombs. Instead of damaging property the bomb would have killed a busload of people. Beaubier's beliefs did not extend to murder.

        Jean-Paul then turned his attention to skiing, a sport he had always loved. Using his powers he became a champion at both the amateur and professional levels. It was then that he was contacted by James MacDonald Hudson. Hudson had already met Jeanne-Marie Beaubier and discovered Jean-Paul through her. Fascinated by the revelation he had a sister, Jean-Paul joined Hudson's Department H to spend time with her.

        Jean-Paul did not rejoin Alpha when Heather Hudson was putting the team back together after the first of James' seeming deaths. J-P was quarreling with Jeanne-Marie at that time, and without her he had no interest in the team. Jean-Paul avoided Alpha Flight until forced to join them at the Eye of the World due to a mystic summons from Talisman. He almost left again immediately, but Snowbird used her powers to force him to stay and help.

        After Snowbird released Jean-Paul from her power he returned with Alpha Flight to their temporary headquarters. The team had recently learned of his Seperatiste past, and convened an inquiry into his actions from that era. One set of circumstances led into another and Beaubier ended up rejoining Alpha Flight.

        During this second stint with Alpha Flight Northstar's secret id was revealed to the world when he flew in full view of witnesses to rescue a skier. [The skier had been accidentally mind-controlled by Kara Kilgrave. -C] This prompted a backlash from the international athletic community and Jean-Paul was stripped of the medals from his amateur career.

        Northstar remained with Alpha Flight until a mysterious disease caused him to seek the mystic artifact called the Firefountain. This adventure led into the depths of Svartalfheim, realm of the Dark Elves of Nordic myth. There, Aurora seemingly sacrificed her powers to save her brother. Having been told by Loki that he and his sister were half-elves, Northstar vanished into a portal to the realm of the Ljosalfar, or Light Elves. Unfortunately Jean-Paul, like so many before him, had been deceived by Loki's lies.

        At that time Asgard was seperated from Earth, and passage between the two realms was difficult. Northstar was trapped there until Talisman sent Persuasion, Laura Dean, Goblyn and Aurora to Asgard to get him. Jean-Paul then resumed his life with Alpha Flight.

        Not long after Alpha Flight accepted government funding from Department H for a third time, Beaubier experienced a major shift in his life. During a fight Jean-Paul discovered a baby abandoned in a dumpster. Upon learning the child was HIV-positive and had full-blown AIDS, Beaubier adopted her, naming the girl Joanne. Joanne was suffering from a wide range of AIDS-related illnesses, and died shortly after the adoption.

        Immediately following her death Jean-Paul called a press conference at which he announced he was a homosexual. The baby's death, (along with one "Major Maple Leaf,") had convinced Beaubier of the need to step forward as a positive gay role-model. [The Major was a World War II era super-hero whose son died of AIDS-related illness. -C]

        Northstar remained with Alpha Flight until the team was suspended while an investigation into the Joshua Lord matter took place. Jean-Paul temporarily quit the team when the suspension came down, but soon returned. When Alpha Flight was once again disbanded by the government he disappeared from public view.

        When Jean-Paul next appeared he seemed fairly troubled. He may even have attempted suicide at one point. While wandering without any conscious purpose he arrived at the ruins of his sister's former home, a Catholic boarding school. A vision of Aurora appeared to him there, and this sent Jean-Paul on a search for her. This search eventually led to Department H. Before he could enter the Department's headquarters he was stopped and recruited by Sasquatch and Shaman.

        Northstar thus joined the original Alpha Flight in their battle against Department H's Weapon X experiment. Aurora had been infected with the Weapon X bacteria; Northstar and the others were seeking to a) cure her and b) stop the new Weapon X.

        This situation led to conflict and then co-operation with the latest version of Alpha Flight. At the adventure's end Jean-Paul Beaubier rejoined Department H with the rest of his colleagues. The reunion was temporary.

        At some point Northstar once again left Department H to strike out on his own. Writing his memoirs, Beaubier was successful in getting them published and became a best-selling author. He also began taking more time to look after his various business interests. [ Just to remind you: successful professional skiers can make quite a bit of money. J-P was rich even before the best-selling non-fiction work. -C ]

        At this point Beaubier was approached by Charles Xavier about taking a teaching position at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, specializing in business and economics. Although Jean-Paul initially declined, he changed his mind after an unsuccessful attempt to save a young mutant whose powers had gone out of control. At the school Northstar's teaching duties broadened to include instruction in the skills of flying. He also joined the mutant adventurers called the X-Men. Northstar was killed when a brain-washed Wolverine attacked the school.

        The fates were not done with Jean-Paul however. Northstar's body was taken by the Hand, and he was resurrected using mystical techniques. He was brainwashed into serving them at the same time.

        Wolverine, in an effort to atone for his brainwashed actions, tracked down Beaubier and captured him. Jean-Paul was turned over to S.H.I.E.L.D for de-programming. Unfortunately S.H.I.E.L.D's efforts had yet to meet with success before Northstar was kidnapped by a group calling themselves the Children of the Vault. These people also kidnapped Jeanne-Marie, and experimented on both siblings to insure their loyalty and expand their power. After the twins attacked the X-Men, they were defeated and deprogrammed.

        Northstar currently makes his home in Montreal, where he and his sister are Co-CEOs of his latest venture, a sporting goods company. He has also rejoined the X-Men full time, using his powers to travel between Montreal and Utopia Island. His personal life has also taken a turn for the better, as Jean-Paul currently has a steady boyfriend.

        Jean-Paul Beaubier is a mutant [The sentinels were obviously malfunctioning in Alpha #43, ok? - C] capable of movement at high super- human speeds, whether in flight or running. He can also swim at high speed by "flying" through the water. The experiments by the Children of the Vault have enabled Northstar to fly faster then ever before without harming himself or the environment.

        Beaubier is able to create extremely bright light by clasping hands with his sister. Since being experimented on the two can add heat and explosive energy to the light bursts.

        Unlike his sister, the only light powers that Jean-Paul has demonstrated on his own is the ability to glow while flying.