TALISMAN
Real Name: Elizabeth Twoyoungmen
Group Affiliation: Former member of Beta Flight, former member of Alpha Flight
First Appearance: Alpha Flight #5
Creator: John Byrne

        Elizabeth Twoyoungmen led a rather happy childhood until the age of around five or so. At that point her mother died from illness, despite her father's promises to cure Mommy. Feeling betrayed, Elizabeth ran away from her father. As a favour to Michael Twoyoungmen Ramsey McNeil, a neighbour, offered to take care of Elizabeth for a while.

        Despite the tragic loss of her mother and her estrangement from her father, Liz had a fairly pleasant life with the McNeils. Heather McNeil, who had often babysat for her, became like a big sister. Eventually she entered university, becoming interested in archaeology. On a dig in the ruins of old Fort Calgary, she saw a ghostly wraith escape. Worried, she turned to the only person she knew of who was capable of dealing with the mystic world: her father.

        Michael then received a shock on two fronts: seeing his daughter for the first time in many years, and also discovering she knew about his secret life. [At the time, Michael theorized that it was his daughter's mystical heritage that enabled her to penetrate the spells he used to mask his identity. -C]

        While investigating Liz's sighting, father and daughter confronted the Great Beast known as Ranaq. During the battle Liz was blasted with mystic energy. She instinctively seized control of the energy and blasted it right back at the Beast, to her father's amazement.

        In order to conclude the case, it was necessary to go back in time. Shaman summoned Snowbird as a backup, and Puck and Heather Hudson showed up just in time for the fun. Upon her arrival Snowbird fell to her knees in front of Elizabeth, making a declaration of humble obedience.

        This was the final clue. Handing his medicine pouch to his daughter, Shaman told her to draw out what she found inside. Before he could say a warning, she looked inside... and promptly complained that the pouch was empty. [Compiler's Note: For an idea of what happens to normal people who look inside that pouch, see Smart Alec's entry] At her father's urging, however, she reached inside blindly and drew out a coronet. [A coronet looks like a tiara, but is worn like a headband. -C]

        Putting on the coronet, her clothing was transformed and her full power unleashed. Her father proclaimed that it was the fulfillment of a "great and terrible" prophecy. Elizabeth later discovered that she was unable to remove the coronet, and to try would cause her great pain. She was, however, able to render it invisible through mystic means.

        Liz served quite capably with Alpha Flight at the beginning, proving to be especially effective in Alpha's second encounter with the armored criminal called Calibre. She remained a valued member until Alpha's second encounter with Omega Flight. Omega's leader Delphine Courtney created a spacial rift by turning Shaman's medicine pouch inside out. The rift swallowed most of Alpha Flight. Liz entered the rift and succeeded in rescuing her team-mates. However, the rift collapsed while Elizabeth was still inside, trapping her. She was rescued by the nigh-omnipotent entity called the Beyonder.

        Angry at her father for failing to save her from the rift, Elizabeth quit Alpha Flight and teleported the team back to Vancouver without her. She next appeared as the administrator of the mystic ordeals that proved Shaman worthy of new mystic abilities. Liz still showed considerable hostility towards her father during that encounter. Her next actions proved just how deep that hostility went.

        Hoping to humiliate Shaman, Liz arranged for Alpha Flight to free the being called Pestilence. Elizabeth was counting on her abilities as the "Binder of Spirits" to keep the situation under control. Unfortunately, Pestilence had never died, and was hence not a spirit. He rippped the coronet from her brow and threw it away. Shaman picked it up and donned it, having been proved worthy by the same tests Liz had administered earlier. For a time, Elizabeth returned to her former life as a student.

        While on another astrological dig, however, Liz was attacked by the Dreamqueen. She was saved by the intervention of Snowbird's spirit. Convinced by the demi-goddess that she was avoiding her responsibilities, Liz returned to Alpha Flight and reclaimed the coronet from Shaman. She then proceeded to defeat the Dreamqueen and went on to face the being called Llan the Sorcerer. This completed the "great and terrible prophecy" mentioned by her father years before.

        Elizabeth suffered cerebral trauma in an encounter with the Master of the World. While recovering she was placed in Beta Flight, and stayed with that team after completing her recovery. [Perhaps because the Beta Flight members were closer to her age - C]

        Like all other Beta Flight members, it's unknown what Talisman has been doing since Beta was dissolved by the government after AF v2 #130. Her present whereabouts are also unknown.

        Elizabeth Twoyoungmen has been described as a living mystical talisman, whose might may rival that of Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme. Without her mystic coronet she is capable of controlling and redirecting magical energy that is used against her. With the coronet, she is capable of far more.

        Principle among her full powers is the ability to tap into Earth's available mystic energy. This enables Talisman to create an infinite variety of spells. The possible feats she can accomplish are limited only by her imagination and experience.

        As the Binder of Spirits, Liz has other abilities. Her people's traditions claim that spirits inhabit all things on Earth. This gives her a vast array of allies to call upon at any given time. Liz's control over the spirits is absolute; this is in contrast with her father. Michael Twoyoungmen has earned only the right to implore the spirits for help; he cannot force them to aid him.