SHAMAN
Real Name: Michael Twoyoungmen
Other Aliases: Talisman II
Group Affiliation: Alpha Flight
First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #120
Creator: John Byrne

        Michael Twoyoungmen is a Native Canadian who turned his back on tribal traditions for much of his early life. He instead became a surgeon, one of the best in the country. Before his grandfather died the old shaman tried to get Michael to be his apprentice, but Michael refused.

        Then, however, Michael's wife Kathryn became quite ill, and all his skill couldn't save her. Grief-stricken and angry his daughter Elizabeth turned away from him. She was taken in by Claire and Ramsey McNeil, the Twoyoungmens' next-door neighbours. Michael would not see her again for many years. Utterly heart-broken, Michael became a recluse, living alone in the wilderness... until one day he heard a call.

        That call was from his grandfather's spirit. Michael was now more receptive to the "old ways", and over time the spirit of the wise man taught Michael all he knew. Michael gained the ability to cast spells using a special "medicine pouch" that opened up into a myriad of dimensions. The only limitations on what he could pull from it were set by the size of the opening and Twoyoungmen's own imagination.

        Not long after learning his new skills, Michael got a visit from Nelvanna, goddess of the Northern Lights. With his aid she gave birth to a very special child, named Narya.

        Approximately one year after Narya's birth, the McNeils' daughter Heather came by to visit and took her new husband, one James MacDonald Hudson along. Heather ended up discovering Narya's rather unique nature, and James invited both Michael and Narya to join Department H.

        [Compiler's notes: It is interesting to note that Snowbird was an active part of the group involved in First Flight, while Shaman was not.]

        Shaman served faithfully in Alpha Flight until their second meeting with Omega Flight. During this encounter Talisman had to enter a dimensional rift caused by the medicine pouch being turned inside out, and was nearly killed as a result. This led to Shaman suffering a crisis of confidence and he renounced the use of his medicine pouch. Returning to the life of a hermit for a time, he was once again visited by the spirit of his grandfather. The old shaman taught Michael a new approach to native magicks. After passing certain tests to prove himself worthy, Twoyoungmen gained new mystical abilities.

        Returning to Alpha Flight in time to aid Snowbird during her pregnancy, Shaman donned his daughter's enchanted coronet during a battle with the villain called Pestilence. Twoyoungmen then left the team for a time following Snowbird's death. He rejoined Alpha when his daughter tracked him down to regain her power. After relinquishing the coronet Shaman returned to the use of his medicine pouch.

        Shaman went AWOL from Alpha around the time that other members were unwillingly (and accidentally) sucked away from headquarters by Laura Dean. It was eventually revealed that he had been called into an audience with the gods of his people. Michael returned to the team during the events that became known as the Infinity Crusade. He remained a member in good standing until the team was disbanded following the Joshua Lord incident.

        Michael was acting as a tribal shaman in Bear Lake, Northwest Territories when he was approached by Walter Langkowski. Walter needed help with a near-dead James Hudson. With Shaman's help James was revived, and Hudson told the other two about extremely unethical events at Department H.

        Deciding to do something about it, the three rescued Jeanne-Marie from the Department. The next step was to recruit Northstar to aid them in their efforts. The five heroes soon found themselves in conflict with the then-current incarnation of Alpha Flight. The conclusion found Michael and the others to rejoining their old team.

        Michael Twoyoungmen has reduced his role within Alpha Flight while training an apprentice, Jared Moss. Michael & Jared have both accompanied serveral other members of Alpha on a mission to the Plodex homeworld.

        Shaman is capable of using his medicine pouch to create an almost infinite array of magical feats. He most often uses substances taken from the pouch to cast a wide variety of spells. He can also create ordinary objects simply by pulling them out of the pouch. He is limited in what he can create only by the size of the mouth of the bag.

        In addition to the spells created by his medicine pouch, Shaman also has other mystical abilities. Through ancient mystical trials he has earned the right to request aid from the spirits. His people believe that spirits inhabit everything on Earth; this gives him a wide variety of potential helpers. For example, he has called on the North Wind for travel purposes, and animated statues to serve as warriors to fight for him.

        Shaman possesses the power of mystical levitation without using outside aids (the pouch or the spirits.) Movement is strictly vertical; hence he seldom uses the ability for travel purposes. Shaman taps into Earth's ambient mystic energy to accomplish the levitation.

        Michael Twoyoungmen is also one of the most gifted surgeons to ever practice medicine in Canada.