Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, the character first appeared in The Uncanny X-Men #120 (April 1979) as a member of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight.
Northstar is a member of a fictional subspecies of humanity known as mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. The character possesses the ability to travel at superhuman speeds, fly, and project photonic energy blasts. His twin sister, Aurora, possesses similar abilities. Although the character was initially depicted as a member of Alpha Flight, he has appeared regularly as a member of the X-Men since joining the team of mutants in The Uncanny X-Men #414 (December 2002).
The character is one of the first openly gay superheroes in American comic books, and the first openly gay character to come out in a book published by Marvel Comics. He married his husband, Kyle Jinadu, in Astonishing X-Men #51 (June 2012), which was the first depiction of a same-sex wedding in mainstream comics.
Publication history 1979–1994 Northstar debuted in The Uncanny X-Men #120 (April 1979) as part of the Canadian government sponsored team Alpha Flight, who sought to take Wolverine of the X-Men into custody. In 1983, Alpha Flight went on to star in its own comic, with Northstar as a charter member. In addition to the Alpha Flight comic and associated annuals, Northstar and other members of the team made numerous guest appearances in other titles, particularly Uncanny X-Men and Wolverine. Northstar was also featured in miniseries including two X-Men and Alpha Flight series and Secret Wars II.
Creator John Byrne was reluctant to produce an initial run of the 1983 Alpha Flight comic series for lack of developed and compelling characters. They had no back-stories and were created as nothing more than a team to face the X-Men. So in order to make the team less two-dimensional and more developed, Northstar's sexual orientation was subtly introduced into the start of the new Alpha Flight series. Although Byrne had intended the character to be gay, he was restricted to implied hints of this fact, due to Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter's policy against openly homosexual characters, and by the Comics Code Authority. For example, in Alpha Flight #18, when Northstar's residence is called by Heather Hudson, a half-naked man in swim trunks who had been swimming with Northstar answers the phone, while in Alpha Flight #41, Northstar's sister Aurora says to her brother, "Since when do you object to having attractively-dressed men about, my brother?" Northstar's apparent lack of interest in women was implied to be due to his obsessive drive to win as a ski champion, and writer Bill Mantlo's later attempt to reveal that Northstar had AIDS was squelched. In Alpha Flight #106 (1992), writer Scott Lobdell was finally given permission to have Northstar state, "I am gay."
As the first major, openly gay character created by Marvel Comics, Northstar generated significant publicity in the mainstream press, and Alpha Flight #106 sold out in a week, although the series was not a very popular title. It is the only comic book issue to have been inducted into the Gaylactic Hall of Fame. The event was also controversial, and almost no mention was made of his sexual orientation for the remainder of the first Alpha Flight series, which ended with issue #130 in 1994. One exception was a subplot in which his sister Aurora—experiencing a split personality—accepted his homosexuality in one personality, while rejecting it in the other. After the cancellation of Alpha Flight, Northstar appeared in his own miniseries, which uses his mutancy as allegory and sexuality as subtext. Interactions between Northstar and other gay characters have been depicted, such as in a Marvel Swimsuit Special, in which he is shown socializing with the gay Pantheon member Hector.
1994–present
After the 1994 cancellation of Alpha Flight, Northstar starred in an eponymous four issue limited series.Northstar #1–4 (April–July 1994) In 1997, a second on-going series of Alpha Flight was initiated. Northstar was not a member of this group, but appeared in later issues searching for his missing sister Aurora. He featured in eight issues before the series cancellation with issue #20.
In 2005, Marvel killed Northstar in three separate continuities within the space of one calendar month. Between February 16 and March 9, 2005, versions of Northstar were killed in the Earth-616-based Wolverine #25, and in X-Men: Age of Apocalypse and X-Men: The End, which were set in alternate timelines.Film producer Perry Moore was so angered by the death of Marvel's most prominent gay superhero at the hands of one of its most popular superheroes that he wrote the novel Hero—about a gay teenage superhero—to present a more positive image of gay superheroes to readers. See: Northstar did not stay dead long in Marvel's primary continuity, as he was resurrected in Wolverine #26.
When Northstar rejoined the X-Men as a regular member in 2002, writers were less hesitant to address his sexual orientation. Northstar even experienced a crush on long-time X-Man Iceman, though it was unrequited. One of his students in the Alpha Squadron, Victor Borkowski, the gay mutant Anole, looks up to him as a role model. When Northstar rejoined the X-Men yet again in 2009, he was revealed to be in a relationship with his sports company's events manager Kyle.The Uncanny X-Men #509 Their relationship faces strain from the remaining mutants' exodus to the mutant island Utopia, though the two agree to work through their issues.Nation X #2 It was later implied that he also had a sexual relationship with Hercules at an unspecified point in time.
Northstar and Kyle's marriage in issue #51 of Astonishing X-Men, drew attention from the right-wing group One Million Moms.
Fictional character biography
Jean-Paul Beaubier was born to a French Canadian family in Montreal. After his parents died in an automobile accident during his childhood, he and his twin sister, Jeanne-Marie, are separated. Jean-Paul is adopted, but his adopted parents are killed after only a couple of years. Before his debut as a superhero, Beaubier competed as a professional skier (reaching elite level skier as a teenager, prior to his mutation surfacing). Once he developed his mutant abilities he became virtually unbeatable and eventually bores of the sport due to the lack of competition. He became an angry and rebellious youth.Alpha Flight #8 In his young adulthood he joined the Front de libération du Québec (a militant separatist movement for Quebec from Canada) but soon became disgusted with, and renounced, the group's violent tactics. He learned of a superhero group financed by the Canadian government called "Alpha Flight".
Alpha Flight Jean-Paul joins Alpha Flight, adopting the codename Northstar. There he is reunited with his sister Jeanne-Marie ("Aurora"). Northstar's comic debut occurs in The Uncanny X-Men #120, as a member of Alpha Flight fighting the X-Men to capture former teammate Wolverine.The Uncanny X-Men #120-121 When Northstar meets his old friend Raymond Belmonde (a man who took him in and mentored him) he introduces Aurora to Belmonde, only for the twins to be attacked by local crime boss Deadly Ernest, who kills Belmonde. The twins deal with the villain, though their relationship sours when Northstar offends Aurora by asking if she had "romanced her way to safety". Aurora refuses to speak to him, and her lover and teammate Sasquatch assists in a power alteration, allowing her to generate light without Northstar. Her attempts to isolate him cause Northstar to quit Alpha Flight.Alpha Flight #1, 7, 8, 18 Later, Aurora seeks him out & the twins begin to reconcile, but Aurora rejects him again after discovering his FLQ history. Alpha Flight cross-examine him about his FLQ activities, but are interrupted by an emergency.Alpha Flight #25 When Sasquatch dies, the twins reconcile after Northstar comforts his grieving sister. However, during a confrontation with the Hulk, Aurora discovers that her power alterations cause the twins to negate one another's abilities upon touching. After the battle, Northstar rejoins Alpha Flight.Alpha Flight #29
While on a skiing vacation, Northstar must expose his mutant powers to save a woman's life. Accused of using his powers to cheat in competition and realizing he could never know if he subconsciously had, he relinquishes his medals and bitterly turns his back on skiing.Alpha Flight #41
The villain Pestilence senses decay in Northstar's body and causes his sickness to grow serious to the point that his wounds no longer heal, slowly killing him. As his illness progresses, Aurora desperately uses her healing light to cure him.Alpha Flight #50 The Asgardian Loki fools the Beaubier twins into believing that their mother was an elf from Asgard. When Aurora is thought lost in action, Northstar travels to Asgard (seeking this heritage) but is trapped there. Loki had sent a depowered Aurora to a convent (in an attempt to appease Those Who Sit Above In Shadow). When a supernatural threat mobilizes Alpha Flight, the sorceress Talisman sends Aurora to Asgard to rescue Northstar. He shares the light with her, restoring their powers (allowing both to independently generate light).Alpha Flight #85
During another battle, Northstar discovers an abandoned baby girl. Doctors discover that she is dying of AIDS, after HIV infection in the womb. Jean-Paul adopts her and names her Joanne Beaubier. Alpha Flight perform various events to remind the public of AIDS and the dangers of silence about it. Her death weeks later spurs Northstar to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality, hoping that, as a gay celebrity, he can increase media attention on HIV/AIDS safety and prevention.Alpha Flight #106 Eventually Northstar leaves Alpha Flight and writes a memoir about his experience as a mutant and gay man entitled Born Normal.The Uncanny X-Men #392
X-Men In the 2001 "Eve of Destruction" story arc, Northstar is briefly recruited to an improvized team of X-Men by Jean Grey to rescue Professor X, who has been captured by Magneto and is being kept prisoner in Genosha.The Uncanny X-Men #392 (2001) Jean meets Northstar at a book-signing appearance, where he is mobbed. One person in the crowd turns out to be carrying a gun. Northstar foils his own assassination attempt at super-speed. Later, he meets one of the new mutants, Omerta, whose homophobia leads to a fight between the two on X-Men's mansion driveway.Uncanny X-Men #392
At Professor Xavier's request, Northstar works with the X-Men to save the life of a mutant child who cannot stop exploding. Despite his speed, Northstar cannot save the boy, who dies because of his powers. Soon afterwards, Northstar officially joins the X-Men,The Uncanny X-Men #414 (2002) and becomes an instructor at the Xavier Institute, teaching business, economics, French, and superpowered flight classes. Northstar becomes a mentor to the Alpha Squadron training group, forming a close mentor relationship with student Anole.
When Hydra forms an alliance with the cults the Dawn of the White Light and the Hand, the groups start recruiting new agents by killing, resurrecting, and brainwashing superheroes. The X-Man Wolverine is one of their victims, brainwashed into becoming a Hydra assassin. He eventually attacks the X-Men and kills Northstar.New X-Men Vol 2 #13 Northstar's corpse is stolen by Elektra, another brainwashed victim of Hydra, and resurrected by the Hand.