Northstar

About Northstar

Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier) is a Canadian mutant and one of the few openly gay characters in the Marvel Universe. Through his mutation, Northstar gains superhuman powers which he uses for the betterment of society. Although originally a member of Alpha Flight, a fictional team of Canadian superhumans, Northstar is later portrayed as a member of the X-Men. Northstar is also noted as one of the first openly homosexual superheroes in American comic books.

Jean-Paul Beaubier was born to a Quebecer family in Montreal, but after his parents died in an automobile accident during his childhood, he and his twin sister, Jeanne-Marie, were separated. Jean-Paul is later adopted, but his adopted parents are killed after only a couple of years. Prior to his debut as a superhero, Beaubier competes as a professional skier. He became an elite level skier during his teenage years, prior to his mutation surfacing. Once he developed his mutant ability he became virtually unbeatable and eventually bored of the sport due to the lack of competition. He becomes an angry and rebellious youth and, as a young adult, joins the Front de Libération du Québec, a terrorist separatist movement organized to win independence for Quebec from Canada, however, he soon becomes disgusted with the group's tactics and renounces terrorism. Beaubier then learns of a superhero group financed by the Canadian government called Alpha Flight. He then reunites with his sister Jeanne-Marie, who takes the name Aurora.

Jean-Paul joins Alpha Flight, adopting the codename “Northstar.” It is there that he is reunited with his twin sister Jeanne-Marie (“Aurora”). Northstar makes his comic debut in Uncanny X-Men #120 where he joins Alpha Flight combating the X-Men to capture former teammate Wolverine.