Guardian (James "Mac" MacDonald Hudson, a.k.a. Weapon Alpha and Vindicator) is a fictional character, a Canadian superhero in the Marvel Universe who was the leader of Alpha Flight. He was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. He was designed to be self consciously created to be the Canadian equivalent of Captain America, hence his costume markings are modelled after the Canadian flag.
| Guardian | |
|---|---|
| File:ClassicXMen16.png Guardian (then known as Weapon Alpha) surprises Wolverine. Art by Art Adams | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Uncanny X-Men #109 (February, 1978) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont John Byrne |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | James "Mac" MacDonald Hudson |
| Team affiliations | Alpha Flight |
| Notable aliases | Weapon Alpha, Vindicator |
| Abilities | Flight Personal force field Ability to fire energy blasts |
Character biography
James MacDonald Hudson was a leading scientist for the Am-Can corporation who worked on developing a powered exo-skeleton suit. However, when he learned that his work would be used for American military purposes, Hudson raided his workplace to steal the prototype suit and destroy the plans. While he left the suit to be recovered, albeit without the control helmet which he developed before coming to the company, he fully expected to be sued and arrested for his caper.
However, his girlfriend, Heather MacNeil, used some political connections in the Canadian government to convince the Prime Minister of Canada (who is obviously Pierre Trudeau) to convince Am-Can to waive charges and form Department H with Hudson as head of operations. Eventually, Hudson is inspired by the debut of the Fantastic Four to use the superhero format to create his powered armor to become a superhero himself.
As such, he formed Alpha Flight which was a superhero team for the federal government.
Eventually, he was killed off in Alpha Flight #12 and his suit was eventually adapted by his wife, now Heather Hudson, to become Vindicator. Later Hudson returned from the dead to resume his career, the technology formerly part of his suit now incoporated into his body.
Later, Hudson was apparently deaged and had much of his memory erased. It was later revealed that this was a clone of the original, and the original had been dumped and found by the original Sasquatch. The clone, along with the other new recruits, was then moved to Beta Flight, with Hudson's clone as the leader, until both Hudsons were captured by AIM and the clone killed in the escape.
Recently, Hudson and his wife had a child, an as-yet-unnamed girl, and are currently en route with their child and several other members of Alpha Flight to return a clutch of Plodex eggs to their homeworld. Still more recently, an accident brought temporal copies of most of the original Alpha Flight, from a time before his "death", to the present, including a copy of Hudson. This group are currently acting as Alpha Flight in the present day.
Template:Spoiler Along with Major Mapleleaf, Puck I and II, Vindicator, Sasquatch, and Shaman, Guardian was among the Alpha Flight members to be seemingly killed by The Collective in New Avengers #16. It has been hinted on recent fan message boards that the members of Alpha Flight are in fact NOT dead. Popular Scottich comic writer Mark Millar has professed his interest in the characters of Alpha Flight, and has suggested that a new Alpha Flight series could emerge from Marvel's 2006 Civil War storyline. (In fact, both Guardian and Puck are seen on Steve McNiven's promotional drawing for Marvel's up-coming Civil War.) Also, Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada hinted that fans of Alpha Flight should not dispair at their apparent death in New Avengers, suggesting that there is more to come from Canada's premier super team.
Powers and abilities
Formerly, Guardian used a skintight technological suit, which allowed him to fly; fire energy blasts and has a personal force field for defense. Currently he has become part cyborg due to Qwrlln manipulation and is able to do his former abilities and more without the suit
Battle Systems:
The Guardian suit is equipped with a powerful weapon systems, such weapons include: Electromagnetic projectors, Down beam pulse, Flare, Ultrasound beam, Graviton beam, Concussion wave, and a Dispersal beam. Heather has even been shown to let out a single blast that combined all the various weapon systems together.
Cybernetic Link-up:
Mac with his suit, can use his cybernetic circuitry to tap into the interal systems of even an alien ship. He hacked into the Plodex ship and gained information and technology such as sensors from it. He could be doing various things, but still have a cybernetic link with the complex even noticing areas being blacked out, after after he and Northstar started to destroy the ship. Many years later the Avengers with Iron Man try to do the same thing but it takes them a lot more work and they didn't fully understand how the ship worked.
Durability:
The Guardian suit generates a powerful forcefield around the user that dampens inertia and absorbs energy. It has been shown to absorb E-M energies, Klaw's ultrasound attacks, etc. this is performed by rechanneling the extra energy though the power systems and can be sent back to the attacker much stronger than the original attack. The suit is very durable against brute strength even taking hits from Wendigo, Colossus and not even feeling it. It has also taken hits from Wonderman, Sasquatch and various other heavyhighters and still held up. Even Wolverine's claws can't penetrate through this shield.
E-M Abilities:
Often called a "cybernetic god" and an "artificial Magneto", Mac has a variety and powerful abilities he controls. Once Mac came back as a cyborg he could control and override all electromagnetic frequencies once he has accessed the wavelength. That even includes an imposter Dr.Doom's force field, neural patterns, etc. He could perform a variety of uses manipulating the electromagnetic field, such as:
-Charged electrostatic particles: Used as another form of a shield [[like the invisible wall], which can be used to dissipate plasma emissions.
-Electromagnetic Barrier: Guardian and Vindicator III [Mac's clone] put up a E-M barrier and it was strong enough to contain a nuclear explosion
-Electromagnetic Dispersal Beam: Used as an EMP to shut down a Latverian Freedom Fighter's armor.
-Electromagnetic Field: Used to disrupt neural signals, preventing people to move
-Invisible Electromagnetic Wall: Used for speedsters the Guardian suit can make a invisible wall that speedsters will collide into, not knowing what is in front of them. It knocked out Northstar instantly.
-Neural Frequencies: Once a neural frequency is attained; Mac can actually block telepathic attacks and release those under its control. He can even protect his teammates from further telepathic attacks. He did this against Headlok a West Coast Avengers villain
E-M Blasts:
The Guardian battle suit can release concussive energy from gauntlets equivalent to 250 lbs. of TNT. With the acid blasts it is strong enough to instantly incinerate various objects, eg. Mac incinerated a car when Wendigo threw one at him. Another test of the weapon capabilities is when Heather had the E-M suit she showed that the electromagnetic plasma blasts are capable of killing Snowbird in Sasquatch form in one blast. Most impressive yet, in the Qwrlln dimension Alpha Flight and the Avengers were battling a weakened Galactus, due to this dimension was hindering his abilities. Galactus grabbed Heather and was threatening her and Mac let out a blast that even took down the cosmic being himself, this ending the fight.
Intelligence:
Since his return from his "death", the technology formerly part of his suit has been incorporated into his body. Mac actually has a computer for a brain allowing him to be completely calm in battle, and he could think and react faster than a normal human being. Even Forge and Madison Jeffries struggled to keep up with him when they worked together. With being a cyborg, his strength was enhanced as well as his perspiration is rechanneled and undergoes as electro-osmotic reaction, reinverting into further electrical energy.
Graviton Beam:
The suit can lift various objects off the ground without physically touching them by sending a E-M field around the object. This powerful field has even caught a car and a school bus in mid-air as well as toss people around like a rag doll. Eg. Dark Guardian did this to Puck. The extent of how much this field can lift has not been determined.
Flare:
With the suit the user can cast a powerful bright light that can blind a person much like what Northstar and Aurora are capable of. The full power of the flare was never stated.
Plasma Funnel:
Can be used to snuf out flames, or even used as a independent prison that can be held together even if the user isn't focusing on it. Heather used this to trap Gobyln, and Gobyln didn't break free.
Speed:
The Guardian suit allowed the user to travel speeds of Mach 1, yet has been shown to be able to surpass that. However, perhaps his most spectacular power was his ability to suspend his positioning to the Earth while it literally turned under him, allowing him to travel West at high speed depending on his latitude positioning. With this "shunt" Mac reaches up 18.5 miles per second. Escape velocity [mach 32.7] is 7 miles per second, and they can do it close or long distances.
Teleportation:
After the upgrade from Qwrlln they put a fail-safe in Mac incase Galactus every came for them. He was their secret weapon and was instructed to bring various superheroes to battle against the world-eater. He has been shown to teleport 9 people into the dimension where the Qwrlln were hiding.
Tracking Systems:
The Guardian suit is equipped with a sophisticated tracking systems, such as: Radar, Sonar, Infrared, Computer projection, Energy patterns, and vapor trail. As well as Heather’s visor displayed maps, GPS, flight path, etc all in her view screen.
Ultrasound beam:
The suit can generate powerful sonic blasts that have even rendered Wonderman in great pain. The sonics can disorient the target and however, if applied for to long can cause long-term effects to the target.
Wormhole:
In Alpha Flight #12, Mac's power battery is about to explode after a battle with Omega Flight. He must take it out or the suit will explode killing him. He is about to detach the piece, but then Heather Hudson {Vindicator), who was taken hostage earlier was trying to find a way out walks into the room where Mac is. In order to save his wife and himself he activates the suit's fail-safe system and ignites the suit's ultimate expression of its electromagnetic gravitational capabilities. Mac was teleported at faster-than-light-speeds and was thrust into the space-time continuum. He came to rest on Ganymede, the largest of the Jupiter's moons. It not only teleported him millions of miles away, but thousands of years into the past. If it weren’t for Qwrlln finding him and converting him into a cyborg he would have died.