Northstar

[Ben]

{{Hero|
image=[[Image:Northstar.jpg]]
|character_name=Northstar
|real_name=Jean-Paul Beaubier
|debut=Uncanny X-Men #120
|affiliations=[[X-Men]], [[Team Northstar Extreme Snowsports]]
|past_affiliations=[[Front de Libération du Québec]], [[Alpha Flight]], [[HYDRA]]
|status= Active
|aliases= Jean-Paul Martin
|relatives=[[Jean-Baptiste Beaubier]] (father, deceased), unnamed mother (deceased), [[Louis Martin]] (adoptive father, deceased), unnamed adoptive mother (deceased), Jeanne-Marie Beaubier ([[Aurora]], sister), [[Joanne Beaubier]] (adopted daughter, deceased)
|height=5'11"
|weight= 175 lbs
|eyes=Blue
|hair=Black
|}}


==History==
When Jean-Paul Beaubier was a young child his parents died in an automobile accident. He was adopted by the Martin family, while his sister, [[Aurora|Jeanne-Marie]], was sent to live in catholic girls boarding-school. The Martins died when Jean-Paul was six, and he was sent into foster care. When Jean-Paul was caught trying to steal from [[Belmonde Raymonde|Raymonde Belmonde]], Belmonde took the troubled youth in and became his mentor and guardian, helping him cope with both his emerging powers as well as his homosexuality.

In time Jean-Paul moved to Paris where he befriended a woman named [[Mariel]] and a man name [[Yves]]. When Mariel scolded him for flaunting his powers, Jean-Paul became upset, he felt that the two people he felt the most free with were trying to constrain him. Having left Paris and returned to Quebec, he joined the [[D'arbanville Circus]]. As an acrobat Jean-Paul used his own skill, refraining from relying on his powers. [[Clementine D'arbanville|Clementine D'arbanville]], the circus owner was involved with the [[Front de Libération du Québec|FLQ]], and she introduced Jean-Paul to the cause. Feeling the need to make a mark on the world, Jean-Paul engaged in protests, property destruction, and eventually terrorism. He seems to have used his powers in service to the FLQ mostly as a messenger. When he became aware of his group's plan to blow up the Quebec City Bus Terminal, Jean-Paul turned terrorism into heroism. A bomb had been planted in a garbage can, and shortly before its detonation, Jean-Paul threw it away from the innocents in the terminal. That was a turning point in Jean-Paul's life, when he realized his powers could be used for good.

[[Image:Northstar_2.jpg|right]]James MacDonald Hudson of Canada's superhuman development program Department H had recruited Jeanne-Marie and correlated her abilities and appearance with that of Jean-Paul, who had employed his powers to become a professional downhill skier, earning fame and fortune and an Olympic medal. Hudson noted Jean-Paul's rise from "a mediocre skier until he learned he could fly? and summoned Jean-Paul to Ottawa, revealed his certainty of Jean-Paul's powers and reunited Jean-Paul and Jeanne-Marie. Upon meeting, the twins shook hands. To everyone?s surprise, the hand to hand contact generated intense bioluminescence. Both twins immediately redefined themselves to this newly discovered familial connection. Martin legally changed his surname back to Beaubier, and both twins chose the code-names Aurora and Northstar that reflected their joint power to generate light, even over their independent abilities to fly and move at super speeds.

Jean-Paul joined [[Alpha Flight]] as Northstar to be with his sister and, in some ways, to make up for his part in dangerous terrorist activities. His role with the team remained tenuous. As an agent of the Canadian government, he participated in separate missions to capture Wolverine and Machine Man, after which the Canadian government shut down Department H due to budget cuts. During the Machine Man mission to New York, Jeanne-Marie began what became a long-term affair with teammate [[Sasquatch I|Walter Langkowski]]. Northstar did not like Sasquatch, and disapproved of the relationship. The feelings among the three created a schism in the relationship between the twins. Northstar?s dislike burned to hatred of Langkowski. Aurora favored her lover over her brother. Northstar became disenfranchised with the team, and almost failed to respond during the fight with the Ravager.

[[Alpha Flight]] re-formed under the guidance of James and Heather Hudson without government backing. Northstar elected to remain, but responded to the Ravager incident only when seeing media accounts of Jeanne-Marie endangered. Northstar remained with the Flight at this time solely to look out for his sister. While he remained opposed to Aurora?s still-secret relationship with Langkowski, Northstar did consider the larger team environment as beneficial to Aurora, who is afflicted with Multiple Personality Disorder. Knowing with certainty that Jeanne-Marie suffered clinical MPD, following Alpha Flight's first battle with the Master, Northstar submitted Jeanne-Marie for private psychiatric care. Unfortunately, the division of personalities proved so complete that the MPD proved undetectable.

The dynamic between the twins proved complicated. Aurora knew that her brother was homosexual. A sexually liberated woman, Aurora was not bothered by it. The conservative fundamentalism of Jeanne-Marie seemed not to know this fact as early in their relationship as Aurora knew, and would undoubtedly disapprove. Another mugging attempt against Jeanne-Marie triggered the personality change back to Aurora. A chance remark by Northstar at the conclusion of a private superhuman encounter offended Aurora; she found the apparent yet perhaps unintended sexual innuendo offensive. Aurora abandoned her brother and returned to her lover.

When Alpha Flight was assembled for a mission, Northstar attempted reconciliation with an unresponsive Aurora; this led to a brawl among the team prior to the actual mission. Alpha Flight remained unaffiliated with the Canadian government, and this mission resulted in the death of team leader Guardian. Without an active relationship with his sister, Northstar felt no motivation to remain with Alpha Flight. When Hudson's widow, [[Vindicator II|Heather]], attempted to re-form the team, he refused to join.

Wanting to individualize herself from her brother, Aurora had [[Sasquatch I|Walter Langkowski]] genetically modify her biochemistry to make her light powers no longer dependent on contact with Northstar. However, the next time that Aurora's MPD swung to the Jeanne-Marie persona, Jeanne-Marie abandon her lover and sought out her brother. Happy to have his sister back in his life, Jean-Paul introduced her to old friends. When Jeanne-Marie reverted to Aurora, she realized that these former friends, including Clementine D'arbanville were former FLQ associates. Aurora was still enraged at her brother's remark, and the Aurora persona perceived Jean-Paul's preference to the Jeanne-Marie persona as a threat to Aurora. Aurora planned to use Northstar's terrorist connection to keep him off Alpha Flight should he try to return.

After some time, Northstar pursued Aurora to talk to her, and found himself embroiled in an attack by the X-Man Phoenix, Rachel Summers. The two teams joined forces to defeat a manipulative scheme by Loki. During this adventure, Northstar found himself further shunned by his sister and her lover, and formed a new friendship with the X-Man Rogue.

Northstar returned only when feeling a mystical imperative cast by [[Talisman]] to summon the members of Alpha Flight to the [[Eye Of The World]]. When he realized his sister was not the cause of Alpha Flight's distress, Northstar attempted to leave, but Snowbird forced him into assisting the team in defeating the Great Beasts and in saving Walter Langkowski's soul. The mission was a partial success. Langkowski's soul was saved, but his body was destroyed.

Aurora immediately called for an inquest among her teammates concerning her brother's terrorist history. The inquest was interrupted by an attack by Omega Flight led by Delphine Courtney. Immediately after this battle, while searching for a new body, Langkowski's soul was lost at the Crossroads.

Seeing his sister's emotional need following the loss of her lover, Beaubier remained with the team. While the emotional bond between the twins began to heal, they learned that due to Aurora's genetic alteration, they could no longer touch without nullifying their powers. Their teammates seemed satisfied that any terrorist affiliation that Northstar once had remained in the past. Other agents, however, used Northstar to track other former FLQ members; this battle led to the death of Clementine D'arbanville, who had remained one of Northstar's closest friends. This loss seems to have motivated Northstar increased acceptance of the friendship and support of his teammates.

Jean-Paul developed a tearing cough. When [[Pestilence]] fed off the "death and decay within" [[Image:Northstar_3.jpg|left]]Northstar's body, the illness was greatly worsened. He steadily grew more and more ill until he was almost completely incapacitated. Looking to cure Northstar's physical symptoms and Aurora's worsening MPD, team went to find the [[Firefountain]] a source of magical power which they thought might have been able to cure both twins.

He never reached the Firefountain, as [[Loki]] convinced him that his and his Aurora's mother had an Asgardian elf. Northstar was then fooled into believing that he was dying because he could not exist on earth without the light that the twins had once shared. [[Aurora]] expelled all of her light into her brother to save him, leaving her powers drained. Powerless, she was dragged off by demons. Northstar then flew to [[Asgard]] through a gate opened by Loki. When Loki was summoned before the higher gods, [[They Who Sit Above in Shadow]], he transported Aurora to a monastery to atone for his trickery.

Jean-Paul spent quite some time in Asgard, until he was needed in the conflict against [[Llan|Llan the Sorcerer]]. Talisman sent Aurora, [[Goblyn]], [[Pathway|Laura Dean]] and [[Persuasion]] to retrieve him. They arrived just in time to save him from being slain by [[Dark Elves]] who worshiped [[Llan]]. He was able to heal his sister as she had previously healed him, by sharing their powers through touch. Both re-powered with the permanent change that both could generate light independently of each other, both twins re-joined [[Alpha Flight]]. They now knew that Loki's revelation of their family history had been entirely fabricated, but to this day neither have seemed interested in exploring the circumstances of their parents' deaths.

When Alpha Flight regained Canadian sponsorship, Northstar served with them, including in a battle with the Master in the Northern United States and when Doctor Doom made a diplomatic mission to Canada. While battling [[Mister Hyde]], Northstar was knocked clear of the battle and found a small baby girl abandoned in a garbage can in an alley, and sped her to the hospital. Several weeks later Jean-Paul learned that the baby was not only H.I.V. positive, but had full blown AIDS. Jean-Paul adopted the girl, naming her [[Baubier Joanne|Joanne Beaubier]]. The entire affair made a lot of press, and did not go unnoticed by Lou Saddler Sr, the former [[Major Mapleleaf I|Major Mapleleaf]]. Saddler had gone mad with grief over his son [[Saddler Michael|Michael]]'s death of AIDS not long before. Saddler felt his son's death was ignored by the media because he was gay. Major Mapleleaf burst through the hospital into Joanne's room. To protect his daughter, Northstar engaged Mapleleaf in battle, during which Jean-Paul admitted that he too was gay. Saddler convinced Beaubier that he had a duty as a public figure to go public with his sexuality. It was not long after that Joanne died in Jean-Paul's arms, with Major Mapleleaf at his side to console him. Jean Paul, in a press conference made his sexuality public, in hopes to open the doors to conversation in context of the AIDS crisis.

[[Image:Northstar_4.jpg|right]]In the fallout of the Canadian Superhero Registration Act that Alpha Flight was disbanded. Northstar showed his defiance against this by tearing apart the government-issued team uniform and reverting to his original black and luminescent costume. [[Clarke Jeremy|General Clarke]] (Department H's former military liaison) dispatched [[Department K]]'s [[Weapon: P.R.I.M.E.]] after him to reel him back in and out of the public eye. Clarke's agents were spurred on by the belief that Jean-Paul had killed a tabloid reporter who had been hounding him. Jean-Paul was having his own problems besides the murder. Someone had threatened the life of Raymonde Belmonde's only living relative, [[Belmonde Max|Max]], and gave him message to give to Jean-Paul. Jean-Paul was put through a series of tests by [[Arcade]], who was under the employ of [[Kerridge Carl|Carl Kerridge]]. Kerridge wanted to destroy Northstar because he approved neither of his sexuality or of his being a mutant. Kerridge revealed that it had been his intention to have Arcade wear Northstar down so that Kerridge could kill Northstar himself. He attacked and injured Jean-Paul yet in the end was defeated. Jean-Paul gathered evidence that proved his innocence and was sure to lead to Kerridge's conviction.

A bout of depression hit Northstar some time later, as he felt he had lost his purpose in life, which brought him to an attempted suicide. Realizing one of the main element missing in his life was his [[Aurora|sister]], he began to seek her out. In doing so, they both joined with Alpha Flight to battle the menace of the then [[Weapon X III|Weapon X]]. After this battle ended, Northstar semi-retired to write his memoirs as a gay Super Hero. He titled the book "Born Normal". During the book tour, [[Phoenix|Jean Grey]] of the [[X-Men]] asked Northstar to join an X-Men strike force, to save [[Xavier Charles|Professor Charles Xavier]], who had been captured by the X-Men's greatest enemy, [[Magneto]]. Though at first Northstar declined the request, he did eventually consent to take part. The mission was successful, and Northstar's contribution was very important to the mission's success. At this time Jean-Paul decided not to stay with the X-Men. He was not yet aware that his sister was no longer safe with Alpha Flight, but that she had disappeared.

[[Image:Northstar_5.jpg|left]]It was not long after Jean-Paul's first mission with the X-Men, that Professor Charles Xavier asked him to join the teaching staff at [[Xavier's School for the Gifted]]. While he considered his options, Northstar joined the X-Men on a mission involving a young mutant who's powers were killing him. When the child died, Northstar realized it was his duty to help other young mutants, and accepted Xavier's offer. His roles at the Xavier institute involved teaching Business & Economics, and giving flight classes. He also served as a student adviser. During his time with the X-Men, Northstar has both fought against, and with Alpha Flight. Though he is not currently in contact with Aurora, he has learned of her association with the [[Weapon X Project]] through the taunts of Sabretooth. The taunts worked too well; Northstar gave Sabretooth a severe smackdown.

When The [[Hand]] captured and brainwashed [[Wolverine]] into attacking the Xavier Institute, Wolverine fatally stabbed Northstar. His body was later stolen by The Hand and resurrected in a brainwashed state. He lead the attack of similarly controlled super-beings against [[S.H.I.E.L.D.]] Eventually Northstar was captured by Wolverine (Whom S.H.I.E.L.D. had deprogrammed) and was taken into their custody for deprogramming.

The Children of the Vault, who exploited Northstar's mental vulnerabilities and brainwashing to recruit him into their battle against the X-Men. The Children had also kidnaped a mentally destabilized Aurora; they boosted the powers of both twins and manipulated or brainwashed the twins into attacking the X-Men.

Following the defeat of The Children, Rogue delivered both twins to the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier in an attempt to reverse the multiple layers of brainwashing that each twin had undergone since the disbanding of the version of Alpha Flight on which they had both last served. The process itself did not cure the twins. However, proximity and mutual connection to the same mental-manipulative machinery allowed the twins to again merge their powers. Pooling their powers in this way during the fight between Rogue's X-Men and Exodus' Acolytes on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier restored the mental states of both twins.

Aurora and Northstar both left the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier in the company of the X-Men. They went into private lives of semi-retirement, but both responded with Dazzler to Emma Frost's emergency APB for assistance in defending the X-Men's new base of operations in San Francisco from the Skrull invasion.

A short time later, Cyclops invited Northstar to join the X-Men.

Northstar reunited with former teammates Aurora, Sasquatch and Snowbird during the Chaos War.

During Unity's takeover of Canada (in the events of Fear, Itself), his boyfriend Kyle was taken over by the Unity process, a mind-control process of vague purpose.
The process led Kyle to hate Northstar; however, he was cured when Alpha Flight ended the threat.

Northstar has since been spending his time in New York with the X-Men and Kyle, who seems to have moved there.

==Powers/Abilities==
Northstar's mutant powers include the ability to utilize the atomic motion within his molecules to propel his body through the air at superhuman speeds. Theoretically, Northstar has the potential to travel at speeds approaching light itself. He has a strong resistance to physical stress and temperature extremes, allowing him to stay unharmed when he utilizes his speed. He also emits a soft, blue light.

'''Accelerated Metabolism:''' Both Aurora and Northstar have a boosted metabolism that can be used to heal wounds quickly. Northstar mentioned this during his mini-series.

'''Durability:''' As a side effect of partially robbing his molecules of their atomic motion, the binding forces within and between the molecules increase. This enhances the sheer toughness of Northstar's entire body. This effect gives his skin enough durability to withstand the ravages of wind, friction and air turbulence. He is durable enough to collide into normal human being at mach three speeds and not sustain any damage from the impact. He also has been shown to fly right through a Sentinel's. Due to the alterations by the [[Children of the Vault]], the twins gained superhuman durability. To what extent is yet to be revealed, as noted by Northstar, ?You can?t damage me, [[Rogue]]. The same force that shields me from friction takes the power from your blows?

'''Flashbang:''' It used to be necessary for him to make physical contact with his sister to be able to generate a bright light [million candles bright]. However, after the resurrection by [[The Hand]], Northstar is capable of doing this on his own, half a million candles bright.

'''G-Force Compensation:''' Both Northstar and Aurora have this ability and it was shown when the [[Blackbird]] [X-Men's plane] was going down his super speed automatically compensated for the G-force difference while everyone was sent flying.

'''Nerve Points:''' [[Wolverine]] and [[Department H]] taught Northstar to attack nerve points, but he rarely uses it. He showed he had this skill in his mini-series that was released, when he had to fight for his life. Most recently he has been trained by The Hand, most likely teaching him even more deadly arts.

'''Pyrokinetics:''' Due to the alterations by the Children of the Vault, the twins gained a new ability by touching hands it generates a massive pryrokinetic attack that destroys the surrounding area and people instantly with it. The full capacity of this attack has yet to be revealed, but it incinerated [[Iceman]]?s body

'''Reflexes:''' Northstar has heightened reflexes even to the point running speeds faster than mach 18.7 actually traveling 2.5km/sec. That?s orbital velocity [Mach 18.7-Mach 23.3] while still dodging cars and buildings doing this. His reflexes are far above the average human, but often at times Northstar and Aurora are shown not to have any at all

'''Speed:''' Through an act of concentration, Northstar can channel a portion of the kinetic energy of the atomic motion in his body's molecules in a single direction. This can accelerate his body in a velocity in direct proportion to the amount of kinetic energy she has tapped. He is capable of going 99% the speed of light, but is limited due to he would sustain great damage to himself and the environment if he reached that sort of speed. Northstar can safely go Mach 10 without causing any damage. However, he has been shown to fly escape velocity [Mach 32.7] while trying to save [[Paulie]] from the [[X-Men]]. As well as running mach 18.7 actually traveling 2.5km/sec. that?s orbital velocity [Mach 18.7-Mach 23.3] while still dodging cars and buildings doing this. He can also accelerate parts of her body, such as punching a target a hundred times in a less than a second. A feat Northstar can do that has even hurt the [[Hulk]]. He is even capable of reading at super speed, as shown when he read a briefing on [[Omerta]] during [[Alpha Flight]]'s [[World Tour]]. Due to the alterations by the Children of the Vault, the twins gained the ability to tap into their full speed potential. Such as the duo speed blitzed [[White Queen]] faster than 1/100 of a second and Northstar moved the speed of light to alter Cyclops?s optic blast to take out his teammates. They seemed to suffer no damaging effects for reaching this speed.

'''Strength:''' Due to the alterations by the Children of the Vault, the twins gained superhuman strength, sufficient enough for Northstar to rip open a steel door and [[Aurora]] to use her fingers at twice the speed of sound with enough force to pierce even steel. This is partly due to the twins experience by turning momentum into power. Yet using his speed, he has been shown to even hurt the Hulk with his punches

==Respect Thread==
A thread specifically created listing Northstar's greatest accomplishments in his career as well as stories that help define his character

Click the footnote to view the thread:
[http://www.killermovies.com/forums/f98/t489343.html]

[[Category:Alpha Flight]]