The 10 Greatest Canadian Superheroes of All Time

“O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all of us command. With glowing hearts, we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee…”

To be Canadian is to be a lot of different things. To be Canadian means that you like hockey, drink beer and whiskey, are the nicest people on Earth, embrace the cold, are peacekeepers, and more. It also means you have a long history of some great comic book characters. Without spoiling too much, Wolverine is one of them. 

But who are the others? Who are the greatest Canadian superheroes? Great question. Here are the greatest superheroes that are Canadian.

Honorable mention: Captain Canada

Even though Captain Canada is not exactly a part of mainstream comics, he is still too much of a Canadian to be ignored. Captain Canada is a superhero created in the late 1970s by Geoff Stirling, Scott Stirling, and Filipino artist Danny Bulanadi. He debuted in the ‘Captain Newfoundland’ comic strip in 1979 and later appeared in the ‘Atlantis’ graphic novel.

Captain Canada, chosen by Captain Newfoundland, protects Canada and its values. He is equipped with a suit that grants him supernatural abilities controlled by his mind. He unlocks new powers by proving his worthiness. He also receives guidance from other heroes, communicates telepathically with them, and has been trained to reach higher levels of consciousness and politeness.

10. Wolverine

Let’s just get him out of the way right now. When it comes to Canadian superheroes, none are as well-known or as loved as Wolverine. Not only is he arguably the most popular X-Men of all time, but he’s also the reason that superhero movies exist today on the level that they do.

First appearing in ‘The Incredible Hulk’ #180, Wolverine quickly made a name for himself as someone not to be taken lightly. His healing factor allows him to heal from anything, nuclear bombs included, and a skeleton that’s practically unbreakable. 

Wolverine will remain on this list, and others like it, for as long as Canada wants him as a part of their country.

9. Deadpool

No character has gained as much popularity over the last 20 years as Deadpool. And why? Deadpool isn’t a traditional comic book character. Instead of being simply a character that lives their life daily on the pages of a comic book, Deadpool recognizes that he is a comic book character.

As such and different from other characters, he 1) communicates with his audience, 2) is unafraid to push the boundaries of what being a comic book character is, and 3) is really good at doing both.

Deadpool isn’t for everyone. He’s loud, foul, vulgar, and violent…which, if you think about it, is both ironic and the exact opposite of what a Canadian is perceived to be. Irony aside, Deadpool is one of the superheroes that are Canadian. 

8. Puck

Puck first appeared in ‘Alpha Flight #1’ back in 1983 and has been one of the most recognizable superheroes that are Canadian since. As far as superpowers go, Puck doesn’t have any that are worth bragging about. What he does have, however, is superhuman strength, agility, reflexes, and durability. Above that, he is one of the most skilled fighters in the Alpha Flight.

As the smallest member of Alpha Flight, Puck has often been underestimated. Make no mistake, however, if underestimated, Puck will waste no time in proving his underestimation to be unwise. 

7. Sasquatch

None of the Canadians on Alpha Flight are as physically imposing or impressive as Sasquatch. Although Gamma Radiation played a part in Sasquatch receiving his powers, it wasn’t completely responsible.

After studying and befriending Bruce Banner, Walter Langowski became interested in Gamma Radiation. Eventually, he exposed himself to it, hoping to become a creature similar to the Hulk. Unknown to him, the Gamma exposure caused a mystical door to open, allowing the Great Beast Tanaraq to walk through. At the site of Tanaraq, Walter transformed into Sasquatch, and the rest, as they say, was history. 

6. Shaman

Michael Twoyoungmen, or Shaman as he’s commonly known, is a member of, you guessed it, Alpha Flight. 

As the resident magic-user of the team, Shaman is immensely powerful. As such, he is capable of levitation. Levitation, however, isn’t what makes him so powerful. Instead, Shaman carries a medicine bag, which houses a pocket dimension. Once the pocket dimension is accessible, the Shaman can summon different spirits and have them carry out his bidding.

But that’s not all. When in his Talisman form, the Shaman can take full control over and command the Natural Spirits.

5. Captain Canuck

Of all the Canadian superheroes, none have a name that speaks the country quite like Captain Canuck.  Tom Evans, the original Captain Canuck was a Winnipegger who gained superhuman strength after coming into contact with a group of extraterrestrials. This version was canceled after just three issues but rebooted three years later. The new run lasted 11 more issues. 

Over the years, the extent of Captain Canucks’s abilities has changed. He was also imbued with superhuman speed and heightened durability in later incarnations. 

4. Northstar 

Another Marvel creation, Northstar is the brother to his twin, Aurora, and a prominent member of Alpha Flight. As a twin, he and Aurora have a special bond. When the two come together, they can move at the speed of light. In addition, when they touch, they release a bright light that can blind their opponents.

Northstar is known for many things. Of them, he is the first openly gay man to be wed inside the pages of a comic book. This means that not only is Northstar a proud Canadian, but he’s also breaking down barriers that should’ve been broken down centuries ago. 

3. Aurora

As the twin to Northstar, Aurora deserves to be on this superheroes that are Canadian list.  Separated at birth, the twins grew up under different circumstances. In the case of Aurora, she was sent to Madame DuPont’s School for Girls in LaVelle, Quebec. Unhappy with how her life had played out, Aurora climbed to the top of a building and hurled herself off of it.

Instead of meeting her end, however, she began to fly. Unaware of her mutant genetics, she believed her power to come from the divine. Unfortunately, the school didn’t see it this way. Rather than embracing who she was, they punished her for it. This caused her to develop dissociative identity disorder.

Eventually, she was recruited by James MacDonald Hudson to be a member of the Canadian superteam, Alpha Flight. Once a member, she was reunited with her brother Northstar, and they have, more or less, become inseparable since.

2. Vindicator

As one of the original members of Alpha Flight, Heather McNeil is as Canadian as they come. In fact, it was Heather who tamed Wolverine and brought him down from the feral state she first encountered him in.

Heather is the wife of James MacDonald Hudson, or as you may know him, the first Vindicator. After she put on the suit and became Vindicator, Heather was able to fly, create force fields, and manipulate geothermal energy. This meant that she was able to melt rock, create blasts of lava, shoot streams of hot and cold water, and absorb forms of heat, which, in turn, powered the suit.

1. Guardian

While employed by a Petro-Chemical Company, James MacDonald Hudson developed a suit for geological exploration. His employer, however, had other plans. Rather than use the suit for geological exploration, his employer planned to sell the design to the military as a prototype for a weapon. Not wanting his design to be used this way, James stole the suit and sabotaged the company’s chance to replicate it.

Shortly after these events, the Canadian Government invited Hudson to help get their newly formed Department H off the ground…and he did. With Department H operational, he turned his attention to creating a group of Canadian superheroes to protect the entirety of the country. That group, now dubbed Alpha Flight, has since become Canada’s most famous superhero team.

And that’s it. The Top 10 Greatest Superheroes That Are Canadian. What do you think? Who would make your superheroes that are Canadian list?

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