HEATHER HUDSON
Full Name: Heather McNeil Hudson
Former Aliases: Guardian II, Vindicator II
Group Affiliation: Alpha Flight (team liason)
First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #139
Creator: John Byrne

      Born into a rather large family, Heather McNeil had some rather interesting neighbours: Dr. Michael Twoyoungmen, his wife Kathryn and daughter Elizabeth. After Kathryn Twoyoungmen's death Elizabeth lived with the McNeils, and Heather and Liz grew up much like sisters.
      At a rather young age (17) Heather found herself working as a secretary for Jerome "Jerry" Jaxon at the Am-Can Petrochemical Corporation. [Note: Due to this information I've come to the interesting conclusion that Heather never completed high school. - Compiler] It was there that she first met James MacDonald Hudson. For Heather, it was love at first sight.
      When Hudson quit to protest the sale of his experimental armor to the American Military, Heather gave her two weeks notice as well. The next day she showed up at Hudson's apartment with a box of groceries. She quickly discovered that Jimmy had stolen the cybernetic helmet that operated the armor. Heather's response? "Well, a wife can't testify against her husband anyways." Although Hudson was rather shocked, he admitted an immediate attraction as well.
      It was at Heather's suggestion that Jimmy Hudson contacted the Federal government. This led to a "smoothing over" of things with Am-Can and Hudson receiving employment with the Ministry of Defence. After relocating to Ottawa the two were soon married in a civil ceremony. Despite the fact that James promised Heather a church ceremony, the two went on a honeymoon when Department H asked James to scout some property in Alberta for them. [And offered to pay. :) -C]
      During their honeymoon James and Heather came across the wild man that the world has come to know as Wolverine. The Hudsons became close to the man named Logan once he got back a measure of his sanity. Heather regarded him almost like a son, and Logan served as best man when James Hudson finally got around to the promised church ceremony.
      After Department H was disbanded by the federal government it was Heather Hudson who was responsible for Alpha Flight getting back together. Heather didn't want her "handsome hubby" going into battle up north all alone... so she activated Alpha's call beacons.
      Heather was present when her husband was seemingly blown to ashes after a battle with Omega Flight. Although she quickly bounced back from her tragedy, she still has nightmares of the event from time to time. Despite her hardship Heather eventually assumed leadership of her husband's team. At first she was a non-costumed operative, and then she wore a copy of Jimmy's battlesuit. As leader of Alpha Flight she first used the code-name Vindicator and then adopted the name Guardian, paralelling her husband.
      Heather Hudson has since suffered through both a resurrection, a death, and then a second resurrection of her husband. [You could argue that she suffered through THREE resurrections, but the one in Alpha #25 was a hoax - Compiler]
      For a time after James Hudson's second "resurrection" he and Heather lived and worked happily together. After a while though, the two were forced to confront the fact that both had changed a great deal. Heather and Mac separated, and Heather took a job in a flower shop.
      Then Eugene Milton Judd came to call, with news about James Hudson and Department H. Shortly afterwords at a local coffee shop the two were abducted by Epsilon Flight troupers from H. Shortly after *THAT* she was once again part of Alpha Flight, with a new battlesuit and assigned the code-name Vindicator once again. [Compiler's notes: It's unknown what happened to Heather's original battlesuit. The suit was *NOT* government property.]
     Heather's second stint with Alpha Flight was notably stressful. The team was continually manipulated by a Machiavellian Department H, which even brainwashed Heather and other team members numerous times. Heather stuck with the team until a new regime was brought in to clean up the Department.
     Heather Hudson has since retired from active duty with Alpha Flight, and is currently serving as team liason to Department H.
     Heather recently went on a date with her team-mate Eugene Judd but a relationship failed to gel. They are still friends. She and James Hudson are still on good terms, and Heather recently participated in a mission to rescue Mac from the forces of A.I.M. Although Wolverine has referred to James as Heather's "ex-husband" it's unconfirmed if the Hudsons have actually legally divorced.
      Heather Hudson wore a battlesuit of unknown origins and largely unquantified abilities while a field operative with Alpha Flight. The suit enabled her to fly, and allowed her to "tap geothermal energies." Using the suit she has produced steam blasts, lava blasts, created a small volcano and produced cool water with the suit. Hudson was still in the process of learning her battlesuit's capabilities when Alpha Flight v2 was cancelled.