Shaman (comics) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shaman
Shaman (second from left) on the cover of Alpha Flight #27, October 1985. Art by John Byrne.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Uncanny X-Men #120 (Apr 1979)
Created by	John Byrne
In-story information
Alter ego	Michael Twoyoungmen
Species	Human
Team affiliations	Alpha Flight
Notable aliases	The Binder of Spirits, The Breaker of Dark Spells, The Promised One, Talisman
Abilities	Levitation Carries a medicine bag which contains a pocket dimension Ability to summon anything needed from the bag and beseech spirits to fulfill his requests As Talisman: Vast magic manipulation Ability to command natural spirits to do his will

Shaman (also known as Dr. Michael Twoyoungmen) is a superhero from Marvel Comics. He is often seen as a member of the superhero team Alpha Flight.

How Shaman Was Created

Shaman was created by the comic book artist John Byrne. He first appeared in the comic book Uncanny X-Men #120 in April 1979.

Shaman's Story

Early Life and Family

Michael Twoyoungmen comes from Calgary, Alberta, in Canada. He is a member of Canada's First Nations, specifically the Tsuu T'ina people.

When his grandfather was very old and close to passing away, he asked Michael to become his student in mystical arts. Michael did not believe in magic at the time, so he said no. Around the same time, his wife, Kathryn Twoyoungmen, became very sick. Michael tried everything to find a cure. He promised his daughter, Elizabeth, he would save her mother. Sadly, Kathryn passed away. His grandfather also passed away on the same day.

Becoming Shaman

Filled with sadness, Michael went to live alone in a cabin in Banff National Park. He left Elizabeth to be raised by family friends, the McNeils. Their daughter, Heather, would later become Vindicator, a leader of Alpha Flight. Elizabeth grew to resent her father for not saving her mother.

In his cabin, Michael received his grandfather's skull. He then had a vision of his grandfather. Michael began to study Sarcee magic. He became strong in his beliefs. He learned to pull mystical items from his special medicine bag whenever he needed them. He then took on the name and look of a shaman.

Joining Alpha Flight

Years later, Shaman helped with the birth of Snowbird. She was born from a magical union between a human and an Inuit goddess named Nelvanna. Shaman cast spells to keep Snowbird connected to Earth. He raised her, and she grew up very quickly. She looked like she was in her 20s within a few weeks.

Heather Hudson (Vindicator) and her husband James Hudson (who started Alpha Flight) visited Shaman. They were looking for super-powered people to join their team. They recruited both Shaman and Snowbird to join Alpha Flight.

Elizabeth Becomes Talisman

A few years after Shaman joined Alpha Flight, his daughter Elizabeth found a skull at an old site. She had a vision of a powerful evil being called Ranaq the Devourer. Elizabeth knew her father was Shaman, even though he tried to hide it with spells. She called him to examine the skull.

They met Lucas Strang and his great-granddaughter, Emily. Emily was controlled by Ranaq and tried to harm Elizabeth. Instead, this activated Elizabeth's own hidden magical powers. She used these powers to defeat the controlled Emily.

Shaman told Elizabeth to reach into his medicine bag. She pulled out the Coronet of Enchantment, a magical headband. She put it on and became Talisman. Talisman was a person with great mystical power, as foretold in a prophecy. Shaman did not tell her that once she put on the Coronet, she could not take it off without great pain.

Soon after, Talisman got trapped inside the pocket dimension within Shaman's medicine bag. This happened even though Shaman had promised to save her. She was later rescued by the Beyonder. But this broken promise made Elizabeth's resentment towards Shaman turn into hatred.

Shaman's Crisis and New Powers

Shaman's failure to save his daughter made him lose faith in his powers. He could no longer pull mystical items from his medicine bag. Shaman went on a special journey to find answers. He learned the secrets of mysticism again from the spirit of his grandfather.

Shaman gained the power to ask nature spirits for help. However, he could not force them to obey, unlike Elizabeth. He also received a staff and an eagle helm. The eagle helm could turn into an eagle that helped him.

The Return of Talisman

When Snowbird was pregnant, she needed to give birth in a place of great power. Shaman asked the spirits to guide him to such a place. However, Talisman, who was corrupted by her power and anger, forced the spirits to lead them to an evil place instead.

Snowbird's child was possessed by the spirit of a sailor who had been frozen for over a century. Calling himself Pestilence, he fought Alpha Flight. Talisman planned to let Pestilence defeat Alpha Flight. Then, she would step in to defeat him herself, hoping to embarrass her father.

But Talisman could not defeat Pestilence. He was only partly a spirit, being preserved in ice. This meant he was outside the reach of her powers. As they fought, he ripped the Coronet of Enchantment from her head. Elizabeth was shocked back to her senses. She was very upset about what she had done and apologized to her father.

Shaman believed the only way to save Alpha Flight was to put on the Coronet himself. He took on the powers and title of Talisman. As Talisman, Shaman became cold and distant, just like Elizabeth had been. Eventually, he gave the Coronet back to Elizabeth. He then picked up his original medicine bag and powers again. He continued to work with Alpha Flight as Shaman.

Later Events

Much later, different versions of Alpha Flight from the past were brought to the present time. They stayed in the present and became the new Alpha Flight. The original Alpha Flight left Earth to return some Plodex eggs to their home planet.

Shaman, along with other heroes like Major Mapleleaf, Pucks, Guardian, and Vindicator, was attacked by a powerful being called the Collective. Their bodies were left in the Yukon Territory. Later, another hero, Sasquatch, confirmed that Shaman had passed away.

During the "Chaos War" story, Shaman returned from the dead. This happened because the death realms were affected by Amatusu-Mikaboshi's rampage. He joined a reunited Alpha Flight to fight the Great Beasts again. Shaman remained alive after the defeat of the Chaos King.

Shaman later represented the Canadian government. He attended a meeting held by Black Panther at Avengers Mountain.

Shaman's Powers and Skills

Training and Knowledge

During his first training with his grandfather's spirit, Shaman went through intense physical and mental training. He learned the wisdom of the Sacree medicine men. He could focus so well that he could not just think of objects, but truly feel or know them. This allowed him to pull them from his medicine pouch. He could also run silently through the forest without disturbing any animals.

Shaman is also a fully trained doctor. He knows a lot about the human body and complex surgeries. Before his mystical training, he was known as the best surgeon in Canada. Because of his medical training, he recognized that his grandfather's skull had been cleaned of flesh by boiling.

Magical Abilities

Shaman is a magic-user. He carries a special medicine bag that holds a pocket dimension called the Void. From this bag, he can summon all kinds of physical and magical items and potions.

After his special journey, Shaman gained the power to ask spirits for help. He cannot force the spirits to obey him. In this form, Shaman carries a "spirit staff" that glows when he calls spirits. He also wears an "eagle helm" that can turn into an eagle. This eagle acts as his helper spirit.

Shaman can float in the air by controlling mystical energy around him. He cannot truly fly, though.

As Talisman

When Shaman took on the role of Talisman, he gained new powers. He could command nature spirits to do whatever he wished. He could also control vast amounts of mystical energy for many different effects. He has since given up these powers.

Other Versions of Shaman

An alternate version of Shaman appears in Ultimate X-Men #94. He is seen playing baseball with other Alpha Flight members. This version of Shaman is a mutant with increased strength, speed, agility, and senses. These powers were boosted by a drug called Banshee, not by magic. This version of Shaman is actually John Proudstar, not Michael Twoyoungmen.

Shaman in Other Media

Shaman appears in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode "Repo Man." His voice was done by Don Francks. He is shown as a member of Alpha Flight in the episode.

See also

In Spanish: Chamán (cómic) para niños