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    Aurora

    Character » Aurora appears in 950 issues.

    Aurora, the twin sister of Northstar, was a founding member of Alpha Flight. She also suffers from dissociative identity disorder, which often causes her to be caught in precarious situations.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Aurora last edited by fesak on 10/08/20 01:35PM View full history

    Origin

    Aurora with the original Alpha Flight
    Aurora with the original Alpha Flight

    Jeanne-Marie Beaubier and her twin brother, Jean-Paul, were born in Canada and separated during infancy when their parents died in a car crash. Jeanne-Marie was taken to Quebec, never learning of her brother, and was soon enrolled into Madame DuPont’s School for Girls after she was adopted. The introverted Jeanne-Marie soon grew sad and depressed with life at the school, and at age thirteen, she tried to end her life by jumping off of a roof. However, instead of falling to her death, she discovered she could fly at great speeds. Unaware that she was in fact a mutant, Jeanne-Marie believed her ability was a miracle from God. The School’s headmistress, Soeur Anne, thought it was a blasphemous idea and Jeanne-Marie was severely disciplined for it. This caused Jeanne-Marie to develop dissociative identity disorder (DID), with the second persona being more extroverted. Jeanne-Marie snuck out of the school that night, and came back three days later, but couldn’t remember where she had been or what she had done. Further discipline caused Jeanne-Marie to repress her second personality, and later she became a teacher at the school. Her other personality eventually returned, and while in Montreal a pair of muggers went to attacker her. She quickly took one out while the other was defeated by Wolverine. He invited Jeanne-Marie to meet James MacDonald Hudson, who was forming a team of superhuman agents for the Canadian government’s Department H. Jeanne-Marie was accepted as a recruit with the codename Aurora, who soon found out about her twin brother, who she later tracked down, inviting him to join the team as Northstar.

    Creation

    Aurora was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne in her first appearance in the Uncanny X-Men vol 1 #120 in April, 1979.

    Character Evolution

    Having experienced a relatively traumatic childhood with the tragic death of her parents and separation from her brother, Aurora being forced to deal with these issues without proper counseling resulted in her later depression and suicidal tendencies. Her powers hindered the progress she could have made, as they instead fostered the growth of her identity disorder. The return and re-uniting with her brother undoubtedly helped her out, and her time with the X-Men has and will continue to make her a better person/mutant.

    Major Story Arcs

    Alpha Flight

    As a member of Alpha Flight, Aurora fought many opponents such as the X-Men, Machine Man, the Great Beast Tundra, and the ancient mystic known as Ranark the Ravager. However, Beaubier’s dual personality still persisted, with each persona regarding the other as an entirely different being. The prim and proper Jeanne-Marie often had little memory of her activities while under the control of the uninhibited Aurora persona. Later, Aurora accompanied Northstar to visit his old mentor, Belmonde, but the reunion turned to tragedy after Belmonde was killed by Ernest St. Ives, also known as Deadly Ernest. He mistakenly believes Aurora to be Belmonde’s daughter and kidnaps her. However, with the help of the enigmatic Nemesis, Northstar manages to rescue his sister, and St. Ives was seemingly killed. The siblings later argued over Northstar’s mistaken assumption that Aurora had romanced St. Ives to prevent him from harming her. Shocked at her brother’s arrogance and insolence, Aurora angrily told him she never wanted to see him again. She ultimately sought to break her ties with Northstar completely, by having her teammate and then-lover Walter Langkowski alter her cellular structure in order to change her mutant powers, making her less connected Northstar. The experiment proved to be successful and Aurora was able to generate her own brilliant light, no longer requiring contact with Northstar. However, the light she created was only half as bright as the light that occurred when she and Northstar touched. Aurora's mutant signature also became undetectable as a result of the experiment.

    Aurora soon teamed up with Sasquatch in order to defeat the ancient alchemist known as Gilded Lily. Aurora continued to serve alongside Alpha Flight, defeating enemies such as the Great Beasts, the robotic Marco System, and Omega Flight. Aurora and Northstar soon reconciled their differences after the untimely death of their teammate, Walter Langkowski, and together the twins helped Alpha Flight to fight off a rampaging Hulk in Vancouver. However, during the battle, the twins discovered that Aurora’s altered abilities ultimately prevented them from touching without temporarily negating their powers. Soon after, Aurora began a brief flirtation with her teammate, Roger Bochs, before cruelly rejecting him. Shortly thereafter, Northstar grew severely ill, and while Alpha Flight sought a cure, the Norse God Loki appeared to Aurora and Northstar, convincing them both that they were not mutants at all, but rather half-elves. This, he said, was the reason why Northstar was dying, as he would not be able to survive without the light that the twins had once shared. Aurora willingly expended her powers to bathe Northstar in her light, finally curing him. Both of the mutants then traveled to the Elven lands; however, Aurora was immediately captured by demons and became trapped in the Asgardian netherworld, while Northstar was welcomed into Asgard by his supposed brethren. Loki was summoned before the higher Gods who berated him for lying to the twins about their heritage. In order to atone for his misdeeds, Loki transported Aurora from the netherworld to the Sainte-Anne de Beaupré monastery in Quebec, but was sent to the netherworld himself as punishment. It was here that Aurora became a nun and avoided contacting Alpha Flight until summoned by her mystic teammate Talisman in order to rescue Northstar from Asgard and defeat Llan the Sorcerer in the process. During the battle, Northstar restored Aurora’s mutant abilities, and the twins proved instrumental in Llan’s defeat. After encountering the telepathic Headlok, Aurora realized that the alteration of her cellular structure had begun to further alter her powers further, allowing her to transform into a being of pure light.

    Gamma Flight

    No Caption Provided

    Aurora soon chose to become a more pacifistic adventurer and devoted herself to spiritual healing rather than violence. Because of her new found beliefs, Aurora resigned from active duty with Alpha Flight, opting to join Gamma Flight instead. Here Aurora could support the team in psychiatric counseling by working on the rehabilitation of Alpha Flight's incarcerated prisoners. Later, Aurora was captured by Headlok, who mentally tortured her for weeks and ultimately restored her original dual personality. This allowed the Jeanne-Marie persona to resurface and defeat Headlok by expending the last of Aurora’s healing powers.

    Aurora briefly romances her former teammate, Wild Child, and is devastated when he leaves without saying anything in order to join the government-sponsored X-Factor team. When a new, more militaristic Department H arises, they deem Aurora a threat and have her committed to a psychiatric ward.

    She is released by the terrorist organization known as the Brotherhood, led by Havok. Aurora remains with them until the group is dissolved, and she later reunites with the other Alpha Flight founders to investigate a new Department H.

    Weapon X

    Aurora and Wildchild
    Aurora and Wildchild

    After rejoining Alpha Flight, Aurora was injured in battle by the cannibalistic sorcerer Mauvais, who forced her Jeanne-Marie personality to assume control, causing her to cower in fear, rather than continue to fight. She was subsequently admitted to the Manitoba Psychiatric Hospital for Women where she stayed for months without any improvement in her condition. She was soon freed by Wild Child on behalf of the new Weapon X program. The Project’s Director had her damaged psyche repaired and her superhuman abilities altered in exchange for her services as an agent. Aurora served the Weapon X project wholeheartedly and because she did not seem to remember Wild Child, she openly rejected his romantic advances and mocked him for his now more monstrous appearance.

    Later, Aurora embarked on her first mission to recapture the rogue Weapon X agent Sabretooth. However, during the encounter, Sabretooth savagely attacked her, severely scarring her face in the process. As her wounds healed, Aurora romanced the Project’s Director; however, his anti-mutant sentiments eventually came forward, and he brutally beat her when he noticed how distracted from the program he had been. When a rogue faction took control of the Project, the Director and Madison Jefferies were forced to flee, so the Director coerced Aurora into helping them escape undetected by using her superhuman speed. Once she was far enough away from the complex, Aurora dropped the two men off and began to brutally attack the Director in retaliation for his physical abuse against her earlier. It became apparent that this was a third personality, as her normal ones had mental implants preventing her from harming the Director. The Director soon asked her to end his life, as he no longer had anything to live for, so Aurora left him alive, calling him a pig as she flew off into the distance.

    The Return

    Aurora and Northstar
    Aurora and Northstar

    Apparently, Aurora has grown tired of her multiple personality disorder, as all three of her personas unanimously decide to commit suicide. As Aurora lifted a gun to her head, Northstar interrupted her and claimed that she would finally be free in the same manner as himself. Aurora was then brainwashed and had her powers enhanced by the Children of the Vault, who had already done the same for Northstar. The twins then went and attacked the X-Men at their mansion in order to kill Sabretooth on the Children of the Vaults behalf. The two easily over-powered many of the X-Men, however, Jeanne-Marie was soon defeated by Mystique and Iceman. The X-Men took them both prisoner, and then later used S.H.I.E.L.D equipment to attempt to heal their broken minds and restore their true personalities by making them re-live their lives. The procedure was almost successful, however the twins were interrupted during the process and were forced to heal each other by coming into contact and using their light based powers. After this, both twins now seem to have a better understanding of the power they share and Jeanne-Marie's psyche once again seems to be healed. The twins both opt to return to the X-Men's mansion and soon aid the team during the Secret Invasion when they answer Emma Frost's telepathic call for help.

    Dark X-Men

    Later, Aurora is shown to have grown accustomed to a more normal lifestyle after she helped her brother in creating the Team Northstar Extreme Snow Sports company, and thus became its COO. After a visit from Wolverine, Northstar agreed to rejoin the X-Men, whether Aurora was also asked remains unknown, but she does not rejoin the team along with her brother. Instead, it was later shown during the Dark Reign that Aurora had continuing therapy sessions and claimed that she no longer suffered from psychotic episodes. However, Norman Osborn instructs her psychiatrist to place a device on her head, that, once activated, caused a more aggressive personality to return. The device allowed this personality to remain dominant so long as she continued to wear it. Osborn then attempted to recruit Aurora for his Dark X-Men, and when she refused, he used his device to attack her psyche, at which point she created eight distinct personalities before placing the device on Norman himself. Before leaving she claimed that she did not see eye to eye with his policies and it is unclear which one of her new personalities is now in charge.

    Powers

    No Caption Provided

    Aurora has the power of flight and is capable of moving at superhuman speeds. When concentrating, she can accelerate her body to a velocity in direct proportion to the amount of kinetic energy she has tapped. It is theoretically possible for her to come close to moving at light speed, however, she would be unable to breathe and her body would suffer injuries due to the immense wind and friction. Aurora's skin is able to withstand speeds of up to at least mach 10 without injury. Aurora also has greatly enhanced reflexes and is able to perform a variety of feats such as; running across water and creating cyclones by running in circles. It has been noted that while Northstar is slightly faster than Aurora, she has slightly greater endurance and is able to travel longer in the same amount of time. By coming into physical contact with her brother, Aurora can change the rate at which her molecules accelerate in order to let out an extremely bright burst of light. This power has been altered through out her time with Alpha Flight, however it has currently been reverted back to its original state, with the twins having more control over the light they are capable of generating.

    However, Aurora's powers have been genetically altered on more than one occasion. At one time she was able to use her light powers without Northstar for a variety of effects including concussion blasts, healing waves, and mood alteration. Aurora was also able to turn herself into a being of pure light which allowed others to find inner peace. Her powers were again altered by Weapon X, when she was able to accelerate the molecules within an inanimate object or living being by touch, causing it to tear itself apart from the subsequent stress generated upon it. Both Aurora's and Northstar's powers were later altered by the Children of the Vault, enhancing both of their capabilities. Both have demonstrated super-strength, as well as the ability to cause an explosion when in contact, but the extent of these new abilities is still unknown if they are even present at all.

    Characteristics

    Aurora
    Aurora

    Hair: Black

    Eyes: Blue

    Height: 5'11"Weight: 140 lbs. (64 kg)

    Gender: Female

    Unusual Features: Silver streaks in her hair and slightly pointed ears

    Status

    Known Relatives: Jean-Baptiste Beaubier, father, (deceased), unidentified mother (deceased), Jean-Paul Beaubier aka Northstar, twin brother, Joanna Beaubier, adopted niece, (deceased); Louis and Genevieve Martin, first cousins once removed/adoptive parents, (deceased)

    Citizenship: Canadian

    Marital Status: Single

    Occupation: Adventurer; Former terrorist, nun, history/geography teacher

    Education: Madame DuPont's School for Girls

    Place of Birth: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Creators: Aurora was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne.

    Alternate Realities

    Earth-295

    AoA: Aurora and Northstar
    AoA: Aurora and Northstar

    In the The Age of Apocalypse, both Northstar and Aurora were part of Mr. Sinister's Elite Mutant Force (E.M.F.) and, as such, were assigned to patrolling the breeding pens. The siblings were rather snotty about their superior status as mutants and seemed to take great pleasure in punishing the prisoners who acted up or tried to escape. They failed chasing Christopher Summers and were defeated. When the E.M.F.’s leader, Cyclops switched sides, secretly helping Polaris and other prisoners to escape, he was caught in the act by the twins, who had conveniently been re-assigned. However, both of them were quickly defeated by Cyclops with the help of Polaris. When the series was revisited for the 10 year anniversary, it was revealed that following the fall of Apocalypse's regime, the Beaubier twins became fugitives, they hid in Canada, until they were killed by Weapon X and Kirika. Aurora fought with Kirika, who chopped off his right hand and later stabbed her.

    Earth-9602

    Aurora Trigger was an outlaw and member of The Alpha Outsiders and then later Generation Hex in this Earth's version of the Old West. Her multiple personality disorder sometimes made believe that she was a bounty hunter named Cinnamon.

    Weapon X: Days of Future Now

    In the Weapon X: Days of Future Now storyline, Aurora is one of the mutants that is recruited by Wolverine in to recreate the X-Men after all but himself and Angel were killed by Weapon X. When Wolverine asks her to join, Aurora is living a peaceful life with the Jeanne-Marie persona as a nun. Wolverine begins to slap her when she refuses to join until a third personality surfaces and agrees to his offer. After joining Wolverine's more violent version of the X-Men, Aurora is ultimately killed along with Mystique, Sunfire, and Deadpool when it is revealed that their teammate, Agent Zero, had been manipulated by Mesmero into secretly working for Weapon X.

    Earth-58163

    In the House of M reality, Aurora is a member of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Red Squad, where she and her brother, Northstar train new mutant recruits.

    Earth-1610

    The Ultimate version of Aurora is a member of the Alpha Flight team, although all of its members seem to be addicted to the drug known as Banshee, or the Mutant Growth Hormone (MGH). Working for Department H, Aurora and the rest of Alpha Flight come to the X-Mansion in order to take her brother, Northstar, back to their headquarters. She physically takes her brother captive, while the other members of Alpha Flight easily defeat the X-Men. Although her powers still seem to be speed based, they have been greatly enhanced by her use of MGH, making her faster than light, which she proves when she is able to remove Colossus' grip on Alpha Flight's jet without him being aware. Later, when the X-Men attack their base in order to rescue Northstar, she is quickly taken down by Dazzler, who has also enhanced her abilities with Banshee.

    Appearances in Other Media

    Television

    X-Men: The Animated Series

    Aurora in X-Men: The Animated Series
    Aurora in X-Men: The Animated Series

    Aurora briefly appears in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode "Slave Island," where she and her brother are seen as two of the many mutants being held captive on Genosha. She returns in the episode "Repo Man," where she and Northstar are seen as members of Alpha Flight. They battle Wolverine, but are quickly overpowered. She was voiced by Jennifer Dale.

    Games

    X-Men: Battle of The Atom

    X-Men: Battle of the Atom
    X-Men: Battle of the Atom

    Aurora is featured in the mobile card game X-Men: Battle of the Atom, based on the comic book story with the same name. Her cards are:

    • Aurora
    • [Prelate] Aurora
    • [Weapon X Renegades] Aurora

    Merchandise

    Marvel Legends
    Marvel Legends
    • Aurora was featured in ToyBiz's Alpha Flight line as part of a two-pack with Northstar.
    • Aurora was featured in the HeroClix figure game.
    • Aurora and Northstar were featured in Bowen Designs' line of busts as part of a two-pack.
    • Aurora was featured in The Classic Marvel Figurine Collection from Eaglemoss Publications as part of a two-pack with Northstar.
    • Aurora was featured in Hasbro's Marvel Universe line.
    • Aurora was featured in the Minimates line from Diamond Select as part of an Alpha Flight box set.
    • Aurora was featured in Hasbro's Marvel Legends line as part of the online-exclusive Alpha Flight box set.
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