Thunderbird

History

Proudstar was born into an Apache tribe in Camp Verde, Arizona. As a teenager, Proudstar discovers he possesses the mutant abilities of superhuman strength, speed and resistance to injury. This is a result of his mutation making his muscle tissue much denser than that of an ordinary human. His muscle density is distributed in such a way as to greatly enhance the size of his arms, shoulders, and thighs. Thunderbird's skin is also much denser than in ordinary humans, making him more resistant to physical injury. As part of his mutation, Thunderbird possesses oversized lungs and an unusually developed respiratory system. He can apparently run at faster than normal speeds, as he is seen overtaking a buffalo.

Proudstar is drafted into the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and eventually becoming a corporal. He returns to his tribe afterwards only to find himself depressed and restless. He spends his days running down buffalo and grappling them to the ground. He is later recruited by Professor X to join his third group of X-Men. Although Proudstar is reluctant to be a part of a white man’s team, he agrees and takes on the superhero title Thunderbird. After successfully completing his first mission with the X-Men, Thunderbird turns out to be so volatile and ill-mannered that he constantly throws off the team's synchronization. He often found himself going head to head with Cyclops. It was his anger that helped lead to his untimely end.

Death

His brother pays tribute

His brother James ( Warpath) later took over the Thunderbird name. He first blamed the death of his brother on the X-Men, later he became a member of the X-Force and X-Men.

A third character has gone by the name Thunderbird - Neal Shaara who briefly was an X-Man.  
  

Possible Resurrection

It was stated that Warpaths tribe was revived by Eli Bard during the events of Necrosha. John was Burried with his people, so this could mean he was resurrected as well.    
 
 

Powers

Thunderbird's powers were superhuman strength, speed, and resistance to injury. He did not live long enough for the limits of his powers to really be tested. While he was alive he proved himself to fast enough to easily outrun a full-grown bison, and strong enough to tear apart a small aircraft with his bare hands.

He was also a very skilled tracker. 
 

Alternate Realities

T-Bird smash

Pulled from this reality, Thunderbird -- or T-Bird -- was drafted into the first incarnation of the Exiles. He was told that he had to fix the multiverse or his own reality would become altered into one where he never freed himself from Apocalypse's control. That was enough reason for him.

On one world, he encountered another version of himself who was almost his own opposite. This John had become the Shaman of Alpha Flight and possessed an inner peace and certainty T-Bird doubted he could ever have. He found talking to his other self was almost like being with James again. While on this world, he was forced into a fight with the Hulk. He went deeper than usual into his War transformation, losing control and pummeling the Hulk into unconsciousness. His alternate self was able to get him to retake control over himself.

Having a baby

T-Bird and some of the other Exiles were captured and forced into gladiatoral combat on an Earth that had been under Skrull rule for a century. He would often refuse to fight in his heavyweight matches. Either he would lose or he would be driven to the point where he had to fight, pulling of a sudden comeback victory as he did against the world's Guido Carosella. During captivity, Nocturne revealed to him that she was pregnant with his child. Their captivity came to an end when the Skrulls suddenly began leaving the planet, and the reason became clear when Terrax arrived. Galactus was coming, and the Exiles had the responsibility to save this world from him.

Like Ferdinand the Bull

A Sasquatch from another world appeared to take his place on the Exiles, and he was left behind. Eventually, his body was recovered and put into stasis in the Panoptichron. He remained there for a long time until emerging fully healed.

He along with Nocturne and Blink then took some time off the Exiles and went to Heather Hudson's reality on a vacation.

Powers

Apocalypse turned John into a cyborg. The markings on his body feel like flesh but are in fact retractable and transformable plates. He often kept himself only in mid-transformation in battle, because going too far would turn him into War again. Even at this midpoint, he was in a strength class on par with other heavyweights like the Hulk and Juggernaut. Side effects of what Apocalypse did to him included a far lesser need to breathe or eat, an enhanced sense of smell and sight and the lack of a sense of taste.

Earth-295

John Proudstar of Earth-295 ( Age of Apocalypse) founded the Ghost Dance movement, a religion based on Apache beliefs.

A different Alpha Flight

Earth-901237

In this reality, John Proudstar was a member of an Alpha Flight led by Wolverine. He had become this reality's Shaman after meeting the original. Michael Twoyoungmen saw the potential in John and taught him to tap into it. He also allowed John to quiet his rage and find inner peace. John left the X-Men and joined Alpha Flight under the command of a Wolverine who was never part of the X-Men.

Shaman encountered an alternate version of himself when the Exiles visited his world on a mission. This was T-Bird, a John Proudstar who was turned into War by Apocalypse and never found a sense of inner peace. He did his best to bond with his unfortunate alternate self while both teams dealt with capturing the Hulk. 

Both Johns agreed that the Invisible Woman's powers were lame.

Earth-105709

In a timeline where the original X-Men managed to defeat Krakoa by themselves, Thunderbird was not recruited for the X-Men since they didn't need more members. Instead he was recruited by Eric the Red, but simply called himself "Proudstar". Eric, Proudstar and Nightcrawler (another would-be X-Man recruited by Eric) were easily defeated by the original X-Men.

The Original Thunderbird was named John and James Proudstar became his successor after his death from the X-Men mission. Xavier then sent a letter to James regarding how his brother died being recognized as a hero. James became mad to Xavier blaming him about his brother's death. James then joined Beast's team of X-Men as his stepping stone on killing Xavier. He took over his brother's codename as Thunderbird. However, he realized that if he would kill his brother's mentor, it would be awkward since his brother died heroically. He then joined Professor X's New X-Men team.

Earth-905

What if Professor X of the X-Men had become the Juggernaut?

In this reality, Charles xavier became the Juggernaut who formed the X-Men. Thunderbird is a member of Charles Xavier's X-Men who serves as a police force that aids the mutants and persecutes the sapiens. With the joined forces of Magneto and the former X-Men, they were able to put Juggernaut to Asteroid M. The X-Men's status then became unstable since no one leads them.

Earth-58163

T.V.

Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends.

Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends

X-Men Animated Series

X-men Animated Series

Wolverine and the X-Men

Wolverine and the X-Men