guardian (person)

James MacDonald Hudson was a scientist working for the Am-Can Corporation in their research division. While in their employment, Hudson designed and constructed a suit capable of allowing the wearer to bore through solid rock to be used to aid in oil exploration. After perfecting the suit and its key component, the cybernetic helmet that allowed an ease of use never seen before, Hudson learned that the suit was to be sold to the U.S. government as a weapon prototype. Hudson would not allow his work to be used to such ends and so stole the suit and destroyed it after taking the cybernetic helmet.

During this time, Hudson fell in love with and married a woman named Heather McNeil. Hudson was approached by the Canadian government who asked Hudson to head a program to create a state funded superhero team for the Canadian goverment. The program was called Department H and Hudson soon became its leader.

Hudson's first candidate for his new department showed up during his honeymoon. Logan, the mutant who would later be known as Wolverine, encountered the Hudson's at a cabin in the Canadian wilderness. Unbeknownst to the Hudson's, Logan had recently been the subject of an extensive set of experiments during which the unbreakable metal Adamantium had been bonded to his bones. Logan had been driven to a near feral state by the experiments and only through the efforts of Hudson and his wife, who adopted Logan in many ways, was he able to come through it.

Over the next few years, other heroes were brought into Hudson's group: the mystic hero Shaman, the shape-changing demi-goddess Snowbird, the hirsute powerhouse Sasquatch and the superfast twins Aurora and Northstar. Others were also brought in and they were divided into different groups or flights according to their experience and skill. The best of these was known as Alpha Flight.

Hudson's plans soon hit a major snag. Logan who had taken the name Wolverine left Department H after he was approached by Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men to be part of his team. Hudson's intention to have Logan lead Alpha Flight came apart and Hudson felt betrayed by Wolverine. He soon adapted his original suit design to create a battle suit and began to train in the battle suit intending to pursue Wolverine and bring him back.

Hudson eventually confronted his friend in Westchester, NY at the home of the X-Men using the codename Weapon Alpha. He came into conflict with not only Wolverine but also his other mutant teammates. A novice in battle, Hudson miscalculates during the ensuing conflict and injures Moira MacTaggert, a friend of the X-Men and innocent bystander to their battle. Eventually forced to retreat, Hudson was overwhelmed with guilt for injuring an innocent and adopted the name Vindicator, feeling he had to vindicate himself for his mistakes.

Hudson went on to lead Alpha Flight as a regular superhero team eventually coming to terms with his past errors and adopting a new codename Guardian. Hudson's past caught up to him, when Jerome Jaxon, his former boss at Am-Can Corporation kidnapped Hudson's wife. Jaxon's career and personal life were ruined after Hudson stole his prototype suit and destroyed it. Jaxon attempted to commit suicide, but only ended up crippling himself. He then organized former members of Hudson's decommissioned Department H teams Beta Flight and Gamma Flight into a force to battle Alpha Flight. The fight took place in New York, during which Jaxon controlling the metal construct Box beat Hudson nearly to death. Hudson was able to defeat Jaxon, but his battle suit was seriously damaged and threatened to explode. Trying to effect repairs, Hudson had nearly succeeded when he was distracted by his wife entering the room. The suit exploded and Hudson was seemingly disintergrated.

Hudson was in fact not destroyed, but instead was able to configure the explosion to open a gateway that would allow him to escape. Badly injured and with no time to determine where the explosion would take him, Hudson awoke to find himself on one of Jupiter's moons, Io. He would have surely died if not for the timely intervention of an advanced native species called the Qu'wrlln. They were able to save Hudson's life, but having never seen a human, they did their best to repair him, incorporating elements of the battlesuit into Hudson himself. As if this were not enough, Hudson also found that his gateway had hurled him into the past. The Qu'wrllns put Hudson in suspended animation and would wake him when it was nearer to his own era. When Hudson awoke, he found that something had happened to the Qu'wrlln, but that a ship had been left for him to return to Earth. Using the ship, Hudson flew to earth and crashed into the ocean. He was discovered by agents of the oil company Roxxon (Put a Puma in Your Tank - Roxxon). (Note: Part of this same story was used as a robot named Delphine Courtney to mascarade as Hudson and to battle Alpha Flight, but was ultimately destroyed by Madison Jefferies).

Hudson was taken to a Roxxon facility in Denver where the mechanical bits of him intergrated with their computer network, taking it over to defend himself. Members of Alpha Flight along with a Roxxon agent called Windshear battled the computer system and discovered Hudson. He was reunited with his former teammates and his wife. The work of the Qu'wrlln left Hudson out of touch with his emotions and very mechanical and distant. This caused strain between he and his wife, but eventually he was restored to his normal self and continued to lead Alpha Flight.