GAMMA FLIGHT I | uncannyxmen.net

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26th June 2011

Gamma Flight I was the lowest level training squad of the Canadian government’s super hero program. Department H had developed a three-tiered training system - where new recruits would usually start at the bottom tier (Gamma Flight), before moving onto additional training (Beta Flight) and finally qualify for active field status (Alpha Flight).

First appearance: none [The group was never shown in action, but mentioned several times by its former members and their allies. Illustrative images depicting the team’s roster can be found in Alpha Flight (1st series) #1 and #51-52]
Last appearance: prior to Alpha Flight (1st series) #1

Membership: Diamond Lil, Madison Jeffries, Marrina, Smart Alec, Wild Child
Allies: James MacDonald Hudson / Guardian I, Gary Cody

Early History of Department H

James MacDonald Hudson had a dream - a dream of creating Canada’s own national super team like the United States’ Fantastic Four and Avengers. Using a cybernetic exploration suit of his own design, he took his proposal to the Canadian government, which agreed to fund his project, dubbed Department H. Two others instrumental in the formation of Department H and Alpha Flight were Gary Cody and General Jeremy Clarke. Gary Cody was the Flight program’s very first government liaison. Although Gary was supportive of the super-beings found by James Hudson and tried to be their friend, he was bound by his obligations to the government.

The first recruit for the Flight program was Wolverine, whom James and his wife, Heather McNeil Hudson, encountered while on their honeymoon. Soon, other super-beings joined Wolverine, though not all of them proved to be as resourceful and reliable. In fact, the first mission of “The Flight,” as the team was called, turned out to be a disaster as their most powerful member died and another quit. As a result, Hudson and Department H developed the three-tiered training system.

Before

Smart Alec was part of the Flight’s fateful first mission. Though actually one of the world’s smartest men, he found himself unble to handle the stress of a field mission. He panicked and couldn’t think straight when his teammates needed to rely on him. [Alpha Flight Special (2nd series) #1]
Wild Child had been recruited even before Smart Alec, at a time when James Hudson was desperately seeking superhumans and accepting them into the Flight program no matter what. Wild Child’s psychopathic tendencies could no longer be overlooked, though, when he went berserk during an exercise and hurt a fellow recruit. [Alpha Flight (1st series) #127]
Marrina too had been recruited by Department H before the three-tier system had been invented. [Wolverine: First Class #5] Due to her youth and inexperience, she was placed on Gamma Flight, though she mastered her abilities quite quickly and was soon upgraded to Beta Flight. [Alpha Flight (1st series) #2]
It’s quite likely that other members of Beta Flight I or Alpha Flight were at some point placed in Gamma Flight, but Marrina is the only one for whom a brief membership has been confirmed.
Nothing is known about Diamond Lil’s life prior her joining the Flight program.
Madison Jeffries and his brother Lionel both served as soldiers in a war. When Lionel went insane after being unable to save all their fallen comrades with his flesh-altering powers, Madison had to restrain him and had him institutionalized. [Alpha Flight (1st series) #30] Fearing to become one day like his brother, Madison used his power over metal to keep barriers around himself, keeping everyone at a distance. While being treated in the V.A.hospital, Madison came to the attention of James Hudson. [Alpha Flight (1st series) #89]

Chronology

There are no documented missions of Gamma Flight. Apparently, during their time with Department H, Gamma Flight’s various members were training both individually and as a team to hone their unique powers. During their training sessions, Diamond Lil and Madison Jeffries developed romantic feelings for each other and started a brief relationship. Eventually, though, the Canadian Prime Minister shut down the entire Flight program due to budget constraints. Alpha Flight had made their public debut only several weeks before but, during their first battles, they had caused damages amounting to several million dollars. As a result, the parliament felt that super heroes were a luxury the government could no longer afford. [X-Men (1st series) #140, Alpha Flight (1st series) #1]

Afterwards

For reasons unknown, Madison Jeffries faked his own death, letting his former teammates, including Diamond Lil, believe him dead. [Alpha Flight (1st series) #28]
Like several members of the Beta Flight squad, Smart Alec, Wild Child and Diamond Lil were contacted by an operative of Roxxon Industries. Equipped with a behavior influencer, that operative managed to fuel their hatred towards James Hudson for letting them down, and they formed Omega Flight I in opposition to Alpha Flight. Determined to uncover the secret of Shaman’s mystical pouch, Smart Alec snatched it during their battle with Alpha Flight and gazed inside. As a result, Alec’s mind was wiped clean by the sheer wonderment of the sights he had seen. [Alpha Flight (1st series) #10-12] Diamond Lil and Wild Child were later taken into custody. [Alpha Flight (1st series) #28]
Madison Jeffries was not tracked down by the operative of Roxxon Industries, as, due to his power, he would have immediately recognized the operative for a rather sophisticated robot. Madison later aided Alpha Flight against Omega Flight and started to hang out with the team, eventually joining them. [Alpha Flight (1st series) #28]