Happy Canada Day, everybody! I guess, technically, Canada Day was Monday, but I think we’re still good to celebrate the best and coolest Canadian superheroes all this week! Eh? And you’d be surprised how many comic book characters hail from the Great White North, and how popular some of them have become. Almost as popular as Mounties and maple syrup! I also realize that tomorrow is the Fourth of July, a much more American holiday, but I already did a list of patriotic superheroes a few years ago. We like to spread the wealth here at Henchman-4-Hire and recognize other awesome nationalities.

Oh, Canada!

Canada is a proud land with a heroic and industrious people. And you may not believe this, but not all of their superheroes wear maple leaves or represent Mounties – only most of them. Most Canadian superheroes owe a lot to the rich history and culture of that great land, and who could be prouder than someone representing their country? Kind of like the Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen! Anyway, on with the list of Canada’s most awesome superheroes!

6. Northstar

The one who got gay married

You know what they say about French Canada, don’t you? French Canada is ze best Canada! And I’m apt to agree with anything that’s put to song. No French Canadian is cooler than Northstar, the super fast X-Man who made national headlines last year when he and his boyfriend got married in Marvel’s first gay marriage – only to be immediately forgotten about and possibly even dropped from the comic. But such is marriage, right? Northstar and his sister Aurora were first introduced as members of Canada’s own superhero team, Alpha Flight, a whole team of awesome Canadian superheroes. But then Northstar has gained more popularity and acclaim as a member of the much more popular X-Men. He really traded up.

5. Northguard

A little on the scrawny side

Every good superhero needs a logo, and is there any country in the world with a better logo than Canada? All you need to do is slap a red maple leaf onto a costume and you’ve got yourself a superhero, which is probably how they created Northguard in the mid-80s. Northguard is really Philip Wise, a young Montreal man given incredible powers by a corporation in order to stop an evil plot to unite Canada and the United States into one giant, quasi-Christian theocratic dictatorship! I don’t think Captain America has ever faced stakes that high. Northguard managed to shut down the conspiracy and saved all Americans from ever having to eat Poutine. Unfortunately, he was never heard from again.

4. Nelvana of the Northern Lights

Only 15 cents? Score!

It may surprise you that Wonder Woman is not the first female superhero. There were plenty before Wonder Woman, including Nelvana of the Northern Lights, the first Canadian superhero of all time! That she is also a woman is just a sign that the people of Canada were ahead of their times in gender politics in 1941, when Nelvana appeared in an issue of Triumph-Adventure Comics. Based on legends from Inuit people, Nelvana was a powerful mythical figure dedicated to defending her people, using powers like invisibility and super speed, fueled by the Northern Lights themselves. Why there hasn’t been a revival of Nelvana since the 40s, I just don’t know. Maybe it’s the lime green leggings.

3. Sasquatch

Otherwise known as ‘Orange, Furry Hulk’

Did you know Bigfoot was a superhero? Well he is! Kind of! Sasquatch is Walter Langowski, a Canadian scientist who was fiddling around with the same gamma radiation that turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk. Because scientists aren’t going to let a little thing like accidental monstrosity stop them from doing science! Predictably, something went wrong, and now Langowski has the ability to transform into a giant orange man-beast! He quickly joined Alpha Flight, Canada’s own superhero team, and has been with them pretty much nonstop. Except for that time he was transformed into a woman. And that time he was replaced by an actual, living sasquatch. But that’s comic books for you.

2. Captain Canuck

Making Canada badass

Of all the Canadian superheroes who dress in red and white and model themselves after the flag, Captain Canuck is one of them. In fact, he may be one of the most well known too. When he debuted in 1975, Captain Canuck pretty much just wore a standard red and white superhero jumpsuit. Almost like Northguard, but…cooler? No, that word doesn’t sound right. He was Tom Evans, a hero who lived and worked in the futuristic year of 1993, where Canada had become the most powerful country on Earth (nice try, Canada!).  What Captain Canuck has that most Canadian superheroes don’t is longevity. He has been revived as a cult favorite, with new comics being published throughout the past decade. There are also plans to make a Captain Canuck movie, and even a web series. New episodes are supposed to be coming, but they have a teaser video up that looks pretty awesome. You can watch it right now!

1. Wolverine

Snikt, Snarl and Stuff

You don’t earn a nickname like ‘The Ole Canucklehead’ without being Canadian and proud! He’s Wolverine! He’s one of the most popular superheroes in all of published existence! He’s got his own movie coming out this summer! What more do you need to know? He’s short, hairy, angry and has six sharp, metal claws coming out of his hands. He’s also named after one of  Canada’s most famous woodland creatures. He’s the only superhero who can successfully pull off a bright yellow costume, and gets more tail for a short hairy dude than any real short hairy dude alive. If Marvel Comics had their way, they’d probably change their name to Wolverine Comics, Featuring Spider-Man.

But did you know that Wolverine actually started out as an Incredible Hulk villain? Wearing a costume that had cute little whiskers on it? It’s true!

Isn’t he just adorable?

Fortunately, he’s grown up since then, into wearing a bright yellow costume that doesn’t have whiskers. How times change. As long as Wolverine is around, Canadians everywhere will have someone to look up to and admire. Because sometimes Dudley Do Right just doesn’t cover it.

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