How about....

[Mokole]

Bringing Albert Louis in as Guardian? With his natural energy abilities and time off to develop a feel for them he'd be perfect. Hudsons could then be Vindicator and Weapon Alpha if needed. He'd be a great Guardian.

[kozzi24]

Why?
Feedback has powers of his own, so doesn't need a suit that has killed wearers in the past. And if he hears your theory on the suit effecting people's brain wavelengths, I think He'd be even more reluctant.

For a title with less than 200 issues in the can, some of the character names are pretty convoluted as it is. Weapon Alpha to Vindicator to Guardian to Heather as leader to Vindicator to Guardian, staying Guardian when Mac was back, with Mac as Vindicator, then Mac back as Anti-guard, then becomeine Guardian while Heather took a new suit and the Vindicator name while a second Guardian was running around. Why convolute that more.

There's the same problem with Shaman taking his daughter's mantle of Talisman, then her getting it back and he reverting to Shaman.

Madison Jeffries is another example. While wearing a suit to have raw materials on hand is a good idea, his mutant power is actually more powerful than the Box armor.

Let's KISS...Keep It Simple, Silly.

[Ottawa Renegade]

Weapon Alpha to Vindicator to Guardian to Heather as leader to Vindicator to Guardian, staying Guardian when Mac was back, with Mac as Vindicator, then Mac back as Anti-guard, then becomeine Guardian while Heather took a new suit and the Vindicator name while a second Guardian was running around. Why convolute that more.

MML thinks math is hard. He should try following the history of the Guardian/Vindicator name.

[Mokole]

Oh, I wouldn't want Louis to wear the Mac e-m suit at all, ever. I think his powers and potential make him a perfect Guardian (creates his own force fields, absorbs energy, bio-energy blasts, and of course his simalcrums (sp?), then there's the fact he's not screwed up). In fact, my point is to sort-of retire Vindicator and Weapon Alpha to desk jobs and parental responsibilities, replace Michael with his daughter as Shaman, and bring in Zuzha Yu as Pound, since Puck is still around.

Hudsons run the show and wear their suits part-time (so sometimes neither is on the mission, maybe often), Michael trains Elizabeth and Snowbird when they're at home, while Puck and Sasquatch run Alpha Flight most of the time, with Guardian the most powerful member and future leader. So on most action missions it's one Hudson, Puck, Sasquatch, Shaman, Snowbird, Pound, and Guardian.

Evolution, not remixing. After all, there's no way Mac Hudson is real, the original is dead, dead, dead.

Besides, did anyone ever call Johnny Bucyk 'Chief II', or will the next 'Clyde the Glide' be called "Clyde the Glide III"? I always find the Box II, Flash IV, Batman III stuff for people who need a scorecard to tell the Leafs from the Canadiens. The Flash is Wally West, not Flash III or Flash IV. Madison Jeffries is Box, not Box IV.

My idea, IMHO, improves AF while keeping Byrners happy.

[cmdrkoenig67]

Zuzha Yu as Pound

Um....Mokole...not many girls would want to be called Pound(Poundcakes aside).

Dana

[Legerd]

Naw, if anyone should wear the Guardian outfit it should be Puck (the original). With his fighting skills and the suit's powers he'd be like Yoda in a battle.

[cmdrkoenig67]

Waitaminute!!! Mokole said "then there's the fact he's(Feedback/Albert Louis) not screwed up"Mac might be considered screwed up,....but how is Heather, might I ask?

Dana

[kozzi24]

replace Michael with his daughter as Shaman...Michael trains Elizabeth

Actually, Elizabeth is the more powerful mystic. She can COMMAND the spirits while Shaman can only request their aide.
Shaman can conjur anything that can fit through the mouth of the pouch, while Talisman can canjure without size limits.
Talisman is raw, untrained power, but she could teach her old man a thing or two, I'd wager

[HappyCanuck]

Actually, Elizabeth is the more powerful mystic. She can COMMAND the spirits while Shaman can only request their aide.
Shaman can conjur anything that can fit through the mouth of the pouch, while Talisman can canjure without size limits.
Talisman is raw, untrained power, but she could teach her old man a thing or two, I'd wager

Slight glitch with that, Kozzi - Talisman is a Spirit Binder, but has no active power of her own: she needs for magic to be present for her powers to work (hence why she and Shaman teamed up alot in the early days). In a mystical void (where there are bound to be some), Talisman is quite useless without another mystic around.

As long as Mike has the pouch, he's fine, as it seems to be random, chaotic magic that he can form with his will. It wasn't until he became a TRUE Shaman that he was able to request the spirits - part of the test that one pissed-off Talisman helped with, leading into the first Pestilence storyline.

[Mokole]

Waitaminute!!! Mokole said "then there's the fact he's(Feedback/Albert Louis) not screwed up"Mac might be considered screwed up,....but how is Heather, might I ask?

Dana

Twice in v2 Department H brainwashed her. She's seen her husband blown to bits right in front of her. She's seen her 'husband' return three times, once only to be found a synthoid, twice 'he' died again, then came back. Can't be too good for the psyche, all that.

I still think Louis is the best choice to take on the mantle of Guardian, no need to wear the same suit, no need for batteries, no worries about computer glitches. Why not that Nova Scotian, 1 year more advanced than his last appearance?

And Michael has all that experience and knowledge, which is why Elizabeth would need training from him, as Snowbird still does.

[HappyCanuck]

not to meantion Heathers once-unhealthy obsession with the suit, dispite the fact it killed her hubby, and her reluctance to take it off for most of the first series...

[Ben]

The thought of Albert Louis becoming Guardian is just wrong to me. He's one of those characters that I doen't even really think of as part of Alpha Flight. We know nothing of him, he has next to no battle experience. I can't imagine him taking a figurehead role with experienced members all around. Heather is the best choice. I think that with all the adversities she faced and stayed sane is excelent proof of her metal, and leadership skills.

Ben

[HappyCanuck]

As much as I agree with you about Feedback, Ben, I'm still questioning your definition of 'sane' where it concerns Heather. I think it's been pretty well summarised that, for Heather to don the suit, she'd have to be insane, especially with all the trouble she's had in/with the various suits she's worn.

[kozzi24]

I was always iffy on the geosuit she wore, and she should be too, considering the source and being brainwashed. I did cheer the little touch Nicienza put in his Guardian return that he pointed out Heather had accumulated more experience.
I liked Feedback enough, probably my favorite of Furman's creations, but I agree with Ben, he's definitely Beta or Gamma, not figurehead.
You guys are probably right in differences between Shaman and Talisman. Magic characters get used so inconsistently from writer to writer that they are usually the ones I have the hardest time grasping.

[Mokole]

I'm not thinking of Guardian as leader, more as integral to team success and powerful to deny enemies' intentions. In time he'd move up in the command structure but given his power and age he'd work alongside Zuzha to improve the success of Alpha Flight.

Guardian should be a title of enfranchisement and leadership by process.