Thunderbird (John Proudstar)

Not to be confused with Jon Proudstar.
This article is about the first X-Men member known as "Thunderbird". For the other X-Men members who share the same codename, see Thunderbird (Neal Shaara) and Warpath (comics).
Thunderbird
Thunderbird as depicted in Classic X-Men #3 (November 1986). Art by Art Adams.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceGiant-Size X-Men #1
(May 1975)
Created byLen Wein (writer)
Dave Cockrum (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoJohn Proudstar
SpeciesHuman Mutant
Team affiliationsX-Men
United States Marine Corps
Abilities
  • Superhuman physical abilities and senses
  • Trained unarmed/hand-to-hand combatant

Thunderbird (John Proudstar) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, the character first appears in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975).[1] Thunderbird was a short-lived member of the Second Genesis group of X-Men gathered together in this issue, as he died on their second mission, where they tried to chase down Count Nefaria. His death is also depicted in X-Men: Grand Design – Second Genesis #1, where his death is witnessed by Banshee, and felt deeply by the X-Men and Charles Xavier.

An Apache Native American and Human Mutant, John Proudstar possesses superhuman athletic ability. Since his death, Thunderbird was temporarily brought back to life during the Necrosha and Chaos War storylines, before being permanently resurrected after the establishment of Krakoa.[2] His brother James Proudstar, known first as Thunderbird, and then as Warpath, is also a mutant and X-Men with similar capabilities.

In addition to his mainstream incarnations, Thunderbird has been depicted in other fictional universes. The most notable alternative version of the character is a member of the original Exiles team. In other media, Thunderbird is one of the main characters in the live-action television series The Gifted, portrayed by Blair Redford.

  1. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 373. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. ^ X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #5 (December 2021)