HIGH LAMA

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human spirit/magic user

Occupation: Lama

Group Membership: The lamas at his lamasery

Affiliations: Alpha Flight (Box/Madison Jeffries, Laura Dean, Goblyn, Manikin/Whitman Knapp, Purple Girl/Kara Killgrave, Sasquatch/Walter Langkowski, Vindicator/Heather Hudson), Jade Dragon (Dei Guan), Puck (Eugene Judd), his fellow lamas

Enemies: Communist Chinese soldiers, Dreamqueen; formerly Jade Dragon

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Enemy of the State," "Priest" (called by Jade Dragon)

Base of Operations: Formerly a lamasery in the Danwei province near Tibet

First Appearance: Alpha Flight I#59 (June, 1988)

Powers/Abilities: The High Lama was an elderly, but powerful, mystic, capable of casting spells that could mystically reveal the memories of others in the form of smoke. He could also cast spells allowing for levitation and flight, mystic display of conceptual realms, force-field and light projection, healing and teleportation. After his human body was killed, the High Lama continued to exist as a floating spirit and retained his mystic abilities.

Height: 5'9" (by approximation)
Weight: (as human): 150 lbs. (by approximation); (as spirit): presumably weightless
Eyes: (as human): unrevealed (see comments); (as spirit): glowing yellow
Hair: (as human): white (eyebrows & beard, bald on head); (as spirit): glowing yellow

History: (Alpha Flight I#60 (fb) - BTS) - The High Lama devoted his life to non-resistance and the path to tranquility.

(Alpha Flight I#59 (fb) - BTS) - The High Lama took to ruling over a lamasery stationed in a border province near Tibet, where he practiced no politics and peace rather than power.

(Alpha Flight I#60 (fb) - BTS) - Communist Chinese soldiers advanced on the High Lama's lamasery, fearful of the spiritual hold the High Lama had over his priests.

(Alpha Flight I#59) -  The High Lama defended the lamasery from the Chinese soldiers by projecting bright light through his followers to blind the soldiers before projecting a mystic force-field around the lamasery. When the field was destroyed by the Chinese superhuman Jade Dragon, the powerless Puck, formerly of the Canadian super team Alpha Flight, ventured in the High Lama's lamasery and the High Lama greeted him, explaining that while others called him the High Lama, he preferred to think of himself as a humble seeker of alternatives to the wheel of life on which all mortals revolve. He then asked if Puck sought a way out of his life and its past associations, to which Puck replied yes. After mystically viewing Puck's memories, the High Lama deemed him unworthy, explaining that Puck did not seek to shed the substance of his life but rather, sought new avenues of adventure. Puck asked if that was too much to ask, admitting that he felt he had worn out his lease on life and desired new worlds to explore and new experiences but the High Lama replied that a new life would only allow Puck to make the same mistakes. The High Lama then explained that he preached on transcending the wheel of life to truly be free of past lives but Puck quickly replied that the High Lama chose to life as well when he protected the lamasery from the Chinese soldiers attacking it. The High Lama calmly admitted one had to live life and learn universal truths before they could move to other planes of existence but he was interrupted when the Jade Dragon burst into the lamasery. Announcing that he had suspicions of his commanders' accusations of subversion within the lamasery, the Jade Dragon claimed that he had been proven right by finding the High Lama in collusion with Puck and Puck attempted to fight off the Jade Dragon by hurling a grenade at him but the High Lama remarked that Puck's intercession was not necessary. Jade Dragon retaliated by attacking Puck and when the High Lama intervened, flying at the Jade Dragon, the Jade Dragon instinctively incinerated the High Lama with a blast of fire from his mouth. Horrified by his actions, the Jade Dragon rampaged his way out of the lamasery and reported the High Lama's death to his superiors, who prepared to slaughter the remaining lamas. As Jade Dragon turned on his superiors, the High Lama's spirit appeared before Puck and revealed that death had released him from the wheel of life, allowing him to pass through the doorway between worlds towards a final goal. Offering Puck an option to also pass through the doorway, the High Lama revealed that he would traverse spiritual realms while Puck would walk material worlds, leaving behind his past. After Puck thought for awhile, the High Lama asked Puck to choose and Puck chose to stay. As the High Lama prepared to depart Earth for the spiritual realms, the Dreamqueen and Alpha Flight, whom had been battling, bridged the dimensional barriers.

(Alpha Flight I#60) - The High Lama decided to observe the battle between Alpha Flight and the Dreamqueen, thinking how Alpha Flight fought desperately for their lives against the Dreamqueen's dream warriors and wondering if Alpha Flight would fight so desperately if they knew the peace the High Lama had obtained. As he continued watching, the High Lama wondered if Alpha Flight's heroics were their own alternate path to spiritual transcendence. Noticing the High Lama, the powerless Puck ran over and remarked that the High Lama still retained the power to close the dimensional doorway that had opened on his physical death. High Lama replied by reminding Puck that he had the power to end the fight and then had Puck meditate to realize that Alpha Flight's enemies were dream illusions conjured by Dreamqueen. When Puck asked what to do with that knowledge, the High Lama informed him that he needed to drive Dreamqueen back into her dream dimension. After Puck forced Dreamqueen back through the dimensional portal and the portal was closed by Laura Dean, the High Lama ventured over to Vindicator, who had been seriously injured in the battle, and healed her. The High Lama then contemplated that there may be more than one path to enlightenment and teleported Alpha Flight away. His followers then rushed to his side, asking to be taken with him, but the High Lama replied that he had been wrong in teaching them his way to happiness and suggested that it was time for his followers to find their own way. The Chinese soldiers then prepared to crush the power of the High Lama, only to be told to withdraw to avoid an international incident.

Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo, Jim Lee and Al Milgrom.

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The High Lama has No KNOWN connections to:

images: (without ads)
Alpha Flight I#59, p16, pan1 (High Lama, main image)
Alpha Flight I#59, p17, pan3 (High Lama, headshot)
Alpha Flight I#59, p17, pan2 (High Lama revealing wheel of life)
Alpha Flight I#60, p21, pan2 (High Lama as spirit)

Appearances:
Alpha Flight I#59 (June, 1988) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Jim Lee, Al Milgrom (art), Carl Potts (editor)
Alpha Flight I#60 (July, 1988) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Jim Lee (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Carl Potts (editor)

First Posted: 01/05/2018
Last updated: 01/05/2018

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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