Despite its cheesy production values, Heroes of the North delivered a Canadian-style Justice League along with a well-developed world and a lot of heart.
What Is It?
This web series follows a Canadian superhero group known as Heroes of the North, which consists of The Canadian (powers: super-strength and stamina, electrostatic shield), Fleur-de-Lys (powers: electricity-generating gauntlets), 8 Ball (powers: skilled martial artist, 8-ball grenades and other weapons), Nordik (powers: bracelets with paralyzing neurotoxin, immunity to cold), and The Black Terror (powers: nanotechnologically enhanced strength). They are recruited by Major Pearson, who brings them together to face mounting threats against Canada—and the world—such as the sinister Madame Doom, the criminal organization Medusa, and the pro-Quebec terrorist group the New FLQ.
Aired: 2011-13, One Season Totaling 20 Episodes
Cast: Larry Vinette, Edith Labelle, Anderson Bradshaw, Vanessa Blouin, John Fallon, Brad Carmichael
Crew: Christian Viel (Co-Creator, Executive Producer), Anderson Bradshaw (Co-Creator, Executive Producer)
Legacy:
This delivered a notable web series for Canada with an extensive lineup of superheroes and supervillains along a with a well-developed world and plenty of backstory.
A Closer Look:
I stumbled upon this web series sometime in 2012 while searching the internet for productions of this nature, and I found myself oddly drawn into it despite its less-than-stellar production values. It starts by introducing the five main characters in its version of a Canadian Justice League, then steps back to explore the origins of the first superhero of the North—the Canadian Shield (think of him as a Canuck Captain America). From there, it launches into multiple story threads, each dealing with different threats that the Heroes of the North must contend with.
There’s actually a heck of a good concept here, with a rich universe of characters and interesting interwoven storylines. You just have to overlook the subpar production values, which fall below even a poor B-movie and reflect the perception at the time that web series were cheap and amateurish. Basically, imagine what you’d get if you rounded up a group of cosplayers from your local comic con and tried to put together your own superhero TV series.
But the entire crew approaches the project with such conviction that, more often than not, the series rises above its limitations. And to me, calling something B-movie quality (or lower) doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad. I can enjoy cheesy if it’s got heart, and Heroes of the North definitely has that as well as an addicting quality, and it just seemed to click with me. Maybe it’s because there was clearly more beneath the surface than the budget could adequately portray. Or maybe it’s because I’ve always had an inexplicable draw to Canadian superheroes, going back to the Captain Canuck comics of the 1970s (and I loved the original Alpha Flight as well). Either way, I can definitely say that I liked it.
The series borrows heavily from standard superhero tropes, but it does so well enough that it doesn’t feel like a straight-up ripoff of what’s come before. One of the things I appreciated most is that these aren’t squeaky-clean superheroes who refuse to kill no matter what. Nope—they acknowledge that the bad guys are dangerous, and there are bullets flying, heads cracking, and plenty of casualties. Not that it’s some far-right, let’s-kill-all-the-criminals tale—it just doesn’t pull any punches. I also really enjoyed the retro episodes that featured the Canadian Shield back in WWII. That, in my opinion, could have worked as its own standalone series.
Basically, if you adjust your expectations appropriately, there’s a lot to enjoy in Heroes of the North. It sets up an interesting world with characters that have substance, and it’s a fun riff on the superhero genre with a big Canadian heart. If you can get past the subpar acting and limited production quality, the series offers a rewarding experience.
Cancelled Too Soon?
The first season runs for twenty episodes and ties up most of its storylines by the end. It definitely had plenty of room to continue to a second season, though, and there was even a teaser for that, but the money was not there as the crowdfunding campaign did not reach its goal. And that was the nature of web series at that time, as there were not enough options to sustain their funding. YouTube was available, but apparently not paying enough at that point. And crowdfunding could bring in some revenue, but you can only dip into that so many times. Heroes of the North did have other merchandise–particularly comics (see below)–but that must not have brought in enough money to keep the web series viable.
The Story Continues:
Heroes of the North was planned as a transmedia production which also included comics and novels. Four comic books were published while the web series was active consisting of Heroes of the North #1 and #2 and the one-shot titles Crimson: Dark Origins and Missions. These were well-written comics with good art and easily could have carried on beyond the web series, but apparently the sales were not strong enough. All four issues, as well as several of the web comics, were later compiled into the Heroes of the North Compendium, but sadly all of these are out of print and fetching high prices from third party sellers. As for the novels, to my knowledge those never made it to print or eBook, but if anybody knows differently, please provide the info in the comments.
Should It Be Rebooted?
Absolutely! Heroes of the North established a rich history with plenty of backstory, and this one is ripe for a reboot/revival. In the current environment with platforms like YouTube paying quite well for creators who build enough of an audience, it seems like this series could sustain itself if it catches on. They could go the full reboot route, but the original actors are not that much older, so they could still bring them in and consider it a revival. Perhaps the heroes from the first season could be training younger members of the team, and there is certainly a notable comic book-style villain south of Canada these days that could provide them with plenty of story material. And even if the web series did not return, Christian Viel and Anderson Bradshaw should definitely consider reviving the comic books. Those alone were quite good and I would love to see more adventures in that format. A novel series would be appreciated as well, and that can be done on the cheap through platforms like Amazon’s Kindle.
Interesting Facts:
Each hero reflects a Canadian cultural or geographic theme. The Canadian evokes national pride and patriotism. Fleur-de-Lys symbolizes Quebec’s cultural identity. Pacifica represents British Columbia’s eco-conscious west coast. Crimson and Hornet pull from noir and espionage traditions. The creators intentionally avoided copying American superhero tropes, aiming for grounded yet culturally distinctive characters. The costumes were custom-designed and largely latex-based rather than spandex, giving the show a more adult, stylized aesthetic.
Before it was common, Heroes of the North embraced a transmedia approach—combining live-action webisodes, digital comics, dossiers, and even photo-novels, much of which was available on the website. Fans could explore the universe not just through video, but also supplemental lore and character files on the official site.
Where Can You Watch It?
The entire series was released on DVD, but that is out of print and hard to find. However, it is streaming for free (with ads) on YouTube. As mentioned, the comics are out of print, but you can track them down through third party sellers.
Read More About the Show:
If you produced an independent sci fi/fantasy web series during the 2000s and/or 2010s, please contact us at cultscifi.com@gmail.com with the information about the show. Or if you know of productions from that time, please pass along that information as I am working on a project documenting the rise and fall of this format.
