Edward Labelle was born around 1864 near Caribou, Ontario. He eventually traveled into Canada’s northern territories during the Klondike Gold Rush, joining the thousands of prospectors who entered the wilderness in search of sudden wealth. Labelle quickly earned the name “Cheatin’ Ed” through claim jumping, theft, deception, and violence. Gold became more than a means of enrichment to him. It became an obsession, and Labelle regarded anything he could seize, hide, or defend as rightfully his.

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Labelle’s criminal activities eventually caught up with him. In October 1897, he was killed in the northern wilderness, bringing an end to his original human life. His remains were lost beneath the frozen landscape along with the treasure he had accumulated.

The cold preserved more than his bones, however. Labelle’s greed, rage, and refusal to surrender his claim remained bound to the place where he died.

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In 2010, Labelle was reanimated through the power of an ancient Winter Beast Binding Totem associated with the Husan First Nation. The totem became embedded within the creature and now serves as the supernatural keystone holding together Labelle’s remains, consciousness, accumulated ice, and the predatory essence of the Winter Beast. The transformation produced a towering humanoid entity composed of hard ice, packed snow, and glowing cryogenic energy.

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The creature that emerged was not simply a Winter Beast possessing Labelle’s body. Labelle’s memories and personality remained dominant within the fusion. His greed, possessiveness, criminal instincts, and obsession with gold survived, amplified by the territorial aggression and predatory nature of the ancient beast. Taking the name Yukon, he became capable of drawing ice and snow onto his body, increasing his armor, physical mass, strength, and overall size.

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Yukon eventually attacked Top Notch Ski Resort in Vermont. The assault caused widespread destruction and forced guests and employees to flee the resort. During the attack, Maren Calder was killed, prompting Jack Rower to openly unleash his previously concealed cryokinetic abilities. The tragedy became the defining catalyst behind Rower’s transformation into Nor’easter and established Yukon as his most personal enemy.

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Yukon later entered the service of the United Canadian Empire (UCE) as one of its UCE Enforcers. His allegiance was based less upon political ideology than the opportunities the Empire offered him: sanctioned violence, access to territory, protection from conventional authorities, and the chance to seize anything he considered valuable. The UCE employed him as a living siege weapon capable of breaking defensive lines, absorbing conventional fire, and overwhelming fortified positions.

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During Operation: Gambit in February 2012, Yukon became one of the principal UCE threats deployed in Vermont. Standing approximately twelve feet tall after reinforcing himself with local snow and ice, he advanced through conventional weapons fire and assaulted the defensive position associated with the UCE’s weapons-of-mass-destruction operation. The Green Mountain Boys used snow-covered terrain, machinery, and improvised fortifications in an effort to halt him.

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Recognizing that conventional fire could not reliably stop Yukon, the defenders developed an improvised plan involving logging equipment, heavy machinery, cables, and an enormous tree. The resulting maneuver brought the tree crashing down across Yukon, pinning him beneath its trunk. The operation temporarily immobilized and contained the creature, but it did not defeat or destroy him.

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While Yukon was in custody, Jack Rower aka Nor'easter nearly executed him in retaliation for Maren Calder’s death. One of the Green Mountain Boys, Josiah, intervened before Jack could cross that line. Subsequent battlefield disruption and indirect fire allowed Yukon to escape or return to the conflict, leading to a final confrontation with Nor’easter.

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During that battle, Yukon mortally wounded Jack. Despite his injuries, Nor’easter used his remaining strength and cryokinetic power to impose a final containment upon the creature. Their confrontation permanently connected Yukon to Nor’easter’s death, the liberation of Vermont, and the history of the New Canada Incident.

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Yukon remains an extraordinarily dangerous supernatural entity. His frozen exterior can be shattered, burned, displaced, or temporarily restrained, but destroying the visible body does not necessarily destroy what lies within it. As long as the internal binding remains intact and sufficient frozen material is available, Cheatin’ Ed Labelle and the Winter Beast may rise again.

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