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| Wild Child | |
|---|---|
 Wild Child. Art bySimone Bianchi. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Alpha Flight #1 (Aug 1983) (cameo) (full introduction)Alpha Flight #11 |
| Created by | John Byrne |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Kyle Gibney |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | Weapon X Alpha Flight X-Factor Omega Flight Gamma Flight Hellions |
| Notable aliases | Weapon Omega,[1] Wildheart[2] |
| Abilities |
|
Wild Child (Kyle Gibney), alternately spelledWildchild and also known asWeapon Omega andWildheart, is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character has been depicted as both asuperhero and asupervillain, and as a member ofAlpha Flight,X-Factor andWeapon X.
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Wild Child was created byJohn Byrne and has acameo appearance inAlpha Flight #1 (Aug 1983),[3] but he did not appear in full untilAlpha Flight #11.
Kyle Gibney is amutant who manifested aferal mutation duringpuberty; this mutation grants him enhanced physical abilities, an increased rate of regeneration, and a bestial appearance. This prompts his parents to throw him out of their house. Living on the streets, he is kidnapped by the conspiratorialSecret Empire and subjected to experimentation that alters his mind and body, making him mentally unstable and prone to violent and animalistic behavior. During this time, he becomes acquainted with Dr.Valerie Cooper, aUnited States government official who is unaware of the Secret Empire's true nature or activities. He is freed by Wyre, a man who has unwittingly been the source for the genetic material used in the Empire's experiments. Gibney (now Wild Child) is detained by the military and taken into the custody ofCanada's secretDepartment H, which oversees the formativeAlpha Flight team. Flight memberWalter Langkowski, wanting to protect Wild Child from the military, places him in the trainee team dubbedGamma Flight. After Alpha Flight and its trainee groups are disbanded, Gibney is recruited to joinOmega Flight.[4]
Wild Child is given membership in the new Gamma Flight.[5] Alongside Gamma Flight, he battles Alpha Flight.[6] However, he then aids Gamma and Alpha Flight againstLlan the Sorcerer's forces.[7] When Gamma Flight is disbanded, he goes berserk over his deprecated status and attacksPathway, another trainee. Gamma's leaderNemesis teleport him away during a fight with Heather Hudson (thenGuardian) andWolverine, and he is captured by Wolverine.[8] Department H help him overcome his psychological problems, train him in unarmed combat, and place him as a special operative of the Canadian government assigned to Alpha Flight under the codename Weapon Omega. Alongside Alpha Flight, he battlesDiablo.[9] He joins Alpha Flight's "Core Alpha",[10] meet the government-appointedX-Factor team,[11] and prevents the mind-controlled Omerta from assassinating Italy's head of state.[12] Wild Child defeats Wyre in personal combat; he then learns about his true origin, and changes his codename toWildheart.[13]
His appearance deteriorates back to his initial feral form, which prompts him to leave Alpha Flight and Aurora. He follows Valerie Cooper to the United States, where he joins X-Factor. There he begins a romantic relationship with his teammateShard. His teammateSabretooth frequently attempts, with little success, to convince Wild Child to become a hunter and killer like himself. He remains with the team until his body begins to mutate into a more feral form. He degenerates to a near-mindless state and is recruited into the newWeapon X team.[volume & issue needed]
As part of his draft, Wild Child is paired with Sabretooth to try and recruitSunfire to the program. However, he refuses and badly burns Sabretooth. When Wild Child mocks his burns, Sabretooth slits hisvocal cords and threatens to kill any medical staff who would operate on him, making sure that he would remain mute.[14] His past flame, Aurora, is recruited into the team but is not herself. After the Weapon X upgrades she becomes cocky and aloof, snubbing Wild Child and engaging in a relationship with the horribly disfigured Director of the program. WhenBrent Jackson attempts to undermine the authority of directorMalcolm Colcord, using Aurora's attitude toward him as motive, Jackson convinces Wild Child to join his splinter group.[volume & issue needed]
Wild Child is one of the mutants depowered afterM-Day.[15] His energy signature is found within the entity known asThe Collective, along with the energy signatures of many other depowered mutants.[16] It is later revealed that Wild Child regained his powers and his previously erased memories.[17]
In the new status quo for mutants post-House of X and Powers of X,Professor X andMagneto invite all mutants to live onKrakoa and welcome even former enemies into their fold.[18] Wild Child joins a loose group of outcast mutants, operating underMister Sinister: theHellions, which also includeHavok,Kwannon,Empath,John Greycrow, andNanny and Orphan-Maker.[19]
During a mission toArakko, the Hellions encounterTarn the Uncaring and his Locus Vile. In the ensuing battle, Wild Child is killed.[20] He is resurrected, albeit stronger and with a more aggressive and impulsive personality as a result of dying in the dimension of Amenth.[21]
Kyle Gibney is amutant who was experimented upon and genetically engineered by Secret Empire scientists using DNA replicated from Wyre. He has superhumanly acute senses, as well as superhuman speed, agility, reflexes, coordination, balance, and endurance. His teeth and nails are hardened and strong enough to rend substances as thick as bone. His body heals at a rate several times greater than that of a normal human being but not at the rate ofSabretooth's healing factor. He also has various animal-like mutations common for "feral" mutants: leaf-shaped ears and eyes with neither pupils nor irises.
He is an excellenthand-to-hand combatant with both special ops and martial arts training fromWolverine as well as the Canadian government's superhero Flight program, and is also trained in acrobatics and gymnastics. In his bestial rages, he relies more on sheer ferocity than fighting skill. As Wildheart, the savage, bestial side of his personality was suppressed by an unknown drug, but his savage self still threatened to overwhelm his sanity at all times.
As a result of injuries suffered at the hands of Sabretooth who prevented him from getting medical treatment, Wild Child wasmute for a time. However, along with his renewed powers, he seems to have regained the ability to speak as well.
An alternate universe version of Wild Child from Earth-295 appears in Age of Apocalypse. This version is a member of the X-Men who possesses a low level of intelligence comparable to that of a dog and is unable to communicate verbally.[23] Wild Child is later found by an alternate universe version ofQuentin Quire and taken to his universe to replace its version of Wild Child, who was not supposed to have died.[24] After returning to his original universe, Wild Child is killed while trying to stopArchangel's genocidal plans onEarth-616.[25][26]
An alternate universe version of Wild Child from Earth-58163 appears inHouse of M. This version is a member of the Red Guard, a group that servesExodus.[27]
An alternate universe version of Wild Child from Earth-1298 appears inMutant X. This version roams the wilds of Canada along with Sabretooth and Wolverine, collectively known as the Pack.[28]
An alternate universe version of Wild Child from Earth-21923 appears inAvengers of the Wastelands. He is among the villains who attackDanielle Cage's group in Osborn County, only to be killed by insects summoned by Dwight Barrett.[29]
An alternate universe version of Wild Child from Earth-5700 appears inWeapon X: Days of Future Now.[30]
An alternate universe version of Wild Child from Earth-1610 appears inUltimate Comics: Wolverine #2. He and a group of soldiers are sent to killJimmy Hudson's adoptive parents,James Hudson andHeather Hudson. Wild Child nearly kills Jimmy untilQuicksilver appears and kills him.[31]
Wild Child makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in theX-Men: The Animated Series episode "One Man's Worth" as a member ofMagneto's mutant resistance.
