| William Stryker | |
|---|---|
.png) William Stryker as he first appeared inX-Men: God Loves, Man Kills. Art byBrent Anderson. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (November 1982) |
| Created by |
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| In-story information | |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Weapon X, formerly Stryker's Crusade and thePurifiers |
| Abilities |
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Reverend William Stryker is a fictional character inMarvel Comics, known for his recurring role as an adversary of theX-Men. A formersergeant and a devoutChristian minister, Stryker harbors an intense hatred formutants, often leading campaigns against them. He is also the father ofJason Stryker, a mutant who plays a significant role in his motivations.
The character made his debut in the graphic novelX-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (1982), created by writerChris Claremont and artistBrent Anderson. Stryker is characterized by his high intelligence, military training, and expertise in psychological manipulation. He has been affiliated with several organizations, includingWeapon X and, previously, Stryker's Crusade and thePurifiers.
Stryker has been featured in theX-Men film series, where he is portrayed asColonel William Stryker, the leader ofWeapon X and a primary antagonist ofWolverine. He is portrayed byBrian Cox inX2 (2003),Danny Huston inX-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), andJosh Helman inX-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) andX-Men: Apocalypse (2016).
In 2009,IGN ranked William Stryker as the 70th-greatest comic book villain of all time.[1]
William Stryker was created by writerChris Claremont and artistBrent Anderson, making his first appearance in the 1982graphic novelX-Men: God Loves, Man Kills. The character was reportedly modeled after American televangelistJerry Falwell.[2][citation needed]
Reverend William Stryker is areligious fanatic with a military background, characterized by his intense hatred of mutants. This animosity drives him to commit horrific acts, including the murder of his wife, Marcy Stryker, and their mutant son shortly after the child's birth inNevada. Following these events, Stryker experiences asuicide attempt. Over time, he becomes convinced thatSatan is plotting to destroy humanity by corrupting prenatal souls, leading to the emergence of mutants. Stryker ultimately interprets the birth of his mutant son as a sign fromGod, compelling him to fulfill his perceived calling: theeradication of all mutants.[3]
Fueled by this conviction, Stryker rises to prominence as a controversial preacher andtelevangelist. His followers, which include a secret paramilitary group known as thePurifiers, engage inhate crimes against mutants. In a calculated move, Stryker orchestrates the kidnapping and brainwashing ofProfessor Xavier, connecting him to a device designed to eliminate all living mutants. To thwart this plan, theX-Men are compelled to ally withMagneto. The extent of Stryker's bigotry is further revealed when he attempts to murderKitty Pryde during a live television broadcast, resulting in anNYPD officer shooting him.
Stryker reappears in theX-Treme X-Men storyline, having been presumed forgotten within the narrative. It is revealed that he had been serving a prison sentence due to the consequences of his previous actions. During his transfer on an airplane,Lady Deathstrike infiltrates the aircraft, where she kills Stryker's guards and rescues him. It is then disclosed that the two are lovers, and Stryker promptly initiates a new crusade against the X-Men, targetingWolverine,Cannonball, the X-Treme X-Men team, and Shadowcat, with whom he holds a longstanding grudge.
Stryker dispatches a group of his followers to confront several X-Men members and kidnaps Kitty Pryde. During this encounter, Pryde manages to persuade Stryker that mutants are not an abomination. This revelation leads him to seemingly turn over a new leaf as he merges with the sentient artificial intelligenceReverend Paul, ultimately being placed in a containment tube.[4]
Stryker reappears at the beginning of the 2005 "Decimation" storyline, following the events of the "House of M" storyline. He interprets the sudden and drastic reduction of the mutant population as a sign from God, declaring, "[God] made the first step and now we have to take the next," effectively rallying for genocide during a television broadcast. While Stryker primarily serves as the main antagonist inNew X-Men, he also makes appearances in other comics set during this period.
With the assistance ofIcarus, a student at theXavier Institute, Stryker orchestrates the explosion of a bus, resulting in the deaths of approximately one-quarter of the academy's de-powered students. He subsequently plots the assassination ofWallflower, ordering one of his snipers to shoot her in the head.[5] Stryker also attempts to killDust, mistakenly targetingX-23 instead. The deaths of Wallflower and Dust are crucial to Stryker's agenda, as he has been informed byNimrod that both pose a threat to his army.
Stryker eventually launches an assault on the Xavier Institute with the Purifiers, resulting in the death ofQuill and critically woundingOnyxx and Cannonball, as well as injuringBishop,Emma Frost, and other students. Following the defeat of the Purifiers, Stryker is killed byElixir, Wallflower's enraged boyfriend.[6]
Stryker is later resurrected byBastion with aTechnarch to join his new Purifiers. Bastion reveals that Stryker has the second highest number of mutant kills among the Purifiers' ranks, surpassed only byBolivar Trask, the creator of theSentinels.[7]
Bastion assigns Stryker the task of locatingHope Summers andCable following their return from the future during the "Second Coming" event. His Purifiers, in conjunction withCameron Hodge's Right foot soldiers, engage the X-Men and New Mutants before Archangel kills Stryker by slicing him in half.[8]
During the "Weapons of Mutant Destruction" storyline, Stryker is resurrected as a cyborg and forms a new incarnation ofWeapon X.[9] He focuses on having his scientists developAdamantium cyborgs with the goal of eradicating humanity.[10] To refine the cyborgs, Stryker instructs Weapon X to targetOld Man Logan,Sabretooth, Warpath,Domino, and Lady Deathstrike, selecting these mutants for their unique abilities.[11]
After the Adamantium cyborgs capture Lady Deathstrike to harvest her genetic material for Weapon X, Old Man Logan and Sabretooth evade the cyborgs, but Stryker and Weapon X obtain the necessary tissue samples.[12] Additionally, Stryker orders the Adamantium cyborgs to target theTotally Awesome Hulk for a blood sample.[13]
When the Hulk and Old Man Logan's group raid Weapon X's base to rescue Lady Deathstrike and Warpath, Stryker initiates a self-destruct sequence, resulting in the deaths of his employees.[14] Stryker is also shown to be starting a project involving the Hulk's blood to create Mutant/Hulk hybrids.[10]
Following further investigations, Old Man Logan's team and the Hulk attack Weapon X's central command; however, the Hulk argues against killing Stryker.[15] During a brief altercation between Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, and Lady Deathstrike with the Hulk, Stryker and Dr. Alba escape via helicopter.[16]
Later, Stryker and several of his Adamantium cyborgs attempt to recapture Weapon X's rogue experiment, H-Alpha. However, H-Alpha kills all the cyborgs and severely damages Stryker's body. Stryker is subsequently found by Logan's group and thenew Wolverine, and he agrees to disclose how to defeat H-Alpha. During the battle against H-Alpha, Sabretooth attempts to take Stryker's torso to destroy it, but it disappears in the ensuing chaos. Eventually, Stryker resurfaces inNebraska, with his limbs repaired, and establishes the Church of Human Potential.[17]
Believing that God no longer supports his crusade against mutants, Stryker and the Church of Human Potential turn toSatanism and dark magic rituals to gain the power necessary to destroy mutantkind.[18] Stryker recruitsMentallo as a follower and compels him to use his abilities to force mutants to join his cult, whom he intends to sacrifice.[19]
Mentallo capturesM and uses her as bait to lure Weapon X-Force. In the ensuing confrontation, Weapon X-Force rescues M, destroys the Church, and kills Stryker. However, with his dying breath, Stryker reveals that he orchestrated these events so that Mentallo could summon him from Hell.
X-Force splits its efforts between battling Stryker in Hell and confronting Mentallo on Earth. During the conflict, Sabretooth falls into Mentallo's sacrifice pit, which is essential for completing Stryker's ritual. As Stryker ascends from Hell, Sabretooth decapitates him and destroys his soul.[20]
In the alternate timeline depicted in the 1995Age of Apocalypse storyline, William Stryker is raised by a preacher father who cares for him and other children in their town after most of the townspeople are slaughtered by mutants. However, in a tragic twist of fate, his father is later killed by other surviving humans. Consequently, Stryker lives in hiding, learning to depend on the kindness of both humans and mutants, which makes this version of him far more tolerant than his counterpart in Earth-616.[21]
Adopting the persona of theProphet, Stryker begins to avenge humanity alongside a group known as the X-Terminated. He breaks into the apartment of Krakken, an engineer who built ovens to incinerate humans, and murders him, sparing his family. Before killing Krakken, the Prophet reveals that he previously destroyed one of Krakken's eyes and then finishes the job by decapitating him. Stryker studies the Sentinels and the mutants' hunt of humans to refine his skills in taking them down, claiming he has learned their weaknesses and that, despite their powers, his will and skill are superior.
With ease, the Prophet climbs onto an attacking Sentinel, cuts into its head, and flips away as the robot is destroyed from the damage. He asserts that his talents were acquired by witnessing the slaughter of thousands, and that his victories honor their memory. When Weapon X leads a final assault on the last surviving City of Men, the Prophet allows the civilians to escape by throwing an explosive at Weapon X, leading his team out of the city. Once they are clear, the city is destroyed by Weapon X.[22]
TheUltimate Marvel universe features two distinct versions of William Stryker.
This iteration of William Stryker is anAdmiral namedWilliam Stryker Sr., who serves as the leader of the anti-mutant conspiracy within theU.S. Government. He is also associated with the creation of theLegacy Virus before being arrested and presumably committing suicide off-screen.[23][24][25][26]
This iteration features a character namedWilliam Stryker Jr., a reverend who resides in Manhattan with his wife, Kate Stryker, and their son, John Stryker. He experiences a profound tragedy when his family is killed during the "Ultimatum Wave" that strikes New York. Although Stryker miraculously survives, he struggles to cope with his grief. He attempts to lead a spiritual congregation of survivors in a tent set up in Central Park but fails to conduct his service successfully.
Stryker encounters a group of men who inform him that the mutant Magneto is responsible for the Ultimatum Wave and encourages his growing hatred of all mutants. They supply him with weapons acquired from a cache of destroyed Sentinels, leading Stryker to become the leader of an anti-mutant militia. He subsequently leads the Purifier forces in an attack on the Xavier Mansion during the Ultimatum Wave, emerging as the sole survivor after the reformed Weapon X team, led byRogue, slaughters all the Purifiers present except for him.
After his escape, Stryker begins to hallucinate visions of his deceased abusive father, who fuels his hatred of mutants and religious fervor until he is ready to strike back against them. Following the revelation that mutants are the result of human experimentation, Stryker orchestrates a massive attack inTimes Square, rounding up mutants and forcing them to repent under the threat of death. The X-Men intervene, but Rogue betrays them by making a deal with Stryker to regain her normalcy in exchange for her assistance.
During the ensuing struggle, the Shroud kills Stryker by phasing an arm through his abdomen. In his dying moments, he manipulates a wave ofNimrod Sentinels to eliminate every mutant in the country. As the Nimrods begin hunting mutants nationwide, some are commanded byMaster Mold, which contains Stryker's consciousness. Stryker leads an assault againstKitty Pryde's team of mutants until Pryde damages his mechanical body enough to destroy him permanently.[27][28][29]
William Stryker appears in theX-Men '97 episode "Tolerance Is Extinction" (Part 1), voiced byJ. P. Karliak.[30]
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