William Stryker is a Marvel Comics villain, an enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson, he first appeared in the graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills (1982).

In X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, Rev. Stryker was a Christian fundamentalist televangelist who saw himself on a mission from God to destroy the mutant race.

When God Loves, Man Kills was loosely adapted into the 2003 sequel X-Men United, Stryker, played by Brian Cox, was a rogue army colonel with an equally fervent desire to destroy mutants.

In the comic books, Stryker was an obscure character. Since the release of X2, he has played a somewhat more prominent role.

Character history

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God Loves, Man Kills

Stryker is a fundamentalist religious fanatic, with a military history which may have involved the Weapon X project, which resulted in Logan/Wolverine being given his adamantium skeleton. When his son was born after Stryker's car crashed in the Nevada desert, he was so physically deformed that Stryker knew he was a mutant and, in despair, killed his wife and son, and attempted to commit suicide by igniting the car. However, the car exploded, throwing him from the flames. He became convinced that Satan had a plot to corrupt humankind by taking over their souls while still in the womb, resulting in their mutations. He further concluded that the only reason God would have allowed his son to be a mutant was to direct him to his true calling: ridding the world of mutants.

While his followers committed hate crimes against mutants, Stryker arranged to have Professor Xavier kidnapped, brainwashed, and attached to a machine that, using his brainpower, would kill all living mutants. In order to stop this scheme, the X-Men are forced to join forces with their nemesis, Magneto. When the extent of his bigotry becomes obvious (he attempts to kill Kitty Pryde), one of his own security guards shoots and arrests him. Stryker eventually redeems himself in God Loves, Man Kills 2.

Decimation

However, he recently came back as a major player right at the start of the Decimation following Marvel's House of M event, deeming the sudden massive reduction in number of the mutant population a sign of God, saying "He made the first step and now we have to take the next", basically rallying for genocide on TV. As of now he's featured mostly in New X-Men as the current arc's main villain, but also appears in other comics set during this time frame. He, with the help of one of the Xavier's institute students (see Icarus) made a bus explode, killing about 1/4th of the depowered students from the academy. Then he planned the assassination of Wallflower, ordering one of his snipers to shoot her in the head. Next he tried to kill Sooraya Quadir, though it was actually X-23. Finally he attacked the institute with his "purifiers," killing Quill, leaving Onyxx and Cannonball critically wounded, and hurting Bishop, Emma Frost and other students. After Stryker's Purifiers where defeated, he was killed by the enraged boyfriend of Wallflower, Elixir.

In other media

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The story prior to his recent reappearing formed the loose basis for the film, X2, which follows its basic premise, but also incorporates elements of the Dark Phoenix Saga, In this movie, William Stryker is played by Brian Cox.

Stryker was slightly altered for his film interpretation in X2. He is no longer a religious fundamentalist, but a military scientist who has gone into defense contracting. His connection to Wolverine is made more explicit, as is his motivation regarding his son. Also, rather than having killed his son, Jason (who himself is partially modeled after Mastermind, another X-Men foe), at birth, Stryker sent him to Xavier's school in hopes of curing him. Xavier had no interest or belief in 'curing' mutants, which angered Stryker. Additionally, Jason continued to grow angry, resentful, and vindictive towards his parents; he tortured them by planting illusions in their brains until his mother committed suicide by drilling into her own brain. Stryker then gave his son a lobotomy to make him more docile. Jason, under his father's direction, brainwashes Xavier into using Cerebro II, a reproduction of Cerebro, to kill all mutants. Xavier and Magneto learned that Stryker is the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on the President.

Magneto, wearing a helmet designed to shield against telepathic attacks, reconfigures Cerebro II to kill ordinary humans. At his direction, Mystique impersonates Stryker and instructs Jason of a change in plans, which Jason then communicates to Xavier. Magneto and Mystique escape, and soon thereafter Storm and Nightcrawler enter Cerebro II and disrupt Jason's illusion, allowing Xavier to break free from his control before any humans are killed.

Stryker himself apparently dies when an explosion at his base of operations destroys a nearby dam, flooding the base and the surrounding valley. In his last moments, he confronts Wolverine about whether Wolverine would actually side with mutants (implying that Wolverine originally hated his mutation before his amnesia). Looking at the young mutant he was carrying to safety, Wolverine informs Stryker that he would "take his chances with him".

Jason, meanwhile, was presumed killed when Cerebro II was destroyed along with the base; wheelchair-bound, he seemed unable to escape under his own power, and the X-Men made no attempt to save him. He was thought crushed in the collapse but escaped by unknown measures and was later killed when the Sentinels were destroyed in the middle of a battle between Wolverine and Sabretooth.

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