William Stryker

William Stryker
William Strykera as depicted in The Totally Awesome Hulk #21 (July 2017). Art by Robert Gill.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (November 1982)
Created by	Chris Claremont (writer) Brent Anderson (artist)
In-story information
Species	Human
Team affiliations	Weapon X, formerly Stryker's Crusade and the Purifiers
Abilities	Genius-level intellect Sophistication and wisdom Military training Possession of the forearm (hand to elbow) of the Sentinel Nimrod Psychological warfare and manipulation

Reverend William Stryker is a fictional character in Marvel Comics, known for his recurring role as an adversary of the X-Men. A former sergeant and a devout Christian minister, Stryker harbors an intense hatred for mutants, often leading campaigns against them. He is also the father of Jason Stryker, a mutant who plays a significant role in his motivations.

The character made his debut in X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (1982), created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson. Stryker is characterized by his high intelligence, military training, and expertise in psychological manipulation. He has been affiliated with several organizations, including Weapon X and, previously, Stryker's Crusade and the Purifiers.

Stryker has been featured in the X-Men film series, where he is portrayed as Colonel William Stryker, the leader of Weapon X and a primary antagonist of Wolverine. He is portrayed by Brian Cox in X2 (2003), Danny Huston in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), and Josh Helman in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and X-Men: Apocalypse (2016).

In 2009, IGN ranked William Stryker as the 70th-greatest comic book villain of all time.^[1]