Reverend Stryker: Who is the False Prophet?

Reverend Stryker Doeth God Service

An old man stands before his flock. He preaches in a strong, confident voice as he reads from Deuteronomy 13. There are shouts from outside. He walks to the doors and pushes them open. A gang surrounds a little girl with green skin. A Mutant. The hoodlums see him coming. The old man realizes that he is being tested. He remembers Christ’s words, speaking them aloud.

“To whomever much is given, of him much will be required.”

The man picks up a rock and casts it at the girl. She shrieks in pain. The hoodlums hurl stones as well, and her screams fill the air before falling silent. Two parishioners carry the body away. The old man reenters his church, followed by the hoodlums. Reverend Stryker weeps openly, praising God for sending such fervent believers.

Reverend Stryker is one of Marvel’s most reprehensible villains. He allows others to fight his battles while condemning Mutants as sinners and demons. So who is he? Why do people listen to this nut? How dangerous can a non-powered preacher be? Let’s find out.

1 Corinthians 13:1: Reverend Stryker’s Backstory

Reverend Stryker debuted in X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills in 1982. He was created by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson, who based him on televangelist Jerry Falwell. In the movies, he became a U.S. army general who was part of Weapon X. That tied him to Wolverine’s story and avoided offending Christian audiences.

William Stryker unknowingly had his DNA scrambled while stationed at an atomic testing site. That caused his son to be born a Mutant with telepathic abilities. In his introduction, Stryker kills his newborn son and wife in a fit of religious mania.

The experience broke him. He was dishonorably discharged and contemplated suicide. He formed his beliefs at the bottom of a bottle, believing that all Mutants were created by Satan to corrupt humanity. Stryker became a minister and televangelist to preach against the evils of Mutantkind. In secret, he created a religious order called The Purifiers to slaughter Mutants.

Reverend Stryker kidnapped and brainwashed Professor X, planning to use him as a weapon that would kill every Mutant on Earth. Magneto joined forces with the X-Men to fight the Purifiers, culminating in Shadowcat pointing out Stryker’s hypocrisy in front of his congregation. Reverend Stryker tried to kill her and was non-fatally shot by the police.

Luke 23:34: Reverend Stryker’s History

Reverend Stryker was meant to be a non-canon, oneshot villain. X2: X-Men United renewed interest in the character, and he began appearing in other X-Men stories. Reverend Stryker quickly devolved into a generic knight templar, even becoming a cyborg so that he could physically fight the X-Men.

God seemingly smiled on Reverend Stryker when Scarlet Witch depowered all but a handful of Mutants. He manipulated a religious X-Man named Icarus into helping The Purifiers launch a terror attack at the Xavier Institute. They murdered more than forty children before Elixir killed him. 

Reverend Stryker’s massacre damned him to Hell. He realized that God did not approve of his actions and swore fealty to Satan, despite his belief that Mutants are satanic. Stryker was resurrected as a demon and started a new church. X-Force discovered what he was doing and attacked. Sabretooth decapitated Stryker and destroyed his soul, ensuring that he was dead and gone. For now.

Romans 10:2: Stryker’s Powers and Personality

Faith is Reverend Stryker’s sword and shield. He preaches passionately to his flock, encouraging the faithful to smite his foes. Stryker is also a trained soldier who’s handy with a pistol and Sentinel weaponry that replaced his right arm.

The Purifiers have been trained for combat by Reverend Stryker. They use assault rifles, flamethrowers, and grenade launchers. A sub-section called The Choir stole a sample of Angel’s blood to give themselves wings. Upper crust members of the congregation keep the rank and file out of prison.

Reverend Stryker was a nuanced villain in his first story. He was brave, tolerant of everyone except Mutants, and surprisingly virtuous beneath his evil. Later writers made him a bland religious madman, also shifting from Fundamentalist beliefs to Catholic extremism before reaching Hollywood Satanism.

The Actors Who Play Him

Brian Cox and Brad Loree – X2: X-Men United
Danny Huston – X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Josh Helman – X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse
J.P. Karliak – X-Men ‘97

Didya Get All That?

A wolf amongst the flock.

Jared Bounacos

Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.