Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men reboot has the opportunity to undo some major changes made to one iconic Marvel Comics X-Men villain in a 22-year-old X-Men movie. Long before mutants and the X-Men started to be integrated into the MCU, 20th Century Fox introduced the beloved superhero team from Marvel Comics into live-action with its original X-Men trilogy, which debuted some of Marvel’s most notable characters. As well as introducing iconic heroes, however, Fox also brought some fantastic villains into the X-Men movies, but huge changes were often made when translating them into live-action.

Throughout Fox’s two-decade-long X-Men franchise, the тιтular X-Men team fought a wide variety of villains, including the likes of Magneto, Mystique, the Dark Phoenix, Sebastian Shaw, Sentinels and Apocalypse. While some of these antagonists only made one appearance, others were far more prominent, but that doesn’t mean Fox didn’t make its mistakes when adapting them from page to screen. In fact, one of the X-Men’s longest-running live-action villains was very different to his Marvel Comics counterpart, but the MCU’s upcoming X-Men reboot could reverse these changes.

William Stryker Became One Of The X-Men’s Most Prominent Enemies In Fox’s Franchise

William Stryker Appeared In Four X-Men Movies

William Stryker made his first appearance in Fox’s X-Men franchise back in X2: X-Men United, where he was introduced as a Colonel and military scientist using a mind-controlling substance derived from his mutant son to take control of several high-profile mutants, including the imprisoned Magneto. Stryker, played in X2 by Brian Cox, hoped to exploit Professor X’s powers to commit genocide of the world’s mutants, but was killed in a confrontation with the X-Men. That could have been the last appearance of William Stryker, but Fox elected instead to make him a recurring villain.

The prequel X-Men Origins: Wolverine explored the Weapon X program and Wolverine receiving his adamantium enhancements at the hands of Danny Huston’s William Stryker, the mastermind behind Weapon X. This was doubled-down-on in X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse, as Josh Helman’s William Stryker became aware of mutants in the 1970s and expressed a special interest in Wolverine. William Stryker was a brilliant human villain in Fox’s X-Men franchise, but he could have been even better, had his Marvel Comics backstory been used in live-action.

Fox’s William Stryker Was Very Different To His Marvel Comics Counterpart

William Stryker Debuted In Marvel Comics In 1982

Marvel Comics’ William Stryker was indeed a former member of the military, but was a sergeant rather than a colonel. That’s not the biggest difference, however, as Stryker in Marvel Comics is better known as a devout Christian minister and charismatic televangelist. He is a highly-intelligent religious fanatic who is characterized by his intense hatred of mutants, and this is at the core of his personality throughout his Marvel Comics history. When adapting William Stryker into live-action, Fox completely removed the villain’s religious connections, likely as a way to not alienate audiences.

Fox changed many huge aspects of the X-Men and their supporting characters to appease a wide audience, most notably by kitting out the original X-Men team in black leather costumes instead of versions of their vibrant and colorful superhero suits from Marvel Comics. Removing William Stryker’s religious affiliation in X2 may have been another symptom of this, as making religion a terrifying villain would have turned off a huge portion of Fox’s audience. Marvel Studios, however, may be more open to adapting an honest-to-goodness version of Reverend William Stryker.

The MCU Has A Perfect Chance To Debut A More Comic-Accurate William Stryker In The MCU

William Stryker Would Be The Perfect X-Men Villain In The MCU

Two-and-a-half decades since Fox’s X-Men franchise first started, audiences may be much more willing to see a religious fanatic as a villain in an X-Men story, which means Marvel Studios can reintroduce William Stryker and make him much more comic-accurate. In Marvel Comics, Stryker believes that Satan is plotting to destroy humanity by corrupting prenatal souls, leading to the emergence of mutants. This would be an incredibly fruitful dynamic to explore in the MCU, particularly since this could quickly establish stories of mutant hate, discrimination and segregation that are so pivotal to the X-Men’s narrative.

There has been some concern that the acceptance and celebration of superpowered individuals in the MCU will make it hard for Marvel Studios to explore these hatred-centric storylines when it comes to mutants. Introducing this story through the eyes of a convincing and captivating televangelist such as William Stryker would make this transition much simpler. Stryker represents the kind of human threat that makes mutant storylines so relevant and interesting, so it would be great to see him debut in the MCU, and this could create the opportunity for his biggest Marvel Comics story to be retold even better.

The MCU Can Do X2’s Storyline Better With A Religious William Stryker

X2: X-Men United Adapted Marvel Comics’ God Loves, Man Kills

The inspiration behind the storyline for 2003’s X2: X-Men United was Marvel Comics’ X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills story from 1982, which marked William Stryker’s first appearance. However, Fox removed some of the best aspects of this comic storyline by ignoring Stryker’s religious connections, so it would be great to see Marvel Studios adapt God Loves, Man Kills more faithfully. While X2’s Stryker saw the birth of his mutant son as an abomination and a means to control other mutants, Marvel Comics’ Stryker saw it as a sign from God that he should eradicate all mutants.

This motivation was far more personal, intimate and shocking, which could present a significantly more terrifying threat to the upcoming X-Men team in the MCU. William Stryker doesn’t need to be a representative of all religion in the MCU, and Marvel Studios can still avoid making religion the bad guy – Stryker can be an extremist and fanatic who takes his twisted beliefs to the extreme. Since God Loves, Man Kills almost saw mutants rendered extinct, this could put all mutants in jeopardy in the MCU’s X-Men movie, marking a strong debut for the highly-anticipated team.

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