John Ryker
Encyclopedia
General John Ryker is a fictional character
, a villain and an enemy of the Hulk
in the Marvel Universe
. He is obsessed with the Hulk, and tried to make attempts to capture the creature.
; apparently Kennedy was really killed by two Corsican mercenaries, but at the time it was deemed too expensive to wage World War Three so the idea of a conspiracy was created. When his wife Lucy developed cancer, Ryker used the military to hunt down Bruce Banner, who turned into the Hulk
after exposure from gamma radiation during a nuclear test that Ryker supervised. Initially, Ryker irradiated various subjects to try and duplicate the accident that created the Hulk, thus allowing him to isolate the Hulk's ability to cope with the radiation and use it to heal his wife. His closest success was Private Benjamin Tibbits, who mutated into the Hulk-like Flux
, but his transformation was imperfect, leading to Ryker simply breaking him to use as a near-mindless soldier against the Hulk.
However, his brutal treatment of the Hulk, having finally captured the Green Goliath, not only broke down the mental barriers keeping the Hulk's other personalities from taking control away from the known three dominant Hulks- the 'escaped' Hulks including the Devil Hulk
-, but also convinced General Thunderbolt Ross to turn against Ryker and free his long-time enemy. Taking Lucy Ryker hostage, Ross told her the truth, prompting Ryker to depart as she coldly told him that she didn't ask to be healed at the cost of innocent people.
He is responsible for the creation of the Gamma Corps
, a special military unit created specifically to deal with the Hulk. He was spurred into action after his wife, who seemed to have been cured by a transfusion of Hulk blood, died from a sudden revival of her cancer. The Corps were unable to stop the Hulk, who went after Ryker, and caused Gamma Corps member Grey, who had Hulk DNA in him, to lose his temper, resulting in a Hulk-like rage that tore down Ryker's base, with the General still inside.
Ryker reappears later however, as the CEO of Origins corporation, a company specializing in giving average people superpowers through gene therapy, and sending his new "Gamma Corps: Black" to harvest the DNA from Lyra, the new She-Hulk
.
in Devil's Point, Wyoming
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a villain and an enemy of the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
in the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He is obsessed with the Hulk, and tried to make attempts to capture the creature.
Fictional character biography
John Ryker joined the military at a young age and wanted to help determine future history from his shadows. One of his most prominent actions was manipulating the creation of the conspiracy around the assassination of John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
; apparently Kennedy was really killed by two Corsican mercenaries, but at the time it was deemed too expensive to wage World War Three so the idea of a conspiracy was created. When his wife Lucy developed cancer, Ryker used the military to hunt down Bruce Banner, who turned into the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
after exposure from gamma radiation during a nuclear test that Ryker supervised. Initially, Ryker irradiated various subjects to try and duplicate the accident that created the Hulk, thus allowing him to isolate the Hulk's ability to cope with the radiation and use it to heal his wife. His closest success was Private Benjamin Tibbits, who mutated into the Hulk-like Flux
Flux (comics)
Flux is a fictional gamma empowered soldier in the Marvel Comics universe. He is one of the Hulk's enemies.-Fictional character biography:Private Benjamin Tibbits, a soldier with unresolved mother issues, was a Private First Class in the United States Army...
, but his transformation was imperfect, leading to Ryker simply breaking him to use as a near-mindless soldier against the Hulk.
However, his brutal treatment of the Hulk, having finally captured the Green Goliath, not only broke down the mental barriers keeping the Hulk's other personalities from taking control away from the known three dominant Hulks- the 'escaped' Hulks including the Devil Hulk
Devil Hulk
-Publication history:The Devil Hulk was created by Paul Jenkins, Ron Garney, and Sal Buscema. He first appeared in The Incredible Hulk Vol.2 .-Fictional character history:...
-, but also convinced General Thunderbolt Ross to turn against Ryker and free his long-time enemy. Taking Lucy Ryker hostage, Ross told her the truth, prompting Ryker to depart as she coldly told him that she didn't ask to be healed at the cost of innocent people.
He is responsible for the creation of the Gamma Corps
Gamma Corps
The Gamma Corps are a fictional comic book military unit and an anti-hero team published by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #1, and was created by Frank Tieri and Carlos Ferreira.-Fictional history:...
, a special military unit created specifically to deal with the Hulk. He was spurred into action after his wife, who seemed to have been cured by a transfusion of Hulk blood, died from a sudden revival of her cancer. The Corps were unable to stop the Hulk, who went after Ryker, and caused Gamma Corps member Grey, who had Hulk DNA in him, to lose his temper, resulting in a Hulk-like rage that tore down Ryker's base, with the General still inside.
Ryker reappears later however, as the CEO of Origins corporation, a company specializing in giving average people superpowers through gene therapy, and sending his new "Gamma Corps: Black" to harvest the DNA from Lyra, the new She-Hulk
She-Hulk (Lyra)
She-Hulk is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. She is from an alternate future of Marvel's main timeline, and is the daughter of that reality's Thundra and the Hulk...
.
Powers and abilities
Ryker is a military strategist. He manipulates people and situations to get what he wants. At these situations, Ryker is making sure that he stays in the shadows. Also he is known for his detective skills.Ultimate Marvel
A general named Ryker is one of the ones in charge of Project PEGASUSProject Pegasus
Project Pegasus is a fictional scientific base in the Marvel Comics universe which has been the location of a variety of stories for superheroes and supervillains, most notably in the title Marvel Two-in-One...
in Devil's Point, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
Television
- In the Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes episode "Hard Knocks," Ryker is the leader of the group of soldiers hunting the Hulk under the orders of Agent Pratt.
Video games
- In the HulkHulk (video game)Hulk is a video game based on the 2003 movie of the same name. It was developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Games. A signature feature has Eric Bana reprises his role of Bruce Banner...
video game, General Ryker (voiced by Jano Frandsen) made an appearance. In the game, he sends out the military to capture the Hulk so that he might be able to study him. Also, he only appears in the cutscenes of the game. When discovering the gamma orb, Ryker plans to get it for his own purposes, but RavageRavage (Marvel Comics)Ravage is a fictional character in Marvel Comics. He is also one of the Hulk's enemies.-Fictional character biography:...
gets the orb. Ryker decided to kill both the Hulk and Ravage. He also had the HulkbustersHulkbustersHulkbusters is the name of three fictional organizations that have appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. All three groups exist within Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe, and are so-named for their attempts to battle the monstrous Hulk.-The U.S...
, and Private Benjamin "Benny" TibbettsFlux (comics)Flux is a fictional gamma empowered soldier in the Marvel Comics universe. He is one of the Hulk's enemies.-Fictional character biography:Private Benjamin Tibbits, a soldier with unresolved mother issues, was a Private First Class in the United States Army...
to fight the Hulk. This is similar to his comic counterpart.