Matthew Risman
Encyclopedia
Matthew Risman is a fictional character
, in the Marvel Universe
and a deadly enemy of mutants
including the X-Men
.
, Matthew Risman was in the middle of a hit when he suddenly received a call telling him to return to his home. Leaving his target, Risman rushed home, dragging his wife and daughter from their home seconds before a mountainside collapsed on it, completely obliterating it. As the trio looked at their damaged home, the man who had informed Risman of the coming disaster, William Stryker
, appeared. Convincing Risman that he had access to knowledge of future events, Stryker recruited Risman into the Purifiers
, a group who believed it was their holy mission to eradicate the few mutants who remained following M-Day
.
Following events that Stryker foresaw while tapping into a damaged Nimrod
's memory of the future, Stryker and the Purifiers began slaughtering mutants and ex-mutants, attempting to alter the future seen by Nimrod to one where the Purifiers triumphed during their assault on the Xavier Institute. Due to a switch between X-23
and Dust
, the Purifiers believed they'd eliminated the correct mutants, allowing them to triumph. Surprised by the switch, the Purifiers were defeated, Stryker was killed, and Risman was left horribly scarred by an angry Dust.
Calling Stryker a martyr, Risman has taken up leadership of the Purifiers and is ready to continue his war on mutant-kind.
crossover, the Purifiers are one of the three factions, alongside the X-Men and Marauders
, searching for the first mutant baby born since M-Day.
All three groups were alerted to the baby's birth more or less simultaneously, and headed for the remote Alaskan village where the birth took place. The Purifier task force beat both the X-Men and the Marauders to the scene, and proceeded to cull every child in the city, in order to make sure the mutant baby did not survive. They were then attacked by the Marauders, who killed several Purifiers. By the time the X-Men arrived on the scene, both villain teams had departed, with the whereabouts of the baby unknown.
When the New X-Men
discovered the Purifiers' role in this, Surge
led a squad to attack the Purifiers at their base, forcing X-Man mole Rictor
to blow his cover. Hellion recognised and attacked Risman, but was stabbed through the chest by Lady Deathstrike
, who Risman had hired, along with her Reavers
, to help him kill the mutant child and the X-Men.
to be a new adviser and prophet to the Purifiers. He quickly learns, however, that Bastion is basically forcing Risman out, having resurrected many prominent killers of mutants, including William Stryker, Bolivar Trask
, Graydon Creed
, and others, to form a new alliance to destroy mutantkind. Risman then sends out his new personal army, The Choir, to attack Bastion and his loyalists at a rally being led by the resurrected Stryker, finding Bastion as the only apparent survivor.
Risman claims that Bastion
and those he resurrected are not human and that the unholy abominations must be destroyed. But before he can stop Bastion Archangel arrives searching for those who took his wings. During the commotion cause by Archangel and the arriving X-Force Risman goes after Magus but is surprised to find Eli absorbing part of Magus. Risman tries to shoot Eli but fails and is captured but before Eli is able to feed, Risman is shot in the head by X-23.
Risman is a trained hitman, so he is highly-trained, like all the other Purifiers, who and have been shown to be capable of holding their own against both O.N.E. troopers and the X-Men. Their belief in the righteousness of their actions and their belief that they are fulfilling God's work by killing mutants is a source of great strength for the group, enabling them to commit acts that would make more moral, reasoned individuals cringe, and enabling them to hold their ground in the face of great odds or past defeats. Combined with their secret nature and fanatical determination, the Purifiers are undoubtedly a deadly foe and a cause of great concern for the remaining mutants.
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...
, 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...
and a deadly enemy of mutants
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
including the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
.
History
A trained sniperSniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
, Matthew Risman was in the middle of a hit when he suddenly received a call telling him to return to his home. Leaving his target, Risman rushed home, dragging his wife and daughter from their home seconds before a mountainside collapsed on it, completely obliterating it. As the trio looked at their damaged home, the man who had informed Risman of the coming disaster, William Stryker
William Stryker
Col. William "Bill" Stryker, M.D. is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson, he first appeared in the 1982 graphic novel X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills.Rev...
, appeared. Convincing Risman that he had access to knowledge of future events, Stryker recruited Risman into the Purifiers
Purifiers
The Purifiers, also known as the Stryker Crusade, are a fictional paramilitary/terrorist organization in the Marvel Comics universe and enemies of the X-Men...
, a group who believed it was their holy mission to eradicate the few mutants who remained following M-Day
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
.
Following events that Stryker foresaw while tapping into a damaged Nimrod
Nimrod (comics)
Nimrod is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #191 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr. Hailing from the "Days of Future Past" timeline, Nimrod is a powerful, virtually...
's memory of the future, Stryker and the Purifiers began slaughtering mutants and ex-mutants, attempting to alter the future seen by Nimrod to one where the Purifiers triumphed during their assault on the Xavier Institute. Due to a switch between X-23
X-23
X-23 is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the X-Men. X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine.-Publication history:...
and Dust
Dust (comics)
Dust , is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' X-Men-related comic books. She was created by author Grant Morrison and artist Ethan Van Sciver in New X-Men #133 , although her character was not fully developed until the New X-Men: Academy X series written by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis...
, the Purifiers believed they'd eliminated the correct mutants, allowing them to triumph. Surprised by the switch, the Purifiers were defeated, Stryker was killed, and Risman was left horribly scarred by an angry Dust.
Calling Stryker a martyr, Risman has taken up leadership of the Purifiers and is ready to continue his war on mutant-kind.
Messiah Complex
In the X-Men: Messiah ComplexX-Men: Messiah Complex
"Messiah Complex" is a comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics from October 2007 to January 2008, which ran through the various X-Men books....
crossover, the Purifiers are one of the three factions, alongside the X-Men and Marauders
Marauders (comics)
The Marauders is a team of fictional supervillain characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr., the team first appear in Uncanny X-Men #210 The Marauders is a team of fictional supervillain characters in comic books published by...
, searching for the first mutant baby born since M-Day.
All three groups were alerted to the baby's birth more or less simultaneously, and headed for the remote Alaskan village where the birth took place. The Purifier task force beat both the X-Men and the Marauders to the scene, and proceeded to cull every child in the city, in order to make sure the mutant baby did not survive. They were then attacked by the Marauders, who killed several Purifiers. By the time the X-Men arrived on the scene, both villain teams had departed, with the whereabouts of the baby unknown.
When the New X-Men
New X-Men
New X-Men was a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics within the X-Men franchise. After the end of Grant Morrison's run on X-Men , titled New X-Men, the title was used for a new series, New X-Men: Academy X, serving as a continuation of the second volume of New Mutants...
discovered the Purifiers' role in this, Surge
Surge (comics)
Surge is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe, one of the student body in the Xavier Institute, and a member of the former New Mutants squad therein. She maintained her powers post M-Day and was the leader of the New X-Men. She first appeared in New Mutants, vol...
led a squad to attack the Purifiers at their base, forcing X-Man mole Rictor
Rictor
Rictor is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe, who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson and first appeared in X-Factor vol.1 #17...
to blow his cover. Hellion recognised and attacked Risman, but was stabbed through the chest by Lady Deathstrike
Lady Deathstrike
Lady Deathstrike , occasionally spelled "Deathstryke", is a Marvel Comics supervillain, a foe of the X-Men, especially Wolverine.Her father Lord Dark Wind created the adamantium-bonding process that was forced on Wolverine...
, who Risman had hired, along with her Reavers
Reavers (comics)
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe the Reavers are a team of criminal cyborgs. The most significant team of Reavers were dedicated to the destruction of the mutant X-Men, and a number of them especially wanted to take revenge on one particular X-Man, Wolverine. The name was originally used by...
, to help him kill the mutant child and the X-Men.
X-Force
After failing to kill the mutant messiah, Risman soon regroups the Purifiers, and is able to resurrect BastionBastion (comics)
Bastion is a supervillain that appears in the fictional Marvel Universe. The character was created by Scott Lobdell and Pascual Ferry and first made a cameo appearance in X-Men #52 . His first full appearance was Uncanny X-Men #333...
to be a new adviser and prophet to the Purifiers. He quickly learns, however, that Bastion is basically forcing Risman out, having resurrected many prominent killers of mutants, including William Stryker, Bolivar Trask
Bolivar Trask
Bolivar Trask is a fictional character and a military scientist in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #14 . He is the creator of the Sentinels.-Fictional character biography:...
, Graydon Creed
Graydon Creed
Graydon Creed is a fictional character created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Brandon Peterson. The character is an enemy of the X-Men and first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #299 .- Fictional character biography :...
, and others, to form a new alliance to destroy mutantkind. Risman then sends out his new personal army, The Choir, to attack Bastion and his loyalists at a rally being led by the resurrected Stryker, finding Bastion as the only apparent survivor.
Risman claims that Bastion
Bastion (comics)
Bastion is a supervillain that appears in the fictional Marvel Universe. The character was created by Scott Lobdell and Pascual Ferry and first made a cameo appearance in X-Men #52 . His first full appearance was Uncanny X-Men #333...
and those he resurrected are not human and that the unholy abominations must be destroyed. But before he can stop Bastion Archangel arrives searching for those who took his wings. During the commotion cause by Archangel and the arriving X-Force Risman goes after Magus but is surprised to find Eli absorbing part of Magus. Risman tries to shoot Eli but fails and is captured but before Eli is able to feed, Risman is shot in the head by X-23.
Powers and abilities
Being baseline humans, neither Risman nor the Purifiers possess superhuman abilities to speak of, relying on superior technology in their genocidial campaign against mutants. The Purifiers possess a variety of deadly armaments and munitions, some more conventional weapons like assault rifles and anti-tank rockets, as well as more advanced and expensive equipment like Vibranium-based weaponry. The group also used the knowledge contained within Nimrod's memory banks to great effect, although that advantage was lost when the Sentinel reactivated and destroyed its keepers, before being defeated by the New X-Men.Risman is a trained hitman, so he is highly-trained, like all the other Purifiers, who and have been shown to be capable of holding their own against both O.N.E. troopers and the X-Men. Their belief in the righteousness of their actions and their belief that they are fulfilling God's work by killing mutants is a source of great strength for the group, enabling them to commit acts that would make more moral, reasoned individuals cringe, and enabling them to hold their ground in the face of great odds or past defeats. Combined with their secret nature and fanatical determination, the Purifiers are undoubtedly a deadly foe and a cause of great concern for the remaining mutants.