Henry Gyrich

Real Name
Henry Peter Gyrich

Occupation
Government agent, (Formerly) liaison to the Avengers, US Government attached to the Black Panther

Citizenship
United States of America

Place of Birth
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Known Relatives
Unnamed Father (deceased)

Group Affiliation
S.W.O.R.D.; Former liaison to the Avengers, agent for the National Security Agency, member of Project: Wideawake, member of the Commission on Superhuman Activities, Shadow Initiative

Education
University graduate

Height
6’ 1”

Weight
205 lbs.

Eyes
Green

Hair
Red

Powers
None

Abilities
Very well versed in government bureaucracies and litigation as well as negotiation techniques, also is very familiar with the government systems and laws of many countries including the United States, Latveria, and Wakanda

Other Info
Henry Peter Gyrich is a ruthless and dedicated government official known for his hardball tactics. Although he is very career minded, he once took a year off work to care for his father who eventually died of Alzheimer’s disease.

At one point, Henry Gyrich became the National Security Agency's (NSA) liaison to Canada's Department H. During this time, he met and had repeated issues with their agent, Wolverine. (To learn about the NSA and/or Wolverine, click on the highlighted names above.)

After this, Henry Gyrich became the first person to be given the title of U.S. Government Liaison to the Avengers by the NSA. After working with the Avengers for a time, Gyrich eventually revoked the Avengers priority status after taking issue with the team. Unfortunately, the Avengers had to accept Gyrich’s “suggestions” or they would be denied the use of their Quinjets, monitors, and data files. Gyrich also limited the Avengers’ active membership to seven members, forced the African-American Falcon to join the team (against Falcon's will) to satisfy equal-opportunity employment in accordance with affirmative action policies, and installed various security measures for the team. (To learn about the highlighted team, vehicle, and/or character above, just click on their name.)

Later, Gyrich took part in a Senate investigation involving the Avengers which claimed that the team was a threat to national security. However, after various testimonies, the committee concluded that the Avengers needed a certain amount of freedom to carry out their operations which were of proven value to the government. The Senate committee gave the Avengers new guidelines to follow, and they also named Raymond Sikorski (a much more reasonable man) as Gyrich's successor as liaison. (To learn about Sikorski, click on his name above.)

After he was forced to step down from his position, Gyrich continued to give the Avengers trouble as a seated member on the council that prosecuted them for treason (charges that proved to be false). He later continued to give them trouble when he served with the Commission on Superhuman Activities (CSA), who stripped Captain America of his uniform and title. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the characters and/or organization.)

Later, Gyrich requested for a transfer in his responsibilities and was made a special consultant to Project: Wideawake (a covert governmental commission to deal with the problems posed by the growing number of mutants in America). Project: Wideawake was headed by National Security Advisor, Judge Petrie, and its members include Frank Lowell of the Central Intelligence Agency, Raven Darkholme (Mystique in disguise) of the Defense Department, and Dr. Valerie Cooper, among other security department representatives. The project noted that America no longer had a virtual monopoly on superhuman mutants, and decided to investigate the feasibility of employing a special team of mutants to counter the threat of foreign mutants. Eventually it is Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants who were drafted to fill this position and were renamed Freedom Force. (To learn about the project/characters/teams above, just click on their highlighted names. Note: Beware of the revealing outfits on Mystique's bio page.)

Sometime later, Gyrich became involved in war efforts against the alien Dire Wraiths. This time, he worked alongside Forge (a mutant who worked as a weapons maker for the U.S. government and S.H.I.E.L.D.). Gyrich took Forge's specially designed superhuman power-neutralizing gun to capture the mutant Rogue (she had broken into a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility). In an encounter with Rogue, Storm, and government forces, Gyrich accidentally shot Storm with this gun resulting in Storm's powers and abilities being neutralized (she regains them later). (To learn about the characters and/or organization, click on their highlighted names above. Note: Beware of the extremely revealing outfits worn by Storm on her bio page--block images if possible.)

Gyrich was also involved in hunting down the Hulk after the events of Onslaught. (To learn about Hulk or the Onslaught event, click on the highlighted names above.)

After sometime, Henry Gyrich is promoted to succeed Dr. Valerie Cooper as the head of the Commission on Superhuman Activities. Gyrich's dislike of superhumans made him the perfect target for Baron Strucker (who had designed nanites that could place any person under his control). Under the nanite influence, Gyrich used CSA resources to remold the vigilante Nomad into the assassin "Scourge" and devised a plot to destroy Earth's superhuman population. However, the Thunderbolts revealed Gyrich's involvement and ended his plot, freeing him from the nanites. (To learn about the characters and/or organizations above, just click on their highlighted names.)

Following that incident, he is reassigned to the U.S. State Department and is made the liaison for Black Panther as well as the Avengers’ new liaison to the United Nations. During this time, he redeemed himself in the eyes of the team when he refused to deliver information on the Avengers to the Secretary of Defense, Dell Rusk. Gyrich proved himself even more when he helped the Falcon unmask the Secretary of Defense as the Red Skull. Gyrich was a faithful liaison officer to the Avengers. But, Gyrich’s job comes to an end after the United Nations ends their relationship with the Avengers. (Click on the highlighted names to learn about the characters above.)

After the superhero Civil War, Gyrich served as the Secretary of the Superhuman Armed Forces; his base of operations appeared to be Camp Hammond (the superhuman training facility in Stamford, Connecticut). Abusing his power, he created the Shadow Initiative which is a black ops team within the 50-State Initiative consisting of Bengal, Constrictor, Trauma, the Scarlet Spiders (Team Red) and Mutant Zero. (To learn about the event, place, programs, and/or characters above, just click on their highlighted names.)

After the Skrull invasion, Gyrich has now been appointed Co-Director of the U.N. space security agency known as S.W.O.R.D. His focus is on potential alien threats already on earth. Gyrich has managed to kidnap several notable aliens including Noh-Varr, Adam X, Jazinda, Karolina Dean, Hepzibah, and he arrested Lockheed, all in his desire to send aliens home. (To learn about all the above highlighted characters and/or group, click on their names above. Note: Beware of the revealing and/or form-fitting outfits worn by Karolina Dean and Hepzibah on their bio pages.)

To learn more about Henry Gyrich, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Gyrich,_Henry_Peter.

Henry Gyrich is in the first X-Men movie. In the film, he is Senator Kelley's assistant and is assumed to have been killed by Sabretooth--much different than the comics.