William Stryker

Real Name
William Stryker

Occupation
Reverend, former soldier

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Unknown

Known Relatives
Marcy Stryker (wife, deceased), unnamed son (deceased)

Group Affiliation
Purifiers

Education
Unrevealed

Height
Unrevealed

Weight
Unrevealed

Eyes
Blue

Hair
White

Powers
None

Abilities
Skilled soldier and military unit leader

Other Info
William Stryker was a soldier in the US military. While on a trip home, the family was in an car accident in the Nevada desert and his wife went into labor. His newborn son was born a mutant. This drove Stryker insane, and he killed both mother and child. He then ignited their car in the attempt to commit suicide. The incident and his behavior afterward soon caused Stryker to be discharged from the military.

Due to his failed suicide attempt, Styker decided that God must have prevented him from taking his own life so that he could serve God on Earth. He also became convinced that Satan had a plot to corrupt humankind by taking over their souls while still in the womb, resulting in their mutations. Therefore, Stryker began to think of himself as "chosen by God" to destroy mutants. So, he formed Strkyer's Crusade and the Purifiers. In addition, driven by this newfound conviction, Stryker also become a popular, but controversial, preacher and televangelist. (To learn about the Purifiers, click on their highlighted name above.)

Later, Stryker began an elaborate campaign to take out the X-Men. Stryker arranged to have Professor Xavier kidnapped, brainwashed, and attached to a machine that, using his brainpower, would kill all living mutants. Soon after, Magneto became involved after investigating the deaths of a mutant family. In order to stop this scheme, the X-Men were forced to join forces with their enemy, Magneto. Then, at one point, Stryker attempted to kill Kitty Pryde in front of a television audience, but one of his own security guards shot and arrested him. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the team and/or characters.)

Stryker was then put into prison. However, Lady Deathstrike made her way onto the airplane where Stryker was being transferred, and killed the guards and rescued Stryker. It was then revealed that the two were lovers. (To learn about Lady Deathstrike, click on her name above. Note: Beware of the revealing outfit on Lady Deathstrike's bio page.)

Stryker emerged after M-Day with his Purifiers. They believed that God did his part on M-Day by wiping out most of the mutant population, and that it is was their job to finish his work by any means necessary. Therefore, his Purifiers killed a number of X-Men students. Also, Stryker came into the possession of the arm of the futuristic Sentinel known as Nimrod. Stryker ended up using this arm as a gauntlet. (To learn about the event and/or characters above, just click on their highlighted names. Also, Stryker with Nirmrod's arm is shown in the fifth and sixth pictures posted. Note: Beware of the couple people dressed in revealing outfits on the M-Day bio page.)

Sometime later, Stryker ordered on of his snipers to assassinate a mutant known as Wallflower. Afterward, the boyfriend of Wallflower, Elixir, found and killed him. (To learn about Wallflower or Elixir, click on their names above.)

Later on, Stryker was resurrected by Bastion using a techno-organic virus. However, recently Stryker has one again been killed, this time by Archangel during the fight with the Purifiers. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn more about Bastion and/or Archangel.)

To learn more about William Stryker, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Stryker,_William.

In the X-Men movies, they seem to mix two Marvel characters together to create their own "William Stryker." This mix is between William Stryker and Malcolm Colcord.

Siryn

Real Name
Theresa Rourke Cassidy

Occupation
Private detective; former adventurer, research assistant, criminal, student

Citizenship
Ireland

Place of Birth
Cassidy Keep, County Mayo, Ireland

Known Relatives
Sean Cassidy (Banshee, father, deceased), Maeve Rourke Cassidy (mother, deceased), Thomas Cassidy (Black Tom, first cousin once removed), Victoria Donnelly (mother's cousin)

Group Affiliation
X-Factor Investigations; formerly X-Corporation, X-Force, Fallen Angels, Muir Island X-Men; former ally of Black Tom and Juggernaut

Education
Boarding school

Height
5'6"

Weight
115 lbs.

Eyes
Blue

Hair
Reddish blonde

Powers
Siryn possesses sonic powers similar to those of her father Banshee, although she is able to use her powers in ways that he apparently cannot. She possesses an enhanced sense of hearing and sonar. While screaming Siryn is able to fly, most likely around Mach 1. Siryn has especially potent sonic attacks. She can shatter objects, project sonic force, or cause pain and unconsciousness. Siryn is able to subtly influence and control others with her sonics as well as cause them to enter a trancelike state. Siryn has recently shown the ability to also block out others from hearing sounds so that she can secretly deliver messages.

Other Info

Theresa Rourke is the daughter of former X-Men member Sean Cassidy (aka Banshee), and Maeve Rourke. While Theresa's father was on an INTERPOL mission, her mother gave birth to her. But, a while after she was born, Maeve was killed by a bomb, and her uncle, Thomas Cassidy (aka Black Tom), took care of her father got home. When Theresa's father finally came home from his mission and found his wife dead, he got angry at Tom for not looking after her, and he sonic screamed at him, breaking his leg. Therefore, Tom never got to tell him about Siryn. So, Tom decided to get revenge on Sean by raising Siryn on his own, and raising her to hate Sean. (To learn about the above characters/team, click on their highlighted names.)

While still a young teen, Theresa accompanied Black Tom and his then-partner, the Juggernaut, to San Francisco to assist him in his crimes. Here, employing the name Siryn, Theresa aided them in a theft of vibranium, and battled the original Spider-Woman and several of the X-Men. This conflict ended in Black Tom's temporary capture. While in custody, Black Tom relieved Theresa of responsibility for her crimes and wrote a letter to Sean explaining who she was. The X-Men brought Theresa back to their headquarters, where she was joyfully reunited with her father. (To learn about the above characters, click on their highlighted names. Note: Beware of the skin-tight outfit worn by Spider-Woman on her bio page. One of the first outfits she wore is shown in the third picture posted.)

Theresa soon moved to Muir Island, home of the research laboratories of Dr. Moira MacTaggert. While living back on the island, Siryn started a romantic relationship with the mutant known as Jamie Madrox (aka Multiple Man). However, this version of Multiple Man turned out to be one of his many duplicates and not the original Multiple Man, leading to the end of the relationship. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn more about the characters/place.)

Later, Siryn became a core member, and even a field leader, of the X-Force (a paramilitary superhero team). In the X-Force, Siryn began a romantic relationship with Deadpool. However, in the end, Siryn became overwhelmed with balancing her duties with X-Force and the demands of Deadpool's somewhat faulty sanity. Later on, she leaves after Feral (a former teammate turned villain) slashes her throat. This injury destroyed Siryn's vocal cords and made her temporarily mute and powerless. But, thanks to Deadpool stealing a sample of Wolverine's blood, Siryn was able to fully heal from her vocal cord injuries. (To learn about the above characters, click on their highlighted names. Siryn wore different outfits during her time in the X-Force. Two of these can be seen in the first and fourth picture posted. )

Soon after, Siryn joined up with X-Corporation where she was reunited with old friends such as Multiple Man, Rictor, and Cannonball. However, their first mission did not go so well and Siryn leaves the group. (To learn about the above characters and/or team, click on their highlighted names above.)

After that, Siryn joined up with Multiple Man's X-Factor Investigations in Mutant Town. During her time with X-Factor, her father was killed while trying to save an airplane full of innocent civilians. Although, he was confirmed to be dead by Wolverine and Nightcrawler, she is in a state of denial since many X-Men have died and then later miraculously been found alive and well. However, after some time, Siryn came to terms with her father's death and has recently taken her deceased father's codename as her own and begins calling herself "Banshee" in honor of his memory. (To learn about the above highlighted team/place/person, click on their highlighted names above. Note: Beware of revealing outfits worn by some on the X-Factor bio page.) The last picture posted is of Siryn in her uniform during her time in the X-Factor.)

To learn more about Siryn/Banshee, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Siryn.

Siryn is in both, X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand. In X2, when William Stryker's forces invade the X-Mansion, Siryn is the girl that screams really loud that makes everyone in the mansion have to cover their ears. We also see her briefly in X-Men: The Last Stand.

Stepford Cuckoos

Real Name
Celeste, Esme (deceased), Mindee, Phoebe, Sophie (deceased) (surname unrevealed)

Occupation
Students, adventurers; (Esme) former terrorist

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
New York City, New York

Known Relatives
Emma Frost (mother)

Group Affiliation
Xavier Institute Student Body/Corsairs; (Phoebe, Celeste, Mindee) formerly X-Men; (Esme) Brotherhood of Mutants

Education
Various courses at Xavier Institute

Height
(all) 5' 6"

Weight
(all) 105 lbs.

Eyes
(all) Blue; glowing white when using powers

Hair
(all) Blonde

Powers
The Stepford Cuckoos share a unique bond that allows them to combine their individual telepathic powers to form a powerful "supermind." The Cuckoos can use their powers to read the minds of others, alter another being's perception of reality, manipulate the thoughts and bodily actions of others, or to shield their minds against telepathic probes. Through their bond, the Cuckoos communicate almost instantaneously, often speaking in unison or finishing one another's sentences. The strength of this bond is based on proximity; the further away they are from one another, the weaker it becomes.

Other Info
The Stepford Cuckoos were five identical mutant sisters (Celeste, Esme, Mindee, Phoebe, and Sophie) who were enrolled at the Xavier Institute and soon proved to be the best students in Emma Frost's telepathy class. (They were sometime referred to as Five-in-One.) When the Institute was attacked by the U-Men, the Cuckoos were among the students that helped oppose them. (To learn about Emma Frost and/or the U-Men, click on their names above. Note: Beware of the very revealing outfits worn by Emma Frost on her bio page. Also, the "Five-in-One" are shown in the third picture posted.)

Later, the Cuckoo sister Esme romanced a student named Kato who revealed himself to be Stuff (a spy for the alien Shi'ar Empire's Imperial Guard who had been dispatched to Earth by Cassandra Nova to eradicate mutant kind). Along with Emma Frost, and fellow student Angel Salvadore, the Cuckoos were captured, but were able to defeat Stuff and free Emma. With Emma's help, the Cuckoos were able to create a trap for Nova. (Click on the highlighted names to learn more about the characters above. Note: Beware of a revealing outfit on the Angel Salvadore bio page.)

Soon after, when Quentin Quire began a riot on the Xavier Institute, Sophie was used the power-boosting drug "Kick" to strengthen her powers and fight him. However, the strain killed Sophie (though it was secretly Esme's psychic influence that ultimately pushed Sophie toward death). Esme then and influenced the Cuckoos to blame Emma Frost for their sister's death and to leave her tutelage. This lead to only four sisters remaining (aka Four-in-One).

Later on, Esme telepathically forced Angel to shoot Emma Frost, seemingly killing her. Fortunately, Emma was restored by her X-Men teammate Jean Grey's manipulation of the cosmic Phoenix Force. After this, Esme fled the Institute, joining who she believed to be the X-Men's arch-nemesis Magneto. However, after this fake Magneto (a mutant known as Xorn), destroyed the Institute and attacked Manhattan, the three other Cuckoos joined up with the X-Men to oppose the him. Ultimately, Esme turned against Xorn, but she was killed by him for her betrayal. Now, there remains only three sisters (aka Three-in-One). (Click on the highlighted names above to learn more about the characters/force. Note: Beware of the skin-tight outfit worn by Jean Grey on her bio page, and the Phoenix Force bio page.)

Later, these three remaining Cuckoos resolved their differences with Emma Frost, who had also become co-headmistress of the rebuilt Institute. The Cuckoos were placed into Cyclops' Corsairs squad, after which Mindee helped Gambit defend the Institute from an attack by a reformed Brotherhood of Mutants. Also, when the immovable mutant the Blob attacked the Institute, the Cuckoos were instrumental in his defeat by the students. (To learn more about the above characters/team, click on their highlighted names. Note: Beware of Emma Frost's skin-tight/revealing outfit on Cyclops' bio page.)

After the effects of M-Day, a small fragment of the Phoenix Force came to one of the Cuckoos and began influencing their behavior. Being manipulated by both the Phoenix Force, and a man named John Sublime, the Cuckoos traveled to the World (a laboratory created by Weapon Plus). Here, it was revealed that Emma Frost's ova was the genetic templates used to clone thousands of Cuckoos. Thus, making Emma Frost the Cuckoos mother. (To learn more about the above characters/place/event, click on the highlighted names above. Note: Beware of the revealing outfits worn by some on the M-Day bio page.)

To learn more about the Stepford Cuckoos, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Stepford_Cuckoos.

In the movie X-Men: The Last Stand, three identical blonde girls are shown in the background in a scene at the X-Mansion. The writer, Zak Penn, confirmed that these girls were the Stepford Cuckoos. (The second picture posted is of the scene showing the Stepford Cuckoos in the background.)

Mastermind

Real Name
Jason Wyngarde

Occupation
Former carnival mentalist, former subversive

Citizenship
Citizenship unknown with no criminal record as yet

Place of Birth
Unknown

Known Relatives
Regan Wyngarde (Lady Mastermind, daughter), Martinique Jason (Mastermind, daughter)

Group Affiliation
Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants, Factor Three, rejected applicant to the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club

Education
Unrevealed

Height
5'10" (6'2", during his involvement with the Hellfire Club)

Weight
140 lbs. (190 lbs., during his involvement with the Hellfire Club)

Eyes
Black (Gray, during his involvement with the Hellfire Club)

Hair
Gray-black (Brown, during his involvement with the Hellfire Club)

Powers
Mastermind is a mutant with the power of illusion-casting. He can psionically cause other people to see, hear, touch, smell, and/or taste things which do not actually exist: for example, he can seem to make a solid wall appear in an empty space. He can also cause people to see, hear, touch, smell, and/or taste real things in ways that they would not do naturally: for example, he can make himself look and sound like a different person, or look and feel like a wall, or even seem invisible. Without artificial aids, Mastermind cannot cause only one person among many who are present to see his illusions; everyone within the range of his power, which can extend over an entire city (as when he helped Magneto capture Latin American nation of Santo Marco), will see his illusions. Since his power only affects the mind, his illusions cannot be recorded on film or tape or by other means. However, his power works so strongly on the mind that even if his victim or victims know they are being subjected to an illusion, they will still react to the illusion as if it were real unless they can rid themselves of all suspicions that it is unreal. Hence, if Mastermind creates the illusion of a wall, most people, even if they know it is an illusion, will still be unable to walk through it. Invariably Mastermind’s illusions are so skillful that most people are unable to help having the feeling, at least subconsciously, that they are real.

Abilities
Mastermind is below-average athlete with no knowledge of hand-to-hand combat

Other Info
Nothing is known about Mastermind’s life before the time when, while working as a carnival mentalist, he was enlisted by Magneto as a member in his Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants. With Mastermind's help, the Brotherhood was able to take over a South American country, with an illusion of thousands of soldiers. As a member of the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, he aided Magneto in repeated clashes with the X-Men. After the Brotherhood's defeat by the X-Men, the group attempted to lure the Stranger to their cause. The Stranger, being an enigmatic cosmic entity, instead of a mutant, temporarily turned Mastermind into stone. (Click on the highlighted characters and/or teams above to learn more about them.)

After the spell wore off, Jason joined Factor Three (an organization that attempted to conquer the Earth). Factor Three eventually disbanded when their leader turned out to be an alien, instead of a mutant. They actually teamed up with the X-Men to defeat the alien Mutant Master. (To learn about the above highlighted character and/or team, click on their names.)

Later, Mastermind was then captured by Sentinels, but freed by the X-Men. Former members of Factor Three (Blob and Unus) joined with Jason to reform the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. This new Brotherhood was looking for new recruits. Mastermind attempted to recruit Beast to his group, but ultimately failed and wound up battling him instead. (To learn about the above highlighted characters, just click on their names.)

At one point, Sebastian Shaw and Emma Frost (the mutants who lead the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club) invited Mastermind to test for admission to the Inner Circle as part of their ongoing program of recruiting super-powered mutants for their organization. To prove his worth, Mastermind (using both his natural powers and artificial means) psionically altered the personality of Jean Grey, so that she willingly became the Inner Circle’s new Black Queen. However, in doing so, Mastermind unintentionally triggered Jean’s transformation into the insane Dark Phoenix. Jean broke free of Mastermind’s control, and opened his mind to all the various psionic sense impression that she herself received from the cosmos as Dark Phoenix, impressions which no ordinary person or even any ordinary psionic ever receives. Mastermind, on being given such awareness all at once without any training in how to cope with it, immediately fell into a catatonic state. So, to say the least, the Inner Circle rejected his application for membership. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn more about the characters and/or group. Note: Beware of Jean Grey's skin-tight outfit on her bio page, and watch out for multiple pictures of very revealing and/or skin-tight outfits on Emma Frost's bio page. And beware of the multiple women in revealing outfits on the Hellfire Club bio page.)

When Mastermind was finally able to regain his sanity, he sought revenge on everyone that caused him pain. He gave the final nudge to Rogue towards leaving Mystique for the X-Men through subtly manipulating Rogue's rapidly deteriorating mental state, while at the same time inflicting nightmares on Mystique. He interfered with the engagement of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor by manipulating the X-Men into thinking Madelyne was the Dark Phoenix. Mastermind also ruined the wedding of Wolverine and Mariko Yashida by psionically compelling her to reject Wolverine. (To learn about the highlighted characters above, just click on their names. Note: Beware of Cyclops' bio page due to Emma Frost in a skin-tight outfit. Also, beware of Madelyne Pryor's bio page due to her in a very revealing outfit. And watch out for Mystique's revealing outfits as well on her bio page.)

Later on, Mastermind died of the Legacy Virus, but before he succumbed, he asked Jean Grey's forgiveness for what he had done to her. She did forgive him, and he died at peace. (To learn more about the Legacy Virus, click on its name above.)

Mastermind's name and powers still live on through his daughters: Martinique Jason (aka Mastermind) and Regan Wyngarde (aka Lady Mastermind). (To learn more about Mastermind's daughters, click on their highlighted names.)

To learn more about Mastermind, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Mastermind_%28Jason_Wyngarde%29. (Note: Beware of the woman in revealing corset on the Mastermind's bio page.)

In the films X2 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, we see a character that is loosely based on Mastermind. In the movies, Jason is the son of William Stryker (In the comics, Mastermind and William Stryker are not related). In X2, we see Jason in a wheelchair using his powers on Professor X. And in the credits of that movie, he is named "Jason 143." In X-Men Origins: Wolverine, we just see Jason's face enclosed in ice, as a child. In both movies, Jason has two different colored eyes (blue and green). This seems to be just something they made-up for the movies. (The two different Jasons from the movies are in the second picture posted above.)