The character made his debut in X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (1982), created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson.

[1] William Stryker was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson, making his first appearance in the 1982 graphic novel X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills.

[2][citation needed] The Reverend William Stryker is a religious fanatic with a military background, characterized by his intense hatred of mutants.

This animosity drives him to commit horrific acts, including the murder of his wife, Marcy Stryker, and their mutant son shortly after the child's birth in Nevada.

In a calculated move, Stryker orchestrates the kidnapping and brainwashing of Professor Xavier, connecting him to a device designed to eliminate all living mutants.

The extent of Stryker's bigotry is further revealed when he attempts to murder Kitty Pryde during a live television broadcast, resulting in an NYPD officer shooting him.

This revelation leads him to seemingly turn over a new leaf as he merges with the sentient artificial intelligence known as Reverend Paul, ultimately being placed in a containment tube.

Stryker eventually launches an assault on the Xavier Institute with the Purifiers, resulting in the death of Quill and critically wounding Onyxx and Cannonball, as well as injuring Bishop, Emma Frost, and other students.

Bastion reveals that Stryker has the second highest number of mutant kills among the Purifiers' ranks, surpassed only by Bolivar Trask, the creator of the Sentinels.

[7] Bastion assigns Stryker the task of locating Hope Summers and Cable following their return from the future during the "Second Coming" event.

His Purifiers, in conjunction with Cameron Hodge's Right foot soldiers, engage the X-Men and New Mutants before Archangel ultimately kills Stryker by slicing him in half.

[13] To refine the cyborgs, Stryker instructs the Weapon X Project to target Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, Warpath, Domino, and Lady Deathstrike, selecting these mutants for their unique abilities.

[16] When the Hulk and Old Man Logan's group raid the Weapon X Project's base to rescue Lady Deathstrike and Warpath, Stryker initiates a self-destruct sequence, resulting in the deaths of his employees.

[18] During a brief altercation between Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, and Lady Deathstrike with the Hulk, Stryker and Dr. Alba take the opportunity to escape via helicopter.

[20] Believing that God no longer supported his crusade against mutants, Stryker and the Church of Human Potential turn to Satanism and dark magic rituals to gain the power necessary to destroy mutantkind.

"[24] In the alternate timeline depicted in the 1995 Age of Apocalypse storyline, William Stryker is raised by a preacher father who cares for him and other children in their town after most of the townspeople are slaughtered by mutants.

Consequently, Stryker lives in hiding, learning to depend on the kindness of both humans and mutants, which makes this version of him far more tolerant than his counterpart in Earth-616.

He attempts to lead a spiritual congregation of survivors in a tent set up in Central Park but fails to conduct his service successfully.

After his escape, Stryker begins to hallucinate visions of his deceased abusive father, who fuels his hatred of mutants and religious fervor until he is ready to strike back against them.