John Ryker

General John Ryker is a fictional comic book antagonist who appears in books published by Marvel Comics, as an enemy of the Hulk.

John Ryker
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe Incredible Hulk Vol. 3 #12 (March 2000)
Created byPaul Jenkins
Ron Garney
Mike McKone
In-story information
Full nameGeneral John Ryker
Team affiliationsGamma Corps
Origins Corporation
AbilitiesGenius strategist
Adept deceiver
Master manipulator

Publication history

Created by writer Paul Jenkins and artists Ron Garney and Mike McKone, John Ryker first appeared in The Incredible Hulk Vol. 3 #12 (March 2000).[1]

Fictional character biography

A corrupt U.S. Army General, John Ryker joined the military at a young age and wanted to help determine future history from the shadows. One of his most prominent actions was manipulating the creation of the conspiracy around John F. Kennedy's assassination where apparently two Corsican mercenaries were the killers but at the time was deemed too expensive to wage World War Three so the idea of a conspiracy was created. When his wife Lucy Ryker developed cancer, Ryker used the military to hunt down Bruce Banner who turned into the Hulk after gamma radiation exposure during a nuclear test that Ryker supervised.[2] Ryker initially irradiated various subjects to try and duplicate the same accident behind the Hulk, with the goal of allowing him to isolate the Hulk's ability to cope with the radiation and use to heal his wife; his closest success was Private Benjamin Tibbits mutating into the imperfect Flux, leading to Ryker simply breaking Flux as a near-mindless soldier against the Hulk.[3] However, his brutal treatment to the Hulk not only broke down the Hulk's other personalities' mental barriers from taking control, including the Devil Hulk, but also convinced General Thunderbolt Ross to turn against Ryker and free their long-time enemy. Taking Lucy hostage, Ross told the truth to Lucy, prompting Ryker to depart as Lucy coldly told him that Lucy didn't ask to be healed at the cost of innocent people.[4]

Ryker is responsible for the special Gamma Corps military unit that dealt with the Hulk. He was spurred into action after his wife (who seemed to have been cured by a transfusion of the Hulk's blood) died from a sudden revival of cancer. His unit were unable to stop the Hulk (who went after Ryker) and caused Gamma Corps member Grey (who had the Hulk's DNA within) to lose temper, resulting in a Hulk-like rage that tore down Ryker's base with the General still inside.[5]

However, Ryker later reappears as the CEO of Origins Corporation which specializes in giving average people superpowers through gene therapy, and sending the new Gamma Corps: Black unit under Norman Osborn's auspices to harvest the new She-Hulk's DNA.[6]

Powers and abilities

General John Ryker has no superpowers but he's a genius strategist, an adept deceiver and a master manipulator.

Other versions

Ultimate Marvel

The Ultimate Marvel reality has a General named Ryker is one of the ones in charge of Project PEGASUS in Devil's Point, Wyoming when the Serpent Squad attacks until stopped by the Fantastic Four.[7]

In other media
  • General John Ryker appears in cutscenes in the Hulk video game, voiced by Jano Frandsen. This version is very similar to his comic counterpart. He sends out the military for the Hulk's capture so that he might be able to study the Hulk. When discovering the Gamma Orb, Ryker plans to get the Gamma Orb for his own purposes but Ravage gets the device. Ryker decided to kill both the Hulk and Ravage. He also had the Hulkbusters and Private Benjamin "Benny" Tibbetts to fight the Hulk. At the end of game, he is seen in base where Flux went to recover and he presumably began experimenting on his henchman.
  • John Ryker is alluded in Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes. In the episode "Hard Knocks", he is leader of the group of soldiers hunting the Hulk under Agent Pratt's orders.
  • Elements of the character appear in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk to be amalgamated into General Thaddaeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (played by William Hurt), such as experiments involving Hulk-based individuals.
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References
  1. DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 302. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. Incredible Hulk Vol. 3 #12
  3. Incredible Hulk Vol. 3 #17-19
  4. Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #20
  5. World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #4
  6. The Incredible Hulk #601
  7. Ultimate Origins #2
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