Sargent Master Stryker

Ken Stryker, Sergeant Master in the US Army, was the definitive, groomed American super-hero for his time, at least as far as the establishment went. Stryker gained his variant powers at age 18, just after he had been drafted. Realizing the potential they had on their hands, the army rapidly promoted him to the highest non-officer rank and made him the "American Hero" in the eyes of the press. He spent years alternating between action in Vietnam and time in Chicago, the town he would eventually call home.
    Why the shuffling? Why not just use him to end the war? Orders. Likewise, Stryker was never really allowed to cut loose in 'Nam, being limited to providing air cover for mundane actions and the occasional strike while the officers tried to figure out what to do with him. Both during the war and in the decades following it, the use or misuse of Stryker's abilities has been the focus of books, debates and conspiracy theories — that the government feared the propaganda damage of having their super soldier killed in action, so they denied him a chance to really engage the enemy; that the military industrial complex and the politicians who were getting rich in the unending conflict didn't want anyone ending it; that Stryker actually was engaged in massive combat that we were unaware of and that the enemy was just too intractable to be beaten; that the magical conspiracy ultimately behind the war (using it as a great sacrificial pit) were keeping him from interfering with their plans; and a dozen others.
    Stryker eventually grew sickened by the indecision and inconsistency, but stayed in for the pullout to get as many of our troops home as possible. Stryker himself was spared the day-to-day horror of the war: he was home half the time, seldom on the ground and damn near unkillable anyway. Still, his experiences were not pleasant, though the rumors that he was involved in massacres are entirely untrue. Whether he was ordered to do them was another story, but one that has never seen light. While he has done everything he can to champion the cause of Vietnam veterans since then, there are some that still sneer at him, because the war didn't and couldn't touch him as it had touched them—a charge that he is very vulnerable to, because he knows it to be true.
    During his time in America he worked against foreign variants: the army ordered him around the country to bolster the war effort and stop powerful variant enemies — unlike the commanders in the 'Nam, the home front generals could figure out what to do with him here. In addition to international menaces, he also fought against organized crime (sometimes with the orders of the Army, sometimes not) and had the occasional conflict with the counterculture movement, most notably Dove and the Aquarians.
    Stryker was the ultimate square in many ways. Born and raised in a white conservative southern home, with strong Catholic morals but not a real strong grasp of the roots of the religion, trained by the army to follow orders, and with a strong personal moral sense, but a slight twinge of childhood racism, he was everything the Summer of Love was not. His experiences in Vietnam tempered this somewhat but, as we said, his unique powers and position defended him from that. This political bias brought him into conflict with Dove and her team several times as he busted Hippie drug dealers, violent radical movements and all the rest. In truth, this conflict between Stryker and Dove was overblown by the media, because it made good press and distilled the current social conflicts into an archetypal battles.
    While Stryker was not a perfect man, he did learn and grow. He knew his racism was wrong, and took great steps to eliminate it. He stopped giving his allegiance blindly. He grew to understand the principles of his religion, not just the rules. Finally, when confronted with the obvious injustice of the '75 variant restriction act he teamed with Dove and others to fight the powers that be — a situation that no one ever expected, and which cost him dearly in the trust of the Pentagon.
    In 1977 he finally married his high school sweetheart, Penelope-Sue, and settled in Castleview, a suburb of Chicago, to work in investments. He declared himself officially retired as a professional variant, but has been called into action time and again, whenever danger of monumental proportions loomed his country, his world. He is also an avid baseball fan, acts in community theater when he has time and has two children, whom he makes time for. He is perfect. Yuppies hate him.
    Officially free of his army obligations in '71, Stryker maintained close relations with them for the extent of his career, though the orders were now requests. He maintains those good relations to this day, though they have waxed and waned over time. They reached a low point in the mid to late seventies, improved during the early eighties, dropped again when he signed on to UNEarth (an organization the Pentagon has never been thrilled with) as a charter but part time member. He acted in the Plovian Invasion and was critical in the final moments of the Daemonwar. He has had limited encounters with modern variant teams outside of these crises, though he is a part time member of the Justice Defenders, if only because he is a potent variant who lives in Chicago. He had little respect for Ground Zero and their overly violent tactics (though he liked Split Second), and had a similar attitude for the Host and their paramilitary independence.
    Stryker can biologically generate and manipulate force. Initially this provided him with Flight, Extreme Variant Strength, a personal Force Field and the ability to fire moderate Force Blasts. At the end of his career his flight speed broke Mach 4 and he could project and mold his force fields with vast skill -- creating objects and even creatures of force. He is also skilled with Unarmed Combat, is in excellent physical shape and has a strong tactical mind and very commanding presence, letting him size up situations and give orders to deal with them on a moments notice. Interestingly, he was never made an officer, though most officers will defer to his authority and experience when confronting variant opposition. He denies being the most powerful variant in the world, though he might be the most versatile one in the public eye. 

Visit Stryker's Rogues Gallery.

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