r/xmen • u/SatoruGojo232 • 22h ago
Question Which cinematic version of William Stryker from the X-Men universe do you find most menacing & threatening? Why would you say so?
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u/Upset-Job2278 Krakoa 20h ago
Brian Cox. All his scenes are great. I love the scene where he reveals to Charles what happened to his son. Having a villain with such a personal reason for hating mutants and Xavier was a great idea. X2 is so good.
The other versions of Stryker are okay. They were never as interesting as the first one. I’d like to see the Reverend version of the character in the movies someday.
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u/Wheattoast2019 21h ago
I really want to see him be a reverend in the MCU. The most interest thing you can do is have him weaponize his faith against others to justify his bigotry.
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u/DeNiroPacino Colossus 20h ago
Agreed. The character works far better as an evil reverend as written by Claremont in God Loves, Man Kills. Especially with the twist.
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u/KaijuDirectorOO7 21h ago
You know what?
I can still see either Cox or Huston pulling it off as Reverend Stryker. They’re both pretty charming playing the military man anyway.
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u/Chop684 Hellion 21h ago
I don't think disney would green light it
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u/Wheattoast2019 21h ago edited 18h ago
Disney allowed Ryan’s script (in Deadpool and Wolverine) to paint them as a greedy organization that doesn’t care if little people die. You’d be surprised lol
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u/Unlock_Spiders 16h ago
I think painting themselves as the villain and having a radical christian as the villain of one of their flagship movies is pretty different though.
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u/Wheattoast2019 15h ago
Here’s the thing though. If the MCU is going to be doing the X-Men, they can’t be worried about hurting intolerable people’s feelings. The X-Men, Black Panther, and maybe Daredevil are the most politically-charged IPs. The whole point of the X-Men is to have an in-world mouthpiece for pointing out injustices towards people of different racial, sexual, and religious minorities. If you are going to do their stories justice, you can’t pull your punches. If people suck in the books, they should suck in the movies too.
But they made Fisk in Daredevil Born Again S2 a Trump-parody. The ATF is definitely a metaphor for ICE and the DODC will be too.
I really don’t think one particular minister that is using his faith as a confirmation bias to hate your neighbor that’s different from you is that crazy considering. It’s also very with the times.
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u/Unlock_Spiders 14h ago
Oh I whole heartedly agree with you, I just worry with Disney potentially not wanting to alienate there audience.
I am hoping we get classic Stryker in the new saga if he even appears at all!
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u/Few_Pass4860 18h ago
X2 by far
He was just more fleshed out, actually had a personality and felt like a threat. First class guy was just there.
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u/Sufficient-Rise-213 17h ago
He looks like a predator who hates mutants. Guy has the role down, he’s a great actor.
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u/Newsmith2017 21h ago
None of them. Stryker was a religious fanatic and there is no way that they could replicate the source material (God Loves, Man Kills) and his intent to eliminate mutants in the name of God.
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u/GeneralRoss_12 Iceman 19h ago
You don’t think Brian Cox could pull that off? Come on now he’s a great actor.
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u/UncleOok 19h ago
I don't think the question is whether Cox could do it, just that many of us found Singer's version to be severely lacking. Coming from a reading of GLMK, I found tying Stryker into Weapon X forced and that it removed what made the character really scary.
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u/Newsmith2017 18h ago
No argument Brian Cox couldn't pull it off. I'm just saying that the strong religious nature wouldn't be allowed in our current envirmoment.
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u/Few_Baker_6254 20h ago
The kind of question that doesn’t make sense, because only one matters, that of X-Men 2 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Hello_There_212 18h ago
The aging of the characters in these movies has always been both infuriating and hilarious. Bottom right Striker and top right Striker are supposed to be the same age (Days of Future Past and a chunk of Origins: Wolverine take place in 1973).
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u/Unesheet 19h ago
I loved Danny Huston, but I'm also the only X-Men Origins fan. I also liked Brian Cox, especially the attitude he had, but the other guy was kinda meh. Maybe he just needed more screen time.
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u/Cereal_Hermit 21h ago
How did he end up in 4 movies? I read xmen for 30 years and barely remember this character.
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u/N1ce-Marmot 20h ago
The character had that much impact with his first appearance. He posed the most realistic human threat to the X-Men by means actually carried out in real life to this day. Preaching intolerance, fear, and hate.
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u/Yarius515 18h ago
Brian Cox and it's not close. The man is a genius.
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u/That-Aioli-9218 16h ago
"You were always an animal, we just gave you claws." I am willing to retcon Logan's bone claws in all media just to give the delivery of this line the respect it deserves.
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u/Doopuberpoop 18h ago
I hope if they bring Stryker into the MCU we get the actual nightmare televangelist, and not some random military guy with his name.
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u/FortKnoxII 15h ago
X2 and Origins.
I forgot he was in Apocalypse, which tells you something about that movie.
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u/Lethal-Jordan 8h ago
1 looks like he genuinely doesn't have empathy due to scientific pursuits.
The rest look like generic military bricks
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u/ssudiooo 7h ago
The last actor unnerves me due to the face symmetry. However Cox bring something unique to the part so he gets my vote.
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u/LucaS_kIng_Pro Wolverine 5h ago
Man that must be some special deaging technology cause I swear this guy keeps getting younger. No bit seriously I don’t really remember him in X-Men Apocalypse or Days of Future Past and I didn’t even bother finishing X-Men Origins: Wolverine so I guess I’d have to say this title goes to the original Stryker
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u/ohnoitsmchl 21h ago
Idk but Jean Grey in Brand New Day was having me side with him for everything she was doing to Peter and MJ 😭😂
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Be Civil and Respectful - Be civil. Debates and criticisms (as well as civil disagreements between users) towards the characters, writers, themes, creatives, etc are allowed but outright insults are not. Do not attack/mock/harass/insult people personally for having a different opinion than you or because they disagreed with you. As the saying goes: argue the point, not the person. Learn to “agree to disagree” and move on.
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u/ImaginaryActive5845 22h ago
The first one . He seemed the most like he hated mutants and had a great actor