Wild Child (Kyle Gibney) alternately spelled Wildchild and also known as Weapon Omega and Wildheart, is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. The character has been depicted as both a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

and a

supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...

, and as a member of

Alpha Flight Alpha Flight is a fictional team of Canadian superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters premiered in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #120 (April 1979), and were created to serve as part of the X-Men member Wo ...

X-Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

and

Weapon X Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are conducted by List of government agencies in Marvel Comics, Department K, which turns willing ...

Publication history

He was created by John Byrne and appeared in a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

in ''

'' #1 (Aug 1983), but he did not appear in full until ''Alpha Flight'' #11.

Fictional character biography

Kyle Gibney is a

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...

who manifested a

feral A feral () animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in some ...

mutation during

puberty Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy. ...

; this mutation granted him enhanced physical abilities and an increased rate of regeneration. He also suffered from a bestial freakish appearance, which prompted his parents to throw him out of their house. Living on the streets, he was kidnapped by the conspiratorial Secret Empire and subjected to mind- and body-altering experiments. The experiments had the consequence of making him psychologically unstable, and in particular prone to violent and animalistic behavior. During this time, he became acquainted with Dr.

Valerie Cooper Valerie "Val" Cooper is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character works for the Office of National Emergency as the liaison for mutant affairs. She once claimed to have been inspired to gover ...

, a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

government official who was unaware of the Secret Empire's true nature or activities. He was freed by Wyre, the man who had unwittingly been the source for the genetic material that was used in the Empire's experiments. Gibney (now Wild Child) was detained by the military and given over to the custody of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

's secret

Department H The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...

, who oversaw the formative

team. The Flight member Walter Langkowski, wanting to protect the youth from the military, placed him in the trainee team dubbed

Gamma Flight Gamma Flight is the name of two fictional Canadian teams of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The first version of Gamma Flight debuted in ''Alpha Flight'' #1 and was created by John B ...

. After Alpha Flight and its trainee groups were officially disbanded, Gibney was recruited to join the first

Omega Flight Omega Flight is the name used by four teams of fictional characters with superpowers appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Omega Flight is one of the few Canadian teams published by an American comic book company. Omega Fl ...

team, a group of professional criminals. Alongside Omega Flight, he battled Alpha Flight and was defeated. Alongside Omega Flight, he battled Alpha Flight again in the West Edmonton Mall, and was defeated by

Madison Jeffries Madison Jeffries is a fictional mutant superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as having the ability to reshape plastic, metal, and glass to any shape desired. He also has the technopath ...

. Afterwards, he committed a series of murders, which ended when he battled and was captured by

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...

after he severely injured and almost killed Alpha Flight member Heather Hudson. Wild Child was subsequently pardoned under unrevealed circumstances and given membership in the new Gamma Flight. Alongside Gamma Flight, he battled Alpha Flight. However, he then aided Gamma and Alpha Flight against

Llan the Sorcerer La Lunatica Lacuna Lady Bullseye Lady Deathstrike Lady Dorma Lady Grey Lady Lark Lady Lark (Linda Lewis), later named Skylark, is a character in the Marvel Comics series Squadron Supreme and hails from Earth-712. She first appeared in ...

's forces. When Gamma Flight was disbanded soon after that, he went berserk over his deprecated status and attacked Pathway, another trainee. Gamma's leader

Nemesis In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view. Etymology The n ...

teleported him away during a fight with Heather Hudson (then

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

) and Wolverine, and he was captured by Wolverine. Department H would later help him overcome his psychological problems and cure his mental illness, train him in unarmed combat, and place him as a special operative of the Canadian government assigned to Alpha Flight under the codename Weapon Omega. Alongside Alpha Flight, he battled Diablo. He joined Alpha Flight's "Core Alpha", met the second

team, and prevented the mind-controlled Omerta from assassinating Italy's head of state. He also fought a Wild Child doppelganger during the

Infinity War ''Avengers: Infinity War'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to '' The Avengers'' ( ...

. He was attacked by Wyre but rescued by Alpha Flight. He searched for

, and was held prisoner with her by Rok, but they were then rescued by

. He defeated Wyre in personal combat; he then learned about his true origin, and changed his codename to Wildheart. He aided Alpha Flight in combat with the Wrecker. He also became romantically involved with his teammate

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. His appearance eventually deteriorated back to his initial feral form, which prompted him to leave Alpha Flight and Aurora. He followed Valerie Cooper to the United States, where he joined the government operated team

. There he began a romantic relationship with his teammate

Shard Shard or sherd is a sharp piece of glass, pottery or stone. Shard may also refer to: Places * Shard End, a place in Birmingham, United Kingdom Architecture * Dresden Shard, a redesign of the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden, German ...

. His feral teammate Sabretooth frequently attempted, with little success, to convince Wild Child to become a hunter and killer like himself. He remained with the team until his body began mutating towards a more feral form. He eventually degenerated to a near-mindless state and was recruited (either willingly or via brainwashing) by the new

team. As part of his draft, Wild Child was paired with Sabretooth to try and recruit Sunfire to the program. The

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

mutant refused and badly burned Sabretooth. When Wild Child mocked his burns Sabretooth viciously sliced through Kyle's

vocal cords In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speech ...

and threatened to kill any Weapon X medical staff who would operate on him, making sure that he would remain mute. His past flame, Aurora, was also recruited into the team but she was not herself. After the Weapon X upgrades she became cocky and aloof, snubbing the ugly Wild Child and even engaging in a relationship with the horribly disfigured Director of the program. This became fuel for the fire when

Brent Jackson Brent Jackson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Wolverine'' #163 and was created by Frank Tieri and Sean Chen. Fictional character biography Brent Montgomery Jackson ...

attempted to undermine the authority of the Director

Malcolm Colcord Malcolm Colcord, also known as The Director, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He appeared as a villain in the series ''Wolverine'' and is an important character in the ''Weapon X'' comics. Pub ...

. Using Aurora's attitude toward him as motive, Jackson convinced Wild Child to join his splinter group.

Decimation

Wild Child was seen on a terminal screen as one of the mutants depowered after M-Day. His energy signature was found within the entity known as The Collective, along with the energy signatures of many other depowered mutants.

Post-Decimation

Wild Child recently demonstrated that his powers had returned as well as previously erased memories. He even managed to best Wolverine in a quick fight. He is now looking like his old Wildheart persona. Wild Child appeared once more in conflict with Wolverine aiding

Omega Red Omega Red is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. In 2009, Omega Red was ranked as IGN's 95th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time. Publication histor ...

and attempting to kill Logan. He was doing so under the order of the enigmatic

Romulus Romulus () was the legendary foundation of Rome, founder and King of Rome, first king of Ancient Rome, Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus ...

. His plan consisted of dropping Logan into molten steel; however, he was interrupted by Omega Red. While Wild Child and Omega Red battled each other, Logan managed to flee. Omega Red succeeded in distracting Wild Child and thus was able to impale him on his coils before throwing him into a vat of molten steel.

Dawn of X

In the new status quo for mutants post ''

House of X and Powers of X ''House of X'' and ''Powers of X'' (abbreviated as ''HOX'' and ''POX'') are two 2019 comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics featuring the X-Men, but writer Jonathan Hickman and artists Pepe Larraz, R.B. Silva and Marte Gracia. Both book ...

'', Professor X and Magneto invite all mutants to live on Krakoa and welcome even former enemies into their fold. Kyle Gibney joins a loose group of outcast mutants, operating under Mister Sinister: the Hellions, which also comprise Havok, Kwannon, Empath, John Greycrow, Nanny, and Orphan Maker.

Powers and abilities

Kyle Gibney is a

who was experimented upon, genetically engineered by Secret Empire scientists using DNA replicated from Wyre. He has superhumanly acute senses, as well as superhuman speed, agility, reflexes, coordination, balance, and endurance. His teeth and nails are hardened and strong enough to rend substances as thick as bone. His body heals at a rate several times greater than that of a normal human being but not at the rate of Sabretooth's healing factor. He also has various animal-like mutations common for "feral" mutants: leaf-shaped ears; eyes with neither pupils nor irises; sharper-than-normal teeth with pronounced, fang-like canines; and elongated fingernails and toenails which can be used as claw-like weapons, as well as his hunched body posture. He is an excellent

hand-to-hand combat Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...

ant with both special ops and martial arts training from

as well as the Canadian government's superhero Flight program, and is also trained in acrobatics and gymnastics. In his bestial rages, he relies more on sheer ferocity than fighting skill. As Wildheart, the savage, bestial side of his personality was suppressed by an unknown drug, but his savage self still threatened to overwhelm his sanity at all times. As a result of injuries suffered at the hands of Sabretooth, who prevented him from getting medical treatment, Wildchild was

mute Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak. Mute or the Mute may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart * ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...

for a time. However, along with his renewed powers, he seems to have regained the ability to speak as well.

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

In the ''

Age of Apocalypse "Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The ''Age of Apocalypse'' briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comic ...

'' alternate timeline, Wild Child was a member of the X-Men and was frequently partnered with Sabretooth. Wild Child possessed a low level of intelligence (comparable to that of a dog) and an inability to communicate verbally. As such, he was kept on a chain leash to prevent him from harming any of the X-Men. For a time, he was Sabretooth's

sidekick A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...

, as Creed had rescued Wild Child from being a prisoner of

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...

's son

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

but his current fate is unknown. The 2005 ''Handbook to the Age of Apocalypse'' states that Kyle is away on a secret mission with the other X-Men who were not present during the ''Age of Apocalypse'' 10th Anniversary Limited Series, though when Sabretooth and

Blink Blinking is a bodily function; it is a semi-autonomic rapid closing of the eyelid. A single blink is determined by the forceful closing of the eyelid or inactivation of the levator palpebrae superioris and the activation of the palpebral portio ...

revisited their home reality during a mission as

Exiles Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

Magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...

and Rogue revealed to them that Kyle had run away after Victor and Clarice had disappeared when they were taken away by the Tallus. He was eventually found and claimed by

Quentin Quire Quintavius Quirinius "Quentin" Quire, also known as Kid Omega, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in those featuring the X-Men. Quire first appeared in ''New X-Men'' #134 (January, 2003). ...

. He then moved to the latter's reality to replace its deceased Wild Child, who was not supposed to have died. Wild Child has since been returned to the ''Age of Apocalypse'' timeline as he is seen following and later confronting the X-Force. He is killed while, along with the X-Men from his world and X-Force, trying to stop Archangel's genocidal plans on Earth-616.

House of M

In the ''

House of M "House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a core eight-issue comic book limited series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel and a number of crossover tie-in books. Its fir ...

'' reality, Wild Child (alongside

Arclight An arclight or arc lamp is a lamp that produces a bright light by generating an electric arc across two electrodes. Arclight, Arc Light or arc light may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Arclight (comics), a mutant super-villai ...

and

Mentallo Mentallo (Marvin Flumm) is a fictional supervillain, a mutant appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. After having been fired for cause after attempting a covert S.H.I.E.L.D. takeover, he has since operated as both a freela ...

) is a Red Guard member positioned in Australia to serve Exodus.

Mutant X

In the '' Mutant X'' alternate reality, Wild Child roams the wilds of Canada, feral, along with that reality's version of Sabretooth and Wolverine, both as feral as he. They operated under the name "The Pack." For a time, the hero known as the Brute ran with them.

Old Man Logan

In the pages of ''Avengers of the Wastelands'' that serve as a sequel of "

Old Man Logan Old Man Logan is an alternative version of the Marvel Comics fictional character Wolverine. This character is an aged version of Wolverine set in an alternate future universe designated Earth-807128, where the supervillains overthrew the superhe ...

" and take place on Earth-21923, Wild Child is among the villains that attack Danielle Cage's group in Osborn County where they were killed by the insects summoned by Dwight Barrett's Ant-Man helmet.

Weapon X: Days of Future Now

Kyle is still a part of the splinter group of Weapon X, run by Brent Jackson.

Ultimate Marvel

The

Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters in ...

version of Wild Child appears in ''Ultimate Comics: Wolverine'' #2. He and a few of his soldiers were tracking

's son,

Jimmy Hudson Jimmy Hudson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character appears in the Ultimate Marvel universe and is the son of Wolverine (Ultimate Marvel character), Ultimate Wolverine. After the Secret ...

to kill his adopted parents, the Hudsons: James Hudson and Heather Hudson. Jimmy pounces but is almost killed by Wild Child till Quicksilver appears and twists his neck around.''Ultimate Comics: Wolverine'' #2

In other media

Television

* Wild Child appeared in the ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

'' episode "One Man's Worth." He has the look of the AoA Wild Child and is a member of

's Mutant Resistance.

Toys

The Age of Apocalypse version of Wild Child was also made into a non-posable figure pack-in with Sabretooth for the Age of Apocalypse toy line manufactured by ToyBiz. The Age of Apocalypse version Wild Child was produced by Hasbro. The figure is 1:12th in scale (6-inch), released as part of The Marvel Legends brand. It is one of 7 figures released in the Sugar Man Build A Figure Wave.

References

External links

AlphaFlight.Net Alphanex Entry on Wild Child

Wild Child
at Marvel.com
UncannyXmen.net Spotlight on Wild Child
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wild Child (Comics) Comics characters introduced in 1983 Characters created by John Byrne (comics) Fictional Canadian people Fictional characters with slowed ageing Fictional characters with superhuman senses Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics mutants Marvel Comics mutates Marvel Comics superheroes Marvel Comics supervillains Wolverine (comics) characters X-Factor (comics)