| Ryder | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Skrull Kill Krew #1 (1995) |
| Created by | Grant Morrison Mark Millar Steve Yeowell |
| In-story information | |
| Team affiliations | Skrull Kill Krew |
Ryder is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He was the leader and founder of the Skrull Kill Krew.
Contents |
The man known only as Ryder was one of a number of people who had unintentionally eaten meat from Skrulls that had been brainwashed into transforming into cows and retaining that form for life. Some of the meat eaten by people transferred the Skrull's adaptable DNA code into the human's cells, resulting in a bizarre condition called Skrullovoria Induced Skrullophobia, in which these individuals not only gained shape-shifting powers equal to, or greater than, actual Skrulls, but also developed an intense fear or hatred of Skrulls. Only a small number of humans proved susceptible to this syndrome, and most did not survive the initial stages of infection. But several people who proved somewhat longer-lived (though still dying), and Ryder gathered them together (known as Riot, Catwalk, Dice, and Moonstomp), to act out their increasingly irrational impulses to seek out and destroy the ones who did this to them (by "letting" themselves get turned into cows), usually by graphically "blowing away" the Skrulls with high-powered weapons.[1]
Ryder and Riot return much later to ferret out more Skrulls. Ryder had kept the other three alive, as heads kept in jars; their Skull infestation has resulted in the loss of their bodies.[2] They encounter the new 3-D Man in the New Mexico desert and save him from a Skrull posing as 'She-Thing'. Ryder and Riot helped 3-D Man and the Initiative find and kill all the Skrulls infiltrating all the Initiative teams. Moonstomp, Dice, and Catwalk, are able to help track down Skrulls, which allowed the speedsters and teleporters in the Inititative to take the Skrull Kill Krew members and 3-D Man across the country very quickly.[3] After the Skrulls are defeated, Moonstomp, Dice and Catwalk's heads all die, and Riot reverts back to human form, dying also. 3-D Man and Ryder then set out to find and kill any Skrulls that might still be on earth.[4]
He returns to solo adventuring, stalking the remainders of the Skrullian army on Earth, and strongly believing there may be more milk and meat contaminated by Skrull genetics. However it's implied he may be a Skrull himself: one of the original Skrullian cows able to restore himself to a human appearance, but losing his memory in the process and explaining his superhuman powers with the "Skrullovoria Induced Skrullophobia." [5]
In addition to shapeshifting, Ryder can teleport, has enhanced strength and reflexes, and carries lots of firearms.