After 44 Years, Marvel Announces New Codename For Iconic X-Men Villain

Published Oct 4, 2026, 1:44 PM EDT Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words. Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II. Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno. Sign in to your ScreenRant account After more than four decades, one of the most iconic villains in X-Men lore has a new codename - one that marks a jaw-dropping evolution for the character. In 1982, Chris Claremont, Brent Anderson, Steve Oliff and Tom Orzechowski created one of the most iconic stories in X-Men history with the 'God Loves, Man Kills' graphic novel. The story pits the X-Men against the religious extremists known as the Purifiers and their hate-spewing leader, Reverend William Stryker. Stryker and the Purifiers have become some of the X-Men's biggest recurring villains, with the character famously depicted by Brian Cox in 2003's X2 and Danny Huston in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Stryker is perhaps the purest expression of the bigotry central to X-Men's 'mutant metaphor.' Now, he's back in a horrifying new way. X-Men Introduces 'Cardinal Stryker' In a recent social media post, Marvel teased the upcoming X-Men: Midnight by sharing a quote from 'Cardinal' Stryker, along with an image of a statue that appears to depict X-Men villain Exodus. The quote references the iconic story that debuted Stryker, while calling him 'Cardinal Stryker' reveals a major promotion. Previously, Stryker was a televangelist who stirred up hate against mutants. However, as a 'Cardinal,' he will have immense political sway within the Catholic Church. Stryker holding the title of 'Cardinal' suggests his anti-mutant agenda has become the mainstream in the dark world of Midnight: X-Men #1, coming October 7 from Jonathan Hickman, Matteo Della Fonte, Arthur Hesli and Cory Petit. How Midnight: X-Men Is Enhancing Marvel's Villains Marvel's 'Midnight' imprint is a new alternate reality with a horror spin. Midnight: X-Men will see the world split into four factions: Humans Mutants Vampires Empyres The Empyres are mutants corrupted by the undead, still possessing their superpowers and feeling no loyalty to traditional vampires. Midnight: X-Men takes place during a ceasefire between the groups, following a massive war that caused significant loss of life. In a world that just experienced a war on vampires, it's not surprising that religious institutions would be transformed. Interestingly, teaser art for X-Men: Midnight has depicted Nightcralwer as a cardinal, suggesting some kind of schism within the Church. Either that, or Stryker's hatred of vampires/empyres is so strong, he's willing to ally with mutants. How Is Omega-Level Villain Exodus Involved? While the quote shared by Marvel is from Stryker, the image that accompanies appears to show Exodus, sword drawn, about to kill an emaciated being in chains. This statue could have multiple meanings, given Exodus' role in X-Men lore. Exodus debuted in 1993 and is a former crusader knight known as Bennet du Paris. A religious zealot, Exodus has perverted religious doctrine to act as a 'prophecy' of a promised future where mutants rule the Earth Possessing Omega-level telekinesis, Exodus' psionic abilities are so strong, he's capable of a range of feats including teleportation and self-healing. It was recently revealed that he channels belief - the more people who believe in Exodus, the more powerful he becomes. At his strongest, Exodus can shatter planets. So far, it's unknown how Exodus fits into the lore of Midnight: X-Men, but there are several possibilities. The statue could be showing Exodus as a mutant subjugating humanity or as a symbol of mutantkind defeating vampires. Midnight: X-Men Is Building a Whole New World With Jonathan Hickman attached as writer, X-Men fans knew that Midnight would deliver on portentous dialogue and ambitious world-building. Now, as Marvel teases the major players in this new world, it's clear that religious themes will also be a focus, bringing to mind Hickman's epic East of West with Nick Dragotta. Elevating Reverend William Stryker and Nightcrawler to cardinal seemingly makes the Catholic Church a major faction in a world afflicted with multiple types of vampire, as the X-Men face an existential crisis of apocalyptic proportions. Midnight: X-Men #1 is coming October 7 from Marvel Comics. Movie(s) X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) TV Show(s) X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024) Video Game(s) X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994) First Film X-Men (2000) Character(s) Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23 Comic Release Date 213035,212968