Creation
Dale Rice was created by writers Chris Yost and Craig Kyle, along with artist Billy Tan. He first appeared in 2005’s X-23: Innocence Lost #1.
Major Story Arcs
Innocence Lost
Dr. Dale Rice was one of the scientists working as part of the Weapon X program, but did so while secretly spying for the Facility. When the Weapon X test subject got loose and went on a rampage however, Rice grabbed whatever data he could fit in a briefcase and tried to escape, only to be killed by Weapon X just outside of the base.
Dale Rice’s body was later found by his friend and superior, Martin Sutter, who retrieved the briefcase as well as his dog tags. Sutter gave the dog tags to Rice’s son, Zander, when he broke the news to him of his father’s death. Zander kept the tags for the majority of his life as a reminder of Weapon X and how it had killed his father.
The data from the briefcase also contained DNA samples of the Weapon X subject which the Facility ultimately use to clone Weapon X. The first successful clone would come to be known as X-23.