Origin
Wild Child was born an attractive young man, however he had a ferocious temper which drove his parents to kick him out of their house. The teen wandered the streets until he was targeted and captured by the Secret Empire who convinced social worker Valerie Cooper that Gibney was a compulsive liar, sent to be counseled and reformed by his parents. Valerie played right into the hands of the Secret Empire, forging a friendship with Kyle while allowing them to study Gibney’s mental status. When Gibney started showing “unstable fluctuations of behavior,” the Secret Empire dubbed him primed for advanced treatments and began conducting experiments on him, injecting him with DNA from Wyre which mutated his appearance and gave him severe psychological problems that would remain ever-present throughout his life. Cooper was informed that Gibney had been sent away for intensive psychotherapy and did not see him again for many years. Gibney was trapped inside the wreckage of the Secret Empire base when Wyre rebelled against the Secret Empire destroyed their base. Gibney was found and taken into custody by Canada’s Department H where he was placed through a series of drug and hydrotherapy treatments in an attempt to free him from the feral state the Secret Empire had trapped his mind in.
Creation
Wild Child was created by John Byrne and first appeared in a cameo in Alpha Flight Vol. 1 issue 1 (1983) before appearing fully in Alpha Flight Vol.1 issue 11(1984).
Mayor Story Arcs
Alpha Flight
Department H placed Gibney in Gamma Flight, a training team for Alpha Flight. After Gibney brought his temper under control, he was transferred to Alpha Flight, where he was mentored by Wolverine, until Logan left to join the X-Men. Department H was eventually disbanded by the Canadian government, along with all the Flight teams, and Gibney seemingly vanished until he was recruited to the new freelance group, Omega Flight. A newly reformed Alpha Flight captured Gibney along with the rest of Omega Flight, though Gibney was able to escape and went on a killing rampage, severely injuring and nearly killing Heather Hudson. It took the return of Wolverine to track down and subdue the out of control Wild Child, who was aided by a pack of wolves he had allied with.
Gamma Flight
When Alpha Flight was believed to be dead, Department H chose to reinstate the Gamma Flight team and recruited Gibney, pardoning him of his crimes. Wild Child stayed on when Alpha Flight and Gamma Flight later merged into one Alpha Flight team. After another violent outburst, Wild Child was taken to an undisclosed location by Nemesis, where Kyle was given a serum developed by Department H which ‘cured’ Gibney of his savagery. Because his past left him untrustworthy in the eyes of his teammates, Gibney secretly rejoined Alpha Flight wearing a mask under the code name Weapon Omega.
Gibney proved his value and skill while fighting beneath the mask, even acting as Alpha Flight’s team leader briefly during the Infinity War. Gibney eventually removed his mask, revealing his true identity and drastically changed appearance to his teammates, which caused a great deal of distrust within Alpha Flight, especially between his team leader, Guardian, and General Clarke. Gibney eventually decided he no longer wanted to be a government lapdog, dependent on their secret serum as Weapon Omega, but as he was also no longer a dangerous animal as Wild Child, Gibney adopted the code name Wildheart and continued to fight along side Alpha Flight, eventually staring a romantic affair with teammate Aurora.
X-Factor
After a length of time refusing Department H’s serum, Gibney once again degenerated into a feral state. Humiliated by his houndish features, Kyle left Alpha Flight and reunited with Valerie Cooper in order to aid the government sponsored team X-Factor, using his enhanced senses to track down the missing Havoc. Once again adopting the code name Wild Child, Gibney stayed among the ranks of X-Factor where he consistently clashed heads and wits with a collared Sabretooth, and nearly shared a kiss with teammate Shard. Auora became unstable after Wild Child’s sudden departure from Alpha Flight and attacked Gibney outside of X-Factor’s headquarters, having decided to kill Kyle to keep him from leaving again. Wild Child defended her to his current and former teammates, and attacked Mystique when she shifted into the likeness of his Wildheart persona in order to distract Aurora. Wild child claimed that Jean-Marie needed to accept the horror he had become. Gibney swore he would always be there for Jean-Marie as a friend, not romantically, but in the end promised Northstar that he would stay away from her. Wild Child faked his death along with the rest of X-Factor when the team went underground, and fought Sabretooth twice when Creed broke free of his restraining collar and attacked X-Factor. Gibney lost both fights, but remained with the crippled X-Factor until his mutation spiked once again. Leaving a note of explanation to Cooper, Gibney fled the team as his body painfully mutated into something far more bestial.
Weapon X
When his degeneration became complete, Wild Child was inducted into the newly formed Weapon X, where scientists further tampered with his DNA and mutations. This left Gibney more intelligent, but resulted in further physical mutations, leaving him completely hairless. It was also noted that at this point, Wild Child’s mind had been tampered with to such an extent that he had very little will or conscious of his own, he following commands to kill without hesitation or asking for a reason. He and Sabretooth were assigned to recruit Sunfire, which proved to be a less than successful operation. Wild Child managed to escape the encounter unharmed, however Creed was badly burned. When Gibney taunted Creed about his injuries, Sabretooth slashed Wild Child’s throat open, severing his vocal cords, then threatened Weapon X doctors to ensure that they would leave Gibney mute. Kyle was later assigned to rescue his former lover Aurora from a mental institution and bring her to Weapon X. When Aurora remembered Gibney, he entertained thoughts of running away with her, but he was convinced by Agent Jackson to hand her over to Weapon X so her shattered mind could be healed, but Auora ultimately rejected Kyle due to his appearance. Brent Jackson later convinced Wild Child to aid him in an effort to overthrow Weapon X, but betrayed the group at the last minute. Jackson took credit for overthrowing a rebellion and became the Director of the Weapon X program himself, erasing Gibney’s memories of the rebellion and eventually promoting Wild Child to Head of Security. Wild Child mysteriously vanished along with the rest of Weapon X when Wolverine began an investigation and found the Weapon X compound deserted.
After House of M
Wild Child was de-powered during House of M, however he was reported to still maintain many of his physical mutations. Romulus found Gibney and not only restored his powers, but upgraded his abilities and restored his voice and lost memories. Gibney has faithfully served Romulus since, performing tasks such as kidnapping Sabretooth, defeating Wolverine and aiding in the torture of Daken. At one point he is seen covering a wall with photos of Wolverine being tortured and commented he wished they had enough to cover the entire wall. He appears currently much like his Wildheart persona, with the addition of several facial piercings and a black costume. Wild Child has delivered messages to both Wolverine and Daken on behalf or Romulus, who he refers to as “my master.” Wild Child apprehended Wolverine after Logan narrowly survived a fight with Omega Red and relocated him to an ironworks factory in Russia, planning to dip him in molten iron and fuse his adamantium skeleton. He explained that Romulus was looking to retire, and wished to pass his mantle on to a worthy successor. As such, he pitted Wild Child, Wolverine, Sabretooth, Omega Red, Daken, Nuke and Cyber against each other, and also gave Wild Child the Carbonadium Synthesizer to make Omega Red participate in the fight. Wolverine escaped his molten bath and escaped after Omega Red attacked Wild Child to try and reclaim the Carbonadium Synthesizer. Wild Child was impaled by Omega Red’s coils and was tossed into the molten iron bath which he had intended for Logan, it is unknown if he survived, but unlikely as he believed it would kill Wolverine.
Resurrection
At an unknown point in time, Kyle was seen alive again and attending Sabretooths party thrown in his honor after becoming the invisible crimelord of all Asia. He was beaten into submission alongside a host of other party goers by Wolverine whom had tracked down their little shindig so as to clobber Victor before departing to parts unknown.
Krakoa and the New Hellions
At some point, Wild Child was brought to the mutant homeland of Krakoa and made a resident there. But he still suffered from his feral attitude and was put under a strict supplementary intake of pharmaceuticals which dial down Kyle’s more rebid tendencies. Eventually he’d be recruited for the new Hellions team, formed by Mr. Sinister, reuniting the misfits of Krakoa and sending them on very dangerous missions for the sake of quenching his own scientific curiosity. On one such mission Wild Child; alongside Nanny and Orphan Maker would perish in the unknown lands of Arakko collecting samples of genetic material for Essex’s study. Upon resurrection by the hand of The Five; Kyle had been resurrected but changed, stronger and tougher with a more focused as well as ruthless mindset. Seeking to assert his dominance and find a suitable paramour to expand his lineage.
Powers
Wild Child’s mutation and DNA have been tampered with and enhanced several times making it difficult to determine which of his powers are due to his natural mutation verses what has been artificially created or enhanced.
Wild Child’s mutations include a healing factor, though the rate of this is uncertain, as he is seen healing almost instantly when Diablo tortures him with molten lava in Alpha Flight, yet his vocal cords do not mend when slashed by Sabretooth in Weapon X. He also has superhuman smell, sight, hearing, speed, agility, reflexes, endurance, coordination and balance. His physical mutations include fangs and claws strong enough to rend bone, cat-slitted eyes, fur and accelerated hair growth and leaf shaped ears. Wild Child cannot be possessed or psychically controlled, it is unclear if this is a power similar to Wovlerine‘s, or if, as Kyle himself comments, he does not have enough of a mind to possess. He has also shown the ability to either communicate with or control wolves.
After House of M, Wild Child was confirmed de-powered, however he still retained some of his physical mutations. Wild Child’s powers were returned and enhanced by Romulus, Wolverine comments that Wild Child is now faster than he is.
Skills
Wild Child was trained by Wolverine and is highly skilled in hand to hand combat.
Gibney has often served as a tracker with the aid of his enhanced sense of smell.
Wild Child is a skilled gymnast, trained beyond the level of an Olympic athlete.
Gibney is an excellent dirt biker and skateboarder.
Status
Known Relatives: None
Citizenship: U.K. (Changed from Canadian)
Criminal Records: US and Canada (Pardoned from crimes in Canada)
Place of Birth: Canada
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Former government agent, covert operative, criminal
Education: Unknown; nothing above high school
Characteristics
Gender: Male
Height: 5′ 8″
Weight: 135 pounds
Eye Color: Blue (often seen as gold)
Hair Color: Blond
Alternate Realities
Earth-295 Age of Apocalypse
In the Age of Apocalypse reality Wild Child was Sabretooth‘s partner. He was kept on a leash to prevent him from attacking the other X-Men. This version of Wild Child is more feral than Earth-616 Wild Child, and not capable of speech. He still proves himself heroic by delivering important information from a fallen Sabretooth to the X-Men by licking Rogue, she absorbing his memories via her mutant powers.
His status after the original Age of Apocalypse story was unknown for a long time, but he was recently recruited into Quentin Quire’s Exiles. He reappeares a decade after Apocalypse´s fall, when the X-Force from earth 616 travel to AoA to find that a new Apocalypse has emerged and only a few of Magneto´s X-Men are left. Wild child was still a part of the team when they decided to invade the black tower in order to save Gateway and allow X-Force to get back into their own timeline. They were in black tower when the Black legion, led by Blob, attacked them. In the battle, Blob bit off one of Kyle´s arms while Sabretooth tried in vain to defend him. He reappeared with his two arms, but when he was attacking Archangel he was cut in a half. His costume was kept and was put besides Sunfire’s and Archangel´s, honoring their deaths during the battle.
Earth-1298
The Pack Wild Child appeared in Earth-1298 as a part of The Pack. This small “team” consisted of himself, Sabretooth and Wolverine, all very feral. They are briefly joined by Brute, and defeat and capture all the remaining members of The Six, other than Havok. Havok manages to talk Brute back out of his feral state and blows open a Weapon X base while trying to distract The Pack. The Pack return the rest of The Six in exchange for Havok following them into the compound and blowing the restraining door open. The Pack are enraged by the memories of the Weapon X experiments and a fight again breaks out until they are apprehended by Alpha Flight for being rogue government operatives.
Earth-4011
Wolverine:The End Wild Child can be seen at Sabretooth’s funeral.
What If?
Wild Child appeared in What If Wolverine Led Alpha Flight where he and Logan were sparring partners and friends. At the end of the comic, Wolverine chose to remain with Alpha Flight rather than return to the X-Men, and cited Wild Child as one the reasons he would stay with the team, saying Gibney is “A reflection of what I might’ve become.”
Other Media
Television
X-Men: The Animated Series
Wild Child makes a cameo appearance in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode “One Man’s Worth, where he is seen as part of the mutant resistance in an alternate future where Charles Xavier died before he could form the X-Men.
Film
X2: X-Men United
In X2: X-Men United, Wild Child’s name is listed in William Stryker‘s files on Lady Deathstrike‘s computer.
Merchandise
- ToyBiz’s X-Men: Age of Apocalypse action figure line featured a Sabretooth figure with a Wild Child pack-in.
- The Marvel Legends Age of Apocalypse Sabretooth figure from ToyBiz’s Giant-Man Build-a-Figure wave was originally supposed to come with a small Wild Child figure as a pack-in, but Wild Child was cut from the release for economic reasons.
- Wild Child was featured in the HeroClix figure game. A combined figure of the Age of Apocalypse versions of Sabretooth and Wild Child was also released.
- The Age of Apocalypse version of Wild Child was featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line as part of the Sugar Man Build-a-Figure wave.
Age
Wild Child’s age is often questioned. He was presented in Alpha Flight as a young and feral man. His behavior and interactions as Weapon Omega and Wildheart, and his relationship with Aurora left most readers believing him to be a responsible man in his twenties. However, when he joined X-Factor, he was written as a teenager, as was explained in reply to a letter to the editors in X-Factor #134. The matter is further complicated by the undefined rate of Gibney’s healing factor, which could potentially slow if not reverse his aging, and the nearly constant fluctuations of his mutation. The multiple piercings Wild Child dawned after the Romulus Upgrade seems to suggest a younger age.
The Claw Debate
Wild Child is seen attacking Sasquatch in Wolverine #54, where his claws show an oddly metallic glint. This spawned debate and controversy over whether the Romulus Upgrade included adamantium claws. This has been neither confirmed nor denied by Marvel and many have written it off as simply a flashy color job. Between Sabretooth‘s death and Gibney’s message from Romulus to Wolverine that two ferals always emerge from the pack, one light haired, one dark haired, speculation of Wild Child being primed to act as a replacement for Sabretooth quickly emerged.
Wild Child’s Pack
While on the run in Canada, Wild Child befriends a pack of wolves, who come to his aid when he clashes with Wolverine. This aspect of Gibney’s mutation has never surfaced before or after this event, as such it is unclear if Wild Child was able to communicate with or control the wolves, or if his bestial nature simply allowed him to fit in with the pack. Logan comments that the wolves think of Gibney as a father.