Kestrel (Marvel Comics)

Kestrel
John Wraith
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	As Carlisle: Wolverine (vol. 2) #48 (November 1991) As John Wraith: Wolverine #60 (September 1992)
Created by	Larry Hama Marc Silvestri
In-story information
Alter ego	John Wraith
Species	Mutant
Team affiliations	Weapon X Team X
Notable aliases	Carlisle, Halcon
Abilities	Teleportation Slowed aging

Kestrel (John Wraith) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

will.i.am portrays Kestrel in the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine .

Publication history

Kestrel first appeared in Wolverine #48 (November 1991) and was created by writer Larry Hama and artist Marc Silvestri.

Fictional character biography

John Wraith is a member of Team X and test subject of the Weapon X Program, along with Wolverine, Sabretooth, Maverick, Mastodon and Silver Fox. ^[1] Wraith later leaves Weapon X, but eventually rejoins the group and is instructed to recruit Maverick into it. He is mortally wounded by Sabretooth, but survives and becomes a preacher before being killed by Hellverine. ^[2]

Kestrel returns in the X-Manhunt event (2025), where he assists Charles Xavier in evading the authorities. ^{[3] [4]}

Powers and abilities

Kestrel possesses the mutant ability to teleport over long distances. Additionally, he was given a life-extending serum as part of his initiation into Weapon X.

Other versions

An alternate universe variant of John Wraith from Earth-1610 appears in Ultimate X-Men . This version is the leader of a mutant concentration camp and the head of the Weapon X program. ^{[5] [6] [7]} Wraith later gains superpowers from the Banshee drug and becomes the Vindicator before being killed by William Stryker Jr. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

In other media

• Colonel Moss, a character based on John Wraith's Ultimate Marvel incarnation, appears in Wolverine and the X-Men , voiced by Michael Ironside. This version is the head of the Mutant Response Division. In a Sentinel-dominated future, Moss allies with Master Mold and becomes a Prime Sentinel in charge of mutant concentration camps.
• John Wraith appears in X-Men Origins: Wolverine , portrayed by Will.i.am. ^[11] This version is a member of William Stryker's Team X during the Vietnam War and the only member of the group who Logan trusts. Initially loyal to the group, Wraith and Logan eventually quit over moral issues, with the former going on to become a boxing manager and helping to get teammate Fred Dukes back into shape. Years later, Wraith accompanies Logan in seeking out Stryker, only to be confronted by Victor Creed, who kills him for use in Stryker's experiments.
• John Wraith appears in the X-Men Origins: Wolverine tie-in game, voiced by Will.i.am.

References

1. Wolverine (vol. 2) #60–66 (September 1992 - February 1993)
2. Wolverine (vol. 4) #1 (November 2010)
3. Harth, David (March 20, 2025). "The X-Men Just Got Outsmarted (And It's a Big Deal)". ComicBook.com . Retrieved March 30, 2025.
4. Miller, Chris (March 24, 2025). "Marvel Is Setting Up a Story That Makes Civil War Seems Low Stakes by Comparison". Screen Rant . Retrieved March 30, 2025.
5. Ultimate X-Men #2 (March 2001)
6. Ultimate X-Men #7–12 (August 2001 - January 2002)
7. Ultimate X-Men #38 (December 2003)
8. Ultimate X-Men #94 (July 2008)
9. Ultimate X-Men #98 (January 2009)
10. Ultimate X-Men #99 (February 2009)
11. Graser, Marc (February 19, 2008). "Reynolds, will.i.am join Wolverine". Variety . Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2015.