In Wanted, the world (identified offpage as a variation of the DC Universe) is led by the Professor (Lex Luthor) and the Fraternity of Super-Criminals, who wiped the world's memories of all superheroes in 1986. The Professor's faction, within the Fraternity, includes the First Killer (based on Deadshot by David Vern Reed, Lew Sayre Schwartz, and Bob Kane[1]).
After the First Killer is apparently killed by an unknown assassin, the Professor trains the First Killer's son Wesley F. Gibson as the Second Killer. Wesley joins the Fraternity on raids of alternate universes, works as the Professor's bodyguard, and becomes lovers with the Fox (Catwoman).
The leader of a rival faction within the Fraternity is Mr. Rictus (Joker). When Rictus starts a civil war within the Fraternity, both sides are killed, save for Wesley and the Fox. Wesley then learns that his father is still alive. The first Killer and the Fox had been grooming him to assume control of the Fraternity. On killing the First Killer (per the first Killer's wishes) the Second Killer takes his place among the remaining leaders of the Fraternity.
The Second Killer returns in Savage Dragon: Wanted! as an antagonist, facing off against the Dragon while raiding the Image Universe during the events of Wanted, as a supporting character in Nemesis and Nemesis: Reloaded, mentoring two different men named Matthew Anderson in becoming supervillains, and as the main antagonist of Big Game, having his forces set out to assassinate the world's new superheroes, opposed by Hit-Girl, Kick-Ass, Eggsy Unwin, and numerous others.
The First Killer, provided the real name Cross, is portrayed by Thomas Kretschmann in the feature film adaptation Wanted (2008) and the prequel/sequel video game Wanted: Weapons of Fate (2009), while the Second Killer, renamed Wesley A. Gibson instead of Wesley F. Gibson, is portrayed by James McAvoy in the Wanted and voiced by Jimmi Simpson in Wanted: Weapons of Fate. Unliked the comic-book Killers, these adapted versions of the characters are depicted as morally good, betraying the Fraternity after its leadership is corrupted. The character has received a generally positive critical reception.
Comic series
Writer Mark Millar signing a copy of Wanted during an appearance at Midtown Comics in Manhattan.
In Wanted (2003–2004), office worker Wesley Gibson (illustrated with the facial likeness of Eminem[4]) is recruited to join the Fraternity of Super-Criminals, a powerful organization of supervillains who secretly rule the world (identified offpage as a variation of the DC Universe) after they wiped the world's memories of all superheroes in 1986. Learning his absent father had been their leader, the First Killer (Deadshot[1]), and was recently assassinated, Wesley is trained as his replacement, the Second Killer, using his inherited superhuman traits as a marksman.
On training to become desensitized to and eventually enjoy committing acts of violence and vengeance, the Second Killer kills his best friend for having been sleeping with his girlfriend, joins the Fraternity on raids of parallel universes where the superheroes won, becomes the personal bodyguard of The Professor (Lex Luthor), and lovers with the Fox (Catwoman). After the Professor goes to war with a rival Fraternity faction led by Mr. Rictus (Joker), both sides end up killing each other, and the Second Killer learns that his father the First Killer its still alive and also lovers with the Fox, both having been grooming him to assume control of the Fraternity. On killing his father per his wishes, the Second Killer takes his rightful place as one of "the masters of the world", asking the readership if they're happy with the outcome.
At the conclusion of the "Grim World" arc of Savage Dragon: This Savage World (2006), set in the Image Universe, while Mister Glum and Angel Dragon are celebrating their victory after the presumed death of the Dragon (the latter's stepfather), on using the first of three wishes granted by the "God Gun" against him, they are surprised by the arrival of a blue-goggled Second Killer and the Fraternity, on one of their raids of parallel universes (during the events of Wanted, prior to the Fraternity's civil war and the Second Killer assuming control from the First Killer), who demand the God Gun for themselves.[5]
In the following "Wanted!" arc, realizing he has two wishes left thanks to the Fraternity, Glum unleashes both his army of Dreadhead, the Vicious Circle, and numerous enslaved superheroes (including a version of Superman) against them, with the Second Killer shooting many of them, before engaging in a firefight with the still-alive Dragon on his return to Earth, the Dragon wielding one of the Second Killer's own guns, each shooting one another’s bullets out of the sky. After Glum and Angel take the opportunity to flee to another dimension, evading both marksmen, the God Gun is destroyed, and on learning that a being known as "Universo, the Devourer of Worlds" is en-route to the planet to consume it, the Second Killer and the Fraternity decide he would be too much "effort" to deal with themselves, and abandon the planet for other parallel worlds easier to raid, departing through a portal.[6]
At the conclusion of Nemesis (2010), the deceased "Matthew Anderson" / Nemesis is revealed to have been employed by the head of a company that arranges for rich people to become supervillains, the story ending with the owner sitting on a beach, enjoying the sunset.[7]
At the conclusion of the stand-alone sequel Nemesis: Reloaded (2023), this owner is revealed as the Second Killer, who informs his protégé, the new (real) Matthew Anderson / Nemesis, that it is time for them to wipe out the new superheroes that have been coming into existence worldwide.[8]
The Second Killer returns in Big Game (2023),[9] where-in he plots to have all the world's new superheroes assassinated worldwide. After Agent Galahad and Hit-Girl infiltrate the Fraternity's headquarters to assassinate the Second Killer, the Second Killer has his forces kill the former instead, before the latter steals the Fraternity's own stolen time machine to travel back in time, aiming to prevent the Second Killer's actions.[10]
The characters appear in the 2008 film adaptation Wanted as Cross (portrayed by Thomas Kretschmann) and Wesley Allan Gibson (portrayed by James McAvoy). On screen-testing for the latter role in early 2006, McAvoy was initially rejected because the studio was seeking an actor with "conventional Hollywood leading man looks and physique", before being recalled on being considered to be the "runt of the litter" among those who tested, and being cast in the role by 2006 of that year.[11] According to McAvoy, "They [ultimately] wanted someone geeky".[12] McAvoy worked out to improve his physique for the film's action scenes,[13] suffering several injuries during shooting, including a twisted ankle and injured knee.[14]
Mark Millar was unhappy with the first draft of the film's screenplay, considering its approach to the Killer to be "too tame" and "a little bit Americanized", since he had wanted the story to be "basically [the] opposite of the Spider-Man movie, the idea of someone getting powers and realizing they can do what they want, then choosing the dark path", before consulting director Timur Bekmambetov on using his "Eastern European madness" to bring the film "closer to the spirit of the book",[15][16] while screenwriters Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, and Chris Morgan would "refine" the Killer into a sympathetic protagonist.[17][18] While Millar stated that he would have liked to keep the supervillain mythos that dictated the original comic intact,[15] he was ultimately happy with the adaptation, in particular the leather attire worn by the Killer and the Fox, stating: "I wanted them to have those powers and then just wear those costumes for the initiation, but just for one panel. And then I forgot."[19][20]
While a sequel film to Wanted featuring McAvoy reprising his role as the Killer entered development hell, McAvoy has continued to express interest in reprising the role, either as the protagonist or in a supporting/antagonistic role to a new protagonist.[21][22][23][24][25][26]
Music video
As part of the viral marketing for Wanted, James McAvoy reprised his role as Wesley Gibson in a music video for the Russian band Delta, also directed by Timur Bekmambetov.[27]
Video games
The First Killer and the Second Killer appear as the main playable character in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Wanted Fan Immersion Game (2008) and Wanted: Weapons of Fate (2009),[28] the latter a direct narrative sequel to the film, with James McAvoy's likeness being licensed to represent the Second Killer, with his voice now being provided by Jimmi Simpson, and Thomas Kretschmann reprising his role as the First Killer. The costumes worn by the First Killer and the Second Killer in the original Wanted comic book series were given to the game versions "to make the comic-book fans happy" and make them "look really badass".[3]
Merchandise
The 2008 DVD and Blu-ray release of Wanted included with it collectible postcards and a photobook of Wesley and the Fraternity.[29]
Reception
Reviewing the Wanted film adaptation, Joshua Meyer of Slashfilm lauded the Second Killer as an example of "#DoNotTryThisAtHome", in serving as the antithesis of the "man-boy perspective [of] movies like "The Matrix" and "Fight Club," [who] could likewise be misinterpreted by self-entitled bros who are more like [Chris Pratt's] Barry than Wesley", praising the deeper message of his closing fourth wall-breaking monologue: to "stop floundering and do something productive with one's life beyond consuming comic book movies" concluding that since "Wesley figures out who he is and what he's always wanted out of life — [that] the onus is on the viewer to go and do the same."[4]
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