I would like to rant for a moment, if I could, about one of DC’s most underrated and most awesome characters, Matthew Ryder, AKA Waverider. Ryder first appeared in the pages of DC’s ‘91 major crossover event, Armageddon 2001. When the story begins Ryder is a scientist and family man in the year 2030, living in a totalitarian world ruled by the ruthless Monarch. Now, Monarch used to be one of Earth’s heroes, but something changed. Monarch’s identity and the circumstances surrounding his shift to evil are unknown.
Ryder becomes increasingly unhappy with the world he lives in, even going as far as buying forbidden discs from a black market shop that show images of heroes from the past (any information regarding the past or heroes is considered politically dubious and is forbidden, punishable by death). This creates conflict between Ryder and his family, since his daughter is the equivalent of a police officer and believes in Monarchs world.
Ryder finds out that Monarch is experimenting with time travel to make sure that his spot in history is secure. The problem is each one of Monarch’s test subjects disintegrate upon entering the time stream. In this, Ryder sees an opportunity to change history and rid the world of Monarch. Through extensive research Ryder realizes that the test subjects don’t survive because they lack will enough to make it. He believes that his will/hate of Monarch will be enough to secure him through the time stream.
He destroys a statue of Monarch to get the tyrant’s attention, which works. He then fools Monarch into believing that his love for his family is so strong that he wouldn’t do anything in the past to endanger their existence, which is actually the opposite of the truth. Ryder’s increasing desire to rid the world of such tyranny has created such a rift between himself and his family that he is easily willing to give them up for the greater good.
He survives the journey through the time stream and emerges in the year 2001 a completely different person. The unknown effects of the time stream transform him and give him special abilities, which aid him in his quest to find out which one of Earth’s heroes becomes Monarch. He adopts the moniker Waverider and the story continues.
One of greatest characters that DC has ever come up with, and such a fantastic story. Definitely recommend it! *Please excuse any and all typos, I’m rapidly typing this up before work lol.
