Kyllian Kell

Origin

Kyllian Kell and his sister Kate were orphans when they were taken in by a shady and corrupted individual named Kranchuk. Kate gets hooked on drugs and is forced to work as a prostitute for Kranchuk and his boss named Hatcher. Kyllian had enough and wanted to get his sister out of town when numerous tattoos appeared on his body and he started hearing voices. Kyllian finds his sister and Kranchuk ends up shooting her for defying him. Kate dies in Kyllian's arms and a voice tells him to use his powers. Suddenly, one of Kyllian's tattoos begins to glow and flare. Kyllian incinerates the gun in Kranchuk's hand and he walks out with his sister. Kyllian uses his power to set Kranchuk's building on fire and Dr. Strange senses the massive expenditure of magic in the city. Dr. Strange looks outside and sees the burning inferno so he decides to investigate. Dr. Strange dissipates the fire and catches up with Kyllian. One of the voices tell Kyllian that Dr. Strange is a danger to him and must use his power to defend himself. Dr. Strange is caught inside a vortex allowing Kyllian to escape inside a subway tunnel. Kyllian sees the three individuals responsible for his power and they tell him he has the power to destroy evil and seek vengeance. Kyllian seeks out Mr. Hatcher inside his penthouse where he runs a high class escort service. Kyllian attempts to kill Hatcher with his new powers when Dr. Strange suddenly appears. During their fight, Dr. Strange wraps Kyllian up with his Cloak of Levitation and that's when three gods of the ancient Celts appear. Morrigan, Queen of Battle and Death, Taranis- King of Thunder and the Elements and Cernunnos- God of the Hunt tells Dr. Strange that they cannot be separated from Kyllian because he is fulfilling an oath, an ancient curse. A brief battle occurs when Dr. Strange attempts to restrain the three gods with an entrapment spell which allows Kyllian to escape from the Cloak of Levitation. Kyllian tells everyone to stop and agrees to accept his fate under certain conditions. The gods agree to his conditions and Dr. Strange offers his services to instruct Kyllian in the usage of his new mystic abilities. The three Celtic Gods tell Kyllian that he would become a great hero and they provide him with the mystic Oak Staff of the Druids before they disappear.

Creation

Kyllian Kell was created by Geof Isherwood in 1993 and first appeared in Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Annual # 3.    

Character Evolution

Kyllian Kell had the potential to be a special mystic but he lacked the focus and patience to succeed. Kyllian always butted heads with his master, Dr. Strange and developed a deep hatred for him when he was stranded in an unknown dimension to prevent the Lilith from using that realm as a haven. Kyllian is saved by Modred the Mystic and undergoes a physical transformation into a more demonic looking state when he comes under his tutelage. Kyllian would call himself Wildpride and his magical attacks were primarily based on various animal spirits.

Story Arcs

Bellona, the Greek goddess of war and discord sends her champion Centaurion to capture Kyllian after she learned that he was the host of three Celtic gods. Centaurion realizes that Kyllian is a formidable foe as the Celtic gods saved him from near death. Kyllian would absorb an energy attack from Centaurion's sword with his druid staff and re-channel that energy back at the Centaur warrior. Bellona comes to check on her warrior and sees him laying on the ground. Bellona tells Kyllian that this wasn't over and opens a portal to escape.  

Cage of Refuge

Dr. Strange takes Kyllian as his disciple but the young mystic loses focus and is very impatient. Kyllian would later accompany Dr. Strange to examine several mystic artifacts gathered by an old friend named Dr. Rasmus Palmroth and comes across an old trivet picked up at an antique store. Dr. Strange realizes that the trivet is active and takes it back to his sanctum where he has Kyllian and Wong watch over it as he takes a trip to investigate a mystical disturbance. The trivet begins to glow so Kyllian attempts to break it when a monstrous hand appears and pulls Kyllian inside the trivet. Kyllian is taken to an unknown dimension and greeted by a beautiful enchantress named Iskelior. She had the ability to help Kyllian remember memories of his past including the murder of his father when he was five years old and taken in by a mob boss named Kranchuk. Dr. Strange was able to locate Kyllian with the use of his druid staff and tried to take him back but Kyllian wanted to stay. Kyllian grew impatient and lashed out at Dr. Strange when he felt he was being treated like a child. A brief fight occurs between the two mystics until Iskelior intervenes and tells Kyllian that violence wasn't the right way to end a dispute. At that time, Dr. Strange sensed a disturbance and realized the dimensional barriers were breaking down due to the incoming invasion of Lilith and her Lilin. Dr. Strange told Kyllian to incant a particular spell to prevent Lilith from using Iskelior's realm as a haven. The spell was a success but Kyllian was left stranded in the unknown dimension while Dr. Strange returned back to Earth.    

The Beguiling

Kyllian would be rescued by Modred the Mystic and undergoes a physical transformation into a more demonic state where he calls himself Wildpride. Modred realizes Kyllian's potential when he embraces the darker magics and plans to use him for his own means. Wildpride is hotheaded and unleashes his animal magic and sends a manifestation of a lion to show off his new abilities at Modred after he calls Kyllian his disciple. Modred tells Wildpride that he is undisciplined and telegraphs his moves. Modred tells Wildpride to own your power is to control it unconditionally and takes control of his disciple's animal magics. Wildpride can't control the animal magic and agrees to have Modred teach him. Modred and Wildpride would have a brief alliance with Werewolf by Night, Vengeance and Morbius to stop Salome, the Sorceress Supreme. However, Mordred planned to give Salome the full potential of the Midnight Sons in exchange for help to exterminate his nemesis, Doctor Strange. The plan backfires and Salome takes out Modred. Wildpride saves Modred from drifting in utter nothingness when he snares him with a snake manifestation.  

Dead Reckoning

Wildpride would confront Doctor Strange one night as he strolled by a particular morgue and attempts to crush his old master with a ram spirit. Doctor Strange brushes off the attack and knows that Wildpride is his old disciple, Kyllian. Doctor Strange strikes Wildpride with a water elemental attack and he reverts back to his human form. Doctor Strange explained to Kyllian why he had to strand him in Iskelior's realm and figured out that he was being coached by Modred the Mystic. Doctor Strange offered Kyllian some help but he would not have it. Kyllian did not want to team up with his old master and ran away. It turned out that Modred was using Wildpride as a puppet to register Strange's new elemental magic which would allow him to locate his new dimensional sanctum.    

Fear Itself: The Fearless

The Thule Society and DOA aka Department of Occult Armaments have united under the leadership of Sin as they attempt to retrieve the seven mystic hammers after the Serpent and the Worthy were defeated. Daimon Hellstorm has joined Sin and tells her and Crossbones that he would like the DOA at his disposal to settle a personal feud and they needed an occult specialist like him. Crossbones tells Hellstorm that he may not be needed since a number of recruits specializing in the occult and dark arts were showing up in this gathering including Wildpride. Sin gathers all the hammers and awakens the Serpent's Destroyer called the Final Sleeper so the Avengers and a number of heroes attack her compound. Dr. Strange restrains Wildpride with his magic when Crossbones provides Dr. Strange with some ancient scrolls on the mystic hammers which may provide a key to stop the Final Sleeper.

Powers & Abilities

Kyllian was granted various magical powers and abilities by three Celtic gods. His powers are activated by numerous tattoos and symbols on his body whenever he is threatened. Kyllian has enhanced strength and he could fire pain-inducing bolts of force and control various elements. Some symbols of forces he could control include wind, fire, water, light, stone and magnetism. 
 
As Wildpride, his magical attacks were in the form of various animal spirits that were activated by numerous animal tattoos and symbols on his body. He has demonstrated several attacks from animal spirits including a ram to smash into his enemy and a snake to snare his opponents.