Wild Bill
| Strength 6d |
Agility 7b |
Intellect 4x |
Willpower 7d |
| Hand Size: Edge: |
4 (25) 2 |
Powers:
(none)
Equipment:
Dragonfly Assault Copter XH-1 (i): his first - and favorite - Joe vehicle, this two man helicopter is a veritable flying arsenal. Armed with a chain gun chin turret and six particularly effective air to air and air to surface missiles, William could use it to inflict severe casualties on any enemy, either alone or with the assistance of his standard gunner, Airborne. See the Dragonfly's entry for more information.
Knife (s): as do most military men, William carries with him a blade at all times should he need to cut something in a hurry, or should he find himself otherwise unarmed. His blades are usually of at least 10 material strength, and he can use them to cut through materials of like strength - or to inflict damage per a + 2 weapon against all kinds of living beings.
Twin Revolvers (a): carried more for style than anything else, these twin six-shooters are William's preferred fighting pieces. Each of them can be fired to inflict damage per a +4 weapon with each deadly shot, and can be fired six times before they need to be reloaded. However, they're not too practical for extended firefights, as they don't utilize clips; a reload takes a full exchange to accomplish.
Hindrances:
(none)
Skills:
Aerial Combat (a): naturally, one of William's greatest skills is his ability to fight in the air - usually while contained within some advanced aerial fighting machine, that is. Whenever he's piloting an aircraft, whether it be his beloved Dragonfly (or Locust) or any other helicopter (or airplane), William makes any applicable combat actions at one difficulty level lower than is usually required.
Boxing (s): another talent gained through the Army, this skill describes William's capability to defend himself should he find himself completely unarmed. Whether he utilizes a kick, punch, head butt, knee smash, elbow crush, or any other physical maneuver with his body, he may divide his pre-cardplay action score between two attacks, the last of which will occur as a contingent action.
Marksmanship (a): a talent that William was given during his basic training, and then honed through years of battle, this skill demonstrates his abilities with a gun. Whether he is using a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, he may do so at one difficulty level lower than is normally necessary. He'd rather not have to use this skill, preferring to rely on his aircraft in battle, but you never know...
Military (w): the skill that all his others are wrapped around, this background-style talent describes William's origin as an Army operative. This skill grants him an innate understanding of military protocols. Furthermore, he can use this skill to reduce the difficulty of any action that requires an insight into the military mindset, such as planning (and deciphering) battle tactics and leading a body of fighting men.
Piloting (a): William has been properly trained how to fly by the Army, and he's taken each lesson to heart from day one. He can fly any helicopter or airplane competently, and performs various airborne maneuvers at one difficulty level lower than is usually required, no matter how hare-brained it may happen to be. He's never actually flown any fighter jets, however.
Calling:
Thrill-Seeker: William is a highly skilled helicopter pilot, as virtually every member of the Joe team will agree, but sometimes it seems like he's pushing things a little too far - and having too much fun doing so. Whether he's pulling some stunt to impress his passengers, to save the day at the last minute, or simply to prove that he can, you can expect William to constantly wow you with his flying prowess.
Costume:
William's original Joe uniform consisted of a tan T-shirt covered by an Army green flight jacket, which itself was covered with a brown leather vest, and green gloves. He also wore a pair of green trousers, each leg of which had a brown leather pistol holster attached on the outside, brown leather boots, a brown leather belt, and a pair of silvered sunglasses - not to mention his trademark blue cowboy hat.
Personality:
William is very amicable and slow talking, one of the friendliest people you'll ever know. He thinks of himself as a country-western singer, a general complement of his love for all things southern. He's totally honest in his personal life, though he's not above telling a tall tale or two to keep his friends entertained. As you can guess, William's like every Joe's best friend...
Real Name: William S. Hardy, Grade CW-4 (Chief Warrant Officer)
Occupation: helicopter pilot, fixed wing pilot, air cavalry scout
Legal Status: American citizen with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: Gi Joe, Tiger Force (Gi Joe sub group)
Height: 5' 11"
Hair: red-brown
Eyes: blue (?)
Weight: 165 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: William wears a thick, distinctive moustache
Story:
William Hardy grew up in the small town of Brady, Texas, where he acquired his love for country-western music, his characteristic Texas drawl, and his penchant for fantastic storytelling. During the Vietnam War, William signed up with the Army, and while on a tour of duty in that country, he participated in various Long Range Recon Patrol missions as a combat infantryman.
Once his tour was complete, William - who had since acquired the nickname Wild Bill - re-enlisted in the Flight Warrant Officer's school. Once he became a fully trained helicopter pilot, William wound up flying missions in some of the most dangerous locations on earth, including a particularly deadly transport assignment for the brand new Gi Joe team in the middle east.
Though that mission itself wound up being a failure, William impressed the Joe team's field leader enough that he earned a position on the team during its first expansion. In fact, William's very first mission involved his flying several Joes to Alaska to relieve their fellows when Cobra tried to sabotage the Alaska Pipeline. After this operation, William went on to participate in most Joe missions in some capacity.
Whether he's flying a Joe Dragonfly, one of the Tomahawk copters, or even the team's C-130 transport aircraft, William has been an integral part of the team's air support, whether aided by Lift Ticket or the team's jet fighter pilots. Of course, he's also managed to crash more than his fair share of aircraft during his time with the Joe team, but then, he's obviously survived every single one of 'em.
Some of the more harrowing operations that William has experienced include his participation in the Battle of Springfield, the Cobra Island Civil War, and the defense of the first Pit. However, he's seen far worse, having been involved with various skirmishes with the Oktober Guard concerning either defecting Soviet military men or recovered black boxes from a Cobra firebat aircraft.
Probably the single worst experience William's had with the Joe team, of course, was when his C-130 transport was hijacked by Dreadnoks while he was waiting to pick up Hawk and Roadblock in the war-torn nation of Sierra Gordo's airport. Zarana and several Dreadnoks, fleeing from local insurgents tired of Cobra's puppet rule of the nation who were killing every Cobra they could find - and the Dreadnoks wanted out.
Of course, the plane was shot down shortly after William took off, and this left the Joes and Dreadnoks - several of which were wounded - to fend for themselves in the nearby jungles while irate nationals were out for their blood. With luck, and somehow managing to work together, William, the other Joes, and Zarana's Dreadnoks managed to escape by using their wits (and Thrasher's berserk rage).
Through all this, though, William has stuck with the Joes, no matter how ugly things got - he's simply too stubborn to give up on the fight against Cobra and other, similarly evil terrorist organizations. Though the team was disbanded for a short while, he returned to the fold several years later, upon its reactivation. He's now flying the brand new, Night Attack Chopper while he's in action with the Gi Joe the team.
Not to mention operating several other advanced vehicles, both air and ground based, depending on where the team needs him. He's happy to continue the fight against Cobra though, and has done so through that organization's second and third major defeats. Now that they're on the run in the wake of World War III, William is sticking with the Joes to help hunt down all of their fugitive members.
Extra Goodies:
Gi Joe directories featuring a version of Wild Bill:
| 1983 | 1992 | 1993 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2008 | 2009 |
* Note: 2003 saw two versions of Wild Bill released (Versions 6 and 7), while 2004 saw three (Versions 8, 9 and 10).