Wild Bill (RAH)

Wild Bill's teammates often wonder if he wasn't born in the wrong era. With his slow talk, slow walk, easygoing attitude and amiable personality, he's the stereotypical cowboy. He can sing country western and tell tall tales. He's even mastered the art of gunslinging!

Wild Bill is best known for his skills in flying helicopters and transport planes. However, he can function on the ground just as well as he could in the air. Before he was a helicopter pilot, he trained as a combat infantryman and specialized in long range recon. He's actually an adept tracker on his own, skills he learned when he was a boy.

Marvel Comics continuity
Upon being an official member of the Joe Team, one of Wild Bill's earliest missions was to provide aerial transport for his team-mates in the Alaskan tundra. Following a lead to one of the oil pipeline's pumping stations, disguised Cobra agents almost had the drop on him but he quickly countered with a demonstration of his quick draw.

Devil's Due Comics continuity
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G.I. Joe Reloaded
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G.I. Joe vs. Transformers
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Action Force (British) Comics continuity
Will Bill was born in Hull, England. He joined the British Army and served as an infantryman in Aden, then in Brunei. Whilst in the latter country he developed a love of helicopters. He re-enlisted, joining the Army Air Corps and remained with them until joining Action Force. During this time he served in an exchange programme with a US Army Aviation squadron. It was during this exchange that he flew helicopters in the Vietnam War. During the conflict he served with the future Action Force members Gung-Ho, Roadblock and Leatherneck. In the course of one mission he was sent to pull out a seven-man patrol. Six men were rescued and Wild Bill wanted to go in for the seventh, but his commanding officer ordered them to withdraw and Wild Bill complied. He would remain haunted by the order for many years to come.

Wild Bill was part of a team that was tricked into attacking an oil rig belonging to Destro, but was subsequently freed by Quick Kick. When Quick Kick struck out on his own to go to China to rescue his old friend, Michael Anke, only to learn he was the head of a Cobra splinter organisation called "the Two-Headed Serpent", Wild Bill was part of a rescue team. When the Decepticon Megatron rampaged through London, Wild Bill led a squad of Dragonflies to attack but was shot down. He was saved by the Autobot Blades. Flint then ordered a full strike against Megatron even though the Autobot Grimlock would be killed in the blast as well, and Wild Bill was reminded of the man left behind in Vietnam. Wild Bill berated the mechanoid Centurion for doing little to help, prompting the latter to take Megatron's place to ensure the Decepticon did not escape the blast. He was then part of a team who flew to the Amazonian Jungle to destroy a Cobra supply base. He also undertook many missions in the Americas.

Later Wild Bill was part of an Action Force team send on a mission to recover a Northrod B2 bomber crew who crashed on an island with top secret information. He subsequently dropped a team into the Australian Outback. Then he was part of a team who stopped Cobra obtaining a powerful laser driven by diamonds, and subsequently rushed Sci-Fi to London to deal with a Cobra bomb planted on Tower Bridge. Wild Bill was then part of a team who travelled to Vietnam after Gung-Ho went in search of his former comrades. Wild Bill subsequently became part of Tiger Force and was present for an early mission to Jordan to destroy a shot down Phantom X-19 and rescue Ghostrider and Scarlett.

Blackthorne Comics continuity
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Dreamwave Comics continuity
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Hasbro Comics continuity
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Sunbow animated series
After Cobra stole a satellite, Wild Bill and the Joes headed to New England for Dr. Vandermeer, a scientist who specializes in matter transference and who could possibly answer how Cobra is able to teleport their forces. It turns out the evil organization is holding the doctor prisoner and the Joes end up rescuing him. His one mission to obtain one of the critical elements to power their own MASS Device, Wild Bill heads to South America's Ring of Fire where he threw in magnets and cables to lift a meteor out of a volcano crater. He goes after it by boarding and attacking Cobra's heli-carrier when it was taken from them. He also shows his capability to fly a Skystriker XP-14F for the assault on the Cobra Temple.

DiC animated series
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Direct-to-video series
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Trivia

 * One of Larry Hama's old army buddies, Bart Wulf, who hails from Brady, Texas, was the model for Wild Bill. He served as a helicopter pilot in the 1st Air Cavalry, flying with door gunner Sgt. Bob Light.