With the aid of a robotics scientist named Bolivar Trask, Henry Peter Gyrich began a project to both create an official registry of mutants in North America and to produce anti-mutant security robots called Sentinels. Whilst the registry project is accepted, he keeps the Sentinel project concealed until he has the first few models successfully produced. He orders the first Sentinel deployed to capture a young mutant named Jubilee, and then to defend the mutant registry from a sabotage attack conducted by the X-Men.^[1]

The US President, after formally announcing the existence of these projects to the people of America, then privately ordered Gyrich to shut them down. Gyrich had Jubilee kidnapped from her home by a Sentinel in order to interrogate her about the X-Men, only for this to lead the X-Men to the Sentinel-producing factory. He and his associate Bolivar Trask escape whilst the facility is destroyed.^[2]

Gyrich and Trask then move their operations to Genosha, where the first iteration of the Master Mold is created. However, it it is destroyed when the X-Men Storm, Gambit, and Jubilee lead a successful revolt amongst Genosha's mutant slaves.^[3]

Undaunted, Gyrich and Trask return to North America and complete a second Master Mold. However, it goes out of their control and attempts to kidnap world leaders with the intention of replacing their brains with subservient computer control devices, through which it will take control of the world to achieve its programming. Gyrich is captured by the X-Men, and forced to reveal the second Master Mold's location, spurred on by a warning from Trask about how the machine has gone rogue.^[4]

This is disastrous for Gyrich; he and Trask are forced to flee North America and go into hiding to avoid legal prosecution for their involvement in the affair. Taking up residence in a crude hut in an unknown jungle location, they spend time in hiding until they are kidnapped by Sentinels working for the salvaged head of the second Master Mold, which hopes to exploit them to create a new, superior body. This project is thwarted by the X-Men, and the two anti-mutant demagogues flee during the confusion.^[5]

Somehow, Gyrich is eventually allowed to return to North America, where he begins speaking out publicly against mutants. At a Mutant/Human Relations Summit, he attacks and cripples Professor Xavier with an energy disruptor, before being dragged away by security guards.^[6]

The damage caused by Gyrich's energy disruptor proves fatal, and the public is led to believe Xavier died from the effects. Consequently, Gyrich is tried and jailed on a 25-year sentence for his actions. Public sympathy over Xavier's untimely demise sways sentiment in favor of the mutant cause, but Gyrich dismisses the public opinion as a fad. Months later, Gyrich is visited in prison by Cyclops and Storm, who demand information on where to locate Trask, who has built another Master Mold, in exchange for reducing his sentence to 10 years. When Gyrich refuses to cooperate, Cyclops has Jean Grey probe his mind with Cerebro for the information.^[7]

Gyrich was later moved to Mexico City where Rogue would later attack him and absorb his mind for information. After this he was put on life support until Bastion murdered him by asphyxiation.^[8]

Voiced by Barry Flatman in X-Men: The Animated Series and Todd Haberkorn in X-Men '97