Wild Bill (G.I. Joe)

Wild Bill
G.I. Joe character
Wild Bill as seen in the Sunbow/Marvel G.I. Joe cartoon.
First appearance	1983
Voiced by	Frank Welker (Sunbow/Marvel) Don S. Davis (Spy Troops/Valor vs. Venom) Steven Blum (Resolute) Charlie Schlatter (Renegades)
Affiliation	G.I. Joe
Specialty	Helicopter Pilot
File name	Hardy, William S.
Birth place	Brady, TX
SN	RA056403211
Rank	CWO-4 (Chief Warrant Officer Four)
Primary MOS	Helicopter Pilot
Secondary MOS	Fixed Wing Pilot, Aircraft Armorer

Wild Bill is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's helicopter pilot and debuted in 1983.

His real name is William S. Hardy, and his rank is that of army chief warrant officer CW-4. Wild Bill was born in Brady, Texas. His primary military specialty is helicopter pilot and his secondary military specialties are fixed wing pilot and aircraft armorer.

Wild Bill served as a combat infantryman and participated in LRRP operations during the Vietnam War. He reenlisted for Flight Warrant Officer School and has remained in service since, but his specialized training records are classified. Wild Bill joined the G.I. Joe Team as the pilot of the "Dragonfly" helicopter. He is a qualified expert in the M1911A auto pistol and the XM-16 attack rifle, but prefers single action .45 long colt revolvers.

Wild Bill is the original helicopter pilot for the G.I. Joe team, and is also an expert tracker and can function on the ground as well as any trained infantry scout. He is able to adapt the hunting skills he learned as a boy whenever he's tracking the enemy, saying that sneaking up on a Cobra is easier than sneaking up on most 'critters'.

Wild Bill has a hobby as a country-western singer. While personally honest, he enjoys telling tall tales for the amusement of his friends.

The character first appeared as part of the 1983 line of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line. His action figure was bundled with the Dragonfly helicopter toy. A second edition action figure was released in 1992, and his function is re-designated as an Air Cavalry Scout. The figure was repainted and released as part of the Battle Corps line in 1993.

In 2002, a new figure was made utilizing the newer technology in articulation and detail. It was released as part of the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra series.