Origin

Harlan Ryker is a scientist and an expert on cybernetic symbiosis. He is the creator of Deathlok. One of his creations was reprogrammed and sent from the future to assassinate him. This Deathlok instead killed Harlan's wife Anna and his son Bryan, also grievously injuring his daughter Rebecca. Harlan tried to save his daughter using his scientific expertise and turned her into the cyborg now known as Deathlocket.

Earth-7585

In the timeline where the Nth Command succeeded in killing the world's superheroes, Harlan turned himself into a deadly cyborg known as Hellinger. Hellinger was locked in a deadly superhuman arms race against his own brother Simon Ryker. He was responsible for the development of technology that Simon used to turn Luther Manning into Deathlok. Hellinger successfully manipulated Deathlok and the CIA into removing Simon from power, leaving Hellinger to rule unchecked.

The revolutionary Godwulf and his Redeemers fought against Hellinger, but had little success until Godwulf managed to bring Deathlok (who had become trapped in the past of Earth-616) and Captain America to their own time. Godwulf, Cap, and Deathlok managed to work together to defeat Hellinger and free that timeline, while Cap returned to Earth-616 and prevent the Nth Command from killing the Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four.

Earth-616

In the timeline where Captain America prevented the Nth Command from killing the earth's superhumans, Harlan Ryker's brother Simon died fighting the Sub-Mariner and Harlan himself gained control of Roxxon Oil's Cybertek division.

Harlan Ryker soon found himself developing Deathlok for the U.S. Army. The first successful prototype used the body and brain of retired Colonel John Kelly, but when Kelly tried to assert control over the Deathlok operating system his brain was killed.

Subsequently Ryker ordered his men to replace Kelly's brain with that of Michael Collins, a Cybertek programmer who spoke out against the Deathlok project's violent purpose. Unfortunately for Ryker, Collins was able to use his computer skills to reprogram Deathlok from within, and he escaped. Collins wrecked havoc upon Cybertek's operations, leading Roxxon supervisors like Clayton Burr to question Ryker's competence.

Ryker blackmailed Collins with a return to his human body, forcing him to help him carry out an arms deal with Sunfire and Japanese revolutionaries, but Collins ultimately sacrificed his deal and his humanity, turning Ryker over to S.H.I.E.L.D.

While in prison, Ryker used one of his creations, the Warwolf, to kill anyone with evidence against him. Deathlok once again foiled Ryker's plans, killing Warwolf, and ensuring the S.H.I.E.L.D's case against Cybertek remained intact.

Ryker went to prison, but somehow later escaped or was released. He forged an alliance with several other Ex-Cybertek employees, putting their skills to work as freelance underground military contractors. The group started trying to replicate the Deathlok project, creating the Cyberwarriors. He plotted with Roxxon executive Clayton Burr, who lured Deathlok to Paris under the guise of stopping Ryker's operations, so that Ryker could capture Deathlok. Burr also hoped that Ryker might be eliminated in the process, sending the bounty hunter Coldblood after Ryker and Deathlok.

Deathlok recruited the help of the Wild Pack and Siege, and Ryker's Cyberwarriors were decimated. Ryker managed to escape with the help of Ben Jacobs, but Siege, Deathlok, and Coldblood tracked him down, and destroyed his Cyberwarriors. Deathlok almost killed Ryker, blaming him for the loss of his humanity, but ultimately realized he wasn't a killer. Ryker was turned over to the authorities, but cut a deal to implicate Burr.