Here's the breakdown:
* In X2 (X-Men 2): Stryker is shown as a ruthless, driven military man who's willing to use any means necessary to control mutants. He's a strong, intimidating figure, although not superhuman himself. He orchestrates the events of the film to capture the mutants and carry out his own agenda.
* In X-Men Origins: Wolverine: This movie focuses on Wolverine's backstory and how he becomes the weaponized mutant we see in the other films. Stryker is presented as a much more brutal, almost sadistic figure who tortures and manipulates Wolverine for his own experiments. The "walk until your feet bleed" scene is a particularly disturbing example of this.
The problem:
The two portrayals of Stryker are very different. In X2, he's a cunning strategist, while in Wolverine, he's a savage, almost inhuman tormentor. This is a common problem in film franchises where different directors and writers take on different aspects of the story.
Possible explanations:
* Continuity errors: It's possible that the writers and directors of each film weren't fully aware of the other films' portrayals of Stryker, leading to inconsistencies.
* Different interpretations: The films may be taking creative liberties with Stryker's character, exploring different aspects of his personality and motivations.
* Character development: It's possible that Stryker's actions in Wolverine changed him, leading to the more calculated approach we see in X2.
Ultimately: It's up to each viewer to decide how they reconcile these differences in Stryker's character. The X-Men franchise is full of these kinds of inconsistencies, which are often a product of the complex storytelling and creative freedom involved in adapting such a vast and diverse source material.