Forge

The man known as Forge was a Cheyenne Indian, once the pupil of Naze, a shaman in his tribe. Forge developed considerable mystical powers as a result of the training Naze gave him and was also a mutant with an unusual talent for inventing mechanical devices. Forge has explained that he was an intuitive genius and it was as natural as breathing for him. Forge served in the Vietnam War and lost his right hand and right leg in a B-52 attack. During the war, Forge, using the souls of nine dead comrades, had opened a portal that released the Adversary to win a battle. Forge sank into a suicidal depression and tried to kill himself. Forge designed an artificial hand and leg to replace those that he had lost and, for reasons connected with the war that has not yet been made clear, Forge decided to give up the use of his ability to wield magic. For the most part, Forge did not use his mystical abilities for at least ten years.

Forge concentrated instead on his career as an inventor, and when Tony Stark ceased making advanced weaponry for the federal government, the Defense Department began commissioning new weaponry from Forge. The government commissioned Forge to devise a means of detecting and combating the shape-changing alien Dire Wraiths.

Forge created a scanner device that could detect the presence of superhumanly powerful mutants and extraterrestrials in its wielder's vicinity and could even specifically differentiate between Dire Wraiths and other aliens. Forge also created a neutralizer device that could theoretically deprive any superhumanly powerful being the ability to use his or her superhuman abilities.

On presidential orders, Henry Gyrich, an agent of the National Security Council, took possession of the only existing model of Forge's neutralizer in order to use it against Rogue, a member of the mutant X-Men who was falsely suspected of killing an agent of the intelligence organization S.H.I.E.L.D..

Forge was outraged, as the neutralizer was still untested and he did not know if it would remove a target's superhuman powers temporarily, permanently, or possibly even kill him or her. Forge physically attempted to prevent Gyrich from using the device on Rogue, but Gyrich instead shot Rogue's fellow X-Man Storm with it, as she attempted to protect her colleague. With her superhuman powers apparently entirely removed, Storm fell into a river, from which Forge rescued her.

Feeling guilt and responsibility for the loss of her powers, Forge brought Storm to his Eagle Plaza in Dallas, Texas. There Storm revived and she and Forge grew strongly attached to each other. However, when Storm learned that Forge had designed the neutralizer gun that had deprived her of her powers, she felt betrayed and furious at Forge.

After a time, Forge was contacted by Professor X to infiltrate Genosha with Multiple Man, since Magneto had seized control over the country. In reality, Magneto's acolyte Exodus was posing as Magneto, and he captured Forge to force him to enhance his psionic powers. The X-Men rescued Forge, and he returned to his clandestine mission observing Genosha.[24] With the apparent demise of Magneto and the freedom of Genosha, Forge returned to the X-Men where he acted as a member of the team's support crew.

Retiring from the X-Men to create a new high-tech headquarters in Baltimore, Forge was contacted by Professor X once again. He needed Mystique’s help in order to track the murderer of one of his secret mutant operatives. They rescued Mystique from her sentence of state execution, setting her up as one of Professor X’s underground agents. Forge became her support technician, supplying her with technology and weapons, despite their rocky relationship and Forge’s continued feelings for her.

After Forge sent Madrox and Layla to the future, he went on a mission at Cyclops' behest to rendezvous with the other X-Men, who were on their way to confront Sinister's forces. He was shot by Bishop during the latter's mad quest to murder the first mutant child following M-Day.

Forge was one of the many mutants that opposed the crazed Nate Grey from remaking the world in his image. When Grey realized that his vision of the world would never come about with the X-Men around, Grey made his enemies vanish in an instant, including Forge. Forge and the others were transported to another reality created by Nate Grey and a Life Seed in an attempt to create a utopia where they and all other mutants would be at peace, altering their memories so they wouldn't resist. Forge acted as the warden of the Danger Room Prison Complex, home to "mutant criminals" such as Beast, Bishop, Mirage, Polaris, and Honey Badger. Forge made it a priority to be the one to welcome Bishop and gave him a tour of the prison. As they walked, Forge told him that he would wear a Inhibitor Collar in order to dampen his abilities, but it could be removed after Bishop had proven that he could control himself and had served his mandated time. He then went on about what their job entailed, that they were to rehabilitate and help him learn to become a productive member of society. Forge then took Bishop to his cell and locked it, as he left him with the notion that he would learn his place in things and he hoped his stay would be short and productive. Forge eventually returned to the real world after Nate decided to release the mutants he trapped there after he was made to realize the flaws to his reality.

Charles Xavier commissioned Forge with adding a new functionality into Cerebro, the ability to store every mutant’s thoughts and personality in order to resurrect them with the help of the "Five" in case of their death. Forge stressed the complexity of the task, and how much work Cerebro would need.