Forge’s inventions over the past 40 years have helped the X-Men immensely, but have also caused untold damage. Photos: Marvel Comics
For someone who is super at inventing and fixing things, Forge has not been able to reinvent himself enough to gain recognition as one of the X-Men’s most important members. Despite being around for four decades now, he has not even earned a mini-series, let alone his own solo ongoing title, despite coming up with some significant inventions.
While Forge was quite instrumental in the 1980s and 1990s X-Men storylines, he recently resurfaced in the X-Men ‘97 animated series in an adaptation of the classic Lifedeath story, in which Storm lost her powers.
Like the comics, his appearance on X-Men ‘97 put the emphasis on his relationship with Storm and his mystical heritage. Unfortunately, this became the main talking point for Forge in the show, when focusing on his inventions and other contributions could have helped elevate his status further.
Forge can visually perceive mechanical energy in action, and can instinctively recognise the potential and functional uses of any machine or technological device, as long as its within his visual range.
Co-created by Chris Claremont and John Romita Jr, Forge debuted in Uncanny X-Men #184 (August 1984) as an agent of the National Security Council entrusted with the task of neutralising Rogue. Though Forge is also known as “The Maker”, Claremont actually named him Daniel Lone Eagle (which is rarely used, though X-Men ‘97 has an Easter egg on this) and his Cheyenne roots have barely been explored.
Forge can visually perceive mechanical energy in action, and can instinctively recognise the potential and functional uses of any machine or technological device, as long as its within his visual range. This grants him the gift of being able to invent any mechanical device, though ironically, many of the logical steps in his inventions are worked out by his sub-conscious mind. This makes him unaware of exactly how he invented something, requiring him to disassemble a device he has made to even figure out how it works.
With that in mind, let’s “celebrate” Forge’s 40th anniversary by revisiting his “significant inventions” this week.
The Neutralizer was a device capable of neutralising mutant powers.
The Neutralizer spawned from an earlier design (aka Scanalyzer) for detecting Dire Wraiths (and even Kree or Skrulls), but it somehow evolved into a device capable of neutralising mutant powers.
Unfortunately for Rogue she became its first test subject, as she was wanted for allegedly killing a S.H.I.E.L.D agent. During a skirmish, Storm protected Rogue by taking the brunt of the Neutra-lizer’s blast. As a result, Storm lost her powers (temporarily), but it also paved the way for a relationship between her and Forge.Neutralizer, version two (Rom #66)
Going back to the device’s original purpose, Forge improves his Neutralizer with the help of Rom the Space Knight (the Wraiths’ arch enemy).
This time, Forge creates a large-scale version of the Neutralizer in Earth’s orbit and uses it on the Wraith’s home-world, and as a result, casted the entire race into Limbo. This act saved Earth from the Wraiths’ threat, which was (then) growing at an alarming rate.
Created using part of his own bionic leg, the Un-Neutralizer helped bring back Storm’s powers.
All it took to restore Storm’s powers was to cannibalised Forge’s leg circuitry to create the Un-Neutralizer! As its name implies, it can undo the effects of the Neutralizer, but had enough charge just for one shot – which was just enough to restore Storm’s powers.
When Forge became a member of the X-Mansion’s “support team”, he redesigned the Danger Room by including a War Room and Ready Room, and improvised the Blackbird ala Lockheed SR-71 (with some creative inspiration from Jim Lee as well).
If you thought his work on the Mansion was good, his personal abode aka “Eagle Plaza” is even more breathtaking. The building itself was designed by Forge and comes equipped with environment replication systems which provide holograms, audio enhancements, wind and temperature controls, and even filtered scents to replicate any environment.
Forge's home sweet home.
In order to infiltrate Magneto’s base on Asteroid M, Forge took a cue from Star Wars and created this transparent glider made from non-metallic parts.
Undetectable by Magneto’s power over metals and invisible to visual and electronic scans, Forge’s X-Wing is a masterpiece. The only setback is that the glider had no independent capacity for propulsion and relied on Storm’s winds and Jean’s telekinesis for lift and drive.
The glider had no independent capacity for propulsion and relied on Storm’s winds and Jean’s telekinesis for lift and drive.
Out of all of Forge’s inventions, this was the one that really got my attraction. After Forge’s home was invaded by the time travelling Fitzroy (who was wearing a futuristic impregnable Omnium mesh body armor), Forge came up with a massive vibranium polymer hand cannon while having breakfast, and gave Fitzroy a massive blast from the past!
What does Forge eat for him to be able to come up with stuff like the Geo-Thermal 960?
Forge was instrumental in (co)-designing the “Magneto Protocols” – Earth’s defense system against the Master of Magnetism.
This involved getting the countries of the world to launch a network of satellites that surrounded the planet with a web mesh of electromagnetic energy, which realigned the planet’s electromagnetic field, and helped to nullify Magneto’s powers within Earth’s atmosphere.
With the X-Men having spent decades battling Sentinels, Forge decided to reprogramme one as a ‘pet’ for X-Factor to train with! He did so by incorporating a failsafe device that stopped it from attacking if he did not specifically order it to do so. He also added a tracking signature that he could follow if the Sentinel was ever lost or stolen.
Size isn’t everything, which was the case when Forge simplified Cerebro by downsizing it into the form of handheld mutant detectors and communication systems. What made this even more impressive was the inclusion of Cerebra – a Mobile A.I. in a Sentinel shell with mutant detection and teleportation capabilities.
