As arguably the smartest member of the X-Men, the mutant inventor Forge may be one of the most underrated heroes not just on the team, but in the whole Marvel Universe. Forge seldom gets mentioned when it comes to naming the best mutants Marvel has to offer, but perhaps he deserves a reevaluation from fans and critics considering what he can do. Forge's powers offer a natural instinct to build any and every bit of technology practically programmed into his intuition. His creations and his ability to build them are only limited by his imagination, which has truly come in handy as of late.
In X-Men (2021) #15 by Gerry Duggan and Joshua Cassara, the X-Men go on a mission to save Darwin, who at the time is trapped inside the Vault, a hermetically-sealed environment where time moves much faster than in the outside world. The Vault is inhabited by the treacherous super-evolved humans known as the Children of the Vault. To fend them off, Forge arrives in a morphing suit that co-opts Mystique's abilities. Jean Grey expresses concerns that such a powerful suit risks falling into the hands of the Children, but Forge has a contingency plan for that. If captured, he plans to bite down on a cyanide capsule hidden in his mouth, but instead of releasing poison, it releases a small black hole guaranteed to obliterate any and everything within six meters of Forge.
The Drawbacks of Forge's New Creation
His ability to create this certainly solidifies Forge as the deadliest mutant on the X-Men's roster in more ways than one. While many mutants have dangerous powers, Forge has the ability to basically make any item he can think of a reality. If he wanted to make a black hole that swallowed the whole Earth, he probably could. The capsule was revealed late last year, but in the recent Sins of Sinister #1 by Kieron Gillen and Lucas Werneck, Forge makes his power abundantly clear: "I make it? It does what I say it does. Nothing less, and possibly a whole lot more." The idea that he could make an invention that goes above and beyond his intentions is frightening.
Sins of Sinister also showcases how dangerous Forge can be after he is taken over by the evil Mister Sinister. Forge shows himself capable of creating a device that can kill Thanos by using the Juggernaut as a weapon. By building a weapon that takes out two major threats like that and kills a villain who has destroyed half the universe, Forge highlights what he is capable of and why those capabilities are truly terrifying.
The capsule almost serves as a metaphor for Forge, as his creations are powerful, yet spell dire news for anyone around him. Yes, what he does to Thanos was impressive, but as he's at the service of Sinister, time only will tell what kind of chaos he could cook up with his hands. Forge's abilities make him one of the X-Men's (and the whole Marvel Universe's) most valuable and undervalued asset, but in the wrong hands, those abilities are at their most dangerous.
