Cypher (comics)
Encyclopedia
Cypher is a fictional mutant
character, a superhero
from Marvel Comics
. He first appeared in New Mutants
vol. 1 #13 (March 1984).
Professor X
had suspected Doug possessed a mutant
power, probably connected with communications, but had not approached him to join the school, perhaps feeling a passive power might go unnoticed. Doug's initial ignorance of the X-Men's activities caused some problems when he was offered a scholarship at Emma Frost
's Massachusetts Academy
. He does not understand that she, at the time, was one of the X-Men's adversaries. This led to Kitty Pryde (who accompanied him as a friend on his first trip to the Academy) being captured, only to be rescued by the New Mutants. Though his memory of the mutant related events was wiped by Frost, he did not accept the scholarship for reasons not elaborated on.
Doug became a member of the New Mutants
after the arrival of the techno-organic
alien Warlock
. He was literally pulled out of bed and informed of the true nature of Xavier's students when the New Mutants needed his power to establish communication with the confused alien. With Doug's pre-inclination for technology, and being more readily able to understand Warlock than most others, the two of them became fast friends.
Whereas Warlock referred to his teammates with the prefix "selfriend", eventually, after saving his life by offering to share some of his own life energy with Warlock, Warlock gave Doug the unique identifier of "Selfsoulfriend".
Doug's inborn mutant power was the ability to intuitively understand and translate any form of communication, be it written, spoken or non-verbal, and regardless of whether the origin of the language was human, computer or even completely alien. His power was not related to his intellect, but allowed him to make leaps of comprehension that he could probably not explain to anyone else, but which were invariably accurate. He was able to translate the language of a long dead species, without any common terms of reference, within a matter of hours.
Despite the fact his power was entirely harmless (being both mental and passive), and his parents were shown as a happy loving couple, Doug was the only one of the original New Mutants who never did tell his parents he was a mutant. He was worried that they might reject him for being a mutant of any sort, and it was too great a risk to him.
His power made him a master of computer languages, since any software language was effectively instantly within his grasp. An established hacker before joining the team, he became the team's computer expert and "go to" guy for research and information, and wrote many programs for use in the X-Men's training area, the Danger Room
.
Despite his abilities having saved the day many times (including the entire Earth), Doug suffered from feelings of uselessness. In times of danger, Warlock would willingly encapsulate him, which made him feel even more worthless. This was not helped during an unwitting trip to Asgard
, where he was defeated in combat by a serving maid.
Later, he and Warlock found that they could merge their physicality to create a being which looked like Doug but was composed of Warlock's substance and their personae were merged. This allowed full access to both their powers, but meant Doug ran a severe risk of irreversible infection with the Transmode virus, which would have turned him into a being like Warlock.
Cypher used his abilities to discover a means of saving Lila Cheney
's Dyson Sphere
home base from destruction.
) but they remained close friends. He was involved in the rescue of Betsy Braddock – soon afterward to become Psylocke
with the X-Men – from the clutches of Mojo
. This involved venturing deep into Braddock's mind, literally rescuing her psyche from being torn apart by Spiral
. The shared experience, including the after-effects, where Betsy admitted to Douglas that she wanted to tear out her Mojo-implanted eyes but could not, caused a deep emotional bond between the two. Due to their differing ages, both Douglas and Betsy felt awkward. After Betsy was safe and sound, she pondered the situation; "Douglas is watching. My 'guardian angel'. How much he cares... more than he realizes. How much I care...in return." Later, Doug started a relationship with teammate Rahne Sinclair, Wolfsbane
, which was cut short by his death not long thereafter.
Alongside the other New Mutants, Doug temporarily joined the Hellions
. When the Magus
attacked, Doug reprogrammed the Magus to an infant state.
When the entity Bird-Brain
was rescued, Doug was initially jealous of Rahne's affection for him, but became intrigued by his language of squeaks and squawks. He and Rahne shared a passion for teaching Bird-Brain the English language. When Bird-Brain set out to free his enslaved friends, the New Mutants followed him to an island controlled by the Ani-Mator
, a minion of Cameron Hodge
. Facing defeat, the Ani-Mator pulled a gun and aimed it at Rahne. Doug threw himself into the path of the bullet and died.
Magneto, leader of the New Mutants at the time, explained Doug's death to his parents as a 'hunting' accident'. Warlock did not take all this well, even going so far as to steal Doug's body in a confused attempt to 'reanimate' it. Eventually the New Mutants convinced him to return the body. Doug's ghost later appeared to Wolfsbane when she visited his grave in the cemetery.
, and his ashes were scattered upon Doug's grave by the request of Wolfsbane. Eventually the alien Phalanx
, a corrupt subset of the more powerful alien race known as the Technarchy
(Warlock's native race), resurrected Warlock with Doug's memories and appearance, intending to use him as a "Trojan horse" to infiltrate the X-Men. This gestalt entity, called Douglock
, joined Excalibur
for a time, soon breaking free of the Phalanx's programming.
Unaware of his real identity as Warlock, "Douglock" believed himself to be a new entity based on the "genetic and mental engrams" of Cypher and Warlock. This new entity even had another relationship with Wolfsbane. He became a valued part of Excalibur, and even a mentor to Meggan
, who needed further basic schooling.
After Excalibur disbanded, Warlock's personality resurfaced, but he found that he had changed. He now speaks more normally than he originally did, and maintains a more traditionally humanoid form. Warlock maintains a copy of Doug's memory, but his personality is not active.
travels into the Underworld, Cypher is among the dead characters seen in Erebus.
and Eli Bard
.. Selene tasked him to kill Magma
, and was seen watching a gathering of the New Mutants. He entered Magma's room and viciously clubbed her. He dragged her body out, but his old teammates saw what he had done, and he stated to the shocked New Mutants that he had a message from Selene. They engaged in a fight, with Doug dominating the conflict until Karma
took control over her teammates, rendering their minds temporary blank slates and thus unreadable to his new power.
Cypher was knocked off a balcony, but was saved by Warlock who attempted to save him from "malware" that was infecting him. Warlock attempted to restore Cypher's true personality, but he was infected by a trojan
programming code that incapacitated him. Cypher woke up and was once more compelled to attack, and he decapitated Warlock. Doug then temporarily snapped out of his corrupted mind and apologized to his team, but reverted quickly. The Hellions
arrived to reprogram Doug, forcibly taking him with them. The New Mutants escaped, but Cannonball
, Karma and Magik
split off to find him again.
After a lengthy fight with the Hellions, Warlock and Magik used a mixture of their powers to sever Selene's connection to Doug, ensuring his freedom and continued life upon Selene's death.
Warlock was kidnapped by agents of S.W.O.R.D.
acting under 'all aliens must leave Earth' orders by Henry Peter Gyrich
. Doug tried to secure his release. Instead, Warlock and the other aliens were freed by Abigail Brand
, but not before they saved the Earth from a fleet of murder-happy aliens.
who possesses a superhuman intuitive facility for translating languages, spoken or written, human or alien in origin. His superhuman skill is extended to his great facility in deciphering codes and computer languages
, and he is also able to read inflection and body language, allowing him to understand the vast subtext of a conversation. His superhuman talent for translating differs from the translating ability that a human who is a genius in this field, yet not a psychic, possesses, even though both people might achieve the same results with any given translation problem. This psychic talent is an intuitive one which works on a subconscious level, and which may in part by related to telepathy or clairvoyance. A non-psychic human, even a genius, would have to work out a translation consciously, step by step. Rather than working the problem out step by step, in his conscious mind, he instead subconsciously solves the problem. Hence, he can reach the correct solution by means that appear to be leaps of logic, and he himself may not be consciously aware of the entire process by which he reaches the right answer.
Since his resurrection by Selene's use of a modified techno-organic virus, Cypher's powers have evolved to the point where can read all aspects of "language." He is able to read his opponents' body language and the patterns of their combat moves in order to counter the attacks of several opponents attacking him at once. By considering the exercise of combat skills to be a form of language, he proved a match for the entire New Mutant team. He is able to "read" architectural structure and integrity in order to ascertain a building's weaknesses. He also appears capable of "speaking" binary; giving verbal commands in machine code that can deactivate electronic devices.
Cypher is an expert in translating and designing computer software
. He took university level courses in languages and computer science
. He can hack some of the most protected computers.
Cypher has been infected by techno-organic viruses on multiple occasions. The presence of the virus has allowed him at times to cheat death and to demonstrate techno-organic shapeshifting, transmode infection, and life-absorption abilities.
crossover, Doug Ramsey is the adopted son of Destiny
and lives in Avalon. His "translation field" allows everyone in Avalon to understand each other, no matter what language they speak (This is a much broader power than he had ever displayed in the main timeline at this time). He is killed when he jumps in front of Destiny to protect her from the Shadow King
's last desperate attack, a course of action that convinces his adoptive mother to become involved in defeating Apocalypse.
annual crossover, which showed aspects of the alternate future
known as Days of Future Past
, a new incarnation of the New Mutants was seen, whose membership included Doug Ramsey. This revived version of Doug was human looking on his right side, but his left side was techno-organic and constantly shifted into battle configurations with weapons bristling all over. Aggressive and violent, he was described as being nigh insane when angered. He also only responded to the name "Magus", seemingly confirming Warlock's fears that if infected by the transmode virus after merging into Douglock one time too many, Doug might take on the warlike aspects of the Technarch species.
once visited a world where Doug Ramsey was infected by the Legacy Virus
. Trying to save Ramsey's life, Warlock bonded with him, combining their life forces into one. Once the virus was introduced to Warlocks unique physiology, it mutated and became even more contagious. With over half the world infected by this new technological virus (called Vi-Locks), Doug Ramsey was kept in stasis. He was killed by one of the infected, once it found out the Exiles were trying to create a cure based on Ramsey's original strain of the virus.
's graphic novel Rahne of Terra there exists a sword and sorcery version of the New Mutants and X-Men, with the likes of Sam "Cannonball" Guthrie being a knight who uses seven league boots to fly (and a rifle called "Cannonball" as a weapon). Here, Rain (an alt-version of Rahne "Wolfsbane
" Sinclair) is the Princess of the realm of Geshem, and Doug is a commoner, a nobody whose mother is a washerwoman. However, he loves Rahne from afar, and it is partly through his unexpected courage and a magic spell that the mainstream Rahne Sinclair, who has replaced Rain, survives. The thought of Doug being killed again is enough to trigger her use of the magic of Geshem and her mutant powers to protect him. The story ends with Rain now restored to her own world, and noticing Doug for the first time, clearly being attracted to him.
In the sequel "Knight of Terra" Rahne pays a return visit to Geshem, and discovers that in that world, Doug and Rain are now married and expecting their first child. However, after an attack by a sorcerer who used animated suits of armor, Doug is injured. He is healed by replacing at least one of his arms with some of the magically animated armor, a reference to Douglock, the part-Phalanx
being who was a member of Excalibur.
's reality warp known as the House of M
. He was a staff member alongside Karma
and Sean Garrison at the New Mutant Leadership Institute who were training young mutants. Both he and Karma discover Garrison and his daughter Wallflower
's secret affiliations with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Emperor Sunfire. Garrison corners them and subdues Doug and Karma with fear pheromones and plans to kill them until Tag
stops him with his powers and unintentionally causes him to commit suicide.
back to his home dimension and then helped him become a sort of benevolent dictator, replacing Mojo
V as Cable
wished. To this end, a new X-Force team, consisting of Cannonball
, Siryn
, Warlock, Darkchild
(Illyana Rasputin), Sunspot
, and Powerpax (Francine Power) returned to Shatterstar's dimension. Assisted by the spineless ones and the geneticist, Arize, they overthrow Shatterstar, who had begun doing what Mojos I through V had done, creating a world based on the entertainment of killing the opposite race. Shatterstar, who had been having doubts concerning his leadership, joined in the overthrowing of his own dimension, and, apparently, joined the bipeds and spineless ones in peace. X-Force apparently returned to Earth.
version of Doug Ramsey appeared when "Ultimate Cypher" was introduced, though he never used the codename — he is a super-intelligent, slightly geeky but amicable computer programmer who gained national prominence by winning 74 consecutive games on the TV game show Jeopardy.
Douglas is a student at Emma Frost
's Academy of Tomorrow. In this version he is specifically mentioned as being a human, not a mutant, but Frost's school does not distinguish between different varieties of "gifted".
Douglas was instrumental in helping free Lorna Dane from prison. Traffic camera footage of Dane's apparent magnetically-induced murder of several people had been reviewed time and again to no avail. Douglas decides to review the tapes from three days ago and gains the information to clear Lorna's name.
Doug also appears in a short story in the back of Ultimate X-Men #75.
He, along with the rest of the Academy of Tomorrow, was killed by Maddrox during Ultimatum.
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
character, a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
from Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. He first appeared in New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
vol. 1 #13 (March 1984).
Fictional character biography
Doug Ramsey was born to Philip and Sheila Ramsey. Doug was a teenage friend of Kitty Pryde who she met after she moved to Westchester County to join Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. They hit it off when they discovered a shared interest in video games, computers and computer technology. Kitty's talent for building hardware providing the perfect complement to his skill at writing the software to run the hardware.Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
had suspected Doug possessed a mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
power, probably connected with communications, but had not approached him to join the school, perhaps feeling a passive power might go unnoticed. Doug's initial ignorance of the X-Men's activities caused some problems when he was offered a scholarship at Emma Frost
Emma Frost
Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....
's Massachusetts Academy
Massachusetts Academy (comics)
The Massachusetts Academy is a fictional prep school in the Marvel Universe. Created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, it first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #151 .-Fictional history:...
. He does not understand that she, at the time, was one of the X-Men's adversaries. This led to Kitty Pryde (who accompanied him as a friend on his first trip to the Academy) being captured, only to be rescued by the New Mutants. Though his memory of the mutant related events was wiped by Frost, he did not accept the scholarship for reasons not elaborated on.
Doug became a member of the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
after the arrival of the techno-organic
Technarchy
The Technarchy, or Technarchs, are a cybernetic, shapeshifting, fictional species of extraterrestrial origin in the Marvel Comics' universe, created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bill Sienkiewicz. Its most notable members are the New Mutants member Warlock and his "siredam," the supervillain...
alien Warlock
Warlock (New Mutants)
Warlock is a fictional character, a cybernetic alien superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #18 , and was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz.-Publication history:...
. He was literally pulled out of bed and informed of the true nature of Xavier's students when the New Mutants needed his power to establish communication with the confused alien. With Doug's pre-inclination for technology, and being more readily able to understand Warlock than most others, the two of them became fast friends.
Whereas Warlock referred to his teammates with the prefix "selfriend", eventually, after saving his life by offering to share some of his own life energy with Warlock, Warlock gave Doug the unique identifier of "Selfsoulfriend".
Doug's inborn mutant power was the ability to intuitively understand and translate any form of communication, be it written, spoken or non-verbal, and regardless of whether the origin of the language was human, computer or even completely alien. His power was not related to his intellect, but allowed him to make leaps of comprehension that he could probably not explain to anyone else, but which were invariably accurate. He was able to translate the language of a long dead species, without any common terms of reference, within a matter of hours.
Despite the fact his power was entirely harmless (being both mental and passive), and his parents were shown as a happy loving couple, Doug was the only one of the original New Mutants who never did tell his parents he was a mutant. He was worried that they might reject him for being a mutant of any sort, and it was too great a risk to him.
His power made him a master of computer languages, since any software language was effectively instantly within his grasp. An established hacker before joining the team, he became the team's computer expert and "go to" guy for research and information, and wrote many programs for use in the X-Men's training area, the Danger Room
Danger Room
The Danger Room is a fictional training facility built for the X-Men of Marvel Comics as part of the various incarnations of the X-Mansion.-Early designs:...
.
Despite his abilities having saved the day many times (including the entire Earth), Doug suffered from feelings of uselessness. In times of danger, Warlock would willingly encapsulate him, which made him feel even more worthless. This was not helped during an unwitting trip to Asgard
Asgard (comics)
Asgard is a fictional realm within the Marvel Comics universe based on the Asgard of Norse mythology and is home to the Asgardians and other beings of Norse mythology...
, where he was defeated in combat by a serving maid.
Later, he and Warlock found that they could merge their physicality to create a being which looked like Doug but was composed of Warlock's substance and their personae were merged. This allowed full access to both their powers, but meant Doug ran a severe risk of irreversible infection with the Transmode virus, which would have turned him into a being like Warlock.
Cypher used his abilities to discover a means of saving Lila Cheney
Lila Cheney
Lila Cheney is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. She is a mutant with the ability to teleport, but only over vast intergalactic distances.-Publication history:...
's Dyson Sphere
Dyson sphere
A Dyson sphere is a hypothetical megastructure originally described by Freeman Dyson. Such a "sphere" would be a system of orbiting solar power satellites meant to completely encompass a star and capture most or all of its energy output...
home base from destruction.
Romances and death
Though he flirted with Kitty Pryde and may indeed have loved her, it was not reciprocated (Kitty had just broken up with ColossusColossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
) but they remained close friends. He was involved in the rescue of Betsy Braddock – soon afterward to become Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
with the X-Men – from the clutches of Mojo
Mojo (comics)
Mojo is a Marvel Comics supervillain, primarily an enemy of the X-Men and one of its members, Longshot. Mojo is one of the "Spineless Ones," an alien race that is immobile without advanced technology. He is a slaver who rules the Mojoverse, a dimension where all beings are addicted to his...
. This involved venturing deep into Braddock's mind, literally rescuing her psyche from being torn apart by Spiral
Spiral (comics)
Spiral is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in the Longshot miniseries by Ann Nocenti and Art Adams.-Fictional character biography:...
. The shared experience, including the after-effects, where Betsy admitted to Douglas that she wanted to tear out her Mojo-implanted eyes but could not, caused a deep emotional bond between the two. Due to their differing ages, both Douglas and Betsy felt awkward. After Betsy was safe and sound, she pondered the situation; "Douglas is watching. My 'guardian angel'. How much he cares... more than he realizes. How much I care...in return." Later, Doug started a relationship with teammate Rahne Sinclair, Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane (comics)
Wolfsbane is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men.A Scottish mutant, Wolfsbane possesses the ability to transform into a wolf or into a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf...
, which was cut short by his death not long thereafter.
Alongside the other New Mutants, Doug temporarily joined the Hellions
Hellions (comics)
There have been several groups of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe who have been known as the Hellions. These groups were rivals of various teams of younger mutant heroes in the X-Men franchise....
. When the Magus
Magus (Technarchy)
The Magus is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.The Magus is a techno-organic patriarch of an alien civilization, and should not be confused with another character called Magus who is associated with Adam Warlock.-Publication history:...
attacked, Doug reprogrammed the Magus to an infant state.
When the entity Bird-Brain
Bird-Brain
Bird-Brain is a fictional character, a superhero from Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Bird-Brain first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #55 , and was first fully seen in New Mutants vol. 1 #56...
was rescued, Doug was initially jealous of Rahne's affection for him, but became intrigued by his language of squeaks and squawks. He and Rahne shared a passion for teaching Bird-Brain the English language. When Bird-Brain set out to free his enslaved friends, the New Mutants followed him to an island controlled by the Ani-Mator
Ani-Mator
The Ani-Mator is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:The Ani-Mator appeared in New Mutants vol...
, a minion of Cameron Hodge
Cameron Hodge
Cameron Hodge is a fictional comic book supervillain and opponent of the X-Men, as seen in Marvel Comics. Created by writer Bob Layton and artist Jackson Guice, Hodge first appeared as a supporting character in X-Factor #1 , and was later revealed to be secretly acting against that group as the...
. Facing defeat, the Ani-Mator pulled a gun and aimed it at Rahne. Doug threw himself into the path of the bullet and died.
Magneto, leader of the New Mutants at the time, explained Doug's death to his parents as a 'hunting' accident'. Warlock did not take all this well, even going so far as to steal Doug's body in a confused attempt to 'reanimate' it. Eventually the New Mutants convinced him to return the body. Doug's ghost later appeared to Wolfsbane when she visited his grave in the cemetery.
Douglock
Later, Warlock died, murdered by Cameron HodgeCameron Hodge
Cameron Hodge is a fictional comic book supervillain and opponent of the X-Men, as seen in Marvel Comics. Created by writer Bob Layton and artist Jackson Guice, Hodge first appeared as a supporting character in X-Factor #1 , and was later revealed to be secretly acting against that group as the...
, and his ashes were scattered upon Doug's grave by the request of Wolfsbane. Eventually the alien Phalanx
Phalanx (comics)
The Phalanx are a fictional cybernetic species in the Marvel Comics universe. They have come in conflict with the X-Men and related groups on several occasions. They form a hive mind, linking each member by a telepathy-like system....
, a corrupt subset of the more powerful alien race known as the Technarchy
Technarchy
The Technarchy, or Technarchs, are a cybernetic, shapeshifting, fictional species of extraterrestrial origin in the Marvel Comics' universe, created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bill Sienkiewicz. Its most notable members are the New Mutants member Warlock and his "siredam," the supervillain...
(Warlock's native race), resurrected Warlock with Doug's memories and appearance, intending to use him as a "Trojan horse" to infiltrate the X-Men. This gestalt entity, called Douglock
Warlock (New Mutants)
Warlock is a fictional character, a cybernetic alien superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #18 , and was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz.-Publication history:...
, joined Excalibur
Excalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
for a time, soon breaking free of the Phalanx's programming.
Unaware of his real identity as Warlock, "Douglock" believed himself to be a new entity based on the "genetic and mental engrams" of Cypher and Warlock. This new entity even had another relationship with Wolfsbane. He became a valued part of Excalibur, and even a mentor to Meggan
Meggan
Meggan Puceanu is a fictional character, a mutant superhero in the . She first appeared in Mighty World of Marvel #7, , and was created by Alan Moore and Alan Davis....
, who needed further basic schooling.
After Excalibur disbanded, Warlock's personality resurfaced, but he found that he had changed. He now speaks more normally than he originally did, and maintains a more traditionally humanoid form. Warlock maintains a copy of Doug's memory, but his personality is not active.
Dark Reign
When HerculesHercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
travels into the Underworld, Cypher is among the dead characters seen in Erebus.
Necrosha & Resurrection
Cypher was resurrected via the Transmode Virus by SeleneSelene (comics)
Selene Gallio is a fictional character, a comic book supervillainess from the Marvel Comics universe. She is a mutant, and an enemy of the X-Men often associated with the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle.-Publication history:...
and Eli Bard
Eli Bard
Eli Bard is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain from the Marvel Comics universe. He is a member of the Purifiers and an enemy of the X-Men.-Fictional character biography:...
.. Selene tasked him to kill Magma
Magma (comics)
Magma is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics series New Mutants, also associated with various X-Men-related comics. She was created by author Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, and debuted in New Mutants #8...
, and was seen watching a gathering of the New Mutants. He entered Magma's room and viciously clubbed her. He dragged her body out, but his old teammates saw what he had done, and he stated to the shocked New Mutants that he had a message from Selene. They engaged in a fight, with Doug dominating the conflict until Karma
Karma (comics)
Karma is a fictional superheroine from Marvel Comics created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.Karma is a mutant endowed with the ability to seize control of another's mind, though she has sometimes been depicted with other more extensive psionic abilities...
took control over her teammates, rendering their minds temporary blank slates and thus unreadable to his new power.
Cypher was knocked off a balcony, but was saved by Warlock who attempted to save him from "malware" that was infecting him. Warlock attempted to restore Cypher's true personality, but he was infected by a trojan
Trojan horse (computing)
A Trojan horse, or Trojan, is software that appears to perform a desirable function for the user prior to run or install, but steals information or harms the system. The term is derived from the Trojan Horse story in Greek mythology.-Malware:A destructive program that masquerades as a benign...
programming code that incapacitated him. Cypher woke up and was once more compelled to attack, and he decapitated Warlock. Doug then temporarily snapped out of his corrupted mind and apologized to his team, but reverted quickly. The Hellions
Hellions (comics)
There have been several groups of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe who have been known as the Hellions. These groups were rivals of various teams of younger mutant heroes in the X-Men franchise....
arrived to reprogram Doug, forcibly taking him with them. The New Mutants escaped, but Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
, Karma and Magik
Magik (comics)
Magik is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is the younger sister of the Russian X-Man Colossus.-Publication history:...
split off to find him again.
After a lengthy fight with the Hellions, Warlock and Magik used a mixture of their powers to sever Selene's connection to Doug, ensuring his freedom and continued life upon Selene's death.
Second Coming
Doug analyzed a fight between the New Mutants and Cameron Hodge and concluded the New Mutants would be killed. He therefore convinced Warlock to kill and absorb Hodge and several of his men. Later, Doug joined X-Force on a time-traveling mission to stop an invasion of advanced Sentinels from the future. While the rest of the team held off attacking Sentinels, Cable and Cypher infiltrated a Master Mold installation. Upon attempting to hack into the grid, the Master Mold discovered Cypher and began to assimilate him, to add his linguistic skills to its own. However, in doing so, it allowed Cypher access to its programming. He subsequently overrode the Master Mold and deactivated all the Nimrods invading Utopia. The strain of doing so caused him to pass out and he was later seen being carried through the portal by Wolverine.Warlock was kidnapped by agents of S.W.O.R.D.
S.W.O.R.D.
S.W.O.R.D. may refer to:*S.W.O.R.D. , a fictional counterterrorism and intelligence agency in the Marvel Universe*S.W.O.R.D. , a fictional criminal organization in the novel The Saint and the Fiction Makers*S.W.O.R.D...
acting under 'all aliens must leave Earth' orders by Henry Peter Gyrich
Henry Peter Gyrich
Henry Peter Gyrich is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers Vol. 1 #165 and was created by Jim Shooter and George Pérez.-Fictional character biography:...
. Doug tried to secure his release. Instead, Warlock and the other aliens were freed by Abigail Brand
Abigail Brand
Special Agent Abigail Brand is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics' universe. Her first appearance was a cameo in Astonishing X-Men #3 , and she was introduced fully in Astonishing X-Men #6 . She was created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday.-Origin:Abigail Brand is the commanding officer of...
, but not before they saved the Earth from a fleet of murder-happy aliens.
Powers and abilities
Cypher is a mutantMutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
who possesses a superhuman intuitive facility for translating languages, spoken or written, human or alien in origin. His superhuman skill is extended to his great facility in deciphering codes and computer languages
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
, and he is also able to read inflection and body language, allowing him to understand the vast subtext of a conversation. His superhuman talent for translating differs from the translating ability that a human who is a genius in this field, yet not a psychic, possesses, even though both people might achieve the same results with any given translation problem. This psychic talent is an intuitive one which works on a subconscious level, and which may in part by related to telepathy or clairvoyance. A non-psychic human, even a genius, would have to work out a translation consciously, step by step. Rather than working the problem out step by step, in his conscious mind, he instead subconsciously solves the problem. Hence, he can reach the correct solution by means that appear to be leaps of logic, and he himself may not be consciously aware of the entire process by which he reaches the right answer.
Since his resurrection by Selene's use of a modified techno-organic virus, Cypher's powers have evolved to the point where can read all aspects of "language." He is able to read his opponents' body language and the patterns of their combat moves in order to counter the attacks of several opponents attacking him at once. By considering the exercise of combat skills to be a form of language, he proved a match for the entire New Mutant team. He is able to "read" architectural structure and integrity in order to ascertain a building's weaknesses. He also appears capable of "speaking" binary; giving verbal commands in machine code that can deactivate electronic devices.
Cypher is an expert in translating and designing computer software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
. He took university level courses in languages and computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
. He can hack some of the most protected computers.
Cypher has been infected by techno-organic viruses on multiple occasions. The presence of the virus has allowed him at times to cheat death and to demonstrate techno-organic shapeshifting, transmode infection, and life-absorption abilities.
Age of Apocalypse
In the alternate world of the Age of ApocalypseAge of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
crossover, Doug Ramsey is the adopted son of Destiny
Destiny (Irene Adler)
Destiny is a Marvel Comics fictional character, known as an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141...
and lives in Avalon. His "translation field" allows everyone in Avalon to understand each other, no matter what language they speak (This is a much broader power than he had ever displayed in the main timeline at this time). He is killed when he jumps in front of Destiny to protect her from the Shadow King
Shadow King
The Shadow King, also known as Amahl Farouk, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shadow King exists as an entity of pure psychic energy that feeds on the hatred of humanity...
's last desperate attack, a course of action that convinces his adoptive mother to become involved in defeating Apocalypse.
Days of Future Present
In the Days of Future PresentDays of Future Present
"Days of Future Present" is a storyline published by Marvel Comics, appearing in the 1990 issues of Fantastic Four Annual, X-Factor Annual, New Mutants Annual and X-Men Annual...
annual crossover, which showed aspects of the alternate future
Alternate future
In science fiction stories involving time travel, an alternative future or alternate future is a possible future which never comes to pass, typically because someone travels back into the past and alters it so that the events of the alternative future cannot occur.An alternative future differs from...
known as Days of Future Past
Days of Future Past
"Days of Future Past" is a popular storyline in the Marvel Comics comic book The Uncanny X-Men issues #141 and #142, published in 1981. It deals with a dystopian alternate future in which mutants are incarcerated in internment camps...
, a new incarnation of the New Mutants was seen, whose membership included Doug Ramsey. This revived version of Doug was human looking on his right side, but his left side was techno-organic and constantly shifted into battle configurations with weapons bristling all over. Aggressive and violent, he was described as being nigh insane when angered. He also only responded to the name "Magus", seemingly confirming Warlock's fears that if infected by the transmode virus after merging into Douglock one time too many, Doug might take on the warlike aspects of the Technarch species.
Exiles
The reality-hopping ExilesExiles (Marvel Comics)
The Exiles are a group of fictional characters that feature in three Marvel Comics series, Exiles, New Exiles, and Exiles vol. 2. The Exiles consists of characters from different dimensions, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems in various alternate...
once visited a world where Doug Ramsey was infected by the Legacy Virus
Legacy Virus
In the fictional Marvel Universe, the Legacy Virus was a devastating plague that ripped through the mutant population, killing hundreds and mutating so that it affected baseline humans as well....
. Trying to save Ramsey's life, Warlock bonded with him, combining their life forces into one. Once the virus was introduced to Warlocks unique physiology, it mutated and became even more contagious. With over half the world infected by this new technological virus (called Vi-Locks), Doug Ramsey was kept in stasis. He was killed by one of the infected, once it found out the Exiles were trying to create a cure based on Ramsey's original strain of the virus.
Geshem
In Peter DavidPeter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
's graphic novel Rahne of Terra there exists a sword and sorcery version of the New Mutants and X-Men, with the likes of Sam "Cannonball" Guthrie being a knight who uses seven league boots to fly (and a rifle called "Cannonball" as a weapon). Here, Rain (an alt-version of Rahne "Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane may refer to:* Aconitum, a flowering plant and herb* Wolfsbane , an English heavy metal/hard rock band* Wolfsbane , the 1994 album from Wolfsbane* Wolfsbane , a Marvel Comics superhero...
" Sinclair) is the Princess of the realm of Geshem, and Doug is a commoner, a nobody whose mother is a washerwoman. However, he loves Rahne from afar, and it is partly through his unexpected courage and a magic spell that the mainstream Rahne Sinclair, who has replaced Rain, survives. The thought of Doug being killed again is enough to trigger her use of the magic of Geshem and her mutant powers to protect him. The story ends with Rain now restored to her own world, and noticing Doug for the first time, clearly being attracted to him.
In the sequel "Knight of Terra" Rahne pays a return visit to Geshem, and discovers that in that world, Doug and Rain are now married and expecting their first child. However, after an attack by a sorcerer who used animated suits of armor, Doug is injured. He is healed by replacing at least one of his arms with some of the magically animated armor, a reference to Douglock, the part-Phalanx
Phalanx (comics)
The Phalanx are a fictional cybernetic species in the Marvel Comics universe. They have come in conflict with the X-Men and related groups on several occasions. They form a hive mind, linking each member by a telepathy-like system....
being who was a member of Excalibur.
House of M
Ramsey appears alive and well and older in the Scarlet WitchScarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
's reality warp known as the House of M
House of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
. He was a staff member alongside Karma
Karma (comics)
Karma is a fictional superheroine from Marvel Comics created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.Karma is a mutant endowed with the ability to seize control of another's mind, though she has sometimes been depicted with other more extensive psionic abilities...
and Sean Garrison at the New Mutant Leadership Institute who were training young mutants. Both he and Karma discover Garrison and his daughter Wallflower
Wallflower (comics)
Wallflower is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a member of the student body of the Xavier Institute and a member of the New Mutants training squad therein. After the events of M-Day transpired, she was one of a handful of mutants to keep...
's secret affiliations with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Emperor Sunfire. Garrison corners them and subdues Doug and Karma with fear pheromones and plans to kill them until Tag
Tag (comics)
Tag is a fictional character, a Puerto Rican mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #7 and was a member of the student body of the Xavier Institute and the Hellions squad therein.-Fictional character biography:Brian Cruz came to Emma...
stops him with his powers and unintentionally causes him to commit suicide.
Marvel Zombies
Cypher appears as a non-combatant zombie in Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth issue #9. He is lured by zombie Deadpool into a lab to be tested on for a cure of the Zombie virus.Shattershot
During the Shattershot Annual crossover, an alternate future is shown, where Warlock renamed himself Cyberlock. He retained all his memories but had a very serious, emotionless personality. He was part of an X-Force team that helped ShatterstarShatterstar
Shatterstar is a fictional character, a mutant superhero in the .-Publication history:Shatterstar first appeared in The New Mutants vol. 1 #99 , and was created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld. Since his debut Shatterstar has mainly appeared in the original X-Force title, with some issues...
back to his home dimension and then helped him become a sort of benevolent dictator, replacing Mojo
Mojo (comics)
Mojo is a Marvel Comics supervillain, primarily an enemy of the X-Men and one of its members, Longshot. Mojo is one of the "Spineless Ones," an alien race that is immobile without advanced technology. He is a slaver who rules the Mojoverse, a dimension where all beings are addicted to his...
V as Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
wished. To this end, a new X-Force team, consisting of Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
, Siryn
Siryn
Theresa Maeve Rourke Cassidy is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually those belonging to the X-Men family of titles...
, Warlock, Darkchild
Magik (comics)
Magik is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is the younger sister of the Russian X-Man Colossus.-Publication history:...
(Illyana Rasputin), Sunspot
Sunspot (comics)
Sunspot is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero most commonly associated with X-Men-related groups the New Mutants and X-Force....
, and Powerpax (Francine Power) returned to Shatterstar's dimension. Assisted by the spineless ones and the geneticist, Arize, they overthrow Shatterstar, who had begun doing what Mojos I through V had done, creating a world based on the entertainment of killing the opposite race. Shatterstar, who had been having doubts concerning his leadership, joined in the overthrowing of his own dimension, and, apparently, joined the bipeds and spineless ones in peace. X-Force apparently returned to Earth.
Ultimate Cypher
The Ultimate X-MenUltimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
version of Doug Ramsey appeared when "Ultimate Cypher" was introduced, though he never used the codename — he is a super-intelligent, slightly geeky but amicable computer programmer who gained national prominence by winning 74 consecutive games on the TV game show Jeopardy.
Douglas is a student at Emma Frost
Emma Frost
Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....
's Academy of Tomorrow. In this version he is specifically mentioned as being a human, not a mutant, but Frost's school does not distinguish between different varieties of "gifted".
Douglas was instrumental in helping free Lorna Dane from prison. Traffic camera footage of Dane's apparent magnetically-induced murder of several people had been reviewed time and again to no avail. Douglas decides to review the tapes from three days ago and gains the information to clear Lorna's name.
Doug also appears in a short story in the back of Ultimate X-Men #75.
He, along with the rest of the Academy of Tomorrow, was killed by Maddrox during Ultimatum.
What If?
In an issue that asks "What If the X-Men Had Stayed in Asgard," Cypher devoted himself to studying long-forgotten texts and lore, written in languages forgotten to the Asgardians, gaining respect as a scholar amongst the population for doing so. He later became Storm's vizier after she is crowned Queen of Asgard, helping bring a new renaissance to Asgard by using the forgotten wisdom of Asgard's past that he had translated to shape its future.External links
- Cypher at Marvel.com
- UncannyXmen.net Spotlight On Cypher