X-Men: 10 Characters That Must Appear In The New Mutants Movie

Cypher is basically the Wesley Crusher of the X-family back in the 1980s, few mutant heroes were as universally despised by comics fans as Doug Ramsey. His mutant ability to instinctively understand all aspects of language and communication had astonishing crossover potential… but back in the days of the original New Mutants run in the 1980s, it just made him a computer hacker who could understand aliens.

With no offensive or defensive abilities, his utter uselessness in a fight meant that his teammates were constantly protecting him, resulting in feelings of resentment and inadequacy on Doug’s part. Forming a tender, sweet adolescent relationship with the similarly nervy and neurotic Wolfsbane, Cypher was shot and killed about halfway through the New Mutant’s 100-issue run, taking a bullet to protect her.

Cypher’s death remains a milestone in Marvel’s mutant continuity, as his massive unpopularity with fans and comics creators alike abruptly reversed after his demise. After all, this was an untrained teenager dying a hero’s death in the field, a role that many felt he was the least suited for of all the kids.

His passing was felt deeply by every member of the team and many members of the X-Men themselves, and remains a pivotal storytelling point in the X-Men’s history. Despite the many, many jokes about mutant heaven having a revolving door, such was the power of Doug Ramsey’s death that he actually remained dead for over twenty years, before finally being resurrected in 2009.

They’ve finally begun expanding on the massive potential of his abilities, having him able to translate the weak point of structures and plans and read body language to become a lethal combatant… but the teenage version of Doug Ramsey is a powerful narrative tool that needs to be a focal point of the plot of any New Mutants movie.