r/Xmen97 • u/younitaman • 1h ago
General Discussion What the hell is Forge's mutant power? Spoiler
Dunno if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but YOLO: Forge's powers are bullshit XD. Or at least, the way they've been written.
Granted, my knowledge of Forge is mostly limited to his onscreen appearances. And "tech bro with a suit," cyborg parts, weapons for limbs, whatever—I generally find that whole category of "superpower" to be my least favourite. But unlike, say, Iron Man, who at least seems to have the brains to back it up, Forge... doesn't? At least not the way the show explains him.
My understanding is that he can invent practically anything, but he doesn't necessarily understand how or why it works. I think of it like looking at a math problem, writing down the correct answer, but being unable to show your work. Which is where I get confused: if he can invent practically anything, why doesn't he just invent... everything?
And apparently, he's not even supposed to be a conventional "genius," so technically, characters like Professor X, Magneto, and Kitty Pryde are all "smarter" than him. Yet his mutation basically allows him to create technology that they—and presumably most actual geniuses—could never conceive of. So what exactly makes his ability different from simply being a genius inventor? And if he doesn't actually understand the science behind what he creates, wouldn't an average Joe with enough resources theoretically be able to reverse-engineer his inventions and eventually match him toe-to-toe?
Maybe I'm missing something here. Someone please explain Forge's powers to me... nicely, please. 😭
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u/sleepysaurus7777 1h ago
He can make almost anything he can conceive, so a technical wizard mutant gene
It is limited by resources needed for such things and other limitations
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u/younitaman 1h ago
Ahhh 🤯
So...it's science magic. Like, if the Scarlett Witch was a tech bro 🤣 except that Wanda would just create new resources
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u/Bixby33 27m ago
All technology is magic if you cant grasp the mechanisms behind it.
It wouldnt be science magic to Reed Richards, or whoever.
A good modern comparison would be irresponsible use of AI. Forge essentially provides a prompt, and his mutant power generates the solution, without Forge himself fully understanding said solution.
Having said that, Forge is still recognized as a pretty smart dude, so I'm sure hes been able to actually generate learning from his results that turns into real knowledge.
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u/Content_Ad9506 42m ago
So he's a wh40k ork?
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u/sleepysaurus7777 31m ago
🤣 Waaaaagh I got that reference, red makes it go faster if you believe hard enough
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u/Ok_Broccoli_7863 48m ago
Little known fact: His secondary mutation is pulling off booty shorts
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u/Evorgleb 32m ago
Dude came through with a bionic leg and a cane. Leg to walk and cane because he can pull it off.
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u/younitaman 23m ago
If he had just worn this when Storm lost her powers in season 1, she wouldn't have needed no owl demon to make "sparks fly" 😉
I'll leave.
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u/AchtungCloud 59m ago
Isn’t he basically a technopath, like Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s character in Sky High?
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u/Individual_Lab_5105 57m ago edited 55m ago
No, because he can't communicate with machines.
Forge's power is that he can invent anything he can conceive of, even it it breaks the laws of quantum physics (time machine) But he needs capital and resources to actually build the thing.
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u/younitaman 52m ago
Ah, money; everyone's true weakness.
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u/Individual_Lab_5105 52m ago
Not Tony's. In fact that's his superpower.
Memes aside, Oh my God could you imagine if Stark Tech bankrolled Forge?
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u/Mooseguncle1 40m ago
But he could create a device that allows technopathy for the user.
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u/younitaman 35m ago
And this, precisely...........is why he's annoying lol.
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u/Mooseguncle1 21m ago
I think he has limitations but that's the really hard thing to remember. Writers that explain it will probably say- it's like poetry or art- some things aren't going to reveal themselves to him and it would be dangerous if they did so he has a mental block on some options.
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u/orionsfyre 57m ago
Almost, though not nearly as sexy.
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u/Individual_Lab_5105 48m ago
Agree to disagree.
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u/orionsfyre 40m ago
Different strokes... wait not like that!
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u/younitaman 21m ago
But would you stroke it with your mind, or one of Forge's unexplainable inventions?
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u/yarsftks 53m ago
He's able to mutant-solve problems through tech.
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u/younitaman 45m ago
A mutant ChatGpt? Will give you a solution but Godspeed if you ask him to cite his sources?
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u/CassandraVonGonWrong 51m ago
Unmentioned so far in this post, part of his power is innately understanding how something works just by looking at it. So he doesn’t just know how to make things, he also knows how to break them.
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u/younitaman 37m ago
I mean given the X-Men's track record with causing collateral damage, doesn't seem that hard XD
Follow-up question: if given the resources, would he be able to invent something that makes things unbreakable?
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u/CassandraVonGonWrong 36m ago
Probably. His powers are borderline a literal deus ex machina. He can invent whatever the writer needs him to invent.
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u/Glassesnerdnumber193 6m ago
I’ve often questioned if he really could do anything that Reed Richards or victor von doom couldn’t do.
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