Marvel Has Turned The X-Men’s Most Worthless Character Into The Most Dangerous Mutant

Marvel Comics has consistently depicted mutants going bad throughout its entire run, and the most recent big bad was once considered the X-Men’s most worthless mutant. There have been plenty of X-Men who have gone bad over the years, from Cyclops to Beast, but the most recent villain who has threatened to disrupt Marvel Comics is a mutant no one could have expected when it comes to power levels and his reputation. This villain has caused the most recent X-Men apocalyptic crossover event, Age of Revelation, and it has elevated the most surprising mutant. It proves that any mutant can become a threat regardless of their past.

The main villain in Age of Revelation is Douglas Ramsey, whom Apocalypse transformed into a powerful mutant, and he is exacting revenge for the world’s disrespect.

The Krakoan Era Made Douglas Ramsey Finally Mean Something

Before looking at Douglas Ramsey’s role in Age of Revelation, it’s important to discuss how he got to this position. When Douglas first appeared in Marvel Comics, it was in The New Mutants, where he was part of the Xavier Institute, and he didn’t, at first, even know he was a mutant. His powers turned out to be the ability to speak and understand any language, human, alien, or even technological. It made Douglas one of the most worthless mutants around, based on his powers.

Known as Cypher, he died in New Mutants #61, sacrificing himself to save his friends in the New Mutants. While Magik and others showed great mourning in his death, fans mostly shrugged because no one cared about Doug. Later, his importance changed when the Krakoan Era began. Douglas Ramsey ultimately became one of the most prominent Marvel mutants to go from zero to unstoppable. This is because he was the only person who could communicate with Krakoa himself, and he became the voice of the island.

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Not only did Cypher become the voice of Krakoa, but he also used his position of power to start pulling strings and manipulating events for his own benefit. Cypher didn’t really trust Professor X, so he had his close friend Warlock terriform Krakoa and become part of its biosphere to eavesdrop on the entire island, including on Xavier. He could even hear Magneto, Xavier, and Moira’s private conversations in Moira’s No-Space. Thanks to this, Krakoa (the island) grew close to Douglas and protected him from the dangers coming at the end of the Krakoan Era.

Age of Revelation Provides Douglas Ramsey with the Spotlight He Deserves

By the time the Krakoan Era ended, Douglas Ramsey’s manipulations and schemes caught the attention of one specific mutant. Apocalypse appreciated what Doug had done and decided that the one-time worthless mutant was now someone destined for greater things. Apocalypse decided, at that moment, that Douglas could be the heir to succeed him once he decided that his old methods had fallen out of favor. Douglas accepted, and in X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse, he participated in a tournament featuring 12 mutants, winning it and becoming Apocalypse’s successor, Revelation.

That was only the start, as the Age of Revelation crossover showed an apocalyptic future vision of what happened next. On the anniversary of Age of Apocalypse, the new series shows a future that isn’t as destructive for mutants, but one that has horrifying implications nonetheless. The storyline, as revealed in its preview, suggests that Douglas Ramsey started this dystopian future by utilizing his new power, Vocal Mind Control, which allows him to command others to involuntarily follow his orders. It also states that this all started with “one terrible lie.”

At one time, there wasn’t a mutant as mocked as Douglas Ramsey, and Cypher was mainly a joke in the world of the X-Men. However, thanks to his elevation in importance in Krakoa and his favorable status in the eyes of Apocalypse, Doug has become greater than any Marvel Comics fan could have expected. Douglas Ramsey has become Revelation and is the big bad of the new X-Men crossover series, and the most worthless mutant has become its deadliest.

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