Cypher (comics)

Cypher
Cypher from X-Men Legacy #235. Art by Greg Land.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	New Mutants #13 (March 1984)
Created by	Chris Claremont (writer) Sal Buscema (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Douglas Aaron "Doug" Ramsey
Species	Human Mutant
Team affiliations	New Mutants Hellions X-Force X-Men X-Factor
Abilities	Semi-telepathic and semi-clairvoyant omnilingualism (intuitively translates any languages he comes into contact with, including written, spoken, computer, or body language).

Cypher (Douglas "Doug" Ramsey) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character appears usually in the X-Men family of books, in particular those featuring The New Mutants, of which Cypher has been a member. He is a mutant with the ability to easily understand any language, whether spoken or written.

The character is not related to the female cyborg of the same name who first appeared in Sabretooth and Mystique #1 and is a member of A.I.M.

Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Sal Buscema, the character first appeared in New Mutants #13 (March 1984). Initially used as a supporting cast member, he was assimilated into the titular superteam in New Mutants #21 (1984). During his run as a member of the team, Cypher was the least popular of the New Mutants, as series writer Louise Simonson recounted: "He wasn't fun to draw. He just stood around and hid behind a tree during a fight... Every artist who ever did him said 'Can't we kill this guy?' We would get letters from fans about how much they hated him. We never got any letters from people saying they liked him until he was dead."

Cypher was killed in New Mutants #60 (1988). The story was acclaimed as one of the most touching moments in the series, and sparked a surge in popularity for the character. Following his death, Cypher was frequently referenced, and even had a solo story in New Mutants Annual #6 (1990), appearing as a ghost. His tombstone appears as one of Magneto's most traumatic memories when psychically assaulted by Professor X and Jean Grey. After the events of the Phalanx Covenant, a techno-organic being known as "Douglock" takes Cypher's form in Excalibur #78 (1994), but this being turns out to be Warlock) infused with some of Cypher's memories.