~ Jonathan Silvercloud was raised by a Cheyenne tribal shaman after Silvercloud demonstrated remarkable mystical potential.
~ Naze, the shaman, trained Jonathan extensively in the mystic arts and in the traditions of his people. For most of his childhood Jonathan lived a very simple existence, living off the land and studying various types of magic.
~ As a teenager, he suddenly became interested in technology. He had an innate gift for fixing or improving any mechanical object. Although he didn't know it, this was actually a mutant power.
~ Jonathan grew tired of the constant training, and longed to see the outside world. At eighteen he enlisted in the Army, despite Naze's very strong objections.
~ Like most mutants, Jonathan was better at just about everything than his peers. He was promoted quickly and appeared to have a promising career ahead of him. He was even offered the chance to join SHIELD but declined it.
~ When his entire platoon was killed in an ambush, Jonathan called upon his mystical knowledge to summon demons to exact revenge on the attackers. He quickly came to his senses and called in an air strike to destroy the demons. However, the bombing caused him to lose both his right hand and his right leg.
~ Jonathan was discharged from the military following a long convalescence in a military hospital. He fell into a deep depression and received lots of psychiatric care.
~ Eventually Jonathan dealt with his guilt by keeping himself busy. He built a new leg and hand for himself and began turning his full attention to developing his gifts with machines. He began calling himself Forge and lived in seclusion, turning out patents at a ridiculous pace.
~ Forge developed lots of important government contacts, including Nick Fury, and became a very wealthy man.
~ Already one of the top inventors in the world, Forge became even more wealthy when Tony Stark stopped designing weapons for the government. Forge stepped into his role as the go to guy for weaponry design.
~ Forge was placed in charge of a project to reverse engineer the equipment of Rom the Space Knight in order to combat the Dire Wraiths who were plotting to do nasty things to humanity. This exposure to futuristic technology caused Forge's technological abilities to take several jumps forward.
~ Forge developed a neutralizer that was capable of 'turning off' the powers of any superhuman being. The device was theoretically only supposed to be used against the Dire Wraiths or as a weapon of last resort. However, Henry Gyrich decided to use it against a criminal mutant against Forge's wishes. The criminal mutant in question was Rogue, and she was saved from Gyrich through the intervention of Storm. Unfortunately, Storm was rendered powerless in the ensuing fight.
~ Forge took care of Storm out of guilt and attempted to help her through her depression. However, when she discovered that he had built the weapon that had depowered her, she left him in a huge huff.
~ Despite Naze's repeated attempts to convince Forge to embrace his destiny, Forge adamantly refused to practice magic ever again. However, eventually he was forced to begin training again when he found out that he was responsible for setting The Adversary, an ancient demonic entity, loose on the world.
~ The Adversary killed Naze, and took over his body. Eventually, Forge was able to defeat him with a little help from Storm and the X-Men. However, the magic ritual Forge used resulted in the deaths of all of the X-Men.
~ The goddess Roma returned the X-Men to life, but they didn't bother telling Forge. He went on with his life under the assumption that they were all dead, and not hiding in Australia in a secret base.
~ Forge became more involved with Freedom Force, the team of criminals that Valerie Cooper had assembled. During this time he tangled with Magik. She was unable to defeat him on Earth, so she teleported him to Limbo. There, Magik's magic proved superior to Forge's, but she ultimately spared his life and returned him to Earth.
~ Forge was recruited by Banshee to work on Muir Island and help find the X-Men. Forge beefed up the island's security systems, and turned it into a first rate scientific paradise.
~ Forge had a couple of other whacky adventures. He worked with both X-Factor and Alpha Flight on separate occasions.
~ Forge was reunited with Storm, but Storm had been turned into a little girl, so it was kind of creepy. It ended up being a quick fix though, and she returned to her adult form.
~ Forge managed to save the X-Men from the Shadow King, and became a full-time member. However, he has chosen to stay in the background rather than taking an active role on any of the teams. Rather, he spends his time fixing stuff and improving the X-Men's tech.
MUTANT: Forge has basically renounced his old human name. He signs paperwork 'Forge'. He makes employees call him 'Forge'. He introduces himself to strangers as 'Forge'. He isn't ostentatious about his mutant origin, but he doesn't make it a secret and will freely admit to being a mutant if it ever comes up in conversation. He's proud of being a Native American, and he's proud of being an American, but he identifies more with mutantkind than any cultural classification.
CHEYENNE: Despite viewing himself primarily as a mutant, Forge is also very aware of where he came from. He often wears pieces of Cheyenne jewelry or clothing. He's become a bit of a pariah to his old friends and family, but he still is very interested in preserving his Cheyenne heritage.
WORLD CITIZEN: Being a mutant, Cheyenne, and American, Forge likes to think of himself as being above the petty rivalries of cultural groups and nations. He is not, of course, without personal biases. As he has continued to educate himself, he has learned to see beyond such things, at least in part.
ANALYTICAL: When exposed to a new idea or situation, Forge is unlikely to take anything at face value. He will question things until he feels that he understands them. He tends to be very skeptical of any development, whether it be scientific, political, or philosophical.
ODDBALL: Forge is usually the most unique person in any room he's ever in. A Native American who lived on a reservation and trained to be a magician but then built a robot leg for himself and discovered he was a mutant and became really rich is unlikely to have a great many things in common with most people.
FOCUSED: When he's working on a project, Forge tends to give it his undivided attention. This is both because of the way that his powers work, and due to his own obsessive personality. If he's working on something especially difficult, he can temporarily forget everything else, including things like eating and sleeping. This has occasionally caused resentment when he neglects to attend an engagement because he got busy building a new type of robotic eggbeater.
FRIENDLY: He isn't Mister Congeniality, but Forge usually makes an obvious effort to be nice to people around him. Like anyone else his moods often vary, but he's typically a fairly affable person.
SERIOUS: Forge doesn't play practical jokes on people. He doesn't watch cartoons. He doesn't collect lunchboxes. Most of his time is spent either inventing or running various aspects of his business. With his free time, he tries to keep up to date on new developments in technology and take meetings with mutant rights organizations. He isn't quite a stick in the mud, but he's usually too busy with actual work to be interested in frivolity or silliness. Occasional exceptions do occur though.
SUPERIOR: Even though he wouldn't ever admit to it, Forge feels like he's better than most people around him. Especially humans. He's used to being the smartest man in the room, and this makes him act arrogant every now and then.
INVENTION: The most concise way to define Forge's mutant power is to say that if he can imagine a use, he can build a machine that can fulfill it. That only gives a crude idea of how his ability actually works though.
The first aspect of his power is his subconscious ability to understand any piece of technology. No matter how complicated the device, he merely has to observe it working to understand how it operates. He might have a hard time expressing how the device operates to a second party, but he would be able to grasp its concepts completely.
His power is unconsciously activated whenever he perceives a problem. When his leg was removed and he was dissatisfied with the replacement limb he was issued, he automatically thought of ways to improve it simply by looking at it and attempting to use it. Each iteration of his artificial leg has been a drastic improvement, and he has created many new technologies in order to make it function better than an organic human leg.
Basically, his power is the result of portions of his brain being advanced years beyond the current curve of human evolution. He can pretty much solve any problem that he is able to understand. The more he understands a problem, the better his solution is likely to work. This means that he must be familiar with something in order for his abilities to work at peak efficacy. For example, he could take a normal American automobile and add so many improvements to it that it would be no longer recognizeable as a car. He could not, however, do the same thing to a time machine. If he were able to observe the time machine in operation, and could grasp the concepts that made the time machine function, then he would be able to tweak it almost as simply as he would a more conventional piece of machinery.
Building something brand new is a much more hit and miss ability than simply tweaking existing technology. He has on occasion proven to be able to construct things that defied physicists' explanations, but he can't make anything that is truly impossible.
MYSTIC: Forge is a traditionally-schooled shaman. He has a great deal of natural mystical affinity and has been taught to use magic to achieve a variety of effects. He refuses to use magic, but conceivably could if given the right stimulus. He falls somewhere in the mid-level portion of the mystical spectrum in terms of raw magical power.
ASTRAL PROJECTION: Because of his advanced mystic training, Forge is able to enter a meditative trance and travel mentally to the astral plane.
TECHNOLOGY: It's fair to say that if there is a new development occuring in any given technological field, Forge is either a part of it, or knows about it. Obviously this is not the case if said development is being kept a secret from him somehow, but if the invention appears in any sort of publication, no matter how esoteric, Forge most likely has an interest in it. He has to re-educate himself constantly in order to keep ahead of the technological trends of the day. His mutant ability makes understanding a new technology an almost instantaneous process, which enables him to learn things at a much faster rate than all but a handful of other geniuses.
ENGINEERING: By studying everything on the subject he can get his hands on, and reverse-engineering other people's inventions, Forge has learned more about engineering than all but a handful of the world's greatest minds. It's hard to say where his actual skill ends and his power begins. The two are so inherently intertwined that the discussion is irrelevant. He has the ability to invent things because he knows so much about engineering, and he knows so much about engineering because of his mutant power to invent things.
METALLURGY: In order to construct his many inventions, Forge often has to manufacture parts from scratch. To do this, he has had to learn a great deal about the chemical properties of metals. He is capable of reproducing nearly every metal known to exist, with the exception of a handful of extremely rare metals such as vibranium or adamantium. He also is unable to create mystical quasi-metals such as Uru.
CHEMISTRY: Knowledge of the chemical reactions that take place in nature is fundamental to understanding how to put things together. Forge has cobbled together enough information on the various disciplines that involve chemistry (bio-chemistry, organic and inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry etc.) create new power sources for his inventions, or to make new plastic polymers to make his inventions lighter. His knowledge of all things regarding chemical reactions is somewhere around the level of college professorship.
LANGUAGES: Forge is fluent in English and mostly fluent in several Native American dialects. In addition, because of his study of ancient texts, there are some obscure dialects that he is able to understand, although he can't necessarily speak them. This is especially true of ancient mystical texts, which he has been exposed to numerous times.
SUMMONING: A very dangerous ritual allows Forge to open a portal to several demonic realms and summon demons to do his bidding. The last time he attempted to do this the demon ate all of his friends and Forge had to call in an air strike to get rid of it. The likelihood that he will ever attempt something like that is very low, especially when he has no way of guaranteeing that unleashing a demon again wouldn't have the exact same result.
MYSTIC LORE: Not all of the magic Forge learned came from Native American sources originally. Naze had access to many other sources of magical knowledge and introduced many of these practices to Forge. Forge knows things like the estimated date of the first werewolf's appearance, the history of Merlin, what various mystical artifacts are capable of doing, as well as where they are rumored to be hidden. As he has gotten older, his own inventions have become more sophisticated than all but the most powerful of mystical artifacts, so he has little use for any of this knowledge. Still, it remains in the back of his head and could be called upon if he ever appeared on the Sorceror's Edition of Jeopardy.
NATURAL REMEDIES: Native Americans used many different herbs and practices to heal the sick before the advent of modern medicine. Many of these practices were uneffective, but many of them actually were beneficial. These have been collected and passed on through the years, along with some ancient potions that have mystical healing properties. Forge was required to learn all of these as part of his training. He can't resurrect a dead person with a leaf, but he can mix several herbs together to make an effective balm to break a fever or keep a wound from getting infected.
CHEYENNE LORE: Part of being the shaman is passing on the traditions of the tribe. Even though most of the enduring stories of the Cheyenne have been collected in various volumes and are available online, Forge was still made to memorize a great deal of Native American history and folklore. If someone were writing a research paper on ancient Native American dieties, or on the history of the Plains Indians, they would have a hard time finding a better resource than Forge.
SURVIVAL: Although he didn't live in a truly primitive fashion when he was growing up, Forge's mentor thought it was important to pass along traditional Native American methods of hunting and surviving in the wilderness as part of Forge's shaman training. Forge knows how to stalk and kill a deer, and how to dress the corpse and cook it. He can start fires using only wood and rocks, and can erect viable shelters with very little material to work with. He knows how to make water safe for consumption. If he were dropped out in the woods with nothing but a knife, he'd be able to survive for at least several weeks on his own.
ACADEMICS: Forge has had practically no formal education. In order to join the military he had to take the test for the GED. However, he has always been a voracious learner, and is quite a bit more educated than most of his peers, including the ones who attended prestigious universities.
MYSTICISM: Forge was groomed to be a shaman for over a decade. He knows a lot about traditional Cheyenne magic that is considered to be either lost or fictitious by the rest of the world. He knows how to summon mystical armor and weapons, project his spirit on the astral plane, and open or close portals to other worlds. This can be used to summon demons from otherworldly sources. He can also detect mystic phenomena or other happenings that aren't 'natural'.
SOLDIER: Before he was discharged, Forge was a very promising and highly-skilled soldier. He was considered a crack shot, and was placed in charge of a squad. He is very familiar with conventional infantry tactics, having employed them several times in combat situations.
LEADERSHIP: Because of his cool head and analytical mind, Forge is a very gifted leader. He is usually the head of whatever project he's assigned to, and even assumes a leadership role when working with superhero groups. His busy schedule and scientific pursuits keep him from leading a team, but he definitely possesses the managerial skills to do so should the need arise.
TACTICS: Forge is a great problem solver. His powers of invention don't really extend to solving combat scenarios, but he's a gifted tactician nonetheless. His other abilities far outstrip his tactical prowess, so he tends to stick to his strengths.
TRACKING: Until he was eighteen, Forge spent a lot of time out in the woods hunting animals in the traditional fashion. He is able to track prey through the woods, and is able to decipher a great deal of information from the random footprints and tree markings that are scattered throughout the wilderness.
GOVERNMENT: Forge has worked for the government in various capacities for decades. He has a top-level security clearance and is often consulted about top secret government projects. Additionally, he has helped SHIELD on several occasions, despite turning down the offer to become a SHIELD agent. He is one of the relatively few people on the planet who can actually get a meeting with Nick Fury.
X-MEN: Although they're usually the target of some sort of genocide attempt or extraterrestrial invasion, the X-Men are an invaluable resource. Forge can call up some of the most powerful and intelligent beings on the planet if he ever needs help.
BAG: Forge has defied all kinds of scientific rules by creating a bag which is literally bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. With it he can carry almost limitless amounts of gear, without getting weighed down.
NEUTRALIZER: Forge is capable of building a device that literally switches off the powers of superhuman beings. He could easily whip up a new one in an afternoon.
REVERSE NEUTRALIZER: Forge also created a device that turns superpowers back on. Theoretically, it could be tweaked to give non-powered humans superhuman abilities.
MANSION: Forge's mansion is out in the middle of nowhere, but it's got virtually everything anyone could ever want. The security systems are beyond state of the art, the laboratories are top notch, and the entire compound is run by computers of Forge's own design.
PATENTS: Forge draws millions of dollars yearly from his patents. Things that he designed ten years ago are still being used by companies all over the world, which means he's bringing in all kinds of royalties.
WEALTH: From the sale of his patents, Forge is ridiculously wealthy. He doesn't have a very comprehensive investment portfolio, but he brings in more money each year than he could ever hope to spend. He's been a billionaire for almost half of his life.
CYBERNETIC LEG: The current version of Forge's cybernetic leg works far more efficiently than an organic human limb. It is capable of the full range of sensory data that a real leg has, and is exactly the same weight as his other leg. However, it is far more durable, and is capable of repairing itself via nanite technology. The leg allows him to move more quickly than he could otherwise, and allows him to leap over a basketball hoop. Additionally, it has a variation of Forge's neutralizer technology embedded in it. When activated, it can temporarily weaken the powers of nearby mutants. Unfortunately, it also weakens Forge's abilities, so this option is rarely used.
CYBERNETIC HAND: Forge's cybernetic hand is stronger and more agile than an organic hand. It is the same weight as his original hand, and more durable. With it he is able to crush many weaker metals, and isn't likely to lose in a game of 'who's got the strongest handshake'. It's also got tech embedded in it that allows Forge to wirelessly hack virtually any electronic object. The device is so sophisticated that it literally hacks devices automatically if Forge simply thinks about it. The hand is also capable of firing an energy beam which can destroy concrete, or harmlessly render an enemy unconscious.
MEDICAL KIT: One of the things in Forge's magic bag is a robotic medical kit that is basically a portable doctor. It can scan the entire body to find anomalies, analyze tissue samples for diseases or toxins, analyze injuries to determine their severity, synthesize antibiotics and antidotes, and provide detailed surgical directions to the user.
PDA: Forge's version of the iPad is basically every computer from every sci-fi movie ever. Not only is it a superpowerful computer, but its signal reception has been boosted significantly and can handle multiple channels, meaning he has a constant source of internet that exceeds the limitations of broadband. Instead of cameras, it has high-resolution scanning devices that can record three-dimensional models perfectly. The software for the device is so advanced that one might be tempted to call the device 'alive'. It has some of the most sophisticated hacking software on the planet installed, allowing Forge to access heavily-guarded computer systems remotely with no chance of being detected.
MYSTIC SENSITIVITY: Exposure to the mystic world is more of a curse than a blessing. Forge's mind is frequently bombarded with mystic phenomena which more often than not causes some sort of dramatic headache. Also, it works both ways: Forge might be able to see into the astral plane, but things from the astral plane are also able to see him.
ALOOF: Basically, Forge doesn't socialize much. He spends most of his time locked up in a laboratory building random contraptions. This helps him to get a lot of work done, but the long term effects of isolation haven't yet been felt. Also, by keeping himself away from most other people, he loses the opportunity to build valuable contacts and relationships that could be of benefit to him.
DISFIGURED: Forge lost his leg and hand nearly two decade agos. He has managed to build replacements for them, but the fact remains that his original parts are gone. His new parts are handy, but they are susceptible to things like electormagnetic atttacks that his human parts would be more resistant of.
NIGHTMARES: Even today, Forge is still plagued by nightmares. He has frequent dreams about the death of his platoon, and of the monsters he has encountered over the years. These nightmares often keep him from sleeping, and reduce his overall productivity.
PUBLIC MUTANT: Forge makes no attempt to disguise himself when working with various mutant activist groups and has also made no secret of the fact that he's a mutant. He is protected in his mansion, but he's still a very visible target for anti-mutant extremists.
ENEMIES: Forge's main enemies are dead, but he has angered some people in important positions. Most notably, he had a falling out with Henry Gyrich. Given Gyrich's vindictive nature, this will probably make life difficult at some point. Ever since he began working with the X-Men, his work on weapons technology has slowed considerably. This obviously hasn't ingratiated him to the government.
SELLOUT: Because of his occasional work for the government, Forge is seen as something of a sellout by many within the mutant community. To some extent this is true, he does work for the government, and they in turn leave him alone despite his being very open about his mutant identity. This makes him a bit of a pariah among many of his own people, who feel that he doesn't understand their struggle. Because of his invention of the neutralizer, many mutants think of him as an actual war criminal.
ABSENTMINDED: Like many geniuses, Forge has a tendency to concentrate on whatever he's working on to the exclusion of everything else. This can range in severity from simply forgetting someone's birthday, to forgetting to shower or eat. Fortunately he has computer programs that manage his schedule, or he might accidentally starve himself when working on one of his more difficult inventions.
