Doug Ramsey is around the edges of this world before he becomes a New Mutant. He first appears in #13 as a friend of Kitty's, with an aptitude for languages and computers that d…

Doug Ramsey is around the edges of this world before he becomes a New Mutant. He first appears in #13 as a friend of Kitty's, with an aptitude for languages and computers that doesn't announce itself through an explosion or a change of shape. That makes his entry into the class especially useful. The team has acquired lava, sorcery and a human projectile, but in #21 it needs somebody who can communicate with Warlock. Doug's ability answers a problem the others cannot solve simply by getting stronger. The encounter changes his own circumstances too. He learns about the mutants around him and about the nature of his gift. Joining the team means discovering that something woven into the way he understands the world has a name, and that it can matter enormously to other people. His friendship with Warlock grows out of that first need for understanding. One boy looks ordinary enough to be overlooked in a room full of powers; the other is almost impossible for that room to interpret. Communication gives them a way to reach each other before appearance decides the relationship for them. Doug's presence also changes what the school ought to be teaching. A student with his abilities cannot be assessed fairly by asking whether he performs the same combat tricks as Sam or Roberto. Information, language and interpretation are useful work. The team can need them urgently even when nobody can turn them into a spectacular attack. There is still vulnerability in putting Doug among people who can survive things he cannot. This early period doesn't erase that difference. It gives him a reason to be there anyway. Warlock needs somebody to understand him, and Doug can do something for the class that none of its larger displays of power can replace.