Forearm has one of those names that tells you exactly what you are going to see. Four arms, considerable strength, and a very direct job in the MLF’s attacks. There is no elabor…

Forearm has one of those names that tells you exactly what you are going to see. Four arms, considerable strength, and a very direct job in the MLF’s attacks. There is no elaborate explanation needed before he can become a physical problem for somebody. What makes the early team scenes more useful than a simple strength description is that he still needs the others. New Mutants #87 lets him hit several opponents, but it also lets a guard wound him. Size and extra fists do not mean he is protected from everything happening around him. That gives the group’s teamwork some weight. Concealment helps him get close. Tempo changes how quickly resistance can react. Zero provides the exit. Forearm is formidable within that arrangement, but the arrangement itself deserves some of the credit. His dialogue also helps keep the MLF from looking like a silent set of matching action figures. He can complain, snap back and notice when the strain of a mission is catching up with them. Being the strong member does not spare him exhaustion or make every order sensible. There is a practical distinction here between toughness and invulnerability. The first can make someone dependable in a dangerous operation. Confusing it with the second can get that person hurt. Forearm’s early appearances leave room for that difference, even while the visual design encourages you to focus on how much damage he might do.