X-Men's Wild New "Analog" Gadget Redefines How the Franchise Chooses Its Villains

Summary X-Force's new invention "the Analog" predicts world-ending threats before they happen, giving them a crucial advantage over their enemies.

In prior stories, the X-Men fight villains who seek them out and attack them - now, they're on the offensive.

While the Analog may prevent tragedies, there is a risk in knowing the future, as seen in Marvel's exploration of the repercussions in Civil War II.

The X-Men have no shortage of incredible technology at their disposal, but X-Force’s latest invention changes how mutantkind will even define its enemies. While mutants might be at a huge disadvantage in the new 'From the Ashes' era, they do have one game-changing asset that could make X-Force Marvel's most vital team. However, power like this cuts both ways, and Forge's new mutant team may regret this advantage with time.

A preview of X-Force #1 has just revealed the existence of "the Analog." This device can predict world-ending threats before they happen, allowing X-Force to seek out and defeat the enemies of mutantkind before they make their move. It's a huge advantage that can prevent a tragedy like the Genosha massacre ever happening again... if its power can be trusted. Usually, the X-Men are reactive, being targeted by villains who they then fight off and defeat - now, they can go after major threats before mutant lives are lost.

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In the preview, Forge describes the tool as targeting "crisis points" or "fractures," seemingly as some kind of extent of his ability to invent anything he can imagine. Marvel has teased that Forge is getting an Omega-level power upgrade, with his ability to build anything feeding into some kind of predictive power. Marvel promises X-Force's missions will be "integral to the fate of the Marvel Universe," as X-Force head off devastating, world-ending events before they happen, seemingly guided in this mission by the Analog.

X-Force #1 (2024) Writer: Geoffrey Thorne

Artist: Marcus To

Colorist: Erick Arciniega

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artist: Stephen Segovia & Bryan Valenza

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Forge's 'Analog' Detects World-Ending Problems Before They Occur

X-Force Just Became Marvel's Most Proactive Team

What the Analog actually is remains unclear so far. It’s an apt (but suggestive) name for a device connected to Forge. Forge’s mutant power enables him to build whatever technology he can imagine. But in comparison to the usually robotic creations he’s known for, the Analog is a seemingly featureless translucent sphere. Forge has been known in the past to make tech with his powers that even he doesn’t know the science behind, but this unusual design suggests the Analog might not come from his mutant power...

The other possibility is that the Analog is magical in some way. Forge studying under his mentor Naze allowed him to access magical powers which he’s often reticent to use or even acknowledge. The Analog looks much more like a crystal ball or some other magical artifact than it does a piece of Forge’s tech. Forge’s strained relationship to this part of his life could also explain why he doesn’t explain to X-Force where he got the Analog, when he’d usually be one to brag about anything he made.

Is Predicting the Future Actually a Good Idea?

Marvel's Multiple Timelines Mean It's Not That Simple to Define Future Threats

While the Analog sounds brilliant in theory, there’s a distinct possibility that it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Science-fiction and mythology alike are full of countless stories of how knowing the future can only lead to bad things. Even Marvel stories like Civil War II have explored the potential evil of acting on actions that a person hasn't actually carried out yet, especially when the response is to hurt or imprison them. At the same time, Marvel has many future timelines, including those where current heroes are corrupted. Marvel generally doesn't follow the logic of there being one true future, and if X-Force are just reacting to possible futures, they could be making a larger mistake in how they're guiding events.

The Analog turning out to be an awful idea would also be a perfect character beat for Forge, who is defined in equal parts by his self-righteousness and his guilt. Forge has often been defined as similar to Tony Stark - someone whose endless potential often backfires, especially when guided by ego. So far, Forge believes his worst ever invention was a gun that depowers mutants, however if the analog goes wrong, it will surely take the gold medal of his mistakes. Hopefully, Forge's new invention can genuinely turn X-Force into a force of unimaginable good - but if not, then the X-Men's genius inventor may be making a mistake that could harm the entire Marvel Universe.

X-Force #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.