WARNING: The following contains spoilers for New Mutants #13 by Ed Brisson, Rod Reis, and VC's Travis Lanham, on sale now

Since coming to Krakoa, Cypher of the New Mutants has gained a surprising amount of notoriety. As the only X-Man capable of easily translating for Krakoa, his general position within the structure of the mutant government can't be understated, especially in a time of crisis like the X of Swords event.

As New Mutants #13 made abundantly clear, Cypher has a very important role on Krakoa, one that might be putting the entire future of the mutant nation at risk if he dies in the coming duels that will determine the fate of mutantkind in the Marvel crossover.

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When he first joined the New Mutants, Doug Ramsey was seen as something of a liability in battle. Although he grew close with his fellow young mutants, his passive powers prevented him from often being an active participant in battles. Cypher's ability -- to understand any and all languages -- is a useful power in only certain situations. Unfortunately, it couldn't keep him or his friends safe in times of conflict, leading to the events of New Mutants #60 by Louise Simonson, Bret Blevins and Terry Austin, where during a battle with Cameron Hodge's geneticist, the Ani-Mator Doug jumped in front of a gunshot meant for his friend and romantic interest, Wolfsbane. As the battle raged on around them, Doug bled out from his wound.  His teammates only realized his demise after the battle had concluded.

Since being restored to life during Necrosha, Cypher has discovered more uses for his powers. He was crucial to the defeat of the Nimrods assault in Second Coming, took part in various portions of The Hunt for Wolverine, and has strived to protect his fellow New Mutants. But since the formation of Krakoa, Cypher has vastly risen in importance. Thanks to his natural ability to understand any language, Cypher is the only person with an innate ability to actually communicate with Krakoa. With the living island now serving as the home and base of operations for the greater mutant population of the world, there needs to be a translator able to communicate with the island. Thanks to his powers, Cypher is perfect for that position, and even technically serves on the Quiet Council as a result of being Krakoa's liaison.

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All of this makes his potential death in X of Swords all the more concerning. As one of the Champions of Krakoa -- with his long-time friend Warlock as his living blade -- Doug will soon find himself in a battle for not just his life but the lives of all of Krakoa. And if he dies, he won't be able to simply be restored. As revealed by the death and flawed resurrection of Rockslide, any mutant deaths in Otherworld will briefly fry Cerebro and erase their existence, effectively ending any chance for them to be fully restored. If Doug isn't able to fight at the level of the Swordbearers of Arakko, then he might just be wiped from existence. While Krakoa could speak through Mondo, it's a painful process that neither Krakoa nor Mondo enjoy. Cypher is the only true way to translate for Krakoa, especially right now.

Krakoa seems particularly concerned about this possibility, as it spends much of New Mutants #13 trying to convince Doug to not take place in the battle. He even hijacks Mondo's body to express his fears in clear English, pointing out the unity between Krakoa and the X-Men is crucial to their work together, and that without Doug that easy connection would be lost. It's even a sentiment shared by fellow Quiet Council member Exodus, who points out to Doug in a pointed speech that Cypher is not a warrior. His greatest skills are off the battlefield, and they're risking too much by letting him fight. He even offers to kill Cypher so he has an excuse to avoid the conflict. With resurrections temporarily down, Cypher could wait out X of Swords and be revived afterwords, allowing Exodus to take his place.

From a certain standpoint, it makes sense to keep Cypher off the battlefield. Even with Warlock, Doug will likely be underpowered when compared to the other warriors on the battlefield. If he's lost, there are some serious problems that could erupt on Krakoa. The same noble impulse that led to his first death drives him to fight in the coming battle -- he refuses to let someone else potentially die for him. It's a kind gesture, but it may end up coming back to haunt him -- and the rest of the X-Men -- if his demise means Krakoa loses the ability to communicate with the heroes.

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