Why is Doug portrayed as weak non combatant?

[Killerbee911]

This is so weird a character is being highlighted because they aren't a great fighter which is great in comics that you can show a character not needing fighting skills to be relevant to a story. And people are remember the time a writer wrote the character pretty much out of character in a effort to "fix" the character weakness.

Does being able to fight make Doug a better character? The answer is not really. Krakoa era has been great for Doug because Hickman and others understands let me tell stories with characters strengths rather keep putting characters were they can't do anything good in that situation. We have seen Cecilia, Forge, Sage and Doug more in last couple months almost more than the years that came before very few of those situations have been combat. It is writer job to create situations where you can highlight other skills in meaningful way.

[loke13]

This is so weird a character is being highlighted because they aren't a great fighter which is great in comics that you can show a character not needing fighting skills to be relevant to a story. And people are remember the time a writer wrote the character pretty much out of character in a effort to "fix" the character weakness.

Does being able to fight make Doug a better character? The answer is not really. Krakoa era has been great for Doug because Hickman and others understands let me tell stories with characters strengths rather keep putting characters were they can't do anything good in that situation. We have seen Cecilia, Forge, Sage and Doug more in last couple months almost more than the years that came before very few of those situations have been combat. It is writer job to create situations where you can highlight other skills in meaningful way.

Perfectly said. Couldn't agree more.

[Captain Buttocks]

I think all the characters should have all the powers.

[OopsIdiditagain]

Exactly. He does not have any real combat training outside of limited Danger Room from the past and Magik. His ability to read combatant moves is purely a defensive capability to ensure his survival and parry properly.

Reading combatant moves and predicting what will happen doesn't matter when you don't have the skill/talent to react to it. A person can know when someone's about to shoot or punch them but that doesn't mean they can react to it properly.

He needs training to get the muscle memory needed for combat.

[OopsIdiditagain]

This is so weird a character is being highlighted because they aren't a great fighter which is great in comics that you can show a character not needing fighting skills to be relevant to a story. And people are remember the time a writer wrote the character pretty much out of character in a effort to "fix" the character weakness.

Does being able to fight make Doug a better character? The answer is not really. Krakoa era has been great for Doug because Hickman and others understands let me tell stories with characters strengths rather keep putting characters were they can't do anything good in that situation. We have seen Cecilia, Forge, Sage and Doug more in last couple months almost more than the years that came before very few of those situations have been combat. It is writer job to create situations where you can highlight other skills in meaningful way.

Totally agree with this, Doug's skills are great for Diplomatic and Intelligence conflicts not so much combat but that's not a problem. Some of the most popular comics are psychological thrillers that involve very little combat.

[frostedemma]

Doug has basic combat training and danger room training to go on missions and is a better combat than your average person but compared to superheros and the rest of the X-men he's weak. Doug ability to read bodily language doesn't make like Cassandra Cain because he doesn't have the training or powerset to be just like her. Just because you can read someone body language doesn't mean you're automatically strong or fast enough to block or react to a physical attack.

[Ricochet Rita]

This is so weird a character is being highlighted because they aren't a great fighter which is great in comics that you can show a character not needing fighting skills to be relevant to a story. And people are remember the time a writer wrote the character pretty much out of character in a effort to "fix" the character weakness.

Does being able to fight make Doug a better character? The answer is not really. Krakoa era has been great for Doug because Hickman and others understands let me tell stories with characters strengths rather keep putting characters were they can't do anything good in that situation. We have seen Cecilia, Forge, Sage and Doug more in last couple months almost more than the years that came before very few of those situations have been combat. It is writer job to create situations where you can highlight other skills in meaningful way.

This, this, this and this. Bravo.

Much love for Doug just the way he is.

[Agatha's Ghost]

Striking Amara on the head with a baseball bat when she is not paying attention does not make Douglas a capable fighter.

[ericng]

No one is denying that he's got an ability that allows him to read people's body language but that ability isn't going to suddenly make him some top-class fighter capable of going up against the children of Apocalypse who are thousands of years old and have been waging a war against the demon Army for thousands of years.

If you are gathering a team of 10 of your best warriors to fight against that, Doug Ramsey isn't going to be anybody's top pick.

Which begs the question, why did Hickman chose him as one of the sword-bearers when there are many other more capable fighters around.

Basically, my guess is that not all the combatants need raw power, some combatants need the brains to win the tournament.

[lefthanded]

Doug's role in Hickman's X-men has been great. One of the importance of establishing Krakoa as a true nation is language and connection, which really highlights his importance, not as a fighter but to mutants overall. He has never been a fighter. Theoretically, if he trained at it, he could become the best martial artist.

But reading body language would be the same as telepathy, essentially. Charles Xavier (or any telepath) should theoretically be able read the mind of the enemy and then counter even before changes to body language takes effect. There was one villain in the Thunderbolts (Mister something), that had some type of psychic ability, and he was a great martial artist. So in essence, it highlights the potential for those who can read minds/body language to be great martial artists, but its not something that is automatic.

X of Swords needs to establish stakes. We already expect most of the X-men to win their fights - Wolverine, Magik, Gorgon, etc. We haven't really been shown any of the enemy combatants, aside from Wolverine's foe. But by using the doubt of Doug's ability to win/survive his fight, it makes the oncoming tournament less of a steamroll. And, it also highlights the risk, not just of death due to the effect on the Resurrection protocols, but of the nation's ability to communicate with Krakoa of Doug doesn't survive. These help establish stakes.

[Leirus]

Everyone is acting as if Warlock is not one of the most powerful characters around. Cipher is not aloooone.

[ericng]

Cypher's powerset is explained in detail in X of Swords handbook.

It's quite a long list, most of it was used in Necrosha but not seen ever since, except for Brisson's swan song.

[jamgut]

Everyone is acting as if Warlock is not one of the most powerful characters around. Cipher is not aloooone.

I was thinking the same. The guy's armed with a weapon that also happens to be his fairly powerful self-friend. It comes down to how effective Dough is at reading his opponents body language and then communicating with his sentient sword.

[darkalamator]

It is just too risky for the State to put Doug in this situation. Exodus is right. Warlock can be uber powerful though...

[Glio]

Which begs the question, why did Hickman chose him as one of the sword-bearers when there are many other more capable fighters around.

Basically, my guess is that not all the combatants need raw power, some combatants need the brains to win the tournament.

The thing is: Saturnyne has chosen the champions of each side with an ulterior motive.

Maybe there are people she wants to die, maybe there are pieces that she wants to put in motion, like Cable in SWORD.