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Forearm
Forearm

Forearm

35 appearances Β· Copper/Modern Age Β· 1990–2025 Β· 2 key issues
Who is Forearm?

Michael McCain is a mutant born with two extra arms granting him superhuman strength, stamina, and durability. Operating under the name Forearm, he became an early operative of the militant Mutant Liberation Front, first surfacing when the MLF clashed with the New Mutants.

Forearm crashed onto the scene in the pages of The New Mutants #87 in 1990 β€” one of the most consequential single issues of the Copper Age, a debut that also introduced Cable and helped launch the era-defining X-Force franchise. Created by Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld, this Marvel mutant has been a persistent presence in the X-corner of the universe for over three decades, turning up across X-Force, X-Factor, and beyond, sharing panels with heavy hitters like Cannonball, Cable, and Nathan Summers. With 35 catalog appearances and two key-issue credits to their name, Forearm is the kind of deep-cut character that rewards collectors who dig past the headliners β€” a fixture of the gritty, high-octane mutant storytelling that defined Marvel's early '90s reinvention.

Identity

Real name. Michael McCain

Powers. Multiple Arms: Forearm is a mutant who possesses an additional pair of arms (hence the name). ; Superhuman Strength ; Superhuman Stamina ; Superhuman Durability A group of MLF members including Moonstar, Dragoness, Forearm, Locus, Tempo, and Wildside were stated to include Alpha Class Mutants.X-Force

Teams & affiliations
Mutant Liberation FrontX-ForceX-FactorX-MenBrotherhood of Evil MutantsMorlocks
β˜… First appearance
The New Mutants #86
Feb 1990

Top series

Covers through the years β€” 1990–2023

The New Mutants #87 β˜… 1990
The New Mutants #87
X-Cutioner's Song #[nn] 1994
X-Cutioner's Song #[nn]
Cable: Second Genesis #1 1999
Cable: Second Genesis #1
X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David #2 2007
X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David #2
X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David #4 2008
X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David #4
X-Force: Under the Gun #[nn] 2011
X-Force: Under the Gun #[nn]
X-Force Omnibus #1 2013
X-Force Omnibus #1
X-Force Epic Collection #1 2017
X-Force Epic Collection #1
X-Factor Epic Collection #7 2018
X-Factor Epic Collection #7
X-Force #20 2021
X-Force #20
Deadpool: Bad Blood #[nn] 2023
Deadpool: Bad Blood #[nn]

Appearances

The New Mutants (1983)
X-Force (1991)
X-Force Annual (1992)
#1
X-Factor (1986)
Cable and the New Mutants (1992)
Cable - Blood and Metal (1992)
#2
X-Men (1991)
The Uncanny X-Men (1981)
Stryfe's Strike File (1993)
#1
X-Cutioner's Song (1994)
Cable: Second Genesis (1999)
#1
X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David (2005)
X-Men: X-Cutioner's Song (2011)
X-Force: Under the Gun (2011)
X-Force Omnibus (2013)
#1
X-Force Epic Collection (2017)
X-Factor Epic Collection (2017)
X-Factor by Peter David Omnibus (2021)
#1
S.W.O.R.D. (2021)
#9
Deadpool: Bad Blood (2023)
Trials of X (2022)
#8
Wolverine Epic Collection (2014)
#14
Concert of Champions (2025)
#1