This is illustrated during a journey to Asgard, where he was defeated in combat by a serving maid. Later, Warlock explains to Doug that they can perform a "self-merge" in which they merge the substance of their bodies to create a being with Doug's form but Warlock's techno-organic surface texture. This allows them full access to both their powers, but runs a severe risk of irreversibly infecting Doug with the Transmode virus and turning him into a techno-organic being like Warlock. Cypher used his abilities to discover a means of saving Lila Cheney's Dyson Sphere homebase from destruction. Romances and death When introduced, Doug was already close friends with Kitty Pryde. Kitty was having issues both with the divorce of her parents and with her uncertain relationship with Piotr Rasputin, and Doug was there for her. He was interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with her as evidenced by the illusion Emma Frost created to distract him, but Kitty was uncertain and eventually they decided to remain friends. Cypher helped rescue Betsy Braddock from Mojo. This involved venturing deep into Braddock's mind and rescuing her psyche from being torn apart by Mojo's servant, Spiral. The shared experience created a deep emotional bond between the two, though their different ages created awkward feelings between them. Later, Doug entered a relationship with teammate Rahne Sinclair, Wolfsbane, which was cut short by his death not long thereafter. Alongside the other New Mutants, Doug temporarily joined the Hellions. When the Magus attacked, Doug reprogrammed the Magus into an infant state. After the team rescues a humanoid bird creature named Bird-Brain, Doug is initially jealous of Rahne's affection for him, but after Doug manages to understand and translate the creature's language, he and Rahne bond with Bird-Brain. When Bird-Brain sets out to free the other mutants who are enslaved by the Ani-Mator, a geneticist working for Cameron Hodge, the New Mutants follow him. Though the Ani-Mator is defeated, he fatally shoots Doug, who takes a bullet intended for Rahne. Magneto, leader of the New Mutants at the time, explains Doug's death to his parents as a 'hunting accident'. A grief-stricken Warlock tries to steal Doug's body in a confused attempt to reanimate it, but his teammates convince him to return the body. Doug's ghost later appears to Wolfsbane when she visits his grave in the cemetery. He later appears in a fantasy staged by Captain