While in the army, Forge served in the Vietnam War. After rising in the ranks to become a sergeant, he was asked to join S.H.I.E.L.D. Forge declined, because he saw his need was in Vietnam. During his second tour of duty in the war, his comrades were killed by enemy troops. In anger, he used their spirits to summon a band of demons to destroy the opposition. Forge, concerned about his former comrades, decided to order a B-52 bombing on his position to close the portal from the world of the unliving. The bombs destroyed the spirits, but he was injured as well, losing his right leg and right hand. This action allowed the demon called the Adversary to come to Earth, and Forge has since been hesitant to employ his mystical abilities.
