X-Men’s Cyclops is one of the most debated characters in Marvel lore and is still out here fighting for his respect. In recent years, projects like X-Men’s Krakoa Era and the X-Men ’97 animated series have catapulted Cyclops to new levels of respect and fame, as longtime Marvel fans have had their fondness of Cyclops grow, while newcomers have gravitated towards Scott Summers as a powerful, badass, and even “cool” leader. That’s a long way from the divisive depictions of Cyclops that have plagued the character for years.
Traditionally, Marvel fans get one of two versions of Cyclops in the comics: the shy insecure student of Professor Xavier, whose leadership is constantly being questioned and/or challenged. Or, we get the Cyclops who is an unabashedly pro-mutant freedom fighter (terrorist?) and military commander who often has fans debating whether his tactics go too far. Within this new “From the Ashes” era of X-Men that Marvel launched last year, Cyclops and his X-Men strike force team seemed to be evolving into the ‘Magneto’ that stands opposite Rogue’s ‘Xavier’ and her more benevolent Uncanny X-Men hope squad. The recent “Raid on Graymalkin” crossover event brought Cyclops’ and Rogue’s teams together for their first X-Men vs. X-Men showdown; in X-Men #10, writer Jed McKay has Cyclops and his team dealing with the fallout of the raid.
The X-Men’s new base in Merle, Alaska (appropriately named “The Factory”) gets a surprise siege from the government organization O*N*E (the “Office of National Emergency”). Agent Lundqvist leads the operation; in his view, the raid on Graymalkin was an open act of war, turning a cold conflict hot. However, Cyclops calmly greets Lundqvist in the kitchen to share a beer and reveals that it is he who has had the upper hand all along.
X-Men #10 splits its focus between scenes of conversation between Cyclops and Lundquvist in the kitchen, and the actions taking place out in the world. Lundquvist thinks he has the jurisdiction to take down the X-Men, and that the Graymalkin raid has left Cyclops’ team depleted easy targets. However, Cyclops reveals that he’s activated the “Hellions Protocol,” a new version of the infamous mutant team (Fantomex, Boom-Boom, Locus, and the Bedlam Brothers) who are out scouring the world attacking various O*N*E facilities responsible for housing computer servers, finances, surveillance, communications, archives – even Sentinel production. The Hellions annihilate the facilities but do not kill a soul, allowing Cyclops to hammer home his point: Mutants don’t need weapons of mass destruction or the endless resources that governments provide. Mutants only need other mutants to be an unshakable force in the world. The Hellions effectively cripple O*N*E’s operational abilities in a single night, with the assurance that the organization will have to overextend its budget and resources in a way that could get marked as non-viable by the government.
Cyclops goes even further, letting an enraged Lundqvist literally put a gun to his head in an attempt to compel his surrender. In one of his most badass moments ever, Cyclops reminds Lundqvist of the concept of M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction): if the government ever does kill Cyclops, one of the key leaders of mutantkind, then mutants will retaliate in full force, with Cyclops promising that “important sections of Washington DC will very shortly cease to exist.” Juggernaut could get dropped from orbit and hit with the impact of a nuclear bomb; Xorn could just remove his helmet and his black hole of a head would consume the whole Pentagon in seconds. America would have no functioning government and would either collapse or be brought down by its enemies. Cyclops can’t be coerced by the threat of harm or death: he reminds Lundqvist that he’s already died (several times) and he’s been a “radical” mutant leader since he was a teenager: he won’t blink.
Marvel Comics
Cyclops’ final threat is the biggest (and best!): if he is ever killed, the entire Earth faces the threat of extinction when his wife Jean Grey (The Phoenix) finds out. In that context, Cyclops’ threat of taking down O*N*E or even dismantling the US government is a comparative mercy. Lundqvist gets the idea because he lowers the gun and agrees to let the government know to back down from challenging the X-Men. Cyclops cracks another beer, having put the US Government and O*N*E in checkmate without having to fire a single optic blast.
Marvel Comcis
As stated, Cyclops has been one of the most divisive and debated Marvel heroes since his debut in the 1960s. However, in the hands of Jed McKay it’s undeniable that Scott Summers is growing into a new era of being a leader to his entire race, and finally stepping out of the shadow of his fallen mentor, Charles Xavier. He’s not trying to be Xavier, not trying to be Magneto and he’s not even being all that much of a jerk. He’s cool, calm, collected, and tactically ahead of this game – everything one of the greatest X-Men should be.
While X-Men #10 was a shining moment for Cyclops, it must be remembered that McKay isn’t only conveying the new swag Scott has; previous issues of X-Men have revealed that Cyclops is actually hiding some pretty serious PTSD, after having been captured and tortured by the human organization Orchis. Mr. Summers is still as layered and complicated as ever.
X-Men is on sale at Marvel.
X-Men’s Cyclops is one of the most debated characters in Marvel lore and is still out here fighting for his respect. In recent years, projects like X-Men’s Krakoa Era and the X-Men ’97 animated series have catapulted Cyclops to new levels of respect and fame, as longtime Marvel fans have had their fondness of Cyclops Read More