Warning: spoilers for X-Men #7Cyclops and Wolverine have always been at odds, whether due to Cyclops’ leadership style or the famous love triangle with Jean Grey. Wolverine may be the fan favorite, but Cyclops is the chosen one to lead the X-Men. Now Magneto tells Cyclops exactly why he’s a better hero than Wolverine, and it all comes down to one tragic factor: Wolverine’s immortality.
In the preview of X-Men #7, Cyclops is meditating on his struggle to imagine the future of the X-Men, when Magneto comes to talk to him, telling him that preoccupation with what-ifs and inaction may make Wolverine popular, but the X-Men depend on Cyclops. focus and sense of urgency. Wolverine has time to kill, but Cyclops heard the clock ticking for his people every second of the day.
Wolverine’s immortality means he doesn’t have the vision needed to lead
X-Men (2024) #7 – Jed MacKay, Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, Livesay, Marte Garcia and Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
It’s undeniable, Wolverine is an incredibly strong superhero with one of the best healing factors in the Marvel Universe, and his immortality has given him over 200 years of combat experience. In the preview, Magneto highlights that the consequences of Wolverine’s long life manifested in a hardened personality, antisocial tendencies, and disregard for time. Wolverine is a role model and important figure for the X-Men, but he can never be a consistent and reliable leader like Cyclops.
Wolverine has been through many tragedies in his life, diminishing the importance of any he might face next and teaching him to avoid investing in friends or family, let alone letting their well-being guide his actions. In Strange X-Men #3 by Gail Simone and David Marquez, Rogue begs Wolverine to help her lead the escaping mutant children, but he refuses and leaves, subtly admitting that heroes like Rogue and Cyclops are better suited to lead.
Mortality is what makes Cyclops the leader mutants need and a true superhero
Although Wolverine has immense power, Cyclops excels at what Wolverine lacks.
Cyclops is by no means perfect, sometimes making morally questionable choices, but he is, at his core, a no-nonsense hero who will always have the X-Men’s mission at hand as his top priority. Magneto points out that Scott’s mortality means he is very aware of what is at stake and acts admirably in response. Even though Cyclops doesn’t have Wolverine’s healing factor or longevity, he is still an elite strategist and a talented fighter who has even defeated Wolverine in several X-Men story arcs.
Wolverine and Cyclops often clash and this is partly due to how opposite the two are: Wolverine is the rule breaker while Cyclops is Charles Xavier’s prudish star student. Cyclops knows he won’t live as long as Wolverine, but because of this, Cyclops knows his days are numbered and has dedicated each of them to the mutant cause.
X-Men #7 will be available on November 6, 2024 from Marvel Comics.