Warning: Contains spoilers for X-Men #7!!
As Magneto leaves his villainous era behind to lead the X-Men alongside Cyclopstheir unique relationship comes to light. Scott Summers has taken off the gloves when it comes to protecting mutant lives, but his no-nonsense approach to mutant safety isn’t the only thing he has in common with the Master of Magnetism. Now, X-Men is showing just how similar the two leaders are.
X-Men #7 begins with Cyclops drinking away his troubles in a rare moment of hopelessness, but he doesn’t wallow for long. Instead, his nemesis-turned-colleague Magneto interrupts to remind him that the X-Men are needed and that the team consequently needs Scott.
It’s enough to snap Cyke out of his displeasure, at least for now, and the moment perfectly highlights how similar Magneto and Cyclops really are. Charles Xavier may have recruited him and acted as his mentor for many years, but Scott and Max have become the mutants’ truest and staunchest defenders, and their similarities are a compliment to both of them.
Cyclops shares Magneto’s effort to defend mutantkind
They keep fighting against infinite odds
Magneto is, without a doubt, one of the fiercest defenders of mutants in the history of the X-Men, whether as a villain or as one of the “good guys”. He has been tireless in his pursuit of justice, even after setting aside his goals of mutant superiority. He left the afterlife behind to continue fighting, and continues to set aside the pain and worry he feels to help prepare the X-Men for what’s to come. Once upon a time, Cyclops seemed the least likely ally in the Master of Magnetism’s endeavors, but they are much more alike than different these days.
Max succinctly captures their greatest similarity when he says that Scott “always moved forward.” It’s a shared trait while others move on and seek new lives, Cyclops and Magneto remain, doing the hard work of rebuilding something that continues to be destroyed. , also. Scott was essentially trained to be a “teenage warlord”, while Magneto’s childhood was lost to the tragedy of the Holocaust. Both have learned that the only way out is to keep moving and save as much as they can along the way.
Magneto and Cyclops built a friendship based on mutual respect
They’ll need it to continue the X-Men
To be a mutant is to fight a constant wave of tragedy and prejudice and face defeat for every victory. Magneto and Cyclops have worked together on and off since Strange X-Men #515when the Master of Magnetism arrived in Utopia, and since then they have faced their people’s challenges head-on, at great personal cost. The fact that Max gets to Scott so easily is just further proof of their similarities, and he’s been a more reliable mentor than Xavier ever was. He may not agree with every call Cyke makes and vice versa, but neither doubts the other’s commitment.
It will be years, perhaps even lifetimes, before mutants truly begin to recover from the fall of Krakoa. Losing the home and culture they built is a tragedy on a monumental scale, and not everyone is ready to start over and move forward. Scott’s doubts are understandable, but it’s his willingness to set them aside that matters most. That’s what Max would do and and doing alongside him, making them the best duo to ensure the future of mutants. Cyclops is the new Magnetobecause the X-Men can count on both mutants to do what they do best: move forward for the good of their people.
X-Men #7 is now available from Marvel Comics.