Summary
- Cyclops and Juggernaut started as enemies, but now they're teammates - and more, actual friends.
- Cyclops is proud of Juggernaut's increased tactical thinking, showing how he's influenced the team's bruiser to fight smarter.
- X-Men #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Warning: contains spoilers for X-Men #1!A new era of the 'From the Ashes' era begins, not only is Cyclops happy to be working with the unstoppable Juggernaut, but he's actually proud to call him a teammate.
In X-Men #1, Marvel debuts its new X-Men team, as Cyclops leads Psylocke, Kid Omega, Magik, Temper, Juggernaut, Magneto and Beast into battle. With their mutant utopia recently destroyed, the X-Men are on the back foot, once more hated and feared, and with their former bonds and alliances shattered. However, some mutant heroes won't quit, and Cyclops' team take on the villainous Fourth School. As the fight rages, it turns out Juggernaut has done the reading on the team's new enemies.
After Juggernaut delivers a concise summary of the Fourth School, Cyclops commends him, saying, "Cain, I want you to know how proud I am of you right now" (prompting Magik to label Juggernaut a teacher's pet.) Cyclops is famously one of the greatest tacticians in the Marvel Universe, with contingency plans and fight formations for every threat. His pride in Juggernaut having memorized the briefing on their enemies is a perfect character detail, but one that's staggering given the relationship Cyke and Juggernaut used to have.
X-Men #1 (2024) |
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X-Men Just Brought Back Its Most Controversial Hero of All Time (& This Time He Can Work)
As X-Men's new era begins, Marvel is bringing back a hero many fans thought was ruined forever. But this one last chance looks good so far.
X-Men's Old Enemies Are Now Genuine Allies
... Or Is That Teacher and Student?
Juggernaut is one of the X-Men's oldest enemies, having originally attacked them in an attempt to kill his step-brother Charles Xavier. Scott Summers spent most of his young life finding ways to beat Juggernaut, with plenty of occasions where Cain tried to kill his hated brother's prize student. However, a lot has changed since then. During the Krakoan era, Juggernaut became a champion of mutant rights, being elected to the mutant nation's X-Men team despite Xavier still holding a major grudge over their childhood.
As 'From the Ashes' begins, Charles Xavier is seen as a traitor by the X-Men, with Cyclops having permanently broken ties with his former mentor. A fan of the original X-Men comics looking at X-Men #1 today - with Xavier as a villain and Cyclops leading a team including Juggernaut and Magneto - wouldn't be able to guess at the momentous events that led to such extreme changes in alliances. It's been a long road, but Cyclops and Juggernaut have gone from vehement enemies to reluctant allies to genuine friends.
While Magik's insult to Juggernaut is mostly in jest (especially since the two gung-ho heroes act as an unlikely duo in this issue), it's interesting to see Cyclops in a pseudo-mentorship role to Juggernaut. Cain Marko has never been the savviest operator, but if there's anyone who can get him thinking tactically and using his powers in smart new ways, it's uber-tactician Cyclops. Cyclops and Juggernaut's new friendship is a surprising highlight of X-Men's new era, with immense potential to bring out the best of Cain in his new career as a full-blown hero.
X-Men #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
