As the Cyclops makes it clear that the team is no longer fighting for Charles Xavier's dream of human/mutant cooperation. For as long as they've existed, the X-Men have been fighting for a world where humans and mutants can live as equals, enjoying peaceful coexistence as one people. However, X-Men has finally outgrown Charles Xavier's singular goal - the X-Men now fight for something totally different.

In a preview of X-Manhunt Omega #1 - from Gail Simone, Murewa Ayodele, Enid Balám, Gleb Melnikov, Federica Mancin, Brian Reber and Travis Lanham - Rogue and Cyclops debate whether they should Xavier, who recently broke out of prison on a mission to save his daughter Xandra Neramani. Cyclops insists that Xavier's students shouldn't take any risks on their former mentor's behalf, arguing that his dream is dead and the X-Men have a new role.

Cyclops lays out that mutantkind is no longer chasing Xavier's goal, and there is no single goal uniting the X-Men. The issue shows how teams like NYX, X-Factor, X-Force and the Exceptional X-Men represent different dreams, turning the X-Men into the guardians of mutant potential. The X-Men franchise is now about pluralism - the coexistence of different mutant dreams for the future, not one man's vision for how the future must be.

The X-Men franchise is now about pluralism - the coexistence of different mutant dreams for the future...

Cyclops' X-Men Now Fight for Mutant Pluralism

The X-Men's Future Is Bigger Than Charles Xavier

For decades, the X-Men have been defined as of the human race who possess rare superpowers due to the X-gene. However, Marvel's 2019-2024 Krakoan Era fundamentally changed this idea. Over the last few years, mutantkind founded their own nation, gaining a national identity. While that nation is gone now, it has turned mutantkind into a diaspora. Mutants are no longer defined purely by their marginalization, but by a cultural, national identity that is all their own. Mutants have a homeland and a cultural past that can inspire different visions of the future - there are now more options for a positive mutant future than just being considered human.

While Cyclops' hatred for Xavier is due to his mentor's betrayal of Krakoa and its protectors, it's also a significant break for the franchise. Xavier was fighting for a world where mutants were considered part of humanity, but Cyclops is fighting for a world where mutants have their own identity and culture. While both want mutants to be free from prejudice and violence, Cyclops doesn't believe this is only possible through assimilation.

Cyclops' version of the X-Men's mission allows Marvel to expand what the franchise is capable of...

Xavier and Cyclops' goals are compatible up to a point, but Cyclops' version of the X-Men's mission allows Marvel to expand what the franchise is capable of - it's no longer true that every mutant team is fighting towards the same goal, even though Cyclops' X-Men will continue to fight for all of them. Before, every X-Men team effectively served Xavier's vision - now, the X-Men exist to protect many different mutant dreams of what the future could look like.

Cyclops' argument turns the X-Men into the linchpin of a wider franchise where not every mutant hero is an extension of Xavier's vision. While many fans were sad to see the Krakoan era go, this reframing of what the X-Men are for shows that Marvel has a clear vision for how to reshape the franchise, with Cyclops as a hero who champions the agency and safety of his fellow mutants without necessarily binding them to a singular vision - a purpose that's pretty ironic, given his codename.

X-Manhunt Omega #1 is coming from Marvel Comics March 26.

• 

  X-Men

  Movie(s)

  X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

  First Film

  X-Men (2000)

  TV Show(s)

  X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)

  Character(s)

  Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23

  Video Game(s)

  X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)

  Comic Release Date

  213035,212968

  The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.

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• Cyclops

  Alias

  Scott Summers

  Created By

  Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

  Franchise

  X-Men, Marvel

  Race

  Human-Mutant

  First Appearance

  The X-Men

  Alliance

  X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor, Phoenix Five, X-Corporation, Hounds, Starjammers

  Cyclops, a.k.a. Scott Summers, is the X-Men's core team leader and one of the first characters to appear in the franchise. As a human/mutant hybrid, Cyclops has the power to launch massive bursts of energy from his eyes that are regulated through the use of a specially designed visor. Despite his calm and collected demeanor, he tends to lose it when in the presence of a fellow team member, Wolverine.

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