Warning: Contains Spoilers for X-Men #7!!
AsMagnetoleaves his villain era behind to lead the X-Men alongsideCyclops, their unique relationship comes to the forefront. Scott Summers has taken the gloves off 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 alike the two leaders are.
X-Men #7opens with Cyclops drinking away his problems in a rare moment of hopelessness, but he isn’t left to his wallowing for long. Instead, his foe-turned-peerMagneto interrupts to remind himthat the X-Men are needed and the team, consequently, needs Scott.
It’s enough to snap Cyke out of his discontent, at least for now, and the moment perfectly highlights how alike Magneto and Cyclops really are. Charles Xavier may have recruited him and acted as his mentor for many years, butScott and Max became mutantkind’s truest and most steadfast defenders, and their similarities are a compliment to them both.
Cyclops Shares Magneto’s Drive to Defend Mutantkind
They Continue Fighting Against Endless Odds
Magneto is, without a doubt, one of the fiercest defenders of mutantkind in X-Men history, whether he’s doing it as a villain or as one of the “good guys.” He’s been relentless in his pursuit of justice, even after laying aside his goals of mutant superiority. He left the afterlife behind to continue fighting and continues to shove aside the pain and worry he feels to help prepare the X-Men for what is to come. Once upon a time,Cyclops seemed like the least likely allyin the Master of Magnetism’s endeavors, but they’re far more alike than different these days.
Max succinctly captures their biggest similarity by saying Scott has “always moved forward.” It’s a shared trait. While others move on and search for new lives,Cyclops and Magnetoremain, doing the hard work of rebuilding something that continues to be crushed. Neither of them asked for the hand of cards they drew, but neither succumbs to it, either. Scott was essentially trained to be a “teenage warlord”, while Magneto’s early life was forfeit to the tragedy of the Holocaust.They’ve both learned that the only way out is to continue moving and save as many 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 against a constant wave of tragedy and prejudice and face a loss after every win. Magneto and Cyclops have worked together on and off sinceUncanny X-Men #515, when the Master of Magnetism arrived on Utopia, and they’ve faced their people’s challenges head-on since then, at great personal cost. That Max gets through to Scott so easily is only further proof of their similarities, and he’s been a more reliable mentor than Xavier ever managed. He may not agree with every call Cyke makes, and vice versa, but neither doubts the other’s commitment.
It will be years, maybe even lifetimes, before mutants truly begin recovering from Krakoa’s fall. Losing the home and culture they built is a tragedy on a monumental scale, and not everyone is equipped to pick up and keep going. Scott’s doubts are understandable, but it’s his willingness to set them aside that matters more. It’s what Max would do andisdoing alongside him, making them the best duo to secure mutantkind’s future.Cyclopsis the newMagneto, because the X-Men can count on both mutants to do what they do best: push ever onward for the good of their people.
X-Men #7is available now from Marvel Comics.
Magneto
The oldest and best-known adversary of the X-Men, Magneto has been a part of Marvel Comics since the mutant team was introduced. Bearing powers over magnetic fields, he views mutants as superior to normal humans, and aims to build a world where humans are dominant. The only thing stopping him is Professor X and his team of heroes.
