Warning: Contains spoilers forAvengers #18!CyclopsandStormare theX-Men’sgreatest leaders, and together they’ve led the team through the greatest atrocities to befall mutantkind. While they do not always see eye to eye, they always want the best for their people. Now, both confirm that they can’t return to taking orders from each other, and the landscape of the X-Men will change forever as a result.
InTheAvengers#18 by Jed MacKay and Valerio Schiti, Storm is still contemplating whether to officiallybecome an Avengeras Hyperion rockets toward the Earth at lightspeed. She reaches out to her fellow mutants and visitsthe X-Men’s new basein Alaska to see what aid they can offer. Cyclops reminds her that she’ll always have a place with them, prompting Ororo to reveal what they both already know:they can’t go back to taking orders from one another after all the history between them.
Cyclops and Storm are both respected, capable leaders, andthere will never be room for them on the same team again.It’s a major loss for the X-Men, even though both mutants have mutants' best interests at heart.
Storm and Cyclops Agree They’ll Never Be on the Same X-Men Team
The Avengers #18by Jed MacKay, Valerio Schiti, Bryan Valenza, and Cory Petit
While Cyclops hasled the X-Mensince Charles Xavier established the team, Storm has more than proved herself as his equal (and, at times, his better) in that regard. Prior to Krakoa, Ororo frequently stepped up to direct in Scott’s absence, with the two even dueling for leadership in Storm’s early days. In the years that followed, even in moments of extreme disagreement,they often acted as a balance or counterweight to one another. However, it was never a flawless partnership, and they stopped answering to one another at least a decade ago, albeit without such a pointed declaration.
Cyclops and Storm fought for leadership of the X-Men in 1985’sUncanny X-Men#201 by Chris Claremont, Rick Leonardi, Whilce Portacio, Glynis Oliver, and Tom Orzechowski, as Scott tried to return to the team and his former position amid a rough patch with his then-wife Madelyne Pryor. Storm emerged victorious and continued to lead the team.
Afterall that transpired on Krakoaand during its fall, it’s little wonder that neither are willing to serve under the other’s direction in the future. Ororo led on Arakko and delved into the afterlife itself to bring Magneto back, while Scott poured everything into Krakoa and suffered greatly at Orchis' hands before the nation fell. They both made enormous impacts and will doubtlessly continue to do so, butthey have each become such a major force in the Marvel Universe that neither can return to being a “follower”- least of all behind the other - when they can accomplish so much more as leaders.
Marvel’s Mutants Benefit from Seeing Multiple Powerful Leaders
Even as the X-Men May Suffer
Ultimately, Cyclops and Storm want what is best for their people. For Scott, that means havinghis current X-Menteam operational and ready to deal with threats that directly impact mutants, whatever the scale. It is, as Ororo calls it, “a strike team with a combat leader,” while she is focused on a grander idea of operating among equals.Their leadership styles have never been alike, and seeing the strongest mutants choose their own path could act as inspiration for those still scattered and looking for hope after Krakoa. If nothing else, mutantkind now has leaders looking out for them from all angles.
While they’ll continue to work as allies, just as they did to find Hyperion, they’ll never go into battle the same way again.
Yet for all the possible benefits to their people as a whole, it is jarring to imagine a future where two of the most capable mutants in the world never grace the same team. While they’ll continue to work as allies, just as they did to find Hyperion, they’ll never go into battle the same way again. It’s been building in this direction for a while, but now the parting of ways is official.CyclopsandStormagree they’ll never beX-Mentogether if either leads the team, marking the end of an era.
The Avengers#18is available now from Marvel Comics.
Cyclops
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.
Storm
X-Men
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.
