Scott Summers: Cyclops Appreciation 2020

[Ra-El]

Scott isnt the protagonist of the book. He was used to launch it but he hasnt been featured in it in a while. We joke about him being Captain Cameo but thats bc its true. Do you really think him being essential for the Cotati defense makes him the lead character here? Scott led a whole battle that we ddint even get to see. Most of his material happens in the background, off panel or data pages

This. X-Men is basically a bunch of oneshots with the goal of worldbuilding, Cyclops only function is to give it a sense of connection to the whole thing. Hickman is the head of the x-books for now, but he focus on setting up threats and the main players to whatever larger plans he have and X-Men is where he does it.

Most of things that Cyclops encounters on his "cameos" are deal with on other books where he have no participation. Take X of Swords for example, that is all about Arakko, that was introduced on X-Men 2, Cyclops was there, but it was clear that the plot was about Apocalypse and things would play out in Excalibur, and now in the first big event since DOX, Cyclops will very likely be inconsequential.
Hordeculture will most likely play out in Marauders since Emma and Shaw was in that issue. The problems with the Resurrection Protocols will be played out in X-Factor and Hellions probably. None will involve Cyclops.

[nandes]

Scott isnt the protagonist of the book. He was used to launch it but he hasnt been featured in it in a while. We joke about him being Captain Cameo but thats bc its true. Do you really think him being essential for the Cotati defense makes him the lead character here? Scott led a whole battle that we ddint even get to see. Most of his material happens in the background, off panel or data pages

Ehh I didn't say he was the lead character of the Empyre tie-in, just that his role as captain commander was still present even though the focus shifted to show another characters' perspective. He's only been less proeminent in four issues out of twelve, otherwise the series has been mostly told through his POV, even when the events aren't necessarily about him, like in the Crucible issue, which is why most commonly he's considered the protagonist of the book. You may not like how Hickman has been using him, I can't argue against that, I just don't see the problem in the series changing focus for a few issues to accomodate the POV of other characters, when the main focus is still Cyclops as the solicit to issue 16 shows. But anyway, agree to disagree and all that

[Havok83]

Ehh I didn't say he was the lead character of the Empyre tie-in, just that his role as captain commander was still present even though the focus shifted to show another characters' perspective. He's only been less proeminent in four issues out of twelve, otherwise the series has been mostly told through his POV, even when the events aren't necessarily about him, like in the Crucible issue, which is why most commonly he's considered the protagonist of the book. You may not like how Hickman has been using him, I can't argue against that, I just don't see the problem in the series changing focus for a few issues to accomodate the POV of other characters, when the main focus is still Cyclops as the solicit to issue 16 shows. But anyway, agree to disagree and all that

IMO Sott has only been the focus of the first issue, the one with him and his kids, the one with the grannies and to a much smaller extent, The Crucible. Thats 4 out of 12 issues. We'll have to agree to disagree that he's the main protagonist of this book. He's barely featured. When I look at the other books, Kwannon was clearly the protagonist of FA; Emma and Kitty for Maraurders, Betsy and Apocalypse for Excalibur; Magik for NM.....Scott hasnt been utilized consistently in this book anywhere near the extent of those examples

[Glio]

Scott is not the protagonist of X-Men because the current X-Men comic has no protagonist. It's a choral story, in which he's usually the POV.

Just like Xavier and Magneto are crucial parts of Dawn of X and they are not exactly protagonists of any of the current series.

[Hizashi]

I just think it's kind of silly to have marketed X-Men as the saga of Cyclops and yet other characters are featured more prominently. It's not enough that he "drives things", that's so tangential. And to those saying he's featured prominently in the solicit for issue 16 - first, covers lie, and second, we're talking about the sixteenth issue. If he's the POV or the protagonist or whatever qualifier, it shouldn't take over a year for him to feature prominently again. There are or were more than a dozen other series or one-shot books already focusing on other characters, so why can't Scott be a bigger focus in the X-Men book?

[MechaJeanix]

I get wanting more Cyclops. I want more of him too. Right now individual X-men aren't getting the push like we've experienced in years prior. They are more evenly distributed imo. I'd love to see more of Scott in X-men and more Jean in X-force but most books are featuring and highlighting numerous characters. Most of us thought Marauders was going to be like X-Men Gold and be all about Kitty but she was out for several issues while the book focused on other characters.

Scott has been featured in several X-men issues but he's not the only focus. Apocalypse has got a lot of love and even Vulcan has got a little focus. Magneto is another that Hickman focuses on. I think we were spoiled when Scott was the star of the X-men franchise for so many years and he was featured in multiple books. It is just like us Jean fans were spoiled with Teen Jean and later X-men Red with Jean in a starring "central" role.

But I remain optimistic because Scott is an important character and I think he will remain in a prominent role in Hickman's book. He probably won't get the type of focus that we'd love, but I do think he'll show up often. I'd love it if Hickman's book eventually has a set cast and not all these one-and-dones but I'm not sure how far off we are from that.

As far as the book so far, and I just looked back at the issues Scott had a major role in X-men 1-3, had a fairly good part in X-men 4-5, featured heavily in issue 7 and was used prominently in the Brood story, issues 8-9. I think that is pretty good in this modern era when we are seeing a lot of focus on a variety of characters.

[Havok83]

I get wanting more Cyclops. I want more of him too. Right now individual X-men aren't getting the push like we've experienced in years prior. They are more evenly distributed imo. I'd love to see more of Scott in X-men and more Jean in X-force but most books are featuring and highlighting numerous characters. Most of us thought Marauders was going to be like X-Men Gold and be all about Kitty but she was out for several issues while the book focused on other characters.

Scott has been featured in several X-men issues but he's not the only focus. Apocalypse has got a lot of love and even Vulcan has got a little focus. Magneto is another that Hickman focuses on. I think we were spoiled when Scott was the star of the X-men franchise for so many years and he was featured in multiple books. It is just like us Jean fans were spoiled with Teen Jean and later X-men Red with Jean in a starring "central" role.

But I remain optimistic because Scott is an important character and I think he will remain in a prominent role in Hickman's book. He probably won't get the type of focus that we'd love, but I do think he'll show up often. I'd love it if Hickman's book eventually has a set cast and not all these one-and-dones but I'm not sure how far off we are from that.

As far as the book so far, and I just looked back at the issues Scott had a major role in X-men 1-3, had a fairly good part in X-men 4-5, featured heavily in issue 7 and was used prominently in the Brood story, issues 8-9. I think that is pretty good in this modern era when we are seeing a lot of focus on a variety of characters.

LOL...Maraurders has been like Gold. Not to the same extent but its been a Kitty/Emma book from the beginning (and a lesser extent Shaw). The rest of the cast are there but arent getting any development or story arcs. I also posted above the other books that have clear protagonists that are consistently in the forefront. We saw that with Fallen Angels, Excalibur and New Mutants. X-Force is probably the book that is hte most balanced when it comes to its ensemble cast

[Omega Alpha]

Yeah, Marauders is pretty much all about Kitty and Emma, with Shaw as the villain, the others are making the numbers.

[MechaJeanix]

LOL...Maraurders has been like Gold. Not to the same extent but its been a Kitty/Emma book from the beginning (and a lesser extent Shaw). The rest of the cast are there but arent getting any development or story arcs. I also posted above the other books that have clear protagonists that are consistently in the forefront. We saw that with Fallen Angels, Excalibur and New Mutants. X-Force is probably the book that is hte most balanced when it comes to its ensemble cast

Marauders hasn't been as bad as Gold. It is focused on Kitty but Emma has had some good moments and so has Bishop and Iceman to a lesser extent. One of the better issues was the earlier issue that focused on Shaw and Shinobi (Shinobi's resurrection issue). My point still stands that they are focusing on a wide variety of characters and Cyke may not be central to every X-men issue but he has had a major role in the majority of Hickman X-men issues. The exception being the Mystique focused issue, the Vulcan focused issue, and the last two issues which focused on Magneto and Apocalypse respectively. The rest have been issues where Scott got a lot of panels and attention. The book is not about him, but he is featured heavily.

[Havok83]

Marauders hasn't been as bad as Gold. It is focused on Kitty but Emma has had some good moments and so has Bishop and Iceman to a lesser extent. One of the better issues was the earlier issue that focused on Shaw and Shinobi (Shinobi's resurrection issue). My point still stands that they are focusing on a wide variety of characters and Cyke may not be central to every X-men issue but he has had a major role in the majority of Hickman X-men issues. The exception being the Mystique focused issue, the Vulcan focused issue, and the last two issues which focused on Magneto and Apocalypse respectively. The rest have been issues where Scott got a lot of panels and attention. The book is not about him, but he is featured heavily.

Maruarders is simply a better written book than Gold bc Gold itself also had arcs focused on Rachel, Storm, and brought in a whole secondary tea when Kitty's was out of commission. The Kitty focus is still heavy but she's shared the limelight with Emma and Shaw. The book itself is primarily about the Hellfire Trading Company which makes sense why those 3 have been at the forefront.

Back to X-men, Scott's only been the focus of three issues. #1, #2 and the Granny one. To a lesser extent the Crucible. Unlike Maraurders and the other books though, he doesnt seem to have an arc. He just shows up as a sometimes POV character but mostly cameos in the background. He isnt really getting character development and the fact that its been so long since a book was told from his POV, it makes that stand out even more

[Omega Alpha]

Yeah, I think Hickman would be better off with two books, one more focused on Cyke and the X-men as a whole, another a anything goes type. That was the expectation, since he did that in Avengers and F4.

[Glio]

I keep thinking that the entire Vulcan arc is just to create more drama and division between Cyclops and Xavier. He simply wants us to sympathize with Vulcan so that we can later empathize with Cyclops when the inevitable happens. That we can see why Scott supports his brother.

The final letter is key, Cyclops has promised to be by his side supporting him whatever happens. In my opinion, this is a clear call back to Deadly Genesis.

Like using Doctor Doom in his Secret Wars, I think Hickman is going to look for that parallel there. Xavier is going to take away from Scott the family life he has found in Krakoa and that is going to be the turning point.

[Hizashi]

I get wanting more Cyclops. I want more of him too. Right now individual X-men aren't getting the push like we've experienced in years prior. They are more evenly distributed imo. I'd love to see more of Scott in X-men and more Jean in X-force but most books are featuring and highlighting numerous characters. Most of us thought Marauders was going to be like X-Men Gold and be all about Kitty but she was out for several issues while the book focused on other characters.

Scott has been featured in several X-men issues but he's not the only focus. Apocalypse has got a lot of love and even Vulcan has got a little focus. Magneto is another that Hickman focuses on. I think we were spoiled when Scott was the star of the X-men franchise for so many years and he was featured in multiple books. It is just like us Jean fans were spoiled with Teen Jean and later X-men Red with Jean in a starring "central" role.

But I remain optimistic because Scott is an important character and I think he will remain in a prominent role in Hickman's book. He probably won't get the type of focus that we'd love, but I do think he'll show up often. I'd love it if Hickman's book eventually has a set cast and not all these one-and-dones but I'm not sure how far off we are from that.

As far as the book so far, and I just looked back at the issues Scott had a major role in X-men 1-3, had a fairly good part in X-men 4-5, featured heavily in issue 7 and was used prominently in the Brood story, issues 8-9. I think that is pretty good in this modern era when we are seeing a lot of focus on a variety of characters.

I understand and appreciate what you're saying. I guess my issue is that, while your breakdown (in bold) is accurate, Scott's use is not substantial and I quickly grew sick of the one and done format - not because I don't like the format but because Hickman's use of it here is clearly to set up other books. A one-and-done story works if it's complete, but by virtue of setting up later conflicts or other books, they fail in my opinion. There are currently 9 ongoing X-books, one concluded, and one upcoming - shifting some focus back to Scott and a smaller cast is not unreasonable in my opinion.

[Hizashi]

Yeah, I think Hickman would be better off with two books, one more focused on Cyke and the X-men as a whole, another a anything goes type. That was the expectation, since he did that in Avengers and F4.

This was absolutely what I expected - that New Mutants would be the book that would really just go anywhere. I picked up both for that reason, but have recently dropped NM and am reaching my limit with X-Men.

[Hizashi]

Back to X-men, Scott's only been the focus of three issues. #1, #2 and the Granny one. To a lesser extent the Crucible. Unlike Maraurders and the other books though, he doesnt seem to have an arc. He just shows up as a sometimes POV character but mostly cameos in the background. He isnt really getting character development and the fact that its been so long since a book was told from his POV, it makes that stand out even more

You hit the nail on the head. I could forgive some of the books mishaps if there were a clear arc for Scott and some more focus.