I AM The X-Men - Cyclops Appreciation 2023

[Amacent]

I disliked Tyke a lot at the end, but when he first appeared he wasn't that bad, and while I always thought OG Cyclops should be the one to gain a solo, Tyke's wasn't that bad.

Tyke's solo was quite good and a fun read! It's disappointing how they mismanaged the series though. Removing Dauterman, losing Rucka, derailing Layman with a crossover... Wonder how the series would've been like without all these setbacks.

[xiyon]

It was during the Bunn/Hopeless runs that I notice Cyclops optic blast had become just long ranged punches. I remember thinking he should start throwing baseballs instead, it would be more effective.

I disliked Tyke a lot at the end, but when he first appeared he wasn't that bad, and while I always thought OG Cyclops should be the one to gain a solo, Tyke's wasn't that bad.

I feel Tyke's solo got cut way too short but, at the same time, methinks editorial wanted him to return to the O5 asap for reasons.

I'd argue that prolly the reason Cyke never gets his own solo book is because it's difficult to write a story for him outside his ties to the X-Men--- then I remember all the relaunched Captain Marvel / Ms Marvel solos over a decade and, eh, I guess it's really just an editorial thing at this point. My gripe is I fear that ship has already sailed.

The best time, in recent memory, for Cyke to have a potentially successful solo book was post-AvX. And now that's long gone.

[whitecrown]

then I remember all the relaunched Captain Marvel / Ms Marvel solos over a decade and, eh, I guess it's really just an editorial thing at this point.

Carol Danvers, outside of her initial appearances as a Captain Marvel love interest, made her debut as a solo heroine launching her own book. Same with Kamala Khan decades later. There's a big difference between them getting solo books vs Cyclops when he was always intrinsically tied to a team book from his debut. It wouldn't be until the mid-80s that any X-character would get their own series, albeit a limited one, with Wolverine.

That was only after years of cultivating his popularity and becoming a breakout character. Not to mention, Wolverine was always treated as a loner from day one with his own long and hidden history, much of it unknown to the X-Men, so it's easy to write a solo book about him.

[R+R]

I didn't like Tyke. Him being against Rightclops didn't make me have a lot of sympathy for him and neither did his ungratefulness for everything Emma did. He felt like a tantrum attempt by Marvel to make us hate Rightclops. Tyke was also very naive compared to OG Cyclops and didn't have the strength to be the great leader of the X-Men that we know. The only good thing Tyke did was be Kamala's friend.

[Ra-El]

I feel Tyke's solo got cut way too short but, at the same time, methinks editorial wanted him to return to the O5 asap for reasons.

I'd argue that prolly the reason Cyke never gets his own solo book is because it's difficult to write a story for him outside his ties to the X-Men--- then I remember all the relaunched Captain Marvel / Ms Marvel solos over a decade and, eh, I guess it's really just an editorial thing at this point. My gripe is I fear that ship has already sailed.

The best time, in recent memory, for Cyke to have a potentially successful solo book was post-AvX. And now that's long gone.

I honestly don't think it would be that hard to write stories about Cyclops. His lack of ties outside the X-Men could very well be one of the themes explored in the book.

But he does have some ties not exacly mutant related that could be used, the most obvious it's his father and the Starjammers, that alone could put him anywhere in the Marvel space. A really good idea, already talked in this thread, is Scott going to rescue his father with the help of the Starjammers, maybe a prison break.

On Earth he can always go to New York and hang out with Colleen Wing, and by extension end up hanging with Iron Fist, Luke Cage, etc. But seeing Cyclops on his own would be my preference, seeing him having adventures by himself is what I want to see.

One of the most difficult things for writers to work around is characters with insane power levels, a problem Cyclops don't have. Scott have a very destructive power for sure, but outside his optic blasts he is a normal guy, just a highly trained one. It's easier to come up with threat and challenges for Cyclops than it is to Iceman, Scarlet Witch or Captain Marvel.

[whitecrown]

I honestly don't think it would be that hard to write stories about Cyclops. His lack of ties outside the X-Men could very well be one of the themes explored in the book.

But he does have some ties not exacly mutant related that could be used, the most obvious it's his father and the Starjammers, that alone could put him anywhere in the Marvel space. A really good idea, already talked in this thread, is Scott going to rescue his father with the help of the Starjammers, maybe a prison break.

On Earth he can always go to New York and hang out with Colleen Wing, and by extension end up hanging with Iron Fist, Luke Cage, etc. But seeing Cyclops on his own would be my preference, seeing him having adventures by himself is what I want to see.

One of the most difficult things for writers to work around is characters with insane power levels, a problem Cyclops don't have. Scott have a very destructive power for sure, but outside his optic blasts he is a normal guy, just a highly trained one. It's easier to come up with threat and challenges for Cyclops than it is to Iceman, Scarlet Witch or Captain Marvel.

I personally don't feel most of the X-Men work in a solo setting. Jean is my favorite, but I wouldn't be all that interested to see her in her own solo ongoing book. In fact, that's true for most of the Marvel characters including the FF and most of the Avengers who aren't Cap, Stark, Thor, etc. Most of these characters are enriched from their constant interactions with their peers or family. Very few characters can sustain their own rogues gallery and supporting cast who would be as interesting as the ones they would normally face on a team book. And I think the fact that Cyclops isn't as OP as say, Wanda or Carol, also means that his villains will all be on the level of street villains like Jack O'Diamonds. At least with Wanda you can create some interesting new mystical threats or with Carol, some cosmic villains or aliens. Maybe it's just me because I've seen a lot of X-Fans on here bemoan the fact that their favorites don't get an individual focus like the Avengers characters do but I've never seen that as anything to be envied. The Avengers was always about a team of individuals coming together, whereas the X-Men are a family and should be kept intact that way.

The Starjammers made sense for Tyke, although as someone who never cared much for them as a group, a whole book on them has never interested me.

Tyke was also very naive compared to OG Cyclops and didn't have the strength to be the great leader of the X-Men that we know. The only good thing Tyke did was be Kamala's friend.

He was, what, 17 or 18? Of course he'd be naive. Out of all the criticisms about him, that's the strangest one because would you expect him to be as knowledgeable and worldly-wise as his older counterpart? If you brought a young Magneto or Xavier into the present, I would expect them to come across as "naive" in comparison to their adult counterparts as well. As someone who hated the direction this character was forced to take on starting in the 2000s, Tyke was a fresh breath of air for a classic Scott fan. He felt like the classic Cyclops I knew and loved and if anyone was the OG Cyclops, it was him.

[R+R]

I honestly don't think it would be that hard to write stories about Cyclops. His lack of ties outside the X-Men could very well be one of the themes explored in the book.

There's a lot to explore in Cyclops if they did a solo. Unlike what Hickman promised and didn't deliver, make him spend time with his kids in a few issues in a story about Cyclops and not about islands having sex. I would like to see Cyke being closer to Vulcan, I think they would be a fun and more interesting duo than Havok. An issue with Emma to reminisce about past moments would be nice, I believe the two have a lot to talk about, Emma did a lot for Scott when he was killed by the Terrigen Mist and they never talked about it. Scott and Charles also never talk about how they both feel after Phoenixclops killed him. His powers are also unexplored and it's been a long time since Cyke was a competent martial artist. These days it doesn't even seem like he spent years training in the Danger Room.

[xiyon]

Carol Danvers, outside of her initial appearances as a Captain Marvel love interest, made her debut as a solo heroine launching her own book. Same with Kamala Khan decades later. There's a big difference between them getting solo books vs Cyclops when he was always intrinsically tied to a team book from his debut. It wouldn't be until the mid-80s that any X-character would get their own series, albeit a limited one, with Wolverine.

That was only after years of cultivating his popularity and becoming a breakout character. Not to mention, Wolverine was always treated as a loner from day one with his own long and hidden history, much of it unknown to the X-Men, so it's easy to write a solo book about him.

That wasn't my point though.

The point was, Carol had, what, 3 - 4 relaunches of her book over the span of a decade? Headcanon says it's because Marvel editorial was pushing her character, especially for the MCU synergy. Regardless the reason, I feel Cyke (and whoever else) not getting a solo book at this point in time is more editorial-driven than anything else, if only because we do have characters whose books last 12ish issues per relaunch.

By editorial-driven, I don't mean someone's twirling their mustache going "hurr durr, Cyke no solo book!"-- but more, "I want [insert other character] to have a book / gain more prominence in the Marvel universe". All that said, as a person that's been writing Cyke-centric fanfics for over a decade, it's actually pretty difficult to come up with a story for him that's not tied to the X-Men / mutants because, as you've pointed out, his story is so intrinsically tied to them. Hence, my point that his best shot at one was actually post-AvX.

I honestly don't think it would be that hard to write stories about Cyclops. His lack of ties outside the X-Men could very well be one of the themes explored in the book.

But he does have some ties not exacly mutant related that could be used, the most obvious it's his father and the Starjammers, that alone could put him anywhere in the Marvel space. A really good idea, already talked in this thread, is Scott going to rescue his father with the help of the Starjammers, maybe a prison break.

This. Glad to see another Cyke fan think alike-- that Cyke needs to go on a space odyssey hahaha

On Earth he can always go to New York and hang out with Colleen Wing, and by extension end up hanging with Iron Fist, Luke Cage, etc. But seeing Cyclops on his own would be my preference, seeing him having adventures by himself is what I want to see.

One of the most difficult things for writers to work around is characters with insane power levels, a problem Cyclops don't have. Scott have a very destructive power for sure, but outside his optic blasts he is a normal guy, just a highly trained one. It's easier to come up with threat and challenges for Cyclops than it is to Iceman, Scarlet Witch or Captain Marvel.

At this point, I'm turning to Manhwa for my Cyke fix. In particular, over-prepared determinator protags.

I personally don't feel most of the X-Men work in a solo setting. Jean is my favorite, but I wouldn't be all that interested to see her in her own solo ongoing book. In fact, that's true for most of the Marvel characters including the FF and most of the Avengers who aren't Cap, Stark, Thor, etc. Most of these characters are enriched from their constant interactions with their peers or family. Very few characters can sustain their own rogues gallery and supporting cast who would be as interesting as the ones they would normally face on a team book. And I think the fact that Cyclops isn't as OP as say, Wanda or Carol, also means that his villains will all be on the level of street villains like Jack O'Diamonds. At least with Wanda you can create some interesting new mystical threats or with Carol, some cosmic villains or aliens. Maybe it's just me because I've seen a lot of X-Fans on here bemoan the fact that their favorites don't get an individual focus like the Avengers characters do but I've never seen that as anything to be envied. The Avengers was always about a team of individuals coming together, whereas the X-Men are a family and should be kept intact that way.

That's actually a pretty interesting take, and one I've been thinking about, as well. That maybe X-Men solos (outside Wolvie) are best for one-issue character studies than long-term storytelling.

My want for Cyke to have his own solo is just to finally see him get some shred of character work back rather than backseating for everyone else. It's awesome that more characters are getting the spotlight, but a writer can only shine so much light in a team book. Hence, a solo adventure.

That, and to expand his role outside the X-Men :')

[R+R]

He was, what, 17 or 18? Of course he'd be naive. Out of all the criticisms about him, that's the strangest one because would you expect him to be as knowledgeable and worldly-wise as his older counterpart? If you brought a young Magneto or Xavier into the present, I would expect them to come across as "naive" in comparison to their adult counterparts as well. As someone who hated the direction this character was forced to take on starting in the 2000s, Tyke was a fresh breath of air for a classic Scott fan. He felt like the classic Cyclops I knew and loved and if anyone was the OG Cyclops, it was him.

OG Scott was competent and a grown man in a teenager's body, Champions exploited that well. I don't remember Tyke doing anything but complaining about himself adult most of the time. If not for the development the Cyclops development of the 2000s and 2010s, I wouldn't even have become a fan of him. Scout Cyclops is boring and naive, no wonder his most popular moments are after 2000.

[whitecrown]

That wasn't my point though.

The point was, Carol had, what, 3 - 4 relaunches of her book over the span of a decade? Headcanon says it's because Marvel editorial was pushing her character, especially for the MCU synergy. Regardless the reason, I feel Cyke (and whoever else) not getting a solo book at this point in time is more editorial-driven than anything else, if only because we do have characters whose books last 12ish issues per relaunch.

By editorial-driven, I don't mean someone's twirling their mustache going "hurr durr, Cyke no solo book!"-- but more, "I want [insert other character] to have a book / gain more prominence in the Marvel universe". All that said, as a person that's been writing Cyke-centric fanfics for over a decade, it's actually pretty difficult to come up with a story for him that's not tied to the X-Men / mutants because, as you've pointed out, his story is so intrinsically tied to them. Hence, my point that his best shot at one was actually post-AvX.

That's actually a pretty interesting take, and one I've been thinking about, as well. That maybe X-Men solos (outside Wolvie) are best for one-issue character studies than long-term storytelling.

My want for Cyke to have his own solo is just to finally see him get some shred of character work back rather than backseating for everyone else. It's awesome that more characters are getting the spotlight, but a writer can only shine so much light in a team book. Hence, a solo adventure.

That, and to expand his role outside the X-Men :')

Some of those relaunches you've mentioned for Carol are just Marvel relaunching books over and over for every new creative period. The title X-Men book has had as many similar relaunches as well as a number of other solo heroes and team books. But Carol's also a very specific case and it isn't comparable to Cyclops' situation. Carol was a character that Marvel needed to make happen so they had to keep launching her to ensure she was being seen as an A-Lister and could develop a more extensive fanbase. Marvel has always gotten flack for their lack of prominent female characters and Carol was their answer to becoming Marvel's Wonder Woman and their flagship heroine. You really can't compare that to Cyclops at all, especially since this was the same time that the X-Men were being underplayed. However, even if the X-Men were still at the forefront during this period, I don't think that would guarantee Cyclops or any other X-Man solo books.

Because look at the X-Men in the 90s, when they were at their commercial peak and the lead Marvel titles alongside the Spider-Man titles. Wolverine, Gambit, Bishop, Cable, and X-Man were the only ones who had ongoing series. Wolverine was already established and the other four were products of the 90s and thus appealed to that specific period in a way they wouldn't necessarily do now (have you seen any clamoring demand for Bishop or X-Man to get their own solo books now?) Other X-Men characters got limited series but never ongoings. Beast, Rogue, and Storm are examples. Cyclops never got a limited solo series but he and Jean shared two limited series. Similarly, Angel and Psylocke shared one in the Crimson Dawn series. So even at this point, when the X-Men were Marvel's biggest cash cows, notice that it's not like all the characters were getting prepped for their own solo series. The exceptions were the "cool 90s" characters who all had established lives and backstories outside of the X-Men which was part of their appeal. It was easy to buy that Gambit is slinking off for an adventure outside of the team's purview in a way that it wouldn't be believable for Storm or Cyclops to do so.

That being said, I can understand as a fan of the character or any character why you would want to see an individual focus on him and desire a solo book that wouldn't be distracted with dozens of other mutants. I think the fact that Cyclops, more than any other X-Man besides Xavier, is so linked to the X-Men is why there's never been a focus on broadening his connections. The same feels very true for Reed Richards of the FF although the FF have the advantage that they tend to be more closely connected to the superhero community like the Avengers than the X-Men ever have. There's a thread in the Marvel section about which characters people would like to see join the Avengers, and a very popular sentiment is that just about anyone should be allowed to be an Avenger minus four characters: Reed, Sue, Scott, and Jean. That these four characters are too intrinsically tied to their books and universes and shouldn't ever be allowed to be part of another superhero team. And I guess I can somewhat understand that reaction because seeing Cyclops as the leader of an Avengers team would be as jarring as Reed or Captain America leading the X-Men.

[whitecrown]

OG Scott was competent and a grown man in a teenager's body, Champions exploited that well. I don't remember Tyke doing anything but complaining about himself adult most of the time. If not for the development the Cyclops development of the 2000s and 2010s, I wouldn't even have become a fan of him. Scout Cyclops is boring and naive, no wonder his most popular moments are after 2000.

Tyke was not the same Scott we read in the Silver Age stories the same way Jean, Warren, Hank, and Bobby weren't either. All of them changed from being brought into their futures and seeing what they become. It caused all of them to drastically differ until they could go back and be mindwiped to revert to their original forms. Also I'm currently re-reading Silver Age X-Men right now, because it's a favorite era of mine, and there were multiple times that Scott was about to quit the X-Men. The way characters were written in the 60s was also never going to be a direct jump to how they would be written in the 2010s, Jean being the most obvious case.

That's the wonderful thing about these fictional characters that they've led so many different incarnations from different writers and artists' portrayals that in one thread, you can see people who love Cyclops in different periods of his publication history and fans coming together helps all these eras overlap. I wouldn't call boy scout Scott boring or naive. He was the Steve Rogers of the X-Men and look how popular Steve is with general audiences today, just second to Iron Man. Wolverine (or Gambit) may have been the cool character in the 90s but on the playground, for every kid who pretended to be a Wolverine, there was a kid who wanted to be Cyclops specifically because he was the anti-Wolverine. The little boy in the first X-Men movie who keeps smiling at James Marsden did so because Cyclops was his favorite X-Man.

To be honest, I've always felt that a lot of people who resonated with what I call, Wrongclops of the 2000s/2010s, are people who really envied Wolverine's popularity with general audiences and the reputation of being the cool guy. Much like the debate between Han Solo vs Luke Skywalker where Han was the cool character that audiences liked most and would be voted #1 best SW character whereas Luke was the character who appealed more to nerds and outcasts who perhaps weren't as flashy or prone to breaking rules. I've seen some of these fans deeply resent Wolverine or Han Solo being accepted in a way that Cyclops or Luke never did, and Cyclops devolving into Magneto 2.0 or Mutant Hitler seemed to be almost a way for these fans to claim that "hey, Cyclops is cool now too. He's dark and edgy. You can't call us boring anymore for liking him." Which feels to me to be almost ironic that some Cyclops fans felt so ashamed that their favorite was the "nerd" or "good guy" that they were willing to change him just so he could be the cool guy now instead. I wonder then how much they actually liked Cyclops in the first place if they were willing to alter him just for public recognition or to prove a point.

Personally I gravitate towards the responsible, mature leaders like Scott, Steve, and Reed who may never be as "cool" as Logan, Tony, Ben, or Johnny, but I don't think they need to be because becoming like those characters just takes away their own individuality and unique place in the respective mythos of their teams. Characters like Logan, Tony, or Ben only work if they have a foil with Scott, Steve, or Reed. While Steve and Reed may have some bad moments in their character histories, they've never been butchered the way I feel Scott has. That's why I'm so thankful for X-Men '97, the MCU, and all the 90s nostalgia because the real Scott is coming back as he was intended. And unlike with the reception to the character in the X-Men movies, I think now the world is ready for the real Cyclops to have his place alongside Wolverine especially after audiences flocked to the Steve/Tony dynamic. There is room for both these types of characters. Nerds are in now and the "cool guys" or "bad boys" aren't always the coolest after all.

[Ra-El]

I avoid team books as much as I can, the exception is when one of my favorites is getting some good stories in it. It's why I don't go for Justice League, Avengers, etc. In all honesty, the X-Men to are only as good as Cyclops participation in it, that's why I'm not reading any x-book at the moment.

I understand how Scott is so tied to the X-Men that it could feel jarring to cut him away from it. But it's one of the reasons I want to see it, not only in a metatextual way, but also inside the story. Cyclops have always been part of the X-Men, a team or a family, taking those things away, or having him walking away from it could lead to some great character exploration.

I would like even if they just turned Cyclops into Marvel's Jack Reacher and have him walking around solving crimes and defeating bad guys, but in a Marvel scale. Have him move back to Alaska and do a Norse Noir type of thing. The Purifiers try to take him out now he doesn't have back up.
There was a time when a long Cyclops vs. Sinister arc was a great idea, but Sinister is not only overused but just isn't a good threat anymore, imo.

The thing is, once you accept Cyclops as a independent hero should be fairly easy. Just don't limit him, he could fight a street gang in one issue, help Dakota North investigate a murder case for a couple issues, fight the Hand for a while, cross paths with Frank Castle, go to space help his father, use the Ghost Boxes for some multiversal adventures (maybe encounter Emmeline Frost-Summers), hang out with his daughter Ruby, have a family reunion with all the Summers that does sideways or any other stuff.

There is no limits here, go the pulp hero route.

[Gray Lensman]

Tyke was not the same Scott we read in the Silver Age stories the same way Jean, Warren, Hank, and Bobby weren't either. All of them changed from being brought into their futures and seeing what they become. It caused all of them to drastically differ until they could go back and be mindwiped to revert to their original forms. Also I'm currently re-reading Silver Age X-Men right now, because it's a favorite era of mine, and there were multiple times that Scott was about to quit the X-Men. The way characters were written in the 60s was also never going to be a direct jump to how they would be written in the 2010s, Jean being the most obvious case.

That's the wonderful thing about these fictional characters that they've led so many different incarnations from different writers and artists' portrayals that in one thread, you can see people who love Cyclops in different periods of his publication history and fans coming together helps all these eras overlap. I wouldn't call boy scout Scott boring or naive. He was the Steve Rogers of the X-Men and look how popular Steve is with general audiences today, just second to Iron Man. Wolverine (or Gambit) may have been the cool character in the 90s but on the playground, for every kid who pretended to be a Wolverine, there was a kid who wanted to be Cyclops specifically because he was the anti-Wolverine. The little boy in the first X-Men movie who keeps smiling at James Marsden did so because Cyclops was his favorite X-Man.

To be honest, I've always felt that a lot of people who resonated with what I call, Wrongclops of the 2000s/2010s, are people who really envied Wolverine's popularity with general audiences and the reputation of being the cool guy. Much like the debate between Han Solo vs Luke Skywalker where Han was the cool character that audiences liked most and would be voted #1 best SW character whereas Luke was the character who appealed more to nerds and outcasts who perhaps weren't as flashy or prone to breaking rules. I've seen some of these fans deeply resent Wolverine or Han Solo being accepted in a way that Cyclops or Luke never did, and Cyclops devolving into Magneto 2.0 or Mutant Hitler seemed to be almost a way for these fans to claim that "hey, Cyclops is cool now too. He's dark and edgy. You can't call us boring anymore for liking him." Which feels to me to be almost ironic that some Cyclops fans felt so ashamed that their favorite was the "nerd" or "good guy" that they were willing to change him just so he could be the cool guy now instead. I wonder then how much they actually liked Cyclops in the first place if they were willing to alter him just for public recognition or to prove a point.

Personally I gravitate towards the responsible, mature leaders like Scott, Steve, and Reed who may never be as "cool" as Logan, Tony, Ben, or Johnny, but I don't think they need to be because becoming like those characters just takes away their own individuality and unique place in the respective mythos of their teams. Characters like Logan, Tony, or Ben only work if they have a foil with Scott, Steve, or Reed. While Steve and Reed may have some bad moments in their character histories, they've never been butchered the way I feel Scott has. That's why I'm so thankful for X-Men '97, the MCU, and all the 90s nostalgia because the real Scott is coming back as he was intended. And unlike with the reception to the character in the X-Men movies, I think now the world is ready for the real Cyclops to have his place alongside Wolverine especially after audiences flocked to the Steve/Tony dynamic. There is room for both these types of characters. Nerds are in now and the "cool guys" or "bad boys" aren't always the coolest after all.

While none of the O5 were the same as they were back then, the issue I have is that in the end, 4 of them were made greater by the writing, and Scott, and only Scott, was made to be less than he originally was. That's an unforgivable sin that reeks of an agenda.

[Gray Lensman]

I avoid team books as much as I can, the exception is when one of my favorites is getting some good stories in it. It's why I don't go for Justice League, Avengers, etc. In all honesty, the X-Men to are only as good as Cyclops participation in it, that's why I'm not reading any x-book at the moment.

I understand how Scott is so tied to the X-Men that it could feel jarring to cut him away from it. But it's one of the reasons I want to see it, not only in a metatextual way, but also inside the story. Cyclops have always been part of the X-Men, a team or a family, taking those things away, or having him walking away from it could lead to some great character exploration.

I would like even if they just turned Cyclops into Marvel's Jack Reacher and have him walking around solving crimes and defeating bad guys, but in a Marvel scale. Have him move back to Alaska and do a Norse Noir type of thing. The Purifiers try to take him out now he doesn't have back up.
There was a time when a long Cyclops vs. Sinister arc was a great idea, but Sinister is not only overused but just isn't a good threat anymore, imo.

The thing is, once you accept Cyclops as a independent hero should be fairly easy. Just don't limit him, he could fight a street gang in one issue, help Dakota North investigate a murder case for a couple issues, fight the Hand for a while, cross paths with Frank Castle, go to space help his father, use the Ghost Boxes for some multiversal adventures (maybe encounter Emmeline Frost-Summers), hang out with his daughter Ruby, have a family reunion with all the Summers that does sideways or any other stuff.

There is no limits here, go the pulp hero route.

Scott, powerwise, should be seen as being in the sweet spot for a writer. His optic blast can be written as powerful enough to challenge all but the highest level cosmic threats, but he retains all the vulnerability of a human being. The range of antagonists and guest heroes for him to interact with without having to resort to Plot Induced Stupidity or Deus Ex Machina to explain either him challenging, or being challenged by, encompasses nearly the entire Marvel Universe.

[whitecrown]

While none of the O5 were the same as they were back then, the issue I have is that in the end, 4 of them were made greater by the writing, and Scott, and only Scott, was made to be less than he originally was. That's an unforgivable sin that reeks of an agenda.

To be honest, I haven't read through that whole era and every single one of the time-displaced O5's appearances so I can't speak about his writing for a whole. I can just say that from what I did read of him, I enjoyed his characterization. I'm biased of course because for me this felt like the return of the true Cyclops after a long hiatus. You say you felt he was "less" than he originally was, and perhaps that's true if you're directly correlating him with the Silver Age Cyclops, but I was always comparing him with the present Cyclops, in which case for me, Tyke would be not less but much, much more.

And when comparing his treatment to the other time-displaced O5, I think that view would also differ especially if you ask fans of those characters. A lot of Jean fans don't have warm feelings for Jeen. I know a lot of Bobby fans who were not pleased with Teen Bobby and his sexuality altering the adult version.