What DID Cyclops do? Theories and Spculation

[somacula]

Most likely. I mean, we didn't get the official in-verse company line, lol.

Really, the whole thing comes off as "Endure the "Flagship" for a year or so and we'll tell you what reeeaaallly happened... even though we didn't actually tell you what allegedly happened! That's how mystery stories work! Even though no one's actually investigating anything!"

Too funny.

Yeah, I'm sure Rock Johnston will tell us what happened the same morning without the actual need of getting EXM
The reason is that everyone supposedly knows what happened, but I'm sure not even lemire know what happened and it's pretty muh bound to change last minute if editorial mandates it to

[MarvelMaster616]

Nothing. That's what he did. Just like his massive Bendis revolution that never happened. He did nothing then everyone got offended and called him a monster. Because that's what the x-books do where he is concerned. Wolverine/X-23 and others kill and it's okay. Cyke does it and he's a monster. Jean, Collossus, Emma, Namor, Magick do bad things under the influence of the Phoenix and it's all forgiven. Cyclops does it and he's a monster. It's the hypocrisy of the X-books and maddening inconsistency that has driven me from them.

Sadly, this might actually be the most functional outcome. The only scenario where I see Cyclops NOT being ruined as a character involves him not actually committing the atrocity everyone claims. It has to be something involving psychic manipulation or some sort of dark influence, like the Void. You're right that it would be outright hypocrisy for the X-men to simply brush off the crimes committed by Wolverine, Emma, Jean Grey, and Namor. But that has never stopped Marvel before. I don't see how it would stop them now.

Per Extraordinary X-Men #6 one more data point to add to the mystery: whatever it was Cyclops did spoilers:

Sunfire was helping him.

end of spoilers

Yes, I noticed this too, but wasn't sure if I should spoil it. At the very least, it shows that Cyclops didn't act alone. He did have others who fought alongside him in his war against the Inhumans. There is still a long list of missing X-men characters including Havok, Emma Frost, and Rachel Grey. If they helped him, then their disappearance is another unanswered question that can't be overlooked. We already know from the Ghosts of Cyclops that not everybody was horrified by what he did. But it was still bad enough for even his time-displaced self to hate him. It just can't be so bad that it hinders the Inhumans, who are thriving and have suffered no ill-effects from the war.

Maybe the next issue of EXM will offer more hints. It'll be interesting to see how spoilers:

Sunfire

end of spoilers reacts. His demeanor will be very telling. If he's also horrified by what Cyclops did, then that means even the team he assembled might hate him. If he tries to make excuses, then that means there might be some more complex circumstances. But for the moment, I think Marvel is more inclined to just make Cyclops more evil for no good reason.

[FluffyCyclopsRLZ]

Maybe the next issue of EXM will offer more hints. It'll be interesting to see how spoilers:

Sunfire

end of spoilers reacts. His demeanor will be very telling. If he's also horrified by what Cyclops did, then that means even the team he assembled might hate him. If he tries to make excuses, then that means there might be some more complex circumstances. But for the moment, I think Marvel is more inclined to just make Cyclops more evil for no good reason.

I'm genuinely torn on the issue.

The former would be hilarious because it would mean the EXM's "This book isn't about Cyclops but we won't ever stfu about how eeeeviiiiilll he is!" streak is still going strong.

The latter would be equally hilarious because the EXM would start whining about their "This book isn't about Cyclops but we won't ever stfu about how eeeeviiiiilll he is!" streak being compromised.

Win-win, really.

[MarvelMaster616]

No real news on what Cyclops did today. Extraordinary X-men #7 offered just another vague burst of outrage. Magik yelled at Sunfire for him and Cyclops, "doing what they did." That's as specific as it got. So overall, we still don't have any answers. That said, this question did come up during this week's X-POSITION wherein Jeff Lemire said this:

The Cyclops Mystery is clearly a very big part of the series and a very big part of what Cullen [Bunn], Dennis [Hopeless] and I have planned for the X-books moving forward. I also realize we may be testing the patience of some fans in prolonging the reveal of what exactly he did, and what exactly happened to him. All I can say at this point is that we have a plan, a very carefully thought out plan, for the Cyclops story and while it may seem like a long time to wait at the moment, I promise that when we do reveal all the pieces, it will make sense and be worth it.

This still begs the question as to what Lemire thinks is "worth it." Right now, the only scenario I can imagine that doesn't completely ruin Cyclops' character and turn him into a complete villain is that there was some sort of mass psychic manipulation. It would be the only way that he could somehow be responsible for M-pox while the Inhumans are basically getting no blame whatsoever for the conflict. There's still nothing to indicate that the 4chan rumor has been debunked. That means it's still possible that Kid Omega or even the Void played a role in this. My only concern is that this would basically be the second time Cyclops was manipulated into committing some sort of egregious act. First, he killed Charles Xavier while under the influence of the Phoenix Force. Then, he unleashes M-pox while under the influence of some other outside force. Manipulation at this point is starting to get old, which makes me hope that Lemire, Hopeless, and Bunn have thought of something nobody here has yet conjured. I'm not sure what it could be. But if they can somehow find a way to make this work without completely destroying Cyclops' character and credibility, then that'll be a testament to their brilliance as writers. If they end up completely discrediting Cyclops after what he accomplished in Uncanny X-men #600, then I think we need to start considering massive retcons a viable solution.

[Beaubier]

I still don't know why Lemire et. al think that continuous saying something happened while not saying what happened is good storytelling. It's one thing to drop clues and hints to gather intrigue and pique our interest, it's another thing entirely to wave in front of our faces that the characters all know something major happened while the audience doesn't. It's not suspenseful, it's just annoying.

[AcesX1X]

I still don't know why Lemire et. al think that continuous saying something happened while not saying what happened is good storytelling. It's one thing to drop clues and hints to gather intrigue and pique our interest, it's another thing entirely to wave in front of our faces that the characters all know something major happened while the audience doesn't. It's not suspenseful, it's just annoying.

that ending to exm was disgusting. i suppose lemire will find some way to pin that one on cyclop too?

[Beaubier]

He kind of already did. Illyana told Sunfire that there 'wouldn't be any anti mutant riots' if he and Cyclops hadn't done whatever they did, so they'd probably just lump this into that.

[FluffyCyclopsRLZ]

If they end up completely discrediting Cyclops after what he accomplished in Uncanny X-men #600, then I think we need to start considering massive retcons a viable solution.

How did they not already do that?

UXM #600 and EXM #1 were released on the very same day, lol. Petty doesn't even begin to cover this one.

He kind of already did. Illyana told Sunfire that there 'wouldn't be any anti mutant riots' if he and Cyclops hadn't done whatever they did, so they'd probably just lump this into that.

The Cyclops/Magik crackship really got to Lemire, didn't it?

[Xoxx]

He kind of already did. Illyana told Sunfire that there 'wouldn't be any anti mutant riots' if he and Cyclops hadn't done whatever they did, so they'd probably just lump this into that.

Cyclops confirmed for leader of Purifiers.

[ariwl1]

They way they're hammering this in they may need a Parallax level retcon to make Cyke usable again in the future.

[AcesX1X]

smh they literally use cyclops as the boogeyman

[somacula]

They way they're hammering this in they may need a Parallax level retcon to make Cyke usable again in the future.

Got an easier one, just say that a skrull did it and that Cyclops didn't made it alive from secret wars

[graffiX]

There's still nothing to indicate that the 4chan rumor has been debunked.

What was the 4chan rumor?

[AcesX1X]

What was the 4chan rumor?

cyclops and most of the (missing) mutants declared all out war on the inhuman and that's why none of them are around.

[Hariel0079]

. If they end up completely discrediting Cyclops after what he accomplished in Uncanny X-men #600, then I think we need to start considering massive retcons a viable solution.

That ending wasn't even earned, and was a massive continuity disaster. I don't blame most if not all writers for ignoring if not retconning it simply due to its poor execution