According to the X-Men franchise’s incoming Lead Editor, the polyamorous relationship between Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Cyclops suggested by the Krakoan Era will not carry over into the imminent “From the Ashes” relaunch. Despite the new head of the X-Office’s stance that the compex relationship dynamic was never canon in the first place, many readers feel strongly otherwise.

Posting on Substack, Editor Tom Brevoort responded to a fan question about whether Jean, Scott, and Logan’s relationship status – heavily implied in the Krakoan Era – would be “left behind” with Krakoa. More than just stating that it would be, Brevoort roundly rejected the idea that there was anything of merit to the idea in the first place.

In the process, however, X-Men’s Editor gave some fans of the franchise pause, as the process of retconning some of the vital new aspects if X-lore introduced during the past five years has seemingly already begun.

Editor Tom Brevoort: “No Evidence” Of Cyclops/Jean Grey/Wolverine Polyamory

“From The Ashes” First Retcon

As Krakoan Era’s end came into focus, it became evident there would be changes to more than just Marvel’s roster of X-Men titles, and the franchise’s status quo on the page. Editor Jordan D. White, head of the X-Office since 2018, announced he would be leaving the line after the Krakoan Era’s resolution, to be replaced by Tom Brevoort for the subsequent relaunch, later revealed to be entitled “From the Ashes.” Brevoort has a long, storied career at Marvel, which should not be diminished – but his response to fan questions about the implied Wolverine/Jean Grey/Cyclops romance is surprising.

In 2019, writer Jonathan Hickman spearheaded X–Men’s relaunch, delivering a radical reinterpretation of decades worth of stories. Hickman’s reimagining of classic X-Men dynamics was full of progressive ideas for the franchise. Many of the new storylines and character dynamics the author introduced, he wrestled with directly; yet invariably, some ideas were seeded, but never grew into anything substantial. One of these was the suggestion of a polyamorous relationship between Scott, Jean, and Logan. The possibility of this was alluded to several times early in Hickman’s X-Men run, but was never elaborated on by him, or any subsequent writer.

As Tom Brevoort put it:

I don’t think there was ever much of anything that was on the page in any of the Krakoa stories that said anything of the kind. Jonathan was perhaps cheeky in an interview or two, as is his way, but if it’s not on the page, it’s not on the stage, and I don’t recall there being a lot of on-page action that would need to be addressed.

Brevoort’s comments, taken at face value, are understandable; the hints about the characters’ polyamory were limited. That said, even a faint trace of the idea stoked a disproportionate amount of speculation. Fans gravitated toward the idea; a large segment of Krakoan Era X-Men readers wanted it to be canon, even if it wasn’t “on the page,” or stated unequivocally in the text. This is what is perhaps most surprising about Brevoort’s answer – the way it doesn’t account for subtext, something that has long been pivotal to X-Men storytelling.

X-Men’s Editor Shouldn’t Devalue 1 Of Franchise’s Best Narrative Tools

The House Subtext Built

Of course, as the new Editor of Marvel’s X-Office, Tom Brevoort has to take strong editorial positions. At face value, the “retcon” of an unarticulated plot point, dropped years ago, isn’t controversial; Brevoort, and more importantly Marvel, are simply not interested – at this time – in telling that story. The reason Brevoort’s comments stand out is because of the seeming lack of insight into the fandom’s embrace of the idea. More critically, it devalues the important role of subtext in X-Men stories.

In 2023, the X-Men canonized Mystique and Destiny as Nightcrawler’s biological parents, making overt an idea writer Chris Claremont introduced as deeply buried subtext over forty years ago. More than one of Claremont’s wildest ideas didn’t make it into the text of his stories – but for readers, what is left unsaid can be as important as what appears on the page. The Wolverine/Cyclops/Jean Grey relationship is among the most prominent contemporary examples of that. Though it was never “officially confirmed,” Tom Brevoort’s denial doesn’t account for the ways it was clearly pointed to during Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men tenure.

Most notably, Hickman’s X-Men #1 included a blueprint of the Summers’ family home, which included a room for Wolverine – one that connected directly to Jean’s, just as Cyclops’ did on the opposite side. Fans also inferred a sexual dimension to Scott and Logan’s side of the triangle from dialogue in a subsequent issue, X-Men #7. In each case, Hickman’s intent was evident; even if the current X-Office doesn’t want to pursue that plot point, it will persist as “headcanon” for many fans, at least until it is definitively debunked “on the page.”

Readers Worry New Era Will Regress Wolverine & Cyclops’ Relationship

The Franchise Is Stronger When They’re United

While it is clear that the idea of Scott, Logan, and Jean being in a polyamorous romance won’t be pursued by Marvel any time soon, it is still entirely open to speculation about what Tom Brevoort and X-Men’s writers plan to do with the characters, especially in the long-term. In the near future, “From the Ashes” relaunch will separate the characters, as Jean Grey will embark on a solo adventure, Wolverine will star in a rebooted solo title – as well as a “Red Band” miniseries written by Jonathan Hickman – and Cyclops will anchor one of the new team books.

That said, if one lesson can be taken from the fandom’s enthusiastic approval of Scott/Logan/Jean as a trio, it is that the majority of X-Men readers do not want narratives driven by conflict between the franchise’s central characters. Largely, fans prefer narratives that present them as a united front against a true threat to their existence – something that the Krakoan Era did particularly well with its overarching threat, anti-mutant organization Orchis. Whether they’re physically intimate or not, Cyclops and Logan should remain partners, and allies.

Pitting characters like Wolverine and Cyclops against one another is, in a way, a shortcut to dramatic tension, one that risks undermining what brings fans to the X-franchise in the first place. Though their potential romantic connection was only subtext, that subtext was representative of their unity during the Krakoan Era, especially early in its run. More importantly, the idea of a Jean Grey/Wolverine/Cyclops romance struck a chord with readers, many of whom will continue to adhere to it even if it is officially made non-canon by subsequent X-Men stories.

Source: Substack, Tom Brevoort