During the infamous Avengers vs. X-Men event the mutant hero Cyclops, leader of the X-Men, brutally killed his mentor and adoptive father Charles Xavier, something Scott may be forced to do again soon. Although Scott originally killed Xavier while under the immense influence of the Phoenix Force, he has repeatedly stated that he would have done all of it again because he helped to restart and save the mutant race, something he might need to do again as Xavier descends into an egotistical pseudo-villain.
It seems like ever since the two leaders were brought back from the dead in the lead up to Jonathan Hickman’s acclaimed 2019 relaunch of the X-Men franchise in House of X/Powers of X, Cyclops and Professor X have resolved their issues and regained their respect and love for each other. However, this might make Xavier’s betrayals of the X-Men and Krakoa even worse, and his increasing ego has made Cyclops lose faith in his mentor once again, potentially forcing him to once again put down his beloved Professor.
Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men #1 (2019) – illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu – is a stunning introduction to the new mutant status quo after the events of House of X/Powers of X. It immediately establishes how important the relationship between Charles and Scott is, with a flashback to the first time the Professor gave Summers his ruby quartz glasses that allow him to open his eyes. After the horrifying events of Avengers vs. X-Men, then Inhumans vs. X-Men, Scott is clearly desperate to believe that the promise of Utopia that Charles made to him has finally come true on Krakoa. Yet it turns out that much of the Krakoan Utopia is a lie, with Charles and Magneto secretly working with Moira X, now revealed to be a truly horrendous evil villain, to create the nation of Krakoa. Scott Summers has been mistrustful of the Quiet Council for a while now, even before Emma Frost revealed Xavier’s betrayal to Scott in this year’s special X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2022 by Gerry Duggan, Kris Anka, Russell Dauterman, Matteo Lolli and Carlos Villa. Now, Cyclops might not be able to turn a blind eye anymore.
Charles Xavier has always been a complex and manipulative leader, but it is becoming more and more apparent that the Professor truly views himself as a God. His leadership around Moira’s secret, the use of the Pit, and a variety of other manipulations reveal that Charles may end up being the X-Men’s biggest roadblock to a stable future. Specifically, Frost shows Scott how Charles mindwiped Reed Richards, prompting Summers to exclaim, “What?!… Did they reboot the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants when I wasn’t looking?” Later in X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2022 it is also revealed that Forge, one of the newest members of the X-Men, has been working on a dangerous and secret project for Xavier, just one more secret in a long line of hidden machinations that Charles is responsible for.
It appears that Emma Frost, Scott Summers, and Jean Grey, are going to need to form a close secret partnership to find a way to keep Xavier in line, preventing him from destroying all of Krakoa with his explosive ego. However, Charles is notoriously hard to control, or convince that he is incorrect. So Cyclops might have no other choice than to kill the Professor to get back control of Krakoa and stop Charles Xavier from ruining the future of the X-Men and all mutantkind.
