CYCLOPS: Page 2 of 20

Publication Date: 14th Nov 2019
Image Work: sixhoursoflucy and Gremlin.
Biography

BIOGRAPHY - Page 2

Their arrival at the Jean Grey (memorial) School for Higher Learning naturally threw the future X-Men into chaos, made only worse when the older Beast collapsed due to an illness he had been concealing mere minutes after arrival. As the X-Men rushed to stabilize old Hank, the original five X-Men found a television and saw a broadcast of old Cyclops declaring a mutant revolution. Needing to confront himself, Scott and the others stole a Blackbird to intercept the rogue Cyclops. At a college in Dallas, Cyclops came face-to-face with Cyclops and his ally, Magneto. Jean's latent telepathy had been catalyzed by the trauma of time travel and she saw in future Scott's mind that everything future Hank said was true. The situation flew out of control as Cyclops and Cyclops traded optic blasts before the future version fled. [All-New X-Men (1st series) #2-4]

Cyclops could not reconcile his own mind with what he had seen and heard about his future self. As the original five X-Men returned to the mansion, Hank went to work trying to cure his older self's condition while Scott was confronted by Wolverine and the rest of the current X-Men. Wolverine went so far as to suggest killing the young Cyclops in hopes that it would mean Professor Xavier would be alive again. Beast was stabilized but, when he prepared to send the original five home, Jean refused. She had seen into Hank's mind during the procedure and knew the entire history of the X-Men from his perspective. Jean insisted the team stay and fix things before returning to the past. Scott, Hank and Bobby voted with her to stay, for Scott couldn't accept the idea of being mind-wiped and sent home, unable to prevent the fate he had seen for himself. However, after what she had seen of their future, Jean no longer wanted anything to do with him either. [All-New X-Men (1st series) #5]

The next day, Cyclops took it upon himself to find answers. He stole Wolverine's bike and made his way into Manhattan, seeing the world as it currently stood. Scott checked in at a safety deposit box he still kept in a local bank, and found a storehouse for mementos of a life he had not yet lived. Most poignant among the box's contents was a wedding invitation for Scott Summers and Jean Grey. The shape-shifter Mystique found Scott at the bank and made contact with him, offering him her own version of mutant affairs, and sowing seeds of doubt that the X-Men were telling him everything about his future. Scott returned to the mansion and wordlessly passed the wedding invitation on to Jean, showing that he knew what she picked up from Hank's mind. [All-New X-Men (1st series) #6-7]

In the past, the original five X-Men had not yet fully gelled as a team, and their dynamic was hopelessly thrown off by their new situation. Kitty Pryde began training the team as "Professor K" but the group as a whole was no longer willing to listen to Cyclops as leader. Meanwhile, Jean was becoming more assertive with her newfound telepathy and, without Professor Xavier to guide her, she became prone to violating people's privacy. She alerted Kitty to Scott's meeting with Mystique before Scott had time to fully process what he had been told. The cracks in the group shone through fully when future Cyclops arrived at the mansion with his allies Magneto, Emma Frost and Magik, recruiting for his own rival New Xavier School. Angel chose to join them, sick of what he saw as inaction and hypocrisy at the Jean Grey School. Scott putting his foot down as team leader and even Jean's attempts at mind control would not dissuade him. [All-New X-Men (1st series) #8-11]

When Mystique and her Brotherhood used illusions to frame the original five X-Men for a series of bank heists, Cyclops and his team were confronted by the Avengers Unity Squad. Scott was amazed to find his younger brother Alex was leader of these Avengers as a mutant hero named Havok. He also slowly learned more about the death of Professor Xavier and was finally informed that adult Cyclops was possessed by Dark Phoenix at the time and may not have been in full control of himself. [All-New X-Men (1st series) #12-14]

The time came when the original X-Men and adult Cyclops' team both appeared to confront the same new mutant criminal. In that battle, the Sentinels also attacked, leading young Scott to being fatally injured. Scott actually died for a few moments before being brought back by the New Xavier School's healer, Triage. In those moments, adult Cyclops had vanished and time itself seemed to shake. The message was clear: the original five were threatening all of existence by remaining in the present. They had to return to their own time and be mind-wiped by Professor Xavier. Scott and Jean were the most adamant against this decision, unwilling to submit to a future fate of being dead or a murderer.

Things became even more chaotic when a group of X-Men from further in the future arrived in the present to insist the original five return to where they belong. It seemed the O5 did not return in the original timeline, resulting in disaster. Jean attempted to probe the minds of these new arrival, though, and found they were blocking her. She telepathically contacted Scott and told him they needed to run. He immediately agreed. Jean caused a distraction and they stole a Blackbird before anyone could stop them.

On the run, Jean finally apologized to Scott for distancing herself from him. She knew he wasn't responsible for what his future self had done, but she just couldn't handle the idea of her future being fixed, the good times or the bad. Scott told her he understood and how appreciative he was that she reached out to him for the escape. He was on the verge of expressing his full feelings when the other X-Men caught up to them. Jean sent out a telepathic SOS to Scott's adult self, bringing another faction into the mix.

The complications continued to arise as the present X-Men learned their visitors from the future were actually an incarnation of the Brotherhood. Even stranger, the Brotherhood tried to send the original five home on the time cube, but it refused to respond. The O5 were trapped in the present, for good or for ill. Professor K had supported her students' right to make their own decisions throughout the entire affair, and felt the Jean Grey School was no longer a good place for the original five. In the end, she took them all to the New Xavier School under adult Cyclops' protection for the foreseeable future. [Battle of the Atom crossover] At their new base, Cyclops overheard Jean and Hank talking. He learned Jean and Hank had kissed before the future X-Men arrived, and Jean had actually reached out to Hank first to escape, but Hank had said no. Scott Summers remained stoic out loud, but his mind screamed a few things Jean would rather not have heard. [All-New X-Men (1st series) #18]

In the days that followed, Scott had a heart-to-heart with his future self about Charles Xavier and what had really happened on that horrible day. [Uncanny X-Men (3rd series) #18] The original five X-Men also confronted the Purifiers, religious zealots who hated mutants as an abomination in the eyes of God. They rescued X-23, Wolverine's teenage female clone, before the Purifiers could hunt her down. It was pretty weird for everyone when young Scott formed a bond with Laura and was clearly attracted to her. [All-New X-Men (1st series) #19-21]

The Shi'ar eventually learned of young Jean's existence and came to Earth to kidnap her, intending to put her on trial for the Phoenix's actions. Thanks to the Guardians of the Galaxy, Cyclops and the X-Men were able to pursue Jean into space. They were also joined by the Guardians' allies, the Starjammers, and young Scott learned for the first time that his father was still alive and living as a pirate in space. Once Jean was rescued, Scott decided he just couldn't pass up the opportunity to get to know his father again. He said good-bye to Jean and Laura and chose to remain in space with Corsair as one of the Starjammers. [The Trial of Jean Grey crossover]