Thursday, February 10, 2011

Rumors for X-men in 2012: Wolverine vs. Cyclops

I normally don't post rumors about the future of comics. To me that's like speculating on what Lady Gaga is going to wear next. It's an impossible task. However, just recently the fine folk at www.bleedingcool.com reported some potentially groundbreaking news about the future of the X-men comics. A reporter from the claims a reputable comic source (which can be code for some stranger he did coke with in the bathroom of a gay bar for all we know) says that Marvel has laid out plans for 2012.

Bleeding Cool - Wolverine's X-men And Cyclops's X-men for 2012?

Since the Messiah Trilogy began, the mutant race in Marvel comics has been united in it's struggle for survival. Now that the war is over and the mutant race is safe with the return of Jean Gre-I mean Hope Summers, everyone has to adjust to a new mentality. Some don't adjust as well as others. With no enemy to fight, the mutant race will start to bicker again. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Marvel couldn't keep all the mutants united together, singing songs around a camp fire and making jokes about Emma Frost's bra size. Something has to give and it seems that Fear Itself, Marvel's next big event, will be the line of coke that's one high too much. Remember this teaser?


Well assuming it's not bullshit, Cyclops is going to have to confront what fans have been bitching about since Messiah Complex. Him being the leader of the mutant race has led him to cross lines he never used to cross. He's become someone that even Magneto bows to. In that sense, he may become the very thing he once fought against. So if Bleeding Cool isn't reading coded messages from the walls on the mens room of a gas station on the Jersey Turnpike, Cyclops may finally humble himself in a way he hasn't been humbled since he swapped souls with Apocalypse. It may lead him to rethink how he handles the team and not everyone would go along with it. Wolverine, the guy who spent much of his time trying to steal Cyclops's wife, may not go along with it. It could set the stage for a divided X-men that will make for a big transition for the X-men.

I love this idea, Wolverine and Cyclops leading different teams of the X-men. If this rumor is true and not some bullshit speculation from a guy who smoked too much weed, I think it would make for some great stories. It's about time that Cyclops reconnect with his more Xavier-ish roots. Wolverine, being the guy behind X-Force now, might not agree with that. Others like Hellion and Namor probably wouldn't agree with it either. So they would side with Magneto and let's face it, Magneto was never going to remain a good guy. It seems to relate to what Kieron Gillen said about winning the war and now winning the peace. I don't think anyone would be surprised if factions started breaking off. But Cyclops vs. Wolverine? Can't get much better than that!

Actually, I know of a way it could be better. I would LOVE it if Emma Frost actually broke rank for once and sided with Wolverine instead of Cyclops. Ever since Astonishing, wherever Cyclops has gone Emma Frost went along like an obedient dog. She's supported him even as he became the undisputed mutant dictator of the mutant race. She even encourages it, which would somewhat explain why Cyclops has crossed lines he didn't used to cross. If he stops crossing those lines, then what's Emma to do? He won't be the same powerful man he once was. Emma has always had a thing for powerful men and if Cyclops isn't so powerful anymore, he may not tickle her fancy as he once did. She also won't be able to take advantage of his position and for Emma Frost, that's a big problem.

Maybe it's just me, but the Cyclops/Emma relationship has become too bland. It's everything people used to criticize about the Cyclops/Jean Grey relationship except Cyclops and Jean Grey had history and chemistry on their side. The pairing isn't going anywhere. Even Matt Fraction, the biggest fanboy of this pairing, stated they're not getting married. They haven't really done much of anything with this pairing since Joss Whedon left. So here's a chance for them to really shake it up. If Emma sees Cyclops pulling back, how would she react? Beyond being a girlfriend, she does have mutant kind's best interests at heart. If she doesn't feel Cyclops embodies that anymore, she won't follow his plans.

I would love for this to happen, but I doubt it will. We don't even know if this rumor is true. I believe Cyclops is set up to lose his rank as the top leader of the mutant race and I believe the Cyclops/Emma relationship has lost all sense of depth. But for the moment, it doesn't seem as though Marvel or Kieron Gillen want to do anything with it. So I'm left to take the skeptical, cynical approach. I would love to be proven wrong, but time and again my pessimism tends to pan out more than any optimism I can hope to fane

Overall, I hope Bleeding Cool knows what they're doing. I also hope that Marvel finds time in between the clear up that whole Hope/Jean issue that's driving so many fans like me crazy. It's an exciting time for the X-books. Second Coming set the stage for all sorts of changes. Besides the Mayan prophecy, 2012 looks to be an eventful year. All I can say to that is Excelsior!

Jack

7 comments:

  1. I think it would be even better if in addition to Emma siding with Wolvie, that X-23 would side with Cyke. The tension would be so thick that we'd need adamantium claws in order to cut it.

    Rothstien-Smash

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  2. I agree completely. If Emma sided with Wolverine, that would be a huge twist that would really shake things up. Cyclops and Emma haven't been interesting since Whedon left. I think that relationship has run it's course. This would be a great way to shift it around a bit. However, I get the sense that because it makes so much sense that Marvel won't do it. They've resisted every opportunity to shake up Emma and Cyclops. I find that horribly hypocritical because they used to threaten to break up Cyclops and Jean Grey all the time. Now they won't do it with Emma. I'm very pessimistic when it comes to how Emma is handled in the X-books. I'm confident it'll be disappointing, but I would love to be surprised.

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  3. The other thing I hope comes out of this is a return for Professor X (again, hoping some of this is true), but not as the overall leader. To return to that would be going backwards, but he could be used as a trusted adviser (and father figure Marvel!).

    Rothstien-Smash

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  4. I agree. Professor X has been sidelined for too long. He put the X in X-men for crying out loud! He should have a greater position in the team. Cyclops has been running the show for too long. The war is over. Cyclops is good at war, but not peace. That's why Charles Xavier needs to step up.

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  5. Man you give good points there...other than fighting over one woman, why not fight over leadership of the remaining mutants? Both of them may have good points...more like a Civil war between mutants...

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  6. Thanks! And I agree. Wolverine and Cyclops are so different and always at each others' throats. It makes perfect sense that they would clash with one another when the time came for mutants to divide. It was easy to stay united when they were going extinct. Now the stakes have changed. Wolverine has seen Cyclops make all sorts of questionable decisions. Something has to give sooner or later. I think the time is right for them to be enemies.

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  7. Quando a Jean Aparecer quem sabe ela não une wolverine com cyclops,
    quanto ao "slogan", não sei não mas parece que o jogo vai se inverter, antes a jean era a destruidora do universo e cyclops o bonzinho, agora o cyclopvira magneto e jean a mocinha do grupo;>

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