By [ad_1]
Cyclops’s fate in the Age of X reality bears tragic similarities to the backstory of Rachel Summers from the Days of Future Past timeline.
X-Men comics have often visited the idea of grim potential futures or alternate realities, from the “Days of Future Past” storyline in the 80s to the more recent House of X/Powers of X series. In some realities, mutants are hunted down because of their powers, while mutants persecute humans in others. One aspect of these stories that tends to stay consistent is that the versions of the X-Men we meet in these realities are far worse off than the versions we know and love.
The Age of X storyline that spun out of the X-Men Legacy series written by Mike Carey featured one of these dystopian alternate realities. In this world, humans have hunted mutants to near extinction. The last surviving mutants hide together in Fortress X, using their powers to prevent humans from getting to them. Cyclops is one of the leaders, but he is known as Basilisk in this reality. Before escaping from Alcatraz to Fortress X, prison warden Arcade forced Scott to execute mutant prisoners using his optic blasts. This horrific trauma bears some similarity to the fate of Cyclops’ daughter from another alternate timeline: Rachel Summers from Earth-811, the Days of Future Past storyline.
On Earth-811, growing anti-mutant sentiment resulted in the creation of mutant concentration camps and the persecution of mutants by giant robot Sentinels. In this timeline, Rachel Summers was born to Cyclops and Jean Grey and developed psychic mutant abilities. However, Ahab, a man who used mind-controlled mutant “Hounds” to hunt down other mutants, abducted her. He turned her into one of his Hounds and forced her to use her telepathy for hunting down members of her kind. When found, these mutants would be sent into concentration camps and killed. She eventually managed to free herself from his mind control and escape the timeline entirely, finding refuge on Earth-616, but the trauma that Ahab inflicted on her still lingers.
Both Cyclops and Rachel live in realities where humans are trying to exterminate mutants. Humans captured and weaponized them both against mutants. After Cyclops’ capture, Arcade had the mutant’s eyelids removed, making it impossible for Scott to control his blasts without some other tool. Forced to wear a mask covering his eyes to contain his blasts, he could only wait for the inevitable. Whenever the prison gained more mutant prisoners to execute, Arcade would simply aim Cyclops and remove the mask. With no way to stop himself, Scott would unleash an optic blast, killing the inmate immediately. In this way, Arcade violated Cyclops’s bodily autonomy to force the X-Man to commit horrific acts.
While not as gruesomely as her father, Rachel also experienced a violation of bodily autonomy. As a mind-controlled Hound, Rachel was treated almost like an animal, put on a leash, and directed to sniff out mutants with her psychic powers. Ahab tattooed her face with stripes to brand her as a Hound. The violation of Rachel’s mind and body was incredibly traumatic for her, as was the knowledge that she had been used to kill members of her own kind.
In realities where humans are trying to exterminate mutants, there is a cruel irony in these two mutants having their powers forcibly turned against their kind. For readers, it is especially horrifying to see such heroic characters as Cyclops and his daughter Rachel forced to commit such atrocious acts.
About The Author
[ad_2]
