When Marvel Studios finally adds mutants to the MCU, the central protagonist - and leader - of the new X-Men movies should be Cyclops. For the most part, 20th Century Fox's X-Men movies put the focus on Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, but for the MCU, a far different approach is needed. Marvel should make a different character take center stage, and the perfect candidate for this role is Cyclops, whose real name is Scott Summers. After all, in the comics, Cyclops was the original field leader of the X-Men. So going back to basics for the reboot makes sense.
Thanks to the Fox-Disney deal, Marvel has regained the rights to two of its biggest properties, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Though it doesn't have complete ownership of Spider-Man, Hulk, or Namor the Sub-Mariner, it does have Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Marvel's Merry Mutants, and Marvel's First Family all united under one roof. For years, fans have wondered what Marvel Studios would do if they had access to Doctor Doom, Wolverine, Jean Grey, and the Thing, and it may not be too long before those questions are answered. With Marvel wrapping up the stories of many of its most important characters, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four represent the future of the MCU.
Marvel already has a complete lineup of movies and TV shows through 2021, but what comes next (aside from Black Panther 2) is open to speculation. Fantastic Four is confirmed to be in development, and though Marvel has avoided talking about the X-Men, there's no question that these characters will have a part to play at some point in Marvel's future. What's not clear is how they'll be used, or exactly which characters will be selected to bring the team into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The popular choice is, of course, the X-Men's flagship character, Wolverine, but this role should go to Cyclops instead.
Marvel's X-Men Movies Shouldn't Focus On Wolverine
When Marvel starts making its own X-Men movies, it's important for them to stand apart from the Fox series. Fox's X-Men franchise included seven movies in the main series, five solo movies split between Wolverine and Deadpool, and a spinoff about a new team (The New Mutants). The original X-Men trilogy featured a number of prominent X-Men characters, such as Cyclops (James Marsden), Rogue (Anna Paquin), Storm (Halle Berry), Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), and more, but the main character was Wolverine. With Hugh Jackman in the lead role, Fox's X-Men movies took what was already a popular character and rocketed him to a whole new level of stardom. Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine really took off with audiences.
Wolverine was the main protagonist throughout the trilogy. The next series of X-Men movies moved away from Wolverine, but brought him back to be the lead character again for X-Men: Days of Future Past. But even when the X-Men weren't starring in Fox's X-Men movies, Jackman's Wolverine still had a strong presence in its universe; the character starred in three solo movies. Wolverine's importance to the success experienced by Fox's X-Men movies cannot be denied, but that doesn't mean these movies should serve as a template for what Marvel needs to do with the X-Men. Who will play Wolverine in the MCU and take over for Jackman is a hot topic among fans, but focusing on Wolverine - just like Fox's movies did - may not be the right direction for Marvel to take. Instead of creating comparisons to Jackman's Wolverine and recreating the same formula, Marvel Studios should avoid this altogether and instead of trying top or even equal the previous version of the character, Marvel should look toward a different hero to lead the X-Men franchise. After all, Wolverine is just one of dozens of X-Men characters. The next best option is Cyclops.
The X-Men Movies Never Delivered A Proper Cyclops
The focus on Wolverine in the original X-Men trilogy meant that the other heroes were more like supporting characters, and this applied to James Marsden's Cylcops as well, who served as an obstacle to Wolverine, partially because of his romantic interest in Jean Grey. The movies showcased Cyclops' feud with Wolverine - which is an important aspect of their comic book relationship - but the moments where Cyclops was able to display the qualities of a proven leader were few and far between. The handling of Cyclops' death in X-Men: The Last Stand was highly criticized because it gave a prominent character a weak send-off, and it took years for Fox to make a new attempt at fixing the problems with Cyclops.
Cyclops was ignored in X-Men: First Class, and though he was on the team in X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, Tye Sherdian's take on the character never had an opportunity to shine. Cyclops was a member of the team in a superficial sense, but he was never the central character or the team leader. In Dark Phoenix, his concern for Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) dominated his arc in the movie, as it had done in so many other films. Despite numerous appearances in the X-Men movies, Fox never gave audiences a proper adaptation of the comic book hero, who is a good-natured and capable hero that has led the X-Men on countless adventures.
Cyclops Can Lead The X-Men In The MCU
Marvel Studios can create its own series of X-Men movies and differentiate it from Fox's by doing what Fox could not and deliver a proper version of the fan-favorite X-Men hero. With Cyclops, Marvel can show that the MCU doesn't need Wolverine. The comics have already shown how this can work. In Marvel Comics, Cyclops is a hero who always tries to do the right thing and lead his team effectively, even though he often has people like Wolverine questioning his decision-making and challenging his authority. Cyclops, who sometimes has doubts about his own capabilities, perseveres and always finds a way to overcome his obstacles. Years of being in the field has turned Cyclops into an expert tactician who knows more than a few things about leadership.
An X-Men movie made by Marvel can finally bring out these qualities in a live-action Cyclops. Not only is this what fans want from the character, but it may also be exactly what the MCU needs for its X-Men movies. One of the reasons why Wolverine and Cyclops argue so much in the comics and in the movies is because how different the clean-cut Cyclops is to the much more aggressive Wolverine, who doesn't share Cyclops' moral compass. So having a hero like Cyclops lead Marvel's X-Men movies could be the best place to take the franchise.
