Warning: Spoilers for X-Men Legends #2
With peace in the galaxy hanging by a thread in the Marvel Comics universe, the existence of yet another brother of the X-Men’s Cyclops may plunge it back into civil war. The Summers (i.e. Scott Summer, aka Cyclops) family line has long been a complex and problematic one. With so many forces fragmenting the family tree it’s impossible, even for the good people at Marvel Comics, to keep track of all members of their clan across all the alternate dimensions and future timelines, not to mention the cloning and genetic experiments.
The latest issue of X-Men Legends (#2), from writer Fabian Nicieza and artists Brett Booth and Adelso Corona, reveals the true origins and identity of Adam Neramani, previously known by the monikers “Adam-X” and “X-Treme”. Engineered from the genetic material of the Shi’ar Emperor D’ken Neramani and Katherine Summers (mother of Cyclops and Havoc), Adam is both half-brother to Cyclops and an heir to the Shi’ar throne. Though innocuous enough, keeping in mind that Adam has no desire for a life outside of Earth, his birthright as the son of D’ken, if weaponized, could derail the whole galaxy.
For additional context, the saga of the Shi’ar began in Chris Claremont’s celebrated run as writer of the X-Men. A massive interstellar civilization, encompassing multitudinous worlds and sentient species, the Shi’ar Empire is comparable in size and power only to the newly formed Kree/Skrull Alliance. When readers were first introduced to the Shi’ar, it was D’ken Neramani who ruled as Majestor of the Empire. However, when D’Ken’s megalomaniacal lust for power put the galaxy at risk, his sister Lilandra opposed his unyielding desire for dominance by violence. This resistance on her part precipitated a civil war, which almost destroyed the universe.
In the current mainstream timeline, Xandra Neramani, the bioengineered daughter of Charles Xavier and the previous Majestrix, Lilandra Neramani, now rules the Shi’ar from the capital world Chandilar. Xandra’s youth and inexperience, compounded by the volatile power dynamics in the galaxy have weakened her hold on the throne. If another heir were to present himself, one—like Adam Neramani—who could consolidate those still loyal to D’Ken’s legacy, the political house of cards holding Xandra up would collapse. The ripples of such an event would soon take on the destructive magnitude of a tsunami. As the spacefaring pirate Corsair, aka Christopher Summers (father of Cyclops), points out in X-Men Legends #2, the ensuing chaos would disrupt the vital trade and faster-than-light travel infrastructure, and, more importantly, lead to the death and/or enslavement of countless civilians. In this specific context of the Legends storyline, Lilandra was Majestrix, but the same outcome would apply if Xandra were supplanted.
This wouldn’t be the first time the Summers family was responsible for civil war within the Shi’ar Empire, either. Before readers were made aware of Adam-X’s parentage and claim to the throne, Gabriel Summers—the youngest of Rachel and Christoper’s children—a powerful mutant with an axe to grind against the Shi’ar Empire staged a coup to overthrow Lilandra. Though he was successful, his moment of glory was fleeting and he was ultimately taken down by the leader of the Inhumans, Black Bolt.
It certainly doesn’t help that a few lightyears away, beyond the border of Shi’ar space, Emperor Hulkling (formerly a member of the Young Avengers) is also having to learn the ropes of galactic leadership, while keeping the peace between two historical enemies: the Kree and the Skrull. It seems as though the political landscape of the Marvel Comics cosmos is on the precipice of upheaval. In light of the X-Men’s, and especially Cyclops’, long history with the Shi’ar, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Adam-X and the rest of the Summers family were to be embroiled once again in determining who will reign as Majestor or Majestrix.