Warning: Spoilers ahead for Cable #12 by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto.
Both Cyclops and Captain America are two of the Marvel Universe’s strongest leaders, but when it comes to being the better tactician, Scott Summers has proved that he is second to none. Captain America has been a leader since he became a super-soldier, and Cyclops has been leading the X-Men since his early teens. These two heroes have decades of combined leadership experience, but their respective histories have drastically shaped their leadership styles in different ways.
As a living legend and figurehead of the Avengers, Cap has lived a life of true heroism, and he can afford to trust his team to always have his back. Meanwhile, Scott’s experience as a mutant has more than justified a more cynical attitude, and many would even consider him paranoid. But the final issue of Cable proves that, sometimes, Cyclops’ paranoia pays off.
In Cable #12 by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto, Kid Cable’s confrontation with his evil clone, Stryfe, finally ends – at least in this time period. But when Kid Cable’s allies, alongside the adult Cable, arrive to back him up, it’s clear that while the X-Men will always support him, they may not trust him implicitly. Cable’s girlfriend Esme – one of the Stepford Cuckoos – reveals to the teenaged time-traveler how his father Scott, and his wife Jean Grey, had more than a few reservations about the truth of his identity when he arrived from the future. She even tells the young Cable that Cyclops checked with Emma Frost to see if his son could be a younger version of Stryfe himself. Ever since his arrival, Cyclops has had telepaths constantly monitoring Cable, just to make sure that his fatherly love didn’t blind him to a potential threat in their midst. As a tactician himself, Cable understands why his dad did what he did, and with everything the X-Men have been through, so can the fans.
Captain America is such a good leader because he’s willing to trust his team, and he’s always looking for the good in those around him. But Cyclops’ own experiences as the de facto leader of mutantkind have taught him to never trust anyone blindly – not even himself. Although he confirmed Kid Cable as his own flesh and blood, he knew that he couldn’t remain objective if a conflict involving Cable arose. By bringing in the psychics, Scott found a way to check and balance his own biases for the safety of those around him.
Contrastly, Captain America can oftentimes come off as trusting his fellow heroes, sometimes to a fault. Steve is a natural leader of men, but Scott is a leader of mutants and has spent the majority of his life fighting against persecution and even extinction. It’s no wonder that he’d naturally be more cynical than the Star-Spangled Avenger, and in this case, it paid off.
Cyclops may not have always been the best father, but when it comes to being a tactician, Scott is as good as they come. While the leadership skills of Captain America are legendary, so are his optimism and faith in his team. Fortunately for Kid Cable, those aren’t always traits shared by his dear old dad, Cyclops.