Warning: Spoilers for X-Men #1
Scott Summer hasn’t always been the cheeriest mutant in the group, but Cyclops has a new outlook on life – and it flies in the face of a famous X-Men motto. Scott has gone through plenty of phases in his time with the team, ranging from stoic to anxious to sullen. But Cyclops has rarely been so hopeful, and that has everything to do with where the X-Men are as a people in X-Men #1 by Gerry Duggan and Pepe Larraz.
More than once, the X-Men have welcomed their newest members with a phrase: “Welcome to the X-Men, hope you survive the experience!” The phrase started with none other than Kitty Pryde and has more or less continued to this day. But now that things are finally looking up for the X-Men, and their survival is a lot more guaranteed thanks to Krakoa, Cyclops’ new attitude doesn’t seem to reflect the classic X-Men saying.
This debut issue also includes the first appearance of the X-Men’s newest Manhattan base: The Treehouse. Grown from Krakoan flowers in the heart of New York City, the Treehouse has everything that the X-Men will need, and according to Scott, a few things he hopes they won’t. As Cyclops is showing his old friend and new teammate Polaris around their botanical base, he takes her to the medical bay, which he describes as, “hopefully used the least.” The bay has the required medical components, but Scott notes that if things get too bad, they can always use the Krakoan Gates to get to the Healing Gardens on their island home. Polaris retorts that if things get even worse, Krakoa’s resurrection protocols are always an option, to which Scott replies “I sure hope not.” This hope in the face of danger – to the point that he doesn’t expect his team to need their own medical bay – shows a lot of growth from Cyclops and paints the X-Men’s famous “hope you survive” line in a new light.
While the classic X-Men welcome has typically been said in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, there’s always been a ring of truth to the saying. The X-Men lead dangerous lives, and unfortunately, they aren’t always long ones. But Cyclops’ new demeanor shows underlying confidence in the survival of his team. As Polaris points out, if anything too tough for their med bay to handle happened to the X-Men, they’ve got near-limitless resources to heal or even resurrect them.
Scott knows this, but he’s still confident that things won’t get bad enough for that to happen. New outlook or not, Cyclops is far too tactical to believe that their new team won’t face any challenges. Instead, it’s clear that he expects plenty of opposition, but he trusts his team – with Krakoa behind them – are strong enough to handle anything that comes their way. If this debut issue is any indication, that’s certainly going to be the case. It’s taken a long time, but Cyclops finally knows his friends will survive the experience. Now, their enemies can only hope that they survive the new X-Men.