Warning! Spoilers for X-Men Red #1 ahead!
As the first member of the X-Men to die in a comic, Thunderbird perhaps deserves more respect than he is shown in the first issue of X-Men Red. In Marvel Comics history, the Second Genesis X-Men from 1975's Giant-Size X-Men #1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum are an iconic lineup of mutants. One among these was John Proudstar, aka Thunderbird, an Apache warrior with enhanced physical attributes. His surname is fitting, because it is his pride and passion that got him killed in only their second mission together. But now that any mutant can be resurrected on Krakoa, he’s been brought back, and he’s got a few scores to settle.
In X-Men Red #1 by Al Ewing and Stefano Caselli, the mutants have successfully colonized Mars and terraformed it into the new planet Arakko, named for the sister island of Krakoa. Storm sits as its Grand Regent, and finds herself faced with the great assignment of uniting “two disparate mutant cultures.” It is no easy task, especially when personal vendettas flare, like the one held by Vulcan: the Omega-level younger brother of Scott and Alex Summers. He bursts into a bar owned by Sunspot and assaults him, spouting a string of aggrandizing statements about how he’s Krakoan royalty, only to be interrupted by a hand on his shoulder and the hulking presence behind it. Having heard him announce his last name, John Proudstar asks if Vulcan knows Cyclops, and when the solar-powered mutant answers “He’s my brother,” Proustar turns the tables in the scuffle quite quickly by clocking him in the jaw and attaching a message: “You can tell your brother I said go f— himself.”
This attitude tracks given how at odds Thunderbird and Cyclops were when they first met. James took to calling Scott “One-Eye” derogatorily and was consistently disobedient to his commands. This insubordination against Cyclops—and Xavier as well—is what led him to leap atop Count Nefaria’s getaway jet and pound it with his fists until the aircraft exploded, killing him instantly. It would seem that resurrection has not quelled his temper, nor his desire to get even with his former captain by any means necessary.
The closest Thunderbird gets to confronting Cyclops is when Cable arrives on scene to collect his uncle. Incapacitating Vulcan with a telekinetic choke, Cable surmises that perhaps Cyclops will be able to penetrate his baby brother’s mania. But in the process of leaving he chastises Proudstar for escalating an already dangerous situation and tells him that he needs to watch his temper; perhaps take a few pointers from his own younger brother James, the mutant known as Warpath. John tells “One-Eye Junior” that while he’s proud of his brother, he’d never have let the X-Men turn him into a soldier if he’d had his say. This is where the time traveler reminds John that he wasn’t there because he “had a plane to catch.”
It’s a chilling minimization of events, but perhaps it isn’t entirely unwarranted. Proudstar was reckless and threw his life away with abandon simply to prove a point. He clearly wasn’t thinking about his brother or anyone but himself when he attacked that plane, he only wanted to prove that he had the strength to take Nefaria down on his own. Still it's a pity all this animosity continues to brew, because the beef has long been squashed on Cyclops’ end. Maybe this new series will provide an opportunity for James and Scott to make amends in person. Indeed the fact that Thunderbird was brought back to life at all proves the X-Men are willing to give him another chance, should he choose to accept it.