WARNING: The following contains spoilers for “Starjammers” #1 part of Heroes Reborn: Hyperion & the Imperial Guard #1, by Ryan Cady, Stephen Byrne and Cory Petit, on sale now.
Saying that Cyclops had had a difficult life would be a gross understatement. Throughout his years with the X-Men, Scott Summers has faced persecution, personal tragedy and even the near-extinction of mutantkind.
However, Heroes Reborn gives Cyclops the life he’s always wanted. While that timeline was mainly built to avoid the formation of the Avengers and replace them as Marvel’s mightiest heroes with the Squadron Supreme of America, the ripples of that those events sent the young mutant down a path to the outer limits of the Marvel Universe. In the “Starjammers” back-up story, part of Heroes Reborn: Hyperion & The Imperial Guard #1, by Ryan Cady and Stephen Byrne, Scott is depicted in a completely different light.
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In this altered reality, young Scott Summers never had to jump from his family plane, as he did during a flashback in 1982’s Uncanny X-Men #156, by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum. Fleeing from the Shi’ar, Scott suffered a head injury when he landed, losing control of his mutant powers. In Heroes Reborn, Cyclops has full control over his powers, using his optic blasts at will with no need for a Ruby-Quartz visor. This is a major boon for Scott, who famously struggled with the uncontrollable nature of his powers in the Marvel Universe.
Moreover, Scott got to grow up alongside his family in the Heroes Reborn world, where he was abducted by the Shi’ar, alongside his father and brother. In the Marvel Universe, Cyclops’ parents were abducted instead, leaving him and his brothers to become orphans.
Over time, Cyclops and his family formed the Starjammers and enjoyed plenty of adventures in space. This is a far cry from the young Scott Summers of Earth-616, who felt isolated, even among the original X-Men sometimes. Not only did Scott get to grow up with most of his family, he was given the chance to roam freely across the cosmos.
Cyclops’ exciting Heroes Reborn life shares several similarities with that of the time-displaced young Cyclops, who went on a space voyage with the Starjammers in 2014’s Cyclops #1, by Greg Rucka and Russell Dauterman. Both versions of the character got a chance to spend time with their father, Corsair, and fight alongside the Starjammers out in space.
The key difference between these two storylines, however, concerns the timing of Cyclops joining the Starjammers. The time-displaced Cyclops didn’t join his father until a while after he’d joined the X-Men, meaning he’d already experienced the persecution and struggles of being a mutant on Earth. More importantly, this Cyclops had already suffered the head injury which made him lose control of his powers.
In Heroes Reborn, Cyclops was abducted straight into Shi’ar space, never experiencing the harsh realities of being a mutant on Earth or losing control of his powers. Additionally, Cyclops got to spend his whole life alongside his brother and father, whereas time-displaced Scott was separated from much of his family at a young age.
It’s clear that this Cyclops is much happier than his Earth-616 counterpart. From the looks of things, this version of Cyclops is much less uptight than he would normally be. At the beginning of the “preview” for a new Starjammers series, Scott is playing with his brother Alex. Cyclops casually shoots his optic blasts toward Alex, making jokes about his powers while doing so.
Based on this brief moment of levity, it’s already clear that Scott has had more of an opportunity to be a kid. Cyclops is 19-years-old in this universe, and it shows in his personality. While Scott did lose his mother at a young age, he still hasn’t suffered the way that his Earth-616 counterpart has.
The Starjammers in Heroes Reborn consist of Cyclops, Havok and Corsair, alongside Corsair’s wife, Hepzibah, which essentially making the team a family enterprise for the Summers. Rocket Raccoon and Groot are also on the team, acting kind of like babysitters for Scott and Alex. It certainly seems like this Cyclops has had a better childhood than his Earth-616 counterpart, surrounded by family and exciting exploits in space.
With all of this in mind, it’s understandable why Cyclops seems so happy. While the main Marvel Universe’s Cyclops is currently quite happy, living amongst his family in the Summer House on the Moon, this Scott had to endure years of hardship to get to this state, robbing him of the childhood that the Cyclops of Heroes Reborn seems to have cherished.
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