Warning! Spoilers ahead for Uncanny X-Men #11!Rogue is finally guiding her own team ofX-Men, and as she grows into the role, sheis starting to lead likeCyclops, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Currently, Rogue and Cyclops are feuding, but I’m certain the last thing the X-Men need is their heroes engaging in yet another fight with one another, andI’d like to believe Rogue’s new perspective is the key to ending it.
InUncanny X-Men#11 – written by Gail Simone, with art by Andrei Bressan – Rogue andthe X-Men are training the Outliers, but Rogue decides to tell the X-Men to kick it up a notch, resulting in Gambit hurting Jitter. Rogue has been very adamant about not following Cyclops’ path as leader, yet at that moment, Jubilee tells Rogue she’s acting exactly like Scott Summers would.
The X-Men often call out Cyclops for being too uptight and rigid, but I believe Rogue is right to act like him, because she’s preparing the kids to survive a world teeming with enemies.
Rogue Was Afraid of Being Like Cyclops, But Now She Recognizes The Value Of His Leadership Approach
Uncanny X-Men#11 – Written By Gail Simone; Art By Andrei Bressan; Color By Matthew Wilson; Lettering By Clayton Cowles
While Cyclops and Wolverine have been the more prominent duo to butt heads, especially consideringtheir infamous love triangle with Jean Grey, Cyclops has also been a long-time skeptic of Rogue. Within theX-Men: Massiah Complexcrossover event and the “X-Men Supernova” storyline, there were very prominent moments where Cyclops clashed with Rogue, critiquing her choices of teammates and her leadership methods. I like how the current storyline is calling back to Rogue and Cyclops' previous altercations, but I can’t help but feeltheir present animosity towards one another feels contrived.
Does Rogue Belong with the Avengers or X-Men? Marvel Might Just Change Your Mind
Rogue may be widely recognized as a member of the X-Men, but there’s an argument to be made that she’s also a perfect fit for the Avengers.
Cyclops is one of the X-Men’s best leaders, but he’s straight-laced and domineering, a quality that conflicts with Rogue’s headstrong nature, and, factoring in their previous conflicts, I believe this is the main reason Rogue is afraid of becoming like Cyclops. Rogue, like Wolverine, doesn’t like Cyclops’ controlling mindset,but she can’t deny that his way of leading has its merits.Coming hot off the heels ofthe fall of Krakoaand before their altercation at Graymalkin Prison, Rogue and Cyclops' initial disdain for one another comes out of nowhere, which makes me feel like they shouldn’t currently be fighting.
I Really Don’t Want Rogue & Cyclops To Become The Next Professor X & Magneto
Rogue Considering Cyclops’ Perspective Is The Right Move
InUncanny X-Men#9, Rogue tells Scott she’ll never be him and he’ll never be Professor X; however, even if Rogue’s harshness towards the young X-Men recruits emulates Cyclops, she is ultimately understanding how Cyclops thinks as a leader. One of the major driving forces for Rogue and Cyclops' feud, as well as the wedge that’s dividing the X-Men, is how they feel about their former mentor, Professor Charles Xavier. Cyclops is tired of following Professor X and believes he should remain imprisoned while Rogue still has a soft spot for the mentor who believed in her.
I don’t believe for a second that the Rogue and Cyclops dynamic could reach the intense heights of Professor X and Magneto’s, so this new direction shows promise.
There have beenparallels that align Cyclops with Magnetoand Rogue with Professor X, butI can’t get behind Rogue and Cyclops becoming the X-Men’s new big rivalry, which is why this glimpse of Rogue operating more like Cyclops is exciting. Magneto and Professor X have such an iconic and complex relationship, and this feud was undoubtedly a defining factor inmany great X-Men stories, but their dynamic took years to develop. I don’t believe for a second that the Rogue and Cyclops dynamic could reach the intense heights of Professor X and Magneto’s, so this new direction shows promise.
Cyclops vs Rogue Officially Changes the Meaning of the X-Men’s Logo (& Replaces the Franchise’s Xavier vs Magneto Rivalry)
As X-Men enters a new era, Magneto vs Xavier is being replaced by Cyclops vs Rogue, as the former friends embrace different visions of the future.
Rogue and Cyclops may not be “replacing” Xavier and Magneto, but when Gambit alludes that their fight at Greymalkin felt like the end of the X-Men, I began to worry this rivalry would have a longer staying period than need be. Magneto and Xavier’slong-standing relationship is a dynamic unique to them and can’t easily be emulated.The fact that Rogue is starting to act like Cyclops means their situation isn’t nearly as black-and-white as being Magneto and Xavier’s replacements, and I’m interested in seeing how Rogue develops as a more prominent leader.
Rogue Is Starting To See From Cyclops’ Perspective, and I Hope This Puts An End To Their Feud
I’m Tired Of X-Men Fighting Each Other
Jubilee’s jab at Rogue for being like Cyclops was meant to be negative, and Rogue’s actions did result in getting Jitter hurt, yet I liked Rogue’s reasoning for why she was so hard on the new X-Men kids; She’s thinking about the harsh reality of being both a hero and a mutant.I hope there are more moments where Rogue better understands Cyclops’ perspective and vice versa. Rogue and Cyclops' anger towards one another doesn’t hold the samebaggage that Xavier and Magneto did, so it should be much more straightforward for the two X-Men to settle their disparities.
The X-Men Franchise Has Changed for Good and One Line Proves It: “We Are Not His Child Soldiers”
While Charles Xavier was once viewed as an essential mentor to the X-Men, several branches of the team are now rejecting him in a major lore change.
The X-Men have moved far beyond the Magneto and Xavier feud, and there is no significant reason it needs to be replaced with Rogue and Cyclops' growing divide. The idea of Rogue and Cyclops beginning to see eye-to-eye allows the X-Men the opportunity to be better than their predecessors and to learn from Charles and Magneto’s mistakes rather than simply becoming like them.Roguefeared becoming likeCyclops, but now that she is in a position to do precisely that, it may make her a much better leader and ultimately save theX-Menfrom falling into another long-lasting rivalry.
