If your only knowledge of the X-Men came from the Fox franchise that ran for two decades before concluding in disappointing fashion when The New Mutants finally landed in theaters with a thud earlier this year, then you’d be forgiven for being completely unaware that Cyclops is the strong and determined leader of the team, as well as one of the most influential characters in comic book history.
Across a dozen movies, Scott Summers was never really given anything important to do, with James Marsden generally shunted into the background as Wolverine’s love rival and Tye Sheridan’s younger version largely existing as a plot device to further Jean Grey’s arc. Fans will be hoping that the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s upcoming reboot will finally do Cyclops justice on the big screen, then, after watching him spend two decades relegated to a supporting role.
The smartest thing the X-Men’s new owners could do is make their movies as different from the Fox series as possible, meaning that Cyclops might finally get the chance to shine in a feature-length blockbuster. Marvel are more than likely to recast the entire ensemble, unless of course they can convince Hugh Jackman to return, but Sheridan admits he’d be happy to reprise his role under new ownership if he’s asked to.
“I think it depends a lot on the circumstances and the situation, who’s involved, and, but of course, I think that the X-Men stands for something that’s really meaningful, you know? And, it’s about, you know, it’s largely about a group of people who haven’t been accepted by society and I think that that still has a lot of resonance in our culture today, in society today and that was, for me, I think that’s why we all love the X-Men. They’re cool movies and they have cool characters with super powers but also there are a lot of deeper themes and messages in that franchise that I really appreciate and respect. So as long as we were staying in that realm, you know, of course, I would be open to working and reprising my role further.”
The X-Men franchise was characterized by inconsistency, as you’d expect from a thirteen-movie run that included sequels, reboots, spinoffs and hybrids of all three, but with a clean slate and a reputation as the biggest game in town to maintain, Marvel Studios will be looking to pull out all of the stops to deliver the best outing for the superhero team yet, meaning Cyclops could finally get the chance to play a huge part in the story.