X-Men Officially Debuts New Cyclops Design, More Cold-Blooded Than Wolverine

Published Oct 8, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words. Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II. Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Marvel's X-Men just reinvented Scott Summers' Cyclops, turning him into a brooding killer on the level of Wolverine - if not even more brutally effective at permanently ending his enemies. The change comes as Marvel launches its 'Midnight' imprint, hurling its most iconic characters into a world of vicious monstrosities and eldritch horrors. In a world where the X-Men have been all but destroyed by vampiric attackers, Scott Summers is done messing around, taking down the undead without even a hint of hesitation. Cyclops Becomes The Last X-Man In this week's Midnight: X-Men #1 - from Jonathan Hickman, Matteo Della Fonte, Arthur Hesli and Cory Petit - Marvel introduces a brand new status quo. Following a war against vampires, almost every well-known X-Men character is either deceased or an undead 'empyre.' Thankfully, Cyclops remains among the living, and he's made it his mission to save innocent mutants from his former friends. When a vampiric Gambit and a group of mutants attempt to prey on a young mutant, Cyclops wipes them out without a second thought. Cyclops makes his presence known by using his optic blast to cut off Empath's legs, then blows a hole in the ceiling, exposing Glob, Psylocke and more to deadly sunlight. Scott even places his boot on Empath's back so he can't escape. The only empyre left standing is Gambit, who warns Cyclops that he'll remember the execution of his team. Cyclops replies, "See that you do." This deadly Cyclop is shown with a shaved head and beard, as well as a pointed, silver visor holding back his powers. This design is far from Scott Summers' usual clean-cut look. There's A Bounty On Cyclops' Head Midnight: X-Men has only just introduced its world, and there's a lot we still don't know. However, Gambit refers to Cyclops as the last of the X-Men and reveals there's a bounty on his head, suggesting that pretty much all Scott's famous allies have either been killed or turned. That's clearly true for Gambit, Psylocke and Storm, who are shown as vampires (indeed, Storm seems to be a major empyre leader), with Jean Grey implied to be dead and Nightcrawler joining the clergy. Meanwhile, Magneto is still out there with his own roster of mutants, including Scott's brother Havok and longtime X-Man Polaris. Summaries for later issues have called Scott 'Cyclops: Vampire Hunter,' suggesting that whatever fate befell his old allies, he's seemingly the last of the X-Men still actively fighting empyres and vampires, and crucially the one who is searching out and rescuing young mutants. However, with Nightcrawler still desperately hoping vampirism can be cured, Cyclops could be robbing every mutant he kills of the potential for redemption. Cyclops Is Doing The X-Men's Job All By Himself After Cyclops rescues the mutant teen targeted by Gambit, she reveals her name is 'Hope,' suggesting this is the Midnight Universe's variant of Scott's adopted granddaughter Hope Summers, an Omega-level power manipulator. While Cyclops attempts to send Hope home (New York appears to be a particular battleground), it's clear she has no intention of obeying. Throughout Marvel lore, the X-Men have taken on the task of recruiting, training and protecting young mutants. However, following a war with vampires, it seems like Cyclops is the only one still on the job. That's despite empyres actively recruiting other mutants to the undead to build their power base. The recent Midnight: X-Men just introduced a hardcore new version of Cyclops who uses his powers to kill vampires, slaying an entire team of the undead without a second's hesitation or remorse. It's clear that in this new world, Cyclops isn't the 'boy scout' leader some X-Men fans expect, and is far closer to Wolverine than his traditional depiction - except with his genius tactical mind firing on all cylinders. Midnight: X-Men #1 is available from Marvel Comics now. Movie(s) X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) TV Show(s) X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024) Video Game(s) X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994) First Film X-Men (2000) Character(s) Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23 Comic Release Date 213035,212968