WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Men: Marvels Snapshots #1 by Jay Edidin, Tom Reilly, Chris O'Halloran, and Tom Orzechowski, on sale now.

The new series Marvels Snapshots re-tells the origin of one of the most notable members of the X-Men in history, original team leader Cyclops.

For years, Cyclops found himself as a punching bag for fans. At first, it was because he was the Boy Scout in contrast to Wolverine's beloved bad boy. Some fans also accused Cyclops of being arrogant and condescending. Eventually, he became the martyr that no one wanted. Through it all, most people called him the ultimate X-Man, the one hero who believed in Professor X's dream and put that above all else.

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In Marvels Snapshots, it turns out it wasn't Charles Xavier who Cyclops based his superhero career on. This fact shouldn't come as a surprise because mutants were not a big deal when Scott Summers was a child, as he was one of the original X-Men. Instead, there were other heroes such as Captain America and The Invaders that people looked up to, but they had disappeared years ago. With that said, it was Marvel's first superheroes that Scott became obsessed with as a child — The Fantastic Four.

Fantastic Four vs Sub Mariner

Scott was an orphan at the State Home for Foundlings after the death of his parents. Scott was alone, bullied by others, and treated like a freak. Even when reaching out and trying to be kind, other kids mocked him. He was an outsider that no one liked, and no one cared about. Then, one day, he came across the staff and other kids watching television as The Fantastic Four were on the news in battle. No one had heard of superheroes before, and now the Fantastic Four were celebrities.

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That is when Scott Summers began to follow the career of Reed Richards, the hero known as Mr. Fantastic. As Scott pointed out, the Fantastic Four were in an accident and could have just gone back to their own lives but chose to help people. He felt this was important, and if he could figure out the code, he could make sense of the world and make sense of himself. When the librarian asked his favorite hero, Scott mentioned Mr. Fantastic and learned Reed would be in town and speaking that Saturday.

Cyclops and Reed Richards

Scott chose to make the trip to see his hero, the man who said that all superheroes could do is rely on their instincts and do the right thing. Reed noted that trust is all that matters, and the rest will follow. However, before Reed could get started with his speech, a villain attacked, and he had to battle to save the people in the arena. When Iron Man showed up, Scott recalled they were not even on the same team but worked together, and the villain never had a chance. That is when Scott realized what kind of hero he could be, and what kind of leader he would eventually become.

Scott decided he wanted to study and learn how to fix things to help react to emergencies and threats. However, the librarian stepped in again and offered him a book that helped him become a leader — The Art of War by Sun Tzu. The issue ends with Cyclops leading a team into action, giving orders, and everyone following him. It turns out it was Reed Richards' family that Scott was sending the X-Men to save. When Reed asks if he is sure, Scott quotes back Reed's line about relying on his instincts, proving that he learned to be an X-Man from Professor X, but he learned to be a hero from his first idol — Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four.

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