Jab’s Builds! (Lawnmower Man! Samus Aran! Metroids!)

[HalloweenJack]

-Cosmo ended up kind of farting around after the wheels fell off of Marvel's Cosmic books, as he formed The Annihilators after Star-Lord was thought dead. But after that, the character largely vanished- the new GOTG books were far more Movie-inspired, and Cosmo was a mere cameo in the first one, and didn't show up later. So the character has REALLY been wasted, though probably isn't quite fitting of a regular cast member so much as "the guy at the base".
-

I hope they end up using him in the upcoming Guardians book which looks like it'll be a gigantic team. I mean Beta Ray Bill, the Surfer, Adam Warlock AND the Cosmic Ghost Rider all together?

[HalloweenJack]

I remember the division between "Jerkass Bullies" and "This guy will legitimately stab you" becoming obvious quite well. One kid, a vicious bastard named Corey, was a notorious jerk even in Elementary School, where he was known for just randomly pummeling kids (including me at least once- I remember a teacher lecturing him for stomping on my side at recess, saying he could have ruptured my spleen), but he had a "cool look" (ie. hair pulled over one eye, plus he was grungy) and liked trendy, "adult" music like rap, so kids still wanted to hang out with him.

He was eventually kicked out of school for actually PUNCHING a teacher. In Elementary school. A couple years later, I saw him in Middle School, but he ended up being expelled for literally riding his skateboard up and down a teacher's car! And I don't even think he KNEW that teacher- he just randomly decided to wreck it!

I have no idea what became of him, but I'm pretty sure he ended up in "the system" at some point, and is a regular sight in prison. No way does a kid like that ever turn out normal. Some people are just born broken.

that reminds me of a kid another guy and I saw in college when were doing our teacher observations at a local high school.

There was this kid, he was probably 16 or so, big kid though like 6'4, well over 200 lbs who got pissy at a teacher. so much so the teacher called the principal in to talk to him and sent everyone out of the room.

A few minutes later he storms out and leaves the premises. The police are even called to look for him. So our observations are over and we leave, but as we're driving away we see him walking along the side of the road. I suggest maybe we should go back and let them know where the kid is at. It was just a short piece down the way, so we go back.

We're in the parking lot and haven't gotten out of the vehicle yet by the time he makes relatively near school grounds. One of the police officers called to look for him, drives over to him and gets out of his vehicle and starts talking to him.

Kid rears back and knocks the hell out of him and then charges him. The cop had to fight back and eventually got him to the ground by macing him, and even then the kid was still grasping at his leg and attacking him. Me and the guy I was partnered with were just looking at it all in a combo of shock, horror, and amusement

"Did we just see all that?"

[Jabroniville]

CHANGELING (Kevin Sydney)
Created By: Roy Thomas & Werner Roth
First Appearance: X-Men #35 (Aug. 1967)
Group Affiliations: The X-Men, Factor Three
Status: Killed
Role: Replacement/Retcon Character (to Professor X)
PL 7 (129)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 12 (+14)
Expertise (Behavioral Sciences) 5 (+7)
Expertise (Acting) 8 (+10)
Insight 5 (+7)
Perception 4 (+5)
Persuasion 4 (+6)
Technology 3 (+5)
Vehicles 1 (+5)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack, Ultimate Skill (Deception)

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Shapeshifting and Low-Level Telepathy"
Morph 4 (Any Form) (Extras: Continuous on 1st Rank Only) [21]

"Enhanced by Xavier"
"Telepathy" Communication (Mental) 3 (Extras: Area, Selective) Linked to Mind-Reading 6 (30) -- [33]

• AE: "Telekinesis" Move Object 6 (12)
• AE: "Telelocation" Senses 3 (Mental Awareness- Ranged, Acute) (3)
• AE: "Mental Blast" Damage 7 (Extras: Perception-Ranged +2, Will Save) (28)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Mental Blast -- (+7 Perception-Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Secret (Faking His Identity)

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 40--20 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 54 / Defenses: 9 (129)

Changeling- The Living Trivia Question:
-Easily the most obscure of the whole X-Men Roster, Changeling only appears on the full roster by happenstance, and only for a single year (between 1967 & 1968). His eternal legacy is actually not as himself at ALL- he's more famous for giving his identity to Morph of the X-Men Animated Series, and Morph from the Exiles comic book!

-Changeling debuted as a member of the villainous Factor Three, being quickly defeated. His boss, "The Mutant Master", was revealed as being an alien, and Changeling joined forced with the X-Men upon realizing this, defeating the Master. The character was then ignored, but only seven issues later, Roy Thomas killed off PROFESSOR XAVIER, changing the X-Men forever! "Not a hoax. Not a dream.", the cover boasted. However, X-Men #62, released about two years later, would reveal the truth- Xavier had never died at all. Instead, it was Kevin "Changling" Sydney who died in his place!

-Killing Professor X probably seemed like a good idea at the time- it forces the young heroes of the X-Men book to grow up. But really, the team without him just doesn't WORK, as he's the defining reason they're all together, and a wonderful "mentor" character, out to explain just why they must follow a chosen path. Or he WAS, before Marvel had him pull Dick Move after Dick Move, ultimately ending up a borderline antagonistic, overly-secretive character. But in any case, Thomas' attempt at killing off Xavier just didn't work, and so the character returned!

The Switch:
-The explanation given was that Sydney had come to Xavier with the knowledge that he (Sydney) was suffering from a terminal illness, and was doomed. Xavier, sympathetic, had wanted to go undercover to investigate some Generic Alien Race (the Z'Nox), and so suggested that Kevin take his place. Wearing a device that mimicked Xavier's telepathic powers, Sydney took his place as "Professor X" for a short time, dying in battle against the Subterranean villain Grotesk. It was only a good while later that the X-Men discovered the duplicity. And... really, if you go back to the '60s, I guess the Professor was ALWAYS pulling secretive shit like this, so I'm not sure how much blame modern writers really deserve.

-The character's link to the X-Men was very minor, and the fact that he was part of things during the failed "nobody cares" late 1960s run made it even worse. He went unremarked upon during the vast majority of Claremont's run on the book, and is more of a trivia question these days, having been "brought back" for one-offs, imaginary stories and "zombies raised from the grave" stuff.

Other Kevin Sydneys:
-Despite being a minor character, Sydney would end up having a big effect on X-Stuff. The X-Men Animated Series wanted a guy to be an early "Sacrificial Buddy", showing off the dangers inherent to the new series. And so they brought in Sydney as a guy named "Morph" (DC had since gained the copywrite for their own Changeling- Garfield Logan of the Teen Titans)- an X-Man who was on their first mission... but was killed by the brand-new Sentinels. This was a BIG establishing factor for the show, letting you know that it wasn't Just Another Kids Show. I mean, nobody ever died on HE-MAN. This Morph would later return from the dead.

-The Age of Apocalypse setting would use another Sydney as Morph, this time imagining him as the Team Joker (fittingly like the Titans' Changeling)- dressing up like Superman, and being a noseless weirdo in his baseline form, he could take multiple forms, keeping things light in a grim setting. A variant of this version would be re-used for the Exiles series- he was basically the same guy, but from a world in which he'd joined the various X-Teams, and even the AVENGERS, using versatility and his sense of humor to aid the heroes. He was the "heart" of the Exiles book, outlasting pretty much every character on it, and being an example of the GOOD kind of "silly" character.

Changeling's Stats:
-A pretty simple build. A minor telepath mixed with a Morpher, who's great at acting, and little else (I mean, he convinced the X-kids that he was Xavier for a length of time). His Exiles version is MUCH more powerful, has no Scent, is a full-blown Shapeshifter, and a great character overall- the mainstream version is basically a nobody.

[Goldar]

Very nice Changeling profile.

I had read a few different versions of how he attained his mental powers.

One was as you state, that he wore some sort of equipment to simulate Prof X' mental powers.

Another said Xavier "lent" Changeling a small amount of Telepathy (which returned to Xavier upon Changeling's death) which activated Changeling's very minor Telekinetic power. At that point, Jean's TP and TK were much stronger than Changeling's powers.

[Jabroniville]

CYCLOPS (Scott Summers)
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The X-Men #1 (Sept. 1963)
Role: Team Leader, The Stoic Guy, The Alpha Couple (with Jean), The Tactician
Group Affiliations: The X-Men, X-Factor, The X-Terminators
PL 12 (181)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+8)
Athletics 3 (+5)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+11)
Deception 6 (+7)
Expertise (Mutant Leader) 7 (+10)
Expertise (Tactics) 8 (+11)
Insight 5 (+8)
Intimidation 4 (+5)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 5 (+8)
Persuasion 4 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Optic Blasts) 4 (+11)
Stealth 2 (+6)
Technology 2 (+5)
Vehicles 10 (+10)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Benefit 2 (Mutant Leader), Diehard, Equipment (X-Uniform- Protection & Communications), Fascinate (Deception), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Optic Blasts) 3, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Leadership, Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (Ranged/Cover & Concealment), Ranged Attack 7, Set-Up, Teamwork, Ultimate Aim

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Optic Blasts"
"Calculate Angles" Quickness 4 (Flaws: Limited to Mental Calculations of Angles -2) [1]
"Summers Brother" Immunity 2 (His Own & Havok's Power, but not Vulcan's for some reason) [2]
"Jean's Lover-Boy" Senses 1 (Communication Link- Jean Grey) [1]

"Optic Blasts"
"Long-Range Beam" Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Line +2, Penetrating) (44) -- [48]

• AE: "Standard Blast" Blast 11 (Feats: Accurate, Split, Ricochet 4) (Extras: Penetrating) (39)
• AE: "Wide-Angle Beam" Damage 12 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone, Penetrating) (36)
• AE: "Power Blast" Blast 12 (Extras: Penetrating 14) (40)
• AE: "Multi-Blast" Blast 10 (Extras: Multiattack) (30)

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Optic Blast +13 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Power Blast +11 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Area Blasts +11-12 Area (+11-12 Damage, DC 26-27)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +3 (+4 Uniform), Fortitude +6, Will +11

Complications:
Relationship (Jean Grey)- Cyke fell in love at first sight with the beautiful redhead, and the two eventually became a couple after he finally got over his classic shyness. After a few tribulations (namely her DEATH), they finally married, and were happy for many years. Then he psi-cheated on her and she died. Again.
Relationship (Emma Frost)- Scott was attracted to Emma's attempts to have psionic flings with him, and the two actually hooked up after Jean's death. They even made out on her grave (apparently with Jean's blessing). They were a loving, if off-putting and weird, couple, but split up after a while.
Relationship (Madelyne Pryor & Nathan Summers)- Scott was married to an exact clone of Jean Grey for many years, and they even had a son. Scott finally retired from the X-Men to lead a life with his new family. Unfortunately, Scott found out Jean was alive again, and abandoned his wife and son to hang with his old squeeze, and then Maddie went nuts (understandable), pulled a Medea, became the Goblin Queen, and nearly destroyed the world. Nathan survived, but then got Techno-AIDS, got sent into the future, and became a grim & gritty time-travelling cybernetic mercenary who is now older than Scott himself.
---
Responsibility (Xavier's Dream)- Scott is the primary adherent to the Dream, and fights for it as strongly as anyone else.
Relationship (Charles Xavier)- On one level, Xavier is the father Scott lost when his parents were believed killed in a plane crash. But Xavier casts a mighty shadow, and Scott could never quite come out from under it. Eventually, Scott realized that Charles himself had twisted his dream (a combination of past mis-usings of both Danger and Vulcan, Scott's long-lost brother), and took power for himself.
Responsibility (Leads the Team, Mutant Leader)- Cyclops has the lonely position of leadership over the X-Men, making him very unpopular at times, as he has to make the life-or-death tough calls. Eventually, he came to lead mutants as a WHOLE, once they became an endangered species. Now, hundreds of lives depend on him, as well as the survival of their entire species.
---
Rivalry (Wolverine)- The two were on a collision course for many years, what with Logan being the most anti-authority person in history, and Scott being the definition of Yes-Man authority. They finally made a bit of peace after years. Logan loves Jean like Scott does, but ultimately had to suck it up and deal with it. They would split again during the Schism, as Logan formed his own school in defiance of Scott's militaristic approach to mutant protection.
Power Loss/Uncontrolled Power- If Cyclops loses his Ruby-Quartz Visor (or replacement glasses), his powers will go out of control, blasting off at full power in a Cone Area Damage 12 effect at basically whatever his head is turned towards. The only way to turn it off is to close his eyes, becoming effectively Visually Unaware.
---
Enemy (Mister Sinister)- Nathaniel Essex has been obsessed with Scott & Jean's bloodlines for generations, and was responsible for Jean being cloned. Sinister even controlled the orphanage where Scott grew up!
Enemy (Apocalypse)- Apocalypse gave Scott's son Nathan the Techno-Organic Virus that got him sent into the future, where he became Cable.
Responsibility (Summers Family Tree)- *deep breath*... Scott Summers' family includes a plasma-controlling forgotten-brother, a green-haired almost-sister-in-law, a Space Pirate father, a dead mother, a dead telepathic wife who was also a Cosmic Being (but not really), a demon-worshipping clone of said wife who later died (then came back), a Future mercenary cyborg telepath for a son, a telepathic Cosmic Being for a daughter (but only in an alternate future), a telepathic super-powerhouse for a sort-of son (but only in an alternate timeline), a Space Emperor half-brother, a half-alien super-'90s half-brother (but not anymore), a Mutant Messiah adopted-granddaughter, and possibly more. I'm sure I'm forgetting somebody.
Disabled (Colourblind)- Cyclops wears a red visor, which prevents him from seeing various colours.

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 68--34 / Advantages: 27 / Powers: 52 / Defenses: 22 (181)

Cyclops- "Stoic Leader Guy" Personified:
-Cyclops is kind of a iffy issue with X-fans. Some consider him a boring, flat character with one notable power, and thus they ignore him. Others (like me) worship him for what he is- the guy with the disadvantageous power who got stuck with the leadership job, and ended up making the most of it, becoming a necessary element to complete the team's dynamics- after all, they can't ALL be nutty weirdos. And when you think about it, Cyke has probably the most Leadership Feats of any character in comics, ever. Because while Captain America & Mr. Fantastic are just standard battlefield leaders ("you punch that guy! And you over there punch that OTHER guy!"), Slim is constantly given "THIS is why he is the leader" moments- in Joss Whedon's Astonishing, and plenty in Claremont's era as well. Cyclops is so good because he has nothing else going for him- he isn't the greatest fighter like Cap, or the smartest like Reed, so leading is his one true focus.

-That said, Cyclops is also a fascinating character study. Riddled with standard "60s character" self-pity, he was stand-offish, uncharismatic, and kind of a dick to his teammates- it may surprise some fans, but I've heard that Cyke was actually considered the COOLEST member of the team back in the day! It makes sense- Hank was studious, Bobby was immature, Warren was a bit generic, and Jean was weepy- Scott was an intense loner, effectively the prototype for countless Bad-Ass Loners to come.

-In fact, if I had to take a stab at it, I'd say Scott Summers is one of the Top Ten or Twenty most in-depth characters in all of comics, surpassing many of DC's A-League, and plenty of Marvel's as well. And not just because of that Family Tree, either (though that's a major defining trait if I ever saw one... Jean Grey, Madelyne Pryor, the Phoenix, Rachel Summers, X-Man, Cable, Havok, Vulcan and God knows who else?). This is a guy who basically faithfully acted as Charles Xavier's Yes-Man for eons, never really voicing his own opinions, until FINALLY taking charge and commanding in his own fashion. He forged an alliance with much of the world's decimated mutant population, defended them against all comers, and did some dirty deeds to ensure their survival. Naturally, like Magneto & Xavier before him, his stint as Mutant Leader came with a price- He alienated countless teammates (Logan, Nightcrawler, The Beast), antagonized the human population with several shows of power (and open threats), and tried to manipulate the Phoenix Force- an act that resulted in him killing his own mentor while corrupted by ultimate power.

Cyclops in the '60s:
-A typical Stan Lee "Tortured Hero", Cyclops was one of the first guys who showed that being a mutant could SUCK- he was blessed with these kick-ass laser-eyes... but lacked the ability to control them. Meaning that his ONE POWER (one which wasn't even higher than many Marvel characters' multiple powers) also rendered him unable to live a normal life. This, and a generally introverted nature, left "Slim" a bit of a reserved, stand-offish member of the team, which made his relationship with Jean Grey a bit strained- he could never bring himself to confess his feelings for her, and was often shown up by his more bombastic teammates. Eventually, as time went on, they became the "Official Couple" of the book, with Scott also gaining a long-lost brother (one of the first times Marvel had done this!) in Havok.

-Scott was such a big part of the X-Men that it was impossible to see him without the team- this made things odd in the 1970s when the book had been cancelled, and some of them had shown up in other books. The Beast was a happy-go-lucky Avenger and then Defender, while Iceman & The Angel ended up on squads like The Champions (and, much later, The Defenders). Cyke & Jean, meanwhile, seemed stuck in their own little cancelled book.

Cyclops- Center of the All-New, All-Different X-Men:
-Cyclops, as the one guy who represented the original X-Men, was thus ideal to lead the NEW X-Men, as he was a link to their past (as much as Xavier was, and as field leader, he would be more prominent anyhow). And Chris Claremont did his absolute best to make Scott "fit", as he was Xavier's "Yes Man" on a team that now contained a lot of adults with their own hopes and dreams. It gave him more of an "edge", because now you had a classic "THAT Guy" in Wolverine, constantly pushing at the edges of Scott's patience. Jean was briefly taken off the book, but soon fell into Scott's arms again, letting Claremont write his trademark lovey-dovey dialogue, all calling each other "lover" and being super-romantic. I liked their thing, though- Scott was so closed-off and reserved that Jean had to basically force emotions out of him.

-Cyclops, while probably not Claremont's favorite in light of his new toys like Storm, Wolverine & Rogue, was still given a TON of bad-ass moments in that book. There's a fantastic bit in the Hellfire Club arc where Scott, arms bound and powers blocked, manages to completely upturn the entire event in the favor of his team in SECONDS- even Sebastian Shaw is impressed. And when the team is emotionally shattered after the fight with the reality-warping Proteus, it's Scott who whips them back into shape, taunting the shuddering Wolverine until he gets "KILLING mad", then casually rebuffing his attacks. Logan, whose entire existence up to this point had been to be a pain in Scott's ass, gives him full credit for doing exactly the right thing, and knowing just what to do- he's now back in the game.

-Scott remains with the team during the tough times- losing Jean gives a whole new aspect to his character, and makes his grim personality even more fitting. However, as time goes on, he sort of changes focus and Claremont begins to move him away from the squad. He hooks up with first Lee Forrester, then Madelyne Pryor- the spitting image of the deceased Jean- and even HAS A CHILD WITH HER. Fatherhood, and the rising leadership abilities of Storm, seem fit to remove him from the book. Eventually, he and Storm clash in the Danger Room, with Storm's street skills and stealth winning the day (she removes Scott's visor, preventing him from uusing his powers without killing her... which I guess means she wins?). Losing the leadership of the team, he enters a form of retirement with his grateful new family.

Cyclops in X-Factor:
-And then, in a HILARIOUSLY misguided sequence of events, it's all thrown away. Scott is stunned to discover his old love, Jean, still alive, and Bob Layton, writer of the new spin-off X-Factor, simply has Scott ABANDON HIS FREAKING FAMILY and run off with her to reunite the original X-Men. This insane idea pissed off Claremont (who had to bring in the abandoned Madelyne, more or less because he felt bad) and would have ruined Scott's character for good had later writers basically not ignored it completely. In this book, Scott & Jean simply go back to their old ways (though are a bit uncomfortable at first). After a number of years, Scott and the X-Men are reunited, Madelyne is hastily written out, and Scott's infant son Nathan soon joins her, just to "clean up" loose ends. Scott now ends up as the leader of the new X-Men Blue Strike Force.

X-Men Blue:
-Jim Lee's personal project was simply titled X-Men, and featured Scott leading the "cool X-Men"- Wolveriner, Gambit, Psylocke, Rogue, Jubilee and The Beast- basically, the ones Lee either designed or loved to draw the best. Jean was on Storm's more boring squad, leading to some tension when Scott developed a crush on Psylocke, who acted like a typical '90s female character (ie. a giant ho-bag who nonetheless tried to play coy about it). Both he & Storm were Stoic Leader Types by this point, but Scott finally, FINALLY married Jean in the early 1990s, at which point it was revealed that his son Nathan had been sent into the future to become Cable, which was the third of MANY retcons that would begin to overcomplicate his life.

-Cyclops is... more or less in limbo during much of the post-wedding period. There are at LEAST two X-Men books during the next few decades, and Scott is nearly always the leader of one of them, kind of caught in a position where he can't do much other than Be Stoic again. The X-Men Animated Series featured him in the same role (with him & Logan as rivals over Jean's heart), as did the later movie. As Marvel was in flux, Scott never really did much- temporarily merging with Apocalypse one time, being thought dead, etc.

2000s-Era Cyclops:
-Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the character really got hit hard in the last couple of decades. Grant Morrison instigated a subplot where Cyclops felt abandoned and ignored by Jean, which led to Emma Frost, now an X-Man, luring him into a telepathic affair that threatened his marriage. Then Jean DIED again, and oddly put Scott into Emma's arms for real! Granted, this put him out of his holding pattern, and he & Emma had a REALLY fascinating relationship (he's so stoic, and she's so borderline-evil), so it was INTERESTING, but a lot of fans didn't take to it.

-Charles Xavier himself soon leaves the X-Men, leading Scott into his new role as Mutant Leader- the Headmaster of the school (along with Emma). This was a very interesting period, and led to Joss Whedon's excellent Astonishing X-Men run, which was a great example of just how GOOD Cyclops could be- a wonderful tactician, a brave hero, a self-pitying complainer, and more- he was legit. Of course Whedon, being Whedon, had to have Scott mimic Mal Reynolds because he can only write ONE KIND of exciting leader, but it was pretty cool overall. Cyclops one-offing the giant Rogue Sentinel with a "Get behind me. I want this THING off my lawn" ("Once in a while, Summers, you remind me why you're in charge"- even Logan was impressed), leading the team to the Breakworld, and coming up with an on-the-fly plan to discover the truth behind their mission- it was amazing. Best moment ever is him willingly getting himself tortured by Powerlord Kruun, luring him close, and answering a "WHAT ELSE ARE YOU HIDING?" with an evil smirk and revealing that HE CAN STILL USE HIS OPTIC BLASTS, completely annihilating the bad guys. "To me, my X-Men. Let's finish this" is one of those moments that makes you realize what Cyclops could BE.

-However, it was not to last- the rapid succession of X-Writers and the rapidly-changing nature of the Marvel Universe in the "Bendis Era" led to a lot of crazy changes going by very quickly. Scott led the team during some dark times, but would start getting darker and darker, making some morally-questionable decisions (much like Xavier had done before him- a controversial tendency which resulted in Charles getting the boot from his own team). Forming the "X-Force" black ops squad, which leads to the Schism and the teams splitting up- various X-Men going with either Scott's hardliner approach, or Logan's more peaceful one. And then he starts relentlessly guarding Hope Summers from the Avengers and thus setting off the terrible A (vs) X Event Story, and more. The last story ends up with a Phoenix Force-empowered Cyclops actually KILLING XAVIER, which puts him on the run in an all-black outfit, leading a team that consists of Emma, MAGNETO and others.

Post-Schism:
-This nutty sequence of events is EXTREMELY controversial, as Scott more or less becomes the "New Magneto"- an extremist, contrarian character who threatens the American government, engages in utter secrecy, and often acts in a very nasty manner. HOWEVER, having actually read much of that book... Bendis did an okay job of making his actions seem rational. To be fair, the American government WAS using fricking SENTINELS as part of an Anti-Mutant Program, so it's not like he didn't have a reason to be pissed. And whenever his squad encountered a new Mutant, they gave them the choice of joining, and most of the kids DID end up being assaulted by the authorities and require saving. Though man... having read 30+ issues of that book, I can barely remember any of it (to be fair, a LOT of my comics reading during that time is like that- I was collecting so many books at once, and often going months between bouts of reading one particular book). The X-Books at this time are kind of in an odd place, as Jason Aaron was doing fun stuff in the Wolverine-allied book, while Bendis was being all grim and focusing on some new kids- ultimately, Scott & Emma split up after the Phoenix thing, and various X-Men switched sides.

-All of this left Marvel and the X-Writers painted into a corner- Scott was too adversarial with too many people, and had honestly just DONE so much, that they needed to "rest" him for a bit. And so they did- he was quickly wiped out in the Secret Wars event, and when everyone had settled back onto the Post-Soft-Reboot Earth, Cyclops was KILLED OFF during the Death of X Event Story, which featured the end of the Inhumans/Mutants struggle and had him and a few other characters die of the "M-Pox" that had been created from the Terrigen Clouds of the Inhumans. In a weird move, an increasingly-insane Emma created a "Psychic Illusion" of Cyclops to die as a martyr for the cause, when Scott had actually died days earlier.

So Where Does This Leave Cyclops?:
-Like a LOT of the X-Men characters, Cyclops has been used, abused, killed off, altered, and been made crazy so many times that he's honestly a bit BROKEN, and the temporary killing is honestly probably a good thing in the long run, letting him rest and have everyone await a resurrection where he comes back as his true self. Scott worked best under guys like Claremont & Whedon, who understood that his stoic nature is what allowed everyone else to be crazy and stupid, and that he had a moody intensity that made him more interesting that just any old leader.

The Stats of Cyclops:
-Cyclops is proof of one of the great ironies: Despite being a simple blaster at heart, he was one of the hardest guys to stat up using the one system that's nearly perfect for ALL of comic books... but this was fixed entirely in 3rd Edition! Probably him & Green Lantern were among the hardest & weirdest to figure out. In this edition, he's just got the standard Blasts (Multiattack, Cone, Line & both an Accurate Standard and a Penetrating Power Blast, both can be therefore affected by Accurate & Power Attack), with a Complication for when he loses his Visor. MUCH simpler and easier.

-There's also his Power Level. The X-Men were once the defining Gold Standard for PL 10 (150) "basic" heroes, but in 3e, most of them will go well over that. Cyke himself is sure as hell no PL 10- his Area Effects are LEGENDARILY powerful in Marvel Comics, equally the power of Iron Man's, so he ends up a PL 12 in my book these days. This guy can demolish a SENTINEL in seconds just by taking off his glasses! He's damaged Stryfe, Magneto, the Hulk & others. That thing is insanely high-powered, and in no way is Cyke weak in the accuracy department- the hallmarks of a high PL. Cyclops is the X-Men team leader for a reason. So he's PL 12 (181), but at the same point, he's also the living definition of a Glass Cannon, being PL 7.5 (not SO bad, but almost five Levels below what his max would be). He's got all kinds of combat Feats, allowing him to shift his caps around at will with his Blasts. The Blast itself is +11, with varied Area Effects & Penetrating on all of them. He can use Multiattack if necessary (flicking the visor up and down), and has a Feat-based basic Blast with Ricochet, Precise, etc. Few Blasters are more versatile.

-Additional side things: He's immune to his & Havok's powers, he has a permanent CommLink up with Jean Grey that even master telepaths have a hard time putting down. He's a phenom of a team player, has great tactical skill and is physically VERY good as well.






CYCLOPS (Scott Summers)- 1980s Version
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The X-Men #1 (Sept. 1963)
Role: Team Leader, The Stoic Guy, The Alpha Couple (with Jean), The Tactician
Group Affiliations: The X-Men, X-Factor, The X-Terminators
PL 11 (173)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+8)
Athletics 3 (+5)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+11)
Deception 6 (+7)
Expertise (Mutant Leader) 7 (+10)
Expertise (Tactics) 8 (+11)
Insight 5 (+8)
Intimidation 4 (+5)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 5 (+8)
Persuasion 2 (+3)
Ranged Combat (Optic Blasts) 4 (+11)
Stealth 2 (+6)
Technology 2 (+5)
Vehicles 8 (+8)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Benefit 2 (Mutant Leader), Diehard, Equipment (X-Uniform- Protection & Communications), Fascinate (Deception), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Optic Blasts) 3, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Leadership, Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (Ranged/Cover & Concealment), Ranged Attack 6, Set-Up, Teamwork, Ultimate Aim

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Optic Blasts"
"Calculate Angles" Quickness 4 (Flaws: Limited to Mental Calculations of Angles -2) [1]
"Summers Brother" Immunity 2 (His Own & Havok's Power, but not Vulcan's for some reason) [2]
"Jean's Lover-Boy" Senses 1 (Communication Link- Jean Grey) [1]

"Optic Blasts"
"Long-Range Beam" Damage 10 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Line +2, Penetrating) (40) -- [44]

• AE: "Standard Blast" Blast 10 (Feats: Accurate, Split, Ricochet 4) (Extras: Penetrating) (36)
• AE: "Wide-Angle Beam" Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone, Penetrating) (33)
• AE: "Power Blast" Blast 11 (Extras: Penetrating 12) (34)
• AE: "Multi-Blast" Blast 9 (Extras: Multiattack) (27)

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Optic Blast +12 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Power Blast +10 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Area Blasts +10-11 Area (+10-11 Damage, DC 25-26)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +3 (+4 Uniform), Fortitude +6, Will +10

Complications:
Relationship (Jean Grey)- Cyke fell in love at first sight with the beautiful redhead, and the two eventually became a couple after he finally got over his classic shyness. After a few tribulations (namely her DEATH), they finally married, and were happy for many years. Then he psi-cheated on her and she died. Again.
Relationship (Madelyne Pryor & Nathan Summers)- Scott was married to an exact clone of Jean Grey for many years, and they even had a son. Scott finally retired from the X-Men to lead a life with his new family. Unfortunately, Scott found out Jean was alive again, and abandoned his wife and son to hang with his old squeeze, and then Maddie went nuts (understandable), pulled a Medea, became the Goblin Queen, and nearly destroyed the world. Nathan survived, but then got Techno-AIDS, got sent into the future, and became a grim & gritty time-travelling cybernetic mercenary who is now older than Scott himself.
---
Responsibility (Xavier's Dream)- Scott is the primary adherent to the Dream, and fights for it as strongly as anyone else.
Relationship (Charles Xavier)- On one level, Xavier is the father Scott lost when his parents were believed killed in a plane crash. But Xavier casts a mighty shadow, and Scott could never quite come out from under it. Eventually, Scott realized that Charles himself had twisted his dream (a combination of past mis-usings of both Danger and Vulcan, Scott's long-lost brother), and took power for himself.
Responsibility (Leads the Team, Mutant Leader)- Cyclops has the lonely position of leadership over the X-Men, making him very unpopular at times, as he has to make the life-or-death tough calls. Eventually, he came to lead mutants as a WHOLE, once they became an endangered species. Now, hundreds of lives depend on him, as well as the survival of their entire species.
---
Rivalry (Wolverine)- The two were on a collision course for many years, what with Logan being the most anti-authority person in history, and Scott being the definition of Yes-Man authority. They finally made a bit of peace after years. Logan loves Jean like Scott does, but ultimately had to suck it up and deal with it. They would split again during the Schism, as Logan formed his own school in defiance of Scott's militaristic approach to mutant protection.
Power Loss/Uncontrolled Power- If Cyclops loses his Ruby-Quartz Visor (or replacement glasses), his powers will go out of control, blasting off at full power in a Cone Area Damage 12 effect at basically whatever his head is turned towards. The only way to turn it off is to close his eyes, becoming effectively Visually Unaware.
---
Enemy (Mister Sinister)- Nathaniel Essex has been obsessed with Scott & Jean's bloodlines for generations, and was responsible for Jean being cloned. Sinister even controlled the orphanage where Scott grew up!
Enemy (Apocalypse)- Apocalypse gave Scott's son Nathan the Techno-Organic Virus that got him sent into the future, where he became Cable.
Responsibility (Summers Family Tree)- *deep breath*... Scott Summers' family includes a plasma-controlling forgotten-brother, a green-haired almost-sister-in-law, a Space Pirate father, a dead mother, a dead telepathic wife who was also a Cosmic Being (but not really), a demon-worshipping clone of said wife who later died (then came back), a Future mercenary cyborg telepath for a son, a telepathic Cosmic Being for a daughter (but only in an alternate future), a telepathic super-powerhouse for a sort-of son (but only in an alternate timeline), a Space Emperor half-brother, a half-alien super-'90s half-brother (but not anymore), a Mutant Messiah adopted-granddaughter, and possibly more. I'm sure I'm forgetting somebody.
Disabled (Colourblind)- Cyclops wears a red visor, which prevents him from seeing various colours.

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 64--32 / Advantages: 26 / Powers: 48 / Defenses: 21 (173)

-Here's Cyke in the X-Factor era, kinda. Mostly the same, but less powerful or persuasive.





CYCLOPS (Scott Summers)- Silver Age
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The X-Men #1 (Sept. 1963)
Role: Team Leader, The Stoic Guy, The Alpha Couple (with Jean)
Group Affiliations: The X-Men
PL 9 (132)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+6)
Athletics 3 (+4)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+8)
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (Tactics) 3 (+5)
Insight 3 (+5)
Intimidation 2 (+2)
Perception 3 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Optic Blasts) 4 (+9)
Stealth 2 (+4)
Vehicles 4 (+4)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Optic Blasts), Improved Smash, Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (Ranged/Cover), Ranged Attack 5, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Optic Blasts"
"Calculate Angles" Quickness 4 (Flaws: Limited to Mental Calculations of Angles -2) [1]
"Summers Brother" Immunity 2 (His Own & Havok's Power, but not Vulcan's for some reason) [2]

"Optic Blasts"
"Long-Range Beam" Damage 9 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Line +2, Penetrating) (36) -- [38]

• AE: "Standard Blast" Blast 9 (Feats: Split, Ricochet 2) (Extras: Penetrating) (30)
• AE: "Wide-Angle Beam" Damage 9 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone, Penetrating) (27)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Optic Blast +9 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Area Blasts +9 Area (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +2, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Relationship (Jean Grey)- Cyke fell in love at first sight with the beautiful redhead, and the two eventually became a couple after he finally got over his classic shyness.
Responsibility (Xavier's Dream)- Scott is the primary adherent to the Dream, and fights for it as strongly as anyone else.
Relationship (Charles Xavier)- On one level, Xavier is the father Scott lost when his parents were believed killed in a plane crash. But Xavier casts a mighty shadow, and Scott could never quite come out from under it.
Responsibility (Leads the Team)- Cyclops has the lonely position of leadership over the X-Men, making him very unpopular at times, as he has to make the life-or-death tough calls.
Power Loss/Uncontrolled Power- If Cyclops loses his Ruby-Quartz Visor (or replacement glasses), his powers will go out of control, blasting off at full power in a Cone Area Damage 12 effect. The only way to turn it off is to close his eyes, becoming effectively Visually Unaware.
Disabled (Colourblind)- Cyclops wears a red visor, which prevents him from seeing various colours.

Total: Abilities: 30 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 41 / Defenses: 17 (132)

-Cyclops around the Marvel Age of comics is still the Team Leader, but vastly inexperienced, unsure of himself, moody and less powerful. A similar version of this character popped up in modern times with the other Silver Age X-Men, though this Scott is more emotional, having been brought up in a world in which his elder self is considered a mutant terrorist. Oh, and he just discovered that his FATHER IS ALIVE and a space pirate. His Blasts are PL 9 (making him one level higher than the rest of the X-Men), but can be boosted with Power Attack.

[Ken]

Relationship (Jean Grey)- Cyke fell in love at first sight with the beautiful redhead, and the two eventually became a couple after he finally got over his classic shyness. After a few tribulations (namely her DEATH), they finally married, and were happy for many years. Then he psi-cheated on her and she died. Again.

Relationship (Emma Frost)- Scott was attracted to Emma's attempts to have psionic flings with him, and the two actually hooked up after Jean's death. They even made out on her grave (apparently with Jean's blessing). They were a loving, if off-putting and weird, couple, but split up after a while.

Relationship (Madelyne Pryor & Nathan Summers)- Scott was married to an exact clone of Jean Grey for many years, and they even had a son. Scott finally retired from the X-Men to lead a life with his new family. Unfortunately, Scott found out Jean was alive again, and abandoned his wife and son to hang with his old squeeze, and then Maddie went nuts (understandable), pulled a Medea, became the Goblin Queen, and nearly destroyed the world. Nathan survived, but then got Techno-AIDS, got sent into the future, and became a grim & gritty time-travelling cybernetic mercenary who is now older than Scott himself.

Disabled (Colourblind)- Cyclops wears a red visor, which prevents him from seeing various colours.

I'd like them to introduce someone who has Jean's build and face, but expressly doesn't have Jean's red hair. Just similarly styled hair that's brown, or maybe even a dark blonde. And have Scott go ga-ga for her because she's a twin of Jean (and Madelyne). Then the rest of the X-Men can be all confused because they just don't get it. And of course, the punchline is that with the ruby visors on, Scott can't tell the hair colours apart.

[Ares]

DR. CECILIA REYES
Created By: Scott Lobdell & Carlos Pacheco
First Appearance: X-Men #65 (June 1997)
Group Affiliations: The X-Men
Role: Pacifist Superhero, Team Healer, Force Field User

Unfortunately, Cecilia's complaining about being a mutant can frequently come off as whining because, well, she's got one of the least intrusive powers out there. It's a personal force field that kicks in whenever she's in danger. It's also semi-transparent and only forms around the points of impact, so there's a good chance she won't actually get caught if it does trigger. Maybe I missed something, but the big flaw with her power is that she still feels pain through her field, which makes it one of the crappiest force fields in comics, but still, it's a crappy force field that AUTOMATICALLY PROTECTS HER FROM DANGER. Oh the horrible burden of being a mutant who looks like an attractive normal person and whose power keeps her safe from harm.

I mean, sure, her power sucks as far as being a superhero goes (at least compared to most people not named Cypher), but for being a normal person? Pretty damned convenient.

[Jabroniville]

The reason she’s complaining is that being a mutant cost her her job and made her a target of racism and Sentinels . Like, it ruined her entire life.

There was a bit of a deliberate “self-hating minority” aspect to her, though. I remember the other X-Men kind of being irked by her “I wish I was human” act.

In a way, it felt very real. Like, would ANYONE want to join that team?

[Ares]

CYCLOPS (Scott Summers)
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The X-Men #1 (Sept. 1963)
Role: Team Leader, The Stoic Guy, The Alpha Couple (with Jean), The Tactician
Group Affiliations: The X-Men, X-Factor, The X-Terminators

Oh Cyclops. My favorite X-Man of all time, one of my top 10 favorite Marvel characters period, and they just took a steaming crap all over you and your legacy.

I was always the weird kid that vastly preferred the noble, serious leader type to the "angry badass" every other kid liked. I always preferred Cyclops to Wolverine and Leonardo to Raphael. I completely sympathized with the poor guy trying to keep his dysfunctional group working while the "badass" was constantly testing his patience and being a disruptive jackass. Because on some level, I realized the leader was the guy trying to keep his team safe and make sure they did their job right. They were the responsible ones that really cared about everyone else and took care of everyone.

Cyclops was the perfect embodiment of this, because like Jab said: he's one of the best leaders in comics, up there with Capt. America and Nightwing. In fact, I'd say that Scott frequently has a rougher time than 90% of other leaders in comics because frequently, his team is a bunch of screw ups and weirdos that he's got to shape into an effective unit.

I mean, look at the "All New" team he had to command. A naive Russian pacifist, a hot tempered Japanese atomic furnace, a moody and hot-tempered Native American, a haughty African goddess, a goofball German elf, and a Canadian rebel without a clue and no respect for authority. Of everybody, only BANSHEE was a competent soldier and superhero from the get go. It's AMAZING Cyke turned that odd bunch (or those that lasted) into one of the most effective superhero teams in comics.

Cyke was someone I could respect and empathize with, someone who tried to do the right thing, but was also kind of moody and serious, constantly had self-doubt in his quiet moments that vanished once combat started. Seeing Scott and Steve Rogers play some kind of war game would be amazing to watch.

So it's with all of that in mind, Grant Morrison can go f*** himself for what he did to the character. Because it's with Grant that the character's downward spiral really started. Grant decided to have Logan and Jean make out at one point, and then had Jean get mad when Scott and Emma are having those psychic sessions, when it's revealed that Scott never actually cheated on Jean, even psychically. I mean, I hate every aspect of Grant Morrison's run of the X-Men (like, near Chuck Austen levels of hate), but I especially hate what he did to Cyclops.

And I know a lot of people liked Scott and Emma, but I couldn't stand them together. She was just being this uppity b**** the entire time and for some reason, Scott just put up with it. And she was British now, all of a sudden. And had diamond powers. So stupid.

Scott was, to me, the Captain America of mutants, but one with a few more flaws. He had the chance to step out from the shadows of Xavier and Magneto and be the leader of mutant-kind, but instead was made into the same kind of monster both men became. And as I've stated, I'm against Xavier getting the same treatment the Guardians of the Universe have gotten, but I especially dislike Cyclops' turn to the darkside.

Sad thing is, even when Cyke gets brought back, I imagine current Jean Grey will just tell him its over and that what he did while she was gone is unforgivable.

I need to go watch some X-Men Evolution or re-read the classic Byrne/Claremont run.

[Ares]

The reason she’s complaining is that being a mutant cost her her job and made her a target of racism and Sentinels . Like, it ruined her entire life.

I want to say she had a similar attitude about being a mutant even before she was outed, but I could be mis-remembering.

There was a bit of a deliberate “self-hating minority” aspect to her, though. I remember the other X-Men kind of being irked by her “I wish I was human” act.

I'm not saying her life doesn't suck, but all things being equal, it could be a lot worse.

I actually kind of want to put her and X3's Storm in the same room together. Just two near-physically perfect ladies on the complete opposite ends of the argument.

Storm: "Nothing is wrong with us! We don't need to be cured!"

Cecilia: "I want to be normal! No one could possibly understand what being a mutant has cost me!"

Meanwhile Rogue and Beast are all:

In a way, it felt very real. Like, would ANYONE want to join that team?

*looks at Rogue, Psylocke, Storm, Jean Grey, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde and the other X-Women sunbathing out by the pool*

Is this a question?

[Jabroniville]

I want to say she had a similar attitude about being a mutant even before she was outed, but I could be mis-remembering.

Tell me about it- it's been too long, and I was just "Byrne-Stealing" books at the local drug store at the time, so I couldn't look back and tell you, either. Way too long ago.

*looks at Rogue, Psylocke, Storm, Jean Grey, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde and the other X-Women sunbathing out by the pool*

Is this a question?

You wouldn't actually get to TOUCH any of them, though- some stupid arbitrary thing would break you up before anything happened, because a drunk Magik said something to you the day before! Imagine the Omega-Level Blue-Balls going on!!

[M4C8]

Cyclops turn to the dark side was such a pile of crap, not only did he suddenly see mutants as a distinct separate species (despite fighting his entire life to prove to society at large that they weren't) the whole Avengers/X-Men war was ridiculous. Basically Scott (and his followers) were willing to risk the life of every single person on the planet to restart the mutant gene, something that didn't actually need to be done. No less people were being born, they just weren't going to develop mutant powers. The way I see it it's akin to if I, as a ginger discovered the gene for red hair was disappearing, then I found a way to possibly create more redheads but in doing so could potentially destroy the planet, I doubt many people, including most redheads would be happy for me to risk it. The treatment of the Avengers during this event was disgusting, they were literally fighting to protect every living person on the planet from destruction by the Phoenix Force but were accused of racism for trying to stop Cyclops.

Also, Scott making that decision of behalf of potentially generations of future mutants showed an arrogance that borders on insanity, how many mutants would have, if given the choice, decided against Scott's decision given that for most it would mean the end of any sense of normality in their lives. I wonder how monstrous mutants such as Glob Herman would feel if they found out they had a chance to look like a normal human.

End of rant!

[Jabroniville]

COPPERHEAD I (Lawrence Chesney)
Created By: Len Wein & Marv Wolfman
First Appearance: Daredevil #124 (Aug. 1975)
Role: Forgotten Villain
PL 8 (83)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+5)
Deception 3 (+5)
Expertise (Criminal) 4 (+5)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 3 (+4)
Insight 3 (+3)
Intimidation 3 (+5)
Investigation 5 (+5)
Perception 5 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment 8 (Dart Gun), Ranged Attack 4

Equipment:
"Dart Gun"
Weaken Stamina 7 (Extras: Ranged, Progressive +2) (Diminished Range -1) (27)
Affliction 7 (Fort; Fatigued/Exhausted/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Progressive +2) (Diminished Range -1) (27)

"Copper Suit" Protection 4 (Extras: Impervious 5) (9)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Poisoned Darts +8 (+7 Ranged Weaken, DC 17)
Paralytic Darts +8 (+7 Ranged Affliction, DC 17)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3 (+6 Copper Suit, +2 Impervious), Fortitude +4, Will +3

Complications:
Responsibility (Lunatic)- Lawrence is obsessed with his father, who delusionally believed that he was the pulp hero "Copperhead".

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 12 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 9 (83)

-The first Copperhead comes from the strange years of Daredevil, between his "Stan Lee Half-Assing It" phase and his "Frank Miller Darkens Up The Joint" phase where he's fighting aliens and dating the Black Widow and junk. A general weirdo, grew up with a father who believed that he was a fictional pulp fiction hero named "Copperhead", after spending years as the cover model for the covers of Copperhead's stories. And so Lawrence here decided to become a serial killer who disguised as Copperhead and killed people. Wearing a copper uniform and slaying the creators of the Copperhead series, he fights Daredevil and is killed by lightning, owing to his metallic uniform.

-The character, after dying, becomes the agent of a demon, sent to retrieve Spider-Man's soul. However, he fails after fighting Spidey & DD. His co-worker Arthur Reynolds finds the Copperhead gear in the eighth issue of The Human Fly, but his plan to rob the museum they both worked at goes awry when the Human Fly & White Tiger team up to beat him.

-Lawrence is a pretty unskilled villain, generally being a loon with some gimmicks.

[FuzzyBoots]

Also, Scott making that decision of behalf of potentially generations of future mutants showed an arrogance that borders on insanity, how many mutants would have, if given the choice, decided against Scott's decision given that for most it would mean the end of any sense of normality in their lives. I wonder how monstrous mutants such as Glob Herman would feel if they found out they had a chance to look like a normal human.

I don't know. Given the usual allegory of mutants as discrimination, I'd be more inclined as seeing a situation where being black, or being homossexual, got "cured". Sure, objectively you could claim it's improving their lives by removing what makes others discriminate against them. On the other hand, it's removing a major part of their identity.

[M4C8]

Also, Scott making that decision of behalf of potentially generations of future mutants showed an arrogance that borders on insanity, how many mutants would have, if given the choice, decided against Scott's decision given that for most it would mean the end of any sense of normality in their lives. I wonder how monstrous mutants such as Glob Herman would feel if they found out they had a chance to look like a normal human.

I don't know. Given the usual allegory of mutants as discrimination, I'd be more inclined as seeing a situation where being black, or being homossexual, got "cured". Sure, objectively you could claim it's improving their lives by removing what makes others discriminate against them. On the other hand, it's removing a major part of their identity.

There's a slight difference, being a mutant in of itself isn't an aspect of someone's personality anymore than my having red hair is, only when someone has been unfairly treated because of their mutant status does it have an effect on their life view, also being black or gay doesn't leave you with potentially dangerous uncontrollable super powers or being so physically mutated that even those who have no issue with mutants still look at you with revulsion. Even if we ignore all that, Scott taking it upon himself to make that decision for 'every mutant' is still unbelievably wrong, especially as he know first hand how debilitating some abilities can be and how difficult life can be for some of those with physical mutations.