Warning! Spoilers for Magneto and the Mutant Force #1 below!
With Heroes Reborn, Marvel confirms that the first team of X-Men would have been even more powerful without Cyclops. With the world reimagined without the Avengers, the new history has Scott Summers, one of the original X-Men and one of their longest-serving team leaders, operating alongside his father Corsair with the Starjammers. Cyclops' place in the founding of the X-Men has been filled in this dark and unsafe reality for mutants by another well-recognized mutant, Charles Xavier's son David Haller aka Legion, who despite his mental instability more than makes up for Scott's absence in terms of raw power.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for X-Men #1, the orphaned Scott Summers learned how to control his unstable and dangerous powers as the first X-Man under the tutelage of Charles Xavier. Through the many changes and line-ups Scott continued as one of the most recognized mutant leaders in the world and currently operates as the Captain Commander of Krakoa as well as the de facto leader of the X-Men. Legion was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz for New Mutants #25, and is the illegitimate child of Charles Xavier and Gabrielle Haller who eventually developed the ability to create spontaneous mutations with various abilities and a new personality along with each mutation. Although Legion originally acted as an enemy to his long-lost father and the X-Men, David has not only made his peace with everyone but learned better control of his Omega-level mutant abilities.
In the Heroes Reborn storyline, the Marvel universe has been rewritten to one where the Avengers were never created, which has a huge impact on the lives, destinies, and even identities for countless Marvel characters. In this reality Cyclops and his brother Havok were never separated from their father and enjoyed a life of family space adventures with the amalgamated Starjammers. In Heroes Reborn: Magneto and the Mutant Force #1 by Steve Orlando and Bernard Chang, Magneto tries to lead the X-Men in the way that Charles Xavier would want, even attempting a rescue in the astral plane when it appears Charles may be alive. As Erik and members of the X-Men battle through various mental landscapes, they arrive at the old X-Mansion in Westchester with statues of the founding members proudly displayed in the front. While Jean Grey, Beast, Angel, and Iceman remain the same, Legion stands in the place where Cyclops would have been.
While Scott had years and years of combat and mission experience as well as the title of being the first X-Man, many fans have argued about Scott's likability and usefulness in the ever-changing atmosphere that is life with the X-Men. While imagining X-Men without Cyclops seems ridiculous, Legion replacing him seems not only logical but a wise choice considering the impressive power he wields. David has admitted that he houses at least 200 Omega-level personalities with powers and that his powers constantly create new ones, some even without names or proper classifications. Although David has struggled to prevent interference from some of his more malevolent personalities or outside influences, he seems like the perfect replacement in a reality where the mutants' persecutors are not only insanely powerful themselves but have no problem incarcerating or killing mutants.
Although Cyclops' powers have considerably grown throughout the years, his place with his family in the Starjammers seems appropriate, if only for the inevitable ending when his dream life is ripped away from him to return to the previous reality. Legion gets a new place in the X-Men's history, being a true son to his father, although his absence in the modern day X-Men suggests he may have befallen the same fate as Charles. Regardless of his eventual fate, Legion is one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel Universe, with Heroes Reborn revealing that thanks to Cyclops' unbeatable replacement, the original X-Men would have been much stronger without him.
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