X-Men Reveals Cyclops' Darkest Act Lives On | Screen Rant
Warning! This article contains spoilers for X-Men #18
In the past, in order to ensure the survival of the mutant race, the X-Men and Cyclops have been forced to employ lethal measures against their enemies. As seen in X-Men #18 by Jonathan Hickman and Mahmud Asrar, the Quiet Council of Krakoa still believes that ‘take no prisoners, show no mercy’ tactics are essential in preserving the sovereignty of their nation.
Cyclops, the Captain Commander of Krakoa, has tasked three mutants—Synch, Darwin, and Laura Kinney Wolverine—with exploring the Vault, a vast laboratory that develops superpowered post-humans who pose an existential threat to mutantkind. X-Men #18 reveals that the team of mutants has been granted FORCE protocols, meaning that the Krakoa law of “Murder No Man” has been suspended for the duration of their mission.
The name ‘FORCE protocols’ may be in reference to X-Force, which currently acts as a black ops intelligence and enforcement unit for Krakoa led by Beast. The X-Force field team is expected to use lethal force as necessary, but this is one of the first times readers have seen that same level of discretion granted to mutants outside the team.
Initially, X-Force was conceived as a militarized and proactive mutant strike force led by Cable and Domino. Later, the name was co-opted by a team of mutant celebrities who became X-Statix. Under the leadership of Cyclops, X-Force was rebooted as a black-ops mutant hit squad made up of X-Men who had no compunctions about killing. This team—assembled in secrecy—was first tasked with securing the first mutant baby born since the decimation, but were later given ongoing missions focused on permanently eliminating anti-mutant factions. The moral compromises of the team weighed heavily on Cyclops, who felt that the team was necessary to protect the dwindling mutant population at the time.
When the existence of X-Force was uncovered by the rest of the X-Men, Cyclops was admonished by his longtime friends and allies, particularly Charles Xavier, Storm, and Nightcrawler (all of whom currently sit on Krakoa’s Quiet Council). Worth noting, Logan always disapproved of Laura Kinney’s placement on the team and urged her to find a new life for herself. The most vocal critic at the time, however, was none other than Beast, the chief operator of Krakoa’s own X-Force.
Following in the wake of Krakoa’s sovereignty, the enemies of mutantkind have reemerged deadlier than ever. What was once considered a betrayal of Charles Xavier’s dream of peaceful co-existence between man and mutant has now become an accepted fact of life for mutants. While many of Krakoa’s residents are still in the dark about the nature of X-Force and the Force protocols, those X-Men who were previously critical of Cyclops have now embraced the ‘kill when necessary’ doctrine with little to no reservations or pushback.
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