Charles Xavier's legacy is set in the history of Marvel Comics: founder of the X-Men, head of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and a father figure to dozens of young mutants. But Xavier may soon become enemy number one to all mutantkind.

A telepathic mutant with a strong bond to all the mutants who were ever under his care, Charles Xavier has slowly became more and more desperate in the pursuit of his goal of mutant and human coexistence. In the end, he eventually resorted to killing to assure the survival of mutantkind, which landed him a locked room at Graymalkin Prison. In X-Men (2024) #9 by creative team Jed MacKay, Federico Vicentini, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Marte Garcia, Fer Sifuebtes-Sujo, and Clayton Cowles, of both Cyclops' and Rogue's X-Men teams have infiltrated Graymalkin Prison.

While both teams execute rescue attempts that pit them against one another under the influence of another telepath's artificial anger, they learn to work together against the enemy. Unfortunately, the two strike forces quickly fall into conflict again when deciding whether to free Charles Xavier from captivity. Rogue says yes, but surprisingly, Cyclops says no.

When X-Men Debate Freeing Xavier, Cyclops is Harsh but Justified

After a victory in their fight against Graymalkin's mutants and bloodhounds, Rogue and Cyclops reminisce about the good old days, and realize that they're all X-Men; they should be fighting against the world that hates them, rather than each other. The two groups are just as quickly reminded of why they now find themselves on opposite sides. Rogue says that they have all their people, and all that's left is to free Charles Xavier, but Cyclops interrupts her, saying that under no circumstances will he allow Charles Xavier to be freed.

Rogue questions Cyclops' definition of mutant liberation (which he has been all about recently), but Cyclops explains his reasoning. Keeping Charles Xavier locked up is mutant liberation, because without him in the world, mutants are finally truly free. Xavier has always claimed to be the mutants' savior, but in reality he has only manipulated them for the sake of his own dream. Without being forced to follow Xavier's dream, mutants are free to find and follow their own. No Charles Xavier to influence things is true mutant liberation, and Cyclops may be 100% correct.

Xavier's Crimes Against Mutantkind Are Growing, So Maybe He Deserves To Be Locked Up

While continuing to argue with Rogue as she relentlessly tries to convince Cyclops that leaving Charles Xavier behind is the wrong thing to do, Cyclops mentions the act that convinced him the world was better off without their former mentor. In Fall of the House of X #4, Xavier made Cyclops watch as he murdered the crew of the Space Force Frigate Agnew, in an attempt to win favor for his mutants. Though the display was a fakeout, Cyclops doesn't know that, and it traumatized him enough to never want Xavier to see the light of day again.

Before the destruction of the Agnew, one decision Charles Xavier made led him to be forever known as "the Butcher of Krakoa." During Krakoa's third Hellfire Gala, Orchis attacked and blackmailed Xavier, claiming they would kill a human for every mutant still on Earth. Xavier used his telepathy and forced all the mutants at the gala to use the Gateways and teleport to Mars. Xavier soon realized that Orchis had tampered with the Gateways and the mutants that walked through disappeared into the White Hot Room, killing 250,000 mutants, and making it the third mutant massacre.

Professor X: The True Oppressor of Mutantkind, Not Humans

Charles Xavier's dream was always for mutants and humans to coexist in peace, to share the world without trying to kill each other. In the eyes of many, he was a savior, dreaming of a better future for everyone, unlike Magneto, who wanted supremacy for mutants, or Bolivar Trask, who wanted to kill all mutants; Xavier seemed like a good middle. Though the longer he worked towards his dream, the more apparent it became that he wanted a better future for himself, not everyone. That became even more apparent with the opinion of the very first X-Man.

Cyclops was Charles Xavier's first student. Recruited as a teenager after running away from the orphanage, Scott Summers began to see Charles as a father figure. As Iceman, Angel, Beast, and Marvel Girl were also recruited, Scott became the leader of the X-Men, but in reality was the commander of Xavier's army of child soldiers, leading them into battle to fight for a dream that was not their own. Cyclops led the X-Men for the rest of his life and evidently grew resentment towards his former mentor, claiming now that Xavier manipulated him, and that he always will.

The Founder of The X-Men is About to Become Their Greatest Threat Yet

No matter how much Rogue wants to believe in Chales Xavier's dream of peace between mutants and humans, she is about to be proved very wrong. Cyclops has known Xavier for longer than any of the other X-Men, and he can see how far Charles has fallen down the wrong path. At the end of X-Men #9, thanks to Nightcrawler and Psylocke, Professor X is free, and he may have heard Cyclops' argument as to the reasons not to free him. The question now is whether Xavier is an ally or an enemy.

Whatever is about to go down in the next issue of the Graymalkin event, Professor X will become the X-Men's next big bad, as the next event across all the From the Ashes comics is called X-Manhunt, centered on Charles Xavier as the most dangerous mutant on Earth. The X-Men will have to decide whether to protect, recapture, or kill their most trusted friend. Cyclops is ready to fight for mutant freedom, and if Xavier stands in the way of that, Scott will do anything it takes to stop the Professor.

X-Men #9 is available now from Marvel Comics.