Marvel Officially Introduces Founding Hero Cyclops in a Dark Golden Costume

A dramatic change for Cyclops

Cyclops debuted in 1963’s The X-Men #1 and has undergone costume adjustments over the years, though major redesigns have been less common. In the Marvel NOW! era, he traded blue and yellow for black and red, along with an X-shaped visor, as he adopted a revolutionary outlook.

In Marvel Dimensions, Scott Summers wears Victorian military clothes, a golden cowl that hides his hair and a handlebar mustache. His optic powers remain unchanged. When Magneto, known in this world as the heroic Metallurgist, removes his helmet and attaches it to Xavier, Scott’s blasts go out of control and Xavier loses his telepathy.

The Exalted’s golden status

The story unfolds in the In-Verse, an alternate dimension where powerful heroes are ruthless villains competing for territory around the world. Its X-Men-inspired faction, the Exalted, places mutants in a hierarchy: those who look more human rule over the monstrous Branded.

The Exalted wear ornate golden outfits to mark their rank. The Branded, by contrast, are made to wear golden chains and muzzles. The setting uses Cyclops’s redesign to connect his tactical role with an image of upper-class colonial power.

Xavier’s control over Scott

The gold has a further purpose: it brings the Exalted under Xavier’s control, making them obey his will. That turns the costume into more than a sign of prestige and reverses the familiar image of Xavier welcoming young mutants and encouraging them to become heroes.

Room for more In-Verse stories

Marvel Dimensions offers a brief look at a wide range of characters in the In-Verse. Its alternate X-Men also turn the franchise’s themes of discrimination and belonging inward, using gold to suggest class, wealth and cultural power.

The story’s version of Cyclops presents those themes through a hero recast as a villain and placed under Xavier’s command. The alternate X-Men could provide material for future stories, including specials focused on the In-Verse’s reimagined characters.