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Marvel's new Cyclops writer thinks there’s a Biblical inspiration behind the X-Men hero

Cyclops writer Alex Paknadel points to an Old Testament inspiration for his current run on the X-Men leader's solo book, and explains how Marvel's Jed McKay got him to see the connection

News by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Wed Mar 11 2026

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You don't have to dig too hard to notice the ancient influences on Jack Kirby's characters. Galactus has shades of the Titan Cronos, Hulk probably wouldn't be the same without Hercules, and Thor is... well, you get it. One character that you might not expect to factor into the mythological realm, though, is Scott Summers, AKA X-Men leader (and tragic loverboy) Cyclops. However, that didn't stop Cyclops's current creative captain, one Alex Paknadel, from finding a Biblical lighthouse to steer his narrative ship.

Speaking with Adventures in Poor Taste, Paknadel said that it was fellow X-Men scribe Jed McKay who pointed him in the direction of the Old Testament while crafting his current Cyclops solo run.

"Once [the series] was greenlit," Paknadel says, "I coordinated very closely with my good pal Jed MacKay to make sure my Scott was his Scott and vice versa. Our takes were broadly similar from the jump, I think, but one nugget Jed gave me that I’ve kept with me throughout is that Scott is really mutantkind’s King David. That burden of holding a people together against impossible odds really stuck with me, and gave me a greater appreciation for Scott’s stoicism in the face of literally infinite responsibility."

Now that's an interesting take - two leaders who have the trust of a people but whose hubris can lead to disaster. We're not sure what Kirby himself would think of that, but odds are he wouldn't be mad to see someone who loves the classic handling ol' Slim Summers.

Alex Paknadel & Rogê Antônio's Cyclops #2 is on sale March 18, wherever you get your comic books.

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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.