There's Only One Man in the World Wolverine Trusts To Kill Him

Ever since his debut in 1974, the feral mutant Wolverine has been using his adamantium claws to cut down anyone who gets in his way. With his indestructible claws, near-instantaneous healing factor, and propensity for entering a blind berserker rage, Wolverine is among Marvel Comics’ most iconic and dangerous anti-heroes. Add in his spotty memory caused by the secretive Weapon X Program, Wolverine has a hard time trusting anyone, including himself. Although he has gotten better in terms of allowing the X-Men to become his new family, he often fears that he’ll one day lose control and kill someone he cares about. Because of this fear, he’s trusted one person with the responsibility to kill him if he goes rogue: his longtime rival, Cyclops.

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Saying that Wolverine and Cyclops’s relationship is complicated is the understatement of the century. While they may constantly be at each other’s throats, Wolverine revealed what he really thought of Cyclops in 2006’s Wolverine: Origins #5. In this series, the longtime amnesiac Wolverine starts to regain his memories, leading him down a rabbit hole that sends him hunting for his long-lost son and fighting the U.S. Government. Things became dire when Captain America was sent to apprehend Wolverine, and the X-Man’s overwhelming ferocity once again showed why contingency plans against himself are necessary.

Wolverine Trusts Cyclops to Make the Hard Decisions

Throughout his quest to find answers regarding his past and son in Wolverine: Origins, the X-Man carried with him one of the deadliest swords in Marvel Comics: the Murusama Blade. This ancient weapon is made from a special metal that can slow down and even negate healing factors, making it one of the few things that can permanently kill Wolverine. However, during the fight with Captain America, the Avenger managed to snatch the blade and accidentally sliced Wolverine with it. This wound caused Wolverine to enter an uncontrollable berserker rage that not only threatened Captain America, but also the recently arrived Cyclops, Emma Frost, and Hellion.

After a vicious battle, Emma Frost managed to use her telepathy to make Wolverine calm down. Then, Emma revealed to Wolverine that his son was alive and taken by the mysterious puppet-masters who had been manipulating the hero’s life for decades. In that moment, Wolverine recognized that his quest for vengeance had been playing right into his son’s captor’s hands. After having already once used Wolverine as a brainwashed killer in the Weapon X Program, the shadowy villains were once again trying to break him and turn him into their own weapon. Fearing that he’ll be weaponized or lose control again, Wolverine decided to hand over the Murusama blade to the one person he knew wouldn’t hesitate to kill him: Cyclops.

Wolverine isn’t wrong about his assessment of Cyclops’s character. As the leader of the X-Men, Cyclops is constantly forced to make the hard calls. Whenever the X-Men or mutantkind at large are in great peril, it’s always Cyclops who instantly comes up with a plan to save them. The reason that Wolverine doesn’t trust any other X-Man to kill him, is because not only does Cyclops have superior fighting skills, but he has the willpower to do what he thinks is best for the greater good even when he has emotional attachments, if sees no alternatives. Cyclops can be ruthless when the situation calls for it and is willing to fight other heroes to save people. No other X-Man has the skills or hardened soldier mentality to murder Wolverine.

Wolverine and Cyclops are the Ultimate Friends/Rivals

In one of the most intense superhero rivalries in Marvel Comics, Cyclops and Wolverine have been butting heads for decades. Since the X-Men’s debut back in 1963, Cyclops has been the field leader of the team and has commanded dozens of recruits. When the loner Wolverine joined the X-Men’s second roster, he naturally didn’t like the idea of being bossed around. Wolverine’s refusal to listen to orders has always been one of Cyclops’s greatest challenges as a leader. Still, while they may constantly bicker, they are, at the end of the day, close friends who trust each other with their lives.

Initially, Cyclops’s moral righteousness clashed with Wolverine’s propensity for slicing up his enemies into bits. However, over time, as Cyclops began making more ethically questionable decisions, Wolverine was required to be the moral compass. Either way, these two heroes are constantly fighting over what must be done to protect mutantkind. Of course, a key element of their feud is that they both love Jean Grey. While Jean’s heart has always belonged to Cyclops, she also has feelings for Wolverine. Naturally, this love triangle dynamic has led to Cyclops and Wolverine fighting over Jean. However, during the Krakoa Era, this tension eased up when the three unofficially entered a polyamorous relationship. While this relationship seems to have been forgotten, it still shows that Cyclops and Wolverine aren’t necessarily enemies.

While Cyclops and Wolverine will sometimes come to blows over their different beliefs, they are ultimately fire-forged friends who can rely on each other when things get dangerous. Cyclops accepts the usefulness of Wolverine’s brutal fighting style. At the same time, Wolverine recognizes that Cyclops is the best person to lead the X-Men. Any time either of them crosses a line, the other will be there to pull them back. Additionally, either one would risk their life for the other. By fighting side-by-side for decades, Cyclops and Wolverine know and respect each other better than anyone else. Both fundamentally believe in Professor X’s dream of a better future for mutantkind, and they are willing to set their differences aside to make it a reality.

Wolverine giving Cyclops the Murusama Blade was the ultimate sign of trust, as he believes that the X-Men’s leader would be willing to put his friend down if it saved others. Cyclops wouldn’t hesitate to kill Wolverine, not because he hates him, but because he can recognize better than anyone when there’s no other choice and put his personal feelings aside to make the hard decisions. Cyclops is the perfect blend of ruthlessness and restraint to be given such a difficult responsibility. He may rarely show it, but this moment proves that Wolverine trusts Cyclops enough to put his life into the hands of his leader and friend.

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