Finally, the confrontation between Cyclops and Wolverine comes to the breaking point. Or is that the slashing/eye-blasting point? Not only is the rift between them clearly laid out and understandable, but the two heroes actually do come to blows at the climax of this issue. And it’s an awesome fight. X-Men: Schism #4 is an exciting and tense issue, one that thankfully is not bogged down by the ridiculousness of the Hellfire Club Kids. It’s just Cyclops and Wolverine laying it all on the line.

X-Men: Schism #4

And I am completely on Cyclops’ side.

Wolverine comes off like a fool! I understand his reasoning, and I suppose it fits with the character, but in the context of everything we know about the X-Men and in the context of what we’re reading here, Wolverine is a blind, stubborn fool. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like we’re made to root for Wolverine anymore. Both sides are pretty clear and neither one comes off as completely favored over the other. The reader can choose for themselves who is right, and also see that both Cyclops and Wolverine are being more than a little selfish. That’s a plus and definitely helps to better define the titular Schism of the X-Men.

Spoilers after the jump.

A giant, super-Sentinel is coming to attack the X-Men’s home, the island Utopia. Cyclops tries to rally the team to fight back, but the only mutants still on the island are Hope and her team, as well as a few of the other students. They may be young, but Cyclops is confident that they can do this. Plus the kids, all of them teenagers, want to stay and fight for their home.

Wolverine, on the other hand, doesn’t want the kids to have to fight.

In yo face!

Understandable, but ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

Where has Wolverine been for the past 40 years of X-Men comics? The X-Men have ALWAYS had teenagers as part of the team. Often there are whole teams made up of just teenagers. The original X-Men back in the 1960s were teenagers. The New Mutants were teenagers. Generation X in the 90s was a team of teenagers. They all had their own long-running comic books and all of these teenage mutants fought super-villains and went on wild adventures.

The current crop of X-Students, many of whom appeared this issue when Cyclops rallied the troops, have been around for going on 10 years now. They’ve seen many of their classmates killed and have fought tooth and claw against the bad guys. They have been in training to be X-Men for years!

Hope has spent her entire life training to be a soldier, raised in the far future by ultimate mutant soldier Cable. She has a team of mutants with her, all of whom star in the comic Generation Hope. I’m not reading that comic, but I can’t believe that they’re not fighting super-villains and other troubles. I bet they are. I bet Generation Hope has the team facing tough odds and being heroes, LIKE EVERY OTHER COMIC BOOK!

These kids are ready to fight! Even if they have 'cannon fodder' written all over them.

So the idea that Wolverine is so opposed to sending these kids against a Sentinel is ludicrous!

Wolverine takes what, I guess, is considered the moral high ground. He wants to evacuate the island and just run, as long as it means the kids won’t have to fight (and won’t have to die, I suppose). But that flies in the face of decades of comics history where the teenage X-Men have always fought! Heck, it was the students who defeated The Mimic in the X-Men/Dark Avengers crossover. They helped out in a battle against the Hulk. It’s the teenage X-Men who have gone on countless adventures and fought countless bad guys and have spent their whole comics careers being trained to be X-Men. Plus they want to stay and fight for their home! They are volunteering to help Cyclops. They come to him to help, he doesn’t force them to fight.

Yet, Wolverine’s reasoning rings true to his character when he says that he fights and lives the life he does so that the kids don’t have to. That makes sense and works for Wolverine, but damn the rest of his reasoning is just stupid.

The issue is a simple one and very straight forward, and for that I’m grateful. The past three issues have been very thick on plot, following a rather twisty path to get to this one moment, where Wolverine and Cyclops are at each others throats. The majority of this issue is their argument, followed by the start of their fight. It’s brutal and powerful, everything this series is meant to be. And they fight while this super-Sentinel is marching towards Utopia, adding to the stakes.

When we last left off, Wolverine and Cyclops were on the mainland in San Francisco. The youthful mutant Idie had just saved the museum from Hellfire Club attack, though Wolverine was upset that she had to resort to killing the Hellfire guards. Still, the Hellfire Club Kids were able to set off their bomb, which turns into a magnetic vortex. All of the available metal in the area is being drawn together into this super-Sentinel. We know it’s super because issue #4 opens with the X-Scientists Dr. Nemesis and Madison Jeffries praising its awesomeness. The two are practically in love with the simplistic, efficient design of this mutant-killing machine. Thanks for hyping up the threat, fellas.

So we know the super-Sentinel is big trouble.

Sometime between last issue and this one, Cyclops took all the X-Men back to their island home, Utopia, off the coast of San Francisco. Cyclops made the decision a year or two ago to move all the mutants out onto that island to start their own community. He’s been very adamant about mutants being independent and making their own way in the world. He’s put a lot of work into making this community thrive. So we know what’s at stake for Cyclops when the super-Sentinel starts making its way through the bay towards Utopia.

We know this because of this awesome scene.

My heart's all a'flutter

Cyclops wants to stand and fight for their home, but the rest of the X-Men aren’t available. Heavy-hitters like Magneto, Colossus and Iceman were taken out last issue by the Hellfire Club Kids, and the rest of his people are spread throughout the world taking on the Sentinels in other nations, which the first few issues set up. So Cyclops is alone with just the X-students (though frankly, there should be a lot more mutants on Utopia). They come to help, and after looking them over for a moment, Cyclops agrees that they can do this.

Then Wolverine shows up and tells everyone that they can’t do this.

Wolverine tried fighting the super-Sentinel early in the issue while Cyclops retreated with the others to Utopia. Now Wolverine has made it back to the island and he wants everybody to just run. Abandon the island and find shelter elsewhere. Wolverine doesn’t want the kids to be turned into combat troops. Wolverine and Cyclops have a fantastic argument about this over the course of the rest of the issue. Both men make their points, but both men also betray their selfish feelings.

Cyclops doesn’t want to give up on Utopia, and he’s willing to put the teens in harm’s way to save his vision.

Wolverine thinks he’s being noble and heroic in trying to take all the responsibility for the super-Sentinel onto himself, while ignoring the fact that the teens want to stay and fight for their home.

Watch your mouth, woman!

The argument builds to a head when Cyclops draws a line in the sand. He says he’s made up his mind, and those who want to leave can leave, and those who want to stay can stay. The teens stay! Wolverine gruffly storms off while Cyclops gives the teens a pep talk about kicking Sentinel tuckus. He’s been doing it since he was their age, after all. The super-Sentinel is still coming, walking ominously across the bay in the background of most panels. Wolverine, meanwhile, has gone back to his room to get…something. Quentin Quire, the mutant from issue #1 who started off this whole bruhaha, shows up to taunt Wolverine.

So Wolverine stabs him.

Then Wolverine suits up and returns to Cyclops and the teens. He tells them that he’s loaded the island with 2,000 pounds of explosives and he’s holding the detonator. He’s going to blow up the super-Sentinel when it arrives, sacrificing Utopia in the process. He tells the teens to run off and warn everybody to start evacuating. Cyclops is pissed and the two of them get into another argument.

Then finally, we reach the whole moment that X-Men: Schism has been building towards: Cyclops and Wolverine arguing face-to-face, certain death and destruction coming. They’re angry and pissed, arguing about sending kids into battle. Then Cyclops mentions what their argument and their split is really all about. Though he doesn’t say her name.

The late Jean Grey.

She'd be more frightened of YOU Wolverine! You're the one who is threatening to blow up your home with 2,000 pounds of explosives! You're holding the detonator! Cyclops just wants to lead the X-Men into battle against a Sentinel!

On the next page, Cyclops shoots first. The fight is on, and it’s a brutal one. Claws and optic blasts fly as the two men scrape on the beach, with the super-Sentinel looming just above them, having finally reached the island. End issue.

The mention of Jean Grey is a nice touch. She is Cyclops’ wife (now deceased), and Wolverine was always in love with her. Their love triangle was a big part of the X-Men movies. She has always been at the heart of the feud between these two, so I’m glad that write Jason Aaron uses Jean to finally push these two men over the edge. And I love that he didn’t need to use her name. As I’d ranted earlier, Wolverine’s position on these teens not fighting was just silly. So I’m glad Aaron uses a more serious and emotional kicker to finally get the fight started. It works. Even if Wolverine’s comeback wasn’t as hurtful as it could have been.

It’s no, “The last time you inspired anyone was when you were dead.” Batman knows his way around a snappy, stinging comeback.

I’m definitely on board with X-Men: Schism now. I understand the rift between Cyclops and Wolverine, and how it’s actually just been building issue to issue. All those smaller problems from the first three issues were just to start weakening their trust, and a really big, clear problem about the teens fighting is what splits them for good. Then the Jean Grey thing sets them off wonderfully. And like I said, the fight looks great. Awesome work by Alan Davis.

Pew! Pew! Pew! Snikt! Snikt! Snikt!

Kudos to Aaron for the great build-up over the past four issues. I can definitely see the pair of them come to blows over what’s transpired.

Though I hesitate to think that all of this is enough to completely split the X-Men in half like Marvel says it will. We’ll just have to wait and see how they handle the fallout of Schism.