Want some justification in believing that Cyclops was the hero of Avengers vs. X-Men? Look no further than Tom Brevoort, Marvel’s senior vice president of publishing, and editor of the series. In a recent interview with Newsarama.com, Brevoort was asked about Cyclops’ role as the villain in Avengers vs. X-Men.

Nrama: Well, that was a very informative detour — and with Cyclops, there are people who, fair or not, think he’s been cast as a villain, even if the Phoenix force was influencing him. Taking him in this direction, was it motivated out of seeing that kind of potential in where he’s been going the past few years? Is labeling him, even at this point, as a “villain” still sort of missing the point?

Brevoort: Honestly, I think that’s a matter of individual perception. To some people, the things he did, the lengths that he went to, and the choices he made, make him villainous. In every case, he did them for the right reasons, as he saw them. It really depends upon whether you think those reasons were right and justified.

At the end of the day, as he sort of says to Cap, he got as good an outcome as he could possibly have wanted. All he ever wanted to do was safeguard what remained of his people until the point came when this world-changing event happened, and the mutant race was reborn — and he did it. There were casualties along the way, and that’s the tragedy, and that’s the burden that he’s going to carry going forward.

Your viewpoint on Cyclops really depends on where you stand on the choices he made. I think at the very least, if he’s not a heroic figure, he’s a sympathetic figure, and I wouldn’t necessarily even rule out that he’s a heroic figure. I think that’s completely up to the individual readers to decide for themselves. He made what he thought were the right choices, and ultimately, for the most part, everything worked out pretty well, with one glaring exception.

Brevoort went on to say that Cyclops will reappear in AvX: Consequences and All-New X-Men, the latter of which I don’t plan to buy. He said Cyclops’ story is far from over, so that’s pretty awesome.

But how’s that for justification? One of the Marvel big cheeses himself is saying that Cyclops’ actions could easily be viewed as heroic. Yes, heavy prices were paid, but none of it was Cyclops himself turning villainous. Captain America started the whole conflict. The Avengers shot the Phoenix with their big gun, causing it to accidentally possess Cyclops and his friends. The Avengers attacked Utopia and pushed the PhoeniX-Men to retaliate. Namor attacked Wakana. Colossus and Magik set up the evil prison.

The Phoenix killed Professor X. The Dark Phoenix threatened to destroy the world.

The most Cyclops did on his own was maybe threaten to kill a dragon in K’un Lun. He was thrust into several spots he didn’t want to be in, but made the most of it while fighting opposition form his closest friends and his mind being taken over by the Phoenix Force.

Cyclops was right. Pax Utopia.