The Uncanny X-Men #201
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeUncanny X-Men #201 is one of the most consequential single issues of Chris Claremont's celebrated run because it accomplishes two enormous narrative pivots at once: it delivers the first appearance of Nathan Christopher Charles Summers — the infant who would eventually, through decades of retcons and time-travel plotting, be revealed as the adult warrior Cable — and it formally transfers X-Men leadership from Cyclops to a depowered Storm, ending Scott Summers' tenure as field commander and removing him from the title's cast entirely. The Danger Room duel between Storm and Cyclops, with Storm winning on pure skill and street-fighting instinct rather than mutant ability, remains one of the sharpest character-defining moments Claremont ever wrote, crystallizing everything he had built around Ororo Munroe over a decade. The issue also sits at a precise editorial fault-line: it was the bridge issue that cleared the deck for X-Factor #1 the following month, a launch Claremont opposed, making #201 a document of creative tension between the book's writer and Marvel's wider editorial strategy.
In "Duel," Cyclops and Storm face off in a high-stakes clash for leadership of the X-Men, testing their ideals and resolve. As tensions rise, a sudden storm outside hints at something deeper—while Xavier remains stranded in space, and Maddie's newborn son, Nathan Christopher Summers, begins his mysterious journey. Written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Rick Leonardi, with inks by Whilce Portacio and colors by Glynis Oliver, the issue’s cover by Leonardi and Portacio captures the moment’s intensity.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 19 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 9.8 ▾ $94–$360 8 listings
CGC 9.6 ▾ $59.99 2 listings
CGC ▾ $40–$69.99 3 listings
Raw — MINT ▾ $9.99–$22.21 2 listings
Raw — NM ▾ $10–$38 5 listings
Raw — VF/NM ▾ $19.95–$29.99 3 listings
Raw — VF+ ▾ $9.49–$14.99 4 listings
Raw — VF ▾ $6.5–$39.95 16 listings
Raw — F/VF ▾ $9.99–$14.99 2 listings
Raw — FN/VF ▾ $8.96–$10 2 listings
Raw — FN ▾ $4.99–$19.5 3 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $3.99–$84.74 43 listings
More listings for this title
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was written by Chris Claremont, penciled by guest artist Rick Leonardi, and inked by Whilce Portacio — both filling in because regular penciler John Romita Jr. took a skip month after the oversized #200. Ann Nocenti edited and Jim Shooter served as editor-in-chief. Claremont had been laying the groundwork for Nathan's birth since revealing Madelyne Pryor's pregnancy in X-Men/Alpha Flight #1 (Dec. 1985), with Madelyne going into premature labor the very issue before, in #200. Claremont's original intent had been to write Cyclops permanently out of Uncanny in favor of domestic life, but Marvel's editorial decision to launch X-Factor — requiring Scott to abandon Madelyne and the baby to reunite with a retconned-alive Jean Grey — forced #201 to serve as an involuntary exit ramp rather than the quiet, character-driven closure Claremont had envisioned; he was strongly opposed to that editorial direction.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Nathan Christopher Charles Summers (later Cable) as a newborn infant, son of Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor; his full name is not revealed in this issue but is confirmed later in Uncanny X-Men #239.
- Story titled 'Duel'; written by Chris Claremont, penciled by Rick Leonardi, inked by Whilce Portacio (his first X-Men work), colored by Glynis Oliver, lettered by Tom Orzechowski; cover by John Romita Jr.
- Storm, completely depowered at this point in continuity, defeats Cyclops in a one-on-one Danger Room fight, snatching his visor to end the bout and claiming leadership of the X-Men.
- Cyclops permanently departs the Uncanny X-Men cast with this issue, transitioning to the newly launched X-Factor #1 the following month.
- The issue also features a Rachel Summers subplot in which she visits her grandparents' home, repairs the Shi'ar holoempathic crystal of Jean Grey, and adds her own essence to it — with the Watcher (Uatu) observing a burst of Phoenix-related energy on the moon.
- A Starjammers subplot confirms that Professor X, recuperating aboard the Starjammer with Lilandra, cannot return to Earth for the foreseeable future — establishing Magneto as the acting headmaster of the school.
- Whilce Portacio's inking work here marks his earliest credited contribution to the Uncanny X-Men title; he would later become a full penciler on the book and co-founded Image Comics.
- Reprinted in Marvel Milestones: Wolverine, X-Men & Tuk: Caveboy (2005), alongside Marvel Comics Presents #1 and Captain America Comics #1–2.
Cast · 34 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Spécial Strange #54 (1988), Marvel Spesial #6/1989 (1989), Gli Incredibili X-Men #18 (1992), X-Men #6/1993 (1993), X-Men Classic #105 (1995), Marvel Milestones: Wolverine, X-Men & Tuk: Caveboy #[nn] (2005), Uncanny X-Men No. 201 [Marvel Legends Reprint] #[nn] (2005), Essential X-Men #6 (2005), Women of Marvel #2 (2007), Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades Magazine #1 (2010), X-Men: Ghosts #[nn] (2013), Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men #13 (2021), The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #5 (2023), Phoenix Omnibus #2 (2023), X-Men Epic Collection #13 (2025), De X-Mannen #57, La Patrulla-X #53, Marvel-Maxi-Pockets #27, Marvel mutanter #12/1989, Projekt X #25
Key issues in The Uncanny X-Men
Variants (2)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.