Havok, Alexander Summers, debuted in 1969 as the younger brother of Cyclops. Created by Arnold Drake and Con Heck, Havok can create powerful blasts of plasma similar to Cyclop’s powers. Played by Lucas Till in the live action movies, Havok isn’t a total unknown but his history in the comics is expansive.
An uneasy beginning
When Cyclops and Havok were young, they survived a plane crash which presumably killed their parents. While Cyclops was in a coma from hitting his head during the accident, Havok was adopted by another family. He had a somewhat strained relationship with his adopted parents, but soon went to college studying geophysics.
This is when he met the X-Men for the first time and reunited with his brother. At first Havok, like his brother, didn’t have full control over his powers. In fact, he was rather weary of them and didn’t use them for a long time. It wasn’t until he was kidnapped by the Living Pharoh, who had similar powers to him, that he really used it for the first time. The Living Pharaoh would go on to be a long time villain for Havok.
Time with the X-Men
Havok eventually joined the X-Men, but would have difficulty adjusting. His personality was rather different from his older brother and he sometimes resented Cyclops and his “perfect” kind of demeanor. Because of this and his interest in education, he tended to be an on-again/ off-again member if the team.
He did form a romantic relationship with another mutant, Polaris, who was also a sometimes member of the X-Men. They both were allies of the team for years while also focusing on their careers. Havok would also befriend Wolverine and a few of the Avengers, helping them on missions as well.
Forming a New Team
After the events of Genosha, Havok was made the leader of a government sponsored team called the X-Factor. He lead the team for a considerable amount of time and a many missions. With the X-Factor, Havok participated in the Infinity War and Infinity Crisis. During this time he was able to actually beat the Hulk. Twice. He and Polaris would also be married toward the end of their time with the team.
Then it got Weird
Par for the course for Marvel and X-Men, things don’t run smoothly. Havok ends up in a parallel world where he is the original leader of the X-Men since his brother, supposedly, did not survive the plane crash. He lead the team and raised his alternate reality son for a while, until coming out of a coma in the original reality he was from. Soon after he fell in love with his nurse, who he married and eventually had a son with.
Family Ties
The plane crash that presumably killed Havok and Cyclop’s parents was actually an attack from a Shi’ar spaceship. The parents were abducted by the aliens, and their mother was killed. Their father, Christopher, was sent to a slave colony where he met other wrongly imprisoned aliens. They escaped and became the Starjammers, a group of outlaws against the Shi’ar Empire. During the event of the Pheonix Saga the Summers family were finally reunited. Joining together with their father against their half brother Vulcan, who kills their father.
Havok and other stranded mutants form a new team of Starjammers dedicated to stopping his evil brother. He and Vulcan, however, eventually have a cease fire to take on the Finality. Vulcan betrays Havok, and after a fight take Havok and his team prisoner. While it takes a few years, they eventually escape and return the earth.
Meanwhile, Earth has changed dramatically. During the events of Avengers vs. X-Men he has to fight his other brother Cyclops who has been infected by the Phoenix. He ends up allying himself with the Avengers and became the temporary leader of the X-Men following the death of Xavier and Cyclops ending up in prison. Durinf this time he marries the 2nd Wasp, Janet van Dyne, and have a daughter together.
During the events of the Inhuman War, he sees his brother Cyclops die. Not believing it at first, he is consoled by Emma Frost.
A New Beggining
With the reboot of Mutants in the House and Powers of X, Havok is now on a team with former villians the Hellions. With Hellions #1 out now, we see the start of new storied from Havok. What will happen? We’ll have to wait and see.
