Cyclops' New Rival Just Used a 25-Year-Old Movie with a 90% RT Score to Justify His War Against Mutants

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One of mutantkind's worst enemies was officially inspired by one of the greatest films of all time.

After a knock-down brawl between Cyclops and O*N*E*'s Agent Lundqvist in the pages of X-Men #20 (by Jed MacKay, Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, and VC's Clayton Cowles), both combatants find themselves sitting in adjacent jail cells for their trouble. While the pair are just as happy to trade barbs as they were to trade blows, it is only a matter of time before that gives way to a genuine conversation about their respective ideologies. As Lundqvist explains, his actions haven't been born of any overt hatred, but rather from the fear of what combatants with uneven resources and abilities can do, and that fear was born out of nothing less than director Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale.

Cyclops and Lunqvist Have Time to Kill in X-Men #20

• Written by JED MacKAY
• Art by NETHO DIAZ
• Inks by SEAN PARSONS
• Colors by FER SIFUENTES-SUJO
• Letters by VC's CLAYTON COWLES
• Design by JAY BOWEN
• Main cover art by RYAN STEGMAN & MARTE GRACIA
• Variant covers by J. SCOTT CAMPBELL; JEFFREY BROWN; KEN LASHLEY & JUAN FERNANDEZ; and MICHELE BANDINI & MARCELO MAIOLO

Directed by Kinji Fukasaku from a screenplay by his son and frequent collaborator Kenta Fukasaku, which itself was based on Koushun Takami's 1999 manga novel of the same name, Battle Royale was released in 2000 to some exceptionally divisive responses from critics and audiences alike. The film introduces audiences to a brutal version of the future in which a totalitarian Japanese government attempts to scare the youth straight by forcing random high school students to battle one another to the death in an annual Battle Royale. At the outset of the event, the students are each provided with various supplies, including rations, maps, and a random weapon which can range from simple pieces of silverware to fully automatic firearms.

That Battle Royale has made an impact on the characters of the Marvel Universe is no surprise, considering how much of a cultural impact it has had in the years since its release. Apart from being a major financial success and spawning a sequel in the form of Battle Royale II: Requiem, the original film has established its own special place in the wider realm of pop culture. Creators ranging from Quentin Tarantino to Edgar Wright have discussed being inspired by Battle Royale, while the film itself helped to establish an entire sub-genre that has come to include the Fate/stay night and Hunger Games franchises and video games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends.

O*N*E*, or the Office of National Emergency, has been a part of the Marvel Universe since 2005, when the organization was introduced in the pages of Decimation: House of M - The Day After #1 by Chris Claremont, Randy Green, and Aaron Lopresti. Formed prior to but put into action following the events of M-Day, O*N*E* was designed with the express purpose of responding to the kind of mutants who could potentially impact the entire world. Following the war against Orchis, O*N*E* has become a more prominent force than ever, now serving as the United States government's foremost answer to any and all potential mutant threats, perceived or otherwise.

X-Men #20 is available now from Marvel Comics.