Even if you have never read an X-Men comic before, you probably know Scott Summers, or Cyclops, from cartoons, video games, and the Fox-era films. What you may not know is that X-Men leader Cyclops has a love/hate relationship with comic fans. Some comic book fans hate to love Cyclops or love to hate him.
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is obviously the center of attention when it comes to live-action X-Men films. However, in the comic books, Cyclops commands a fanbase, too. Cyclops is pragmatic, a natural-born leader, and a soap opera-level womanizer. His romantic characterization in the 1980s and 1990s overshadowed his heroics for a long time.
X-Men Leader and Heartless Lover Cyclops
In the 1980s, Cyclops was a notorious and stoic womanizer.
After Jean Grey died in the Dark Phoenix Saga, Cyclops unwittingly fell in love with her clone, Madeline Pryor. Cyclops believes that Jean is reincarnating herself through Madeline. So, Cyclops leaves the X-Men and marries Madeline, who is now pregnant.
When Cyclops learns the real Jean Grey is alive, he immediately abandons Madeline for Jean. Madeline is kidnapped by villains, suffers mental instability, and prematurely gives birth to Nathan Summers, all alone. Nathan would later be shunted into the future and become the mutant Cable.
Cyclops’s womanizing and reluctance to commit to Madeline cause him to lose his leadership in the X-Men. It took decades for X-Men fans to see Cyclops as something other than a callous womanizer. However, Cyclops has many sides to him as a character. Wolverine is a cold-blooded killer after all, but fans always focus on other aspects of his character.
If you have never read an X-Men comic, then you probably don’t know these things. What is important to know is that Cyclops is a historically important X-Men character, even if he is not a popular as Wolverine. Here are eight reasons why Cyclops is so underrated as a character.
1. Summers’ Arrogance Overshadows His Intelligence
Summers was always shown as an arrogant leader in his earliest X-Men appearances. He was tough, condescending, and always looking for his X-Men to improve themselves. Summers never wants the X-Men to rest on their laurels or take any successes for granted.
Cyclops was always trying to get Wolverine to tone down his anger, individualistic mindset and be a team member. Cyclops’ actions come off as arrogant, but he helped hone the team into a fighting unit as a leader.
2. He is the leader Prof. X Can Never Be
Prof. X is the teacher, mentor, and ethical guide for the X-Men. The role of Prof. X is to identify, recruit, and train vulnerable mutants and train them to control their powers. Prof. X’s role is to prepare the X-Men to fight for a world that fears and despises them.
X-Men leader Cyclops, a former student, uses those teachings as the X-Men field leader. In the Silver, Bronze, and Modern Age, Cyclops was the main X-Men Leader. The concept of rotating leadership for the X-Men did not become the norm until 1988.
Cyclops lost himself with Madeline Pryor during this era, but he eventually became X-Men leader again.
3. He is a Stoic Leader
The best leaders never fly off the handle and keep their cool. X-Men leader Cyclops was notorious for keeping his cool in the heat of battle, even if he was a hot head privately. Summers is always by the book, follows the rules, and thinks ten steps ahead.
4. Summers Was a True Believer
Prox. X’s dream is a world where mutants and humans alike get along. Most casual fans don’t know that Magneto is a racist against humans and sees them as inferior. X-Men comics have an ideology about social issues that mirror complex real-life issues. Magneto thinks Prof. X is ridiculous; humans will never accept mutants as being human.
X-Men leader Cyclop is a zealot when it comes to espousing Prof. X’s belief system. Cyclops believes in Prof. X’s dream and wants to instill that belief in his X-Men.
5. His Power Makes Him Stoic
Summers can’t control his powers. If he does not wear his ruby quartz visor constantly, then his destructive concussive eye blasts would fire off incessantly. Without stoicism and willpower, Cyclops could not control his destructive powers. He exerts a self-control that most other mutants cannot.
6. He Became a Radical
After the events of House of M, Cyclops wore a red-hued uniform with a large red “X” on his mask. Summers became more radical and extremist than Wolverine. In House of M, Scarlet Witch uses her reality-warping powers to erase 99% of all mutants. The mutant race dwindles down to a few hundred globally.
After this event, X-Men leader Cyclops decides that Prof. X’s dream is dead. Prof. X’s dream of a world where humans and mutants were no longer viable. Cyclops could not be Xavier’s zealot field leader anymore. Mutants must now do whatever they can to defend themselves.
7.“Cyclops Was Right”
In the post-House of M era, Cyclops became a mutant supremacist on par with Magneto. He sanctioned an X-Force team whose mission was to kill with prejudice. Cyclops began using children as assassins. In the series AVX, Cyclops even bonds with the Phoenix Force to further his goals.
“Cyclops was Right,” became a social media rallying cry in the early 2010s to convey the personality change in the character.
8. X-Men Schism (2012)
This 5-issue event depicts how Cyclops’ change in attitude, as the leader of the X-Men, divided the team. Even Wolverine, who suffers from mindless berserker rages, thinks Cyclops has gone too far. Additionally, Cyclops and Wolverine verbalize their mutual resentment and hatred over their obsession with Jean.
The fight between Wolverine and Cyclops was definitely about X-Men ideology, but it was also about Jean. The events of this comic changed the dynamic in X-Men comics for years to come.
This 224-page hardcover collects the epic event and some tie-in series. Buy it now at Amazon for $65.
X-Men Leader Cyclops
When I was a kid, I really thought that James Marsden’s Cyclops would become a breakout character just as much as Jackman’s Wolverine. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Wolverine’s claws and berserker rages were aesthetically more interesting than Cyclops on the big screen.
My point is that people who never read comics love Wolverine. I encourage you to read about Cyclops. He is a horribly underrated character with decades of interesting canon who deserves more exposure.
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