The X-Men books are in an interesting place right now. While it’s impossible to say that fans are unequivocally happy with the line, there are some aspects of the books that are fans are happy with. One of these is Cyclops. The team’s leader is finally being played as the star of the franchise, something that Marvel has been working on since the late ’00s. The character has often had an uphill battle in this respect, held back by the popularity of characters like Wolverine and Gambit, and by creators not willing to push the envelope with the hero. One of the biggest examples of this is his relationship with his wife Jean Grey.
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Cyclops and Jean Grey have been the team’s most important couple since the 1960s, but to a lot of fans, the relationship has become everything wrong with Cyclops. It stymied the character, something that would become more and more apparent over the excellent early ’00s series New X-Men. Grant Morrison’s run was all about building Scott Summers, and they did this by introducing the relationship that would define the hero in the 21st century: his affair with Emma Frost. Emma and Scott were officially together for 12 years, from 2004 to 2016, and it’s time to call a spade a spade: the former White Queen was the best girlfriend Cyclops ever had and I’m tired of pretending otherwise.
Emma Frost Pushed Cyclops In a Way that Jean Grey Doesn’t
The ’00s were a great time for X-Men fans, with New X-Men setting out to make Cyclops into the kind of hero that he always should have been. The way he dealt with his own shortcomings and defeats in the series made him a more multi-faceted character, and his “affair” with Emma was a huge part of that. Instead of doing what he was “supposed to do”, he did what he wanted and Frost supported him. She wasn’t going to die on him, and she wasn’t in love with the teenage him; she was in love with him. Jean and Scott make a good couple, but they’re always going to be high school sweethearts. This is nice, but it holds them both back.
Emma and Jean are very different characters, and this is one of the reasons that she was perfect for Cyclops in the post-House of M Marvel Universe. Emma Frost has always been a leader, and she was able to use this experience to help Cyclops after he took over as the leader of the mutant race. She prepared him for the worst, in a lot of ways, and was willing to do things that he wasn’t. She constantly pushed him in ways that Jean never would; Emma’s past as an actual teacher meant that she was thinking about the future in a way that Jean never did.
Jean was all about holding back, trying to control her powers. Emma was all about pushing forward, about finding ways to profit, ways to win, and Cyclops needed that more than he needed Jean’s more hindbound ways. Frost made Cyclops a better mutant leader than Jean ever would. She didn’t judge his excesses, and was able to challenge him in ways that never would have occurred to Jean. Emma had a freedom to her that she shared with Scott, and this allowed him to become a much better character. Emma Frost killed the old boring boy scout that Cyclops was once.
Jean Grey is currently Phoenix, and she and Cyclops have been back together since 2019. However, they’ve felt weird since getting back together. Writers have tried to recapture their old relationship, but they just don’t fit anymore. They were boring every time they were together in books like X-Men (Vol. 5) and (Vol. 6), and they since have barely shared any page space together. It feels like everyone sort of knows that they don’t fit as well as Emma and Scott, but no one wants to admit it. Cyclops has grown because of his relationship with Emma, which is why it’s so disappointing that X-Men editor Tom Brevoort wants to make them enemies in the upcoming X-Men United. Cyclops and Emma Frost are perfect for each other, and it’s a waste to keep them apart.
Cyclops Needs to Leave Jean Grey for Emma Frost
Cyclops is becoming a superstar again, and there are rumors that he’s going to play a big role in the MCU. More than likely, the MCU X-Men will lean into the Cyclops/Jean Grey relationship, which is probably what has kept them married in the comics. However, let’s be real: Emma Frost has been better for Cyclops than Jean Grey since she joined the X-Men in 2001, and their 12-year relationship was better than anything in Scott’s entire time with Jean. The two characters fit so well, their very different personalities making them both better when they’re together.
Cyclops as the focus of the X-Men feels right, and he’s been a lot of fun to read about in the last year. However, his relationship with Jean hasn’t added anything good to his stories. He needs a relationship that makes him a better character, that makes his stories better, and Emma Frost gives that to him. She fits in a way that Jean doesn’t, and she does that by challenging him in ways that previous relationships didn’t. Cyclops and Emma Frost are perfect for each other, and it’s long past time that they got back together.
What do you think of Cyclops and Emma Frost? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan -
Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme
