The X-Men have become one of the most important groups in comic history. Their popularity has become such that numerous mutants are among the most popular superheroes of all time. Looking at the mutants, there are multiple “families” of characters, but there’s one that is more important than others: the Summers family. The Summers family has created some of the most powerful mutants ever, and the family has played a massive role in honing the mutant side of the Marvel Universe into what it is today. Cyclops is only the beginning of the Summers clan, with some of the most consequential mutants of all time coming from the family.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The Summers have had various roles in the mutant side of things. Some of them have become iconic characters who have legions of fans, and others are less popular, but still important. These members of the Summers family are the most important to X-Men history, heroes and villains who have helped define the team.
10) Corsair
Christopher Summers was a pilot who took his family for a flight one day. However, the plane was attacked by the Shi’Ar. Christopher’s sons Scott and Alex took the last parachute, escaping the plane, but Christopher and his wife were captured, their unborn child pulled from his mother’s womb. Christopher was enslaved, but eventually escaped and join the Starjammers as Corsair, becoming a space pirate. Since then, he’s been an absentee father to his kids, staying in space and doing pirate stuff. His neglect has helped mold his family, though, and he turns up every decade and then disappears again.
9) Vulcan
Vulcan was the unborn baby pulled from his mother’s womb. He was put in a growth accelerator, enslaved and sent to a secret Shi’Ar base on Earth, and escaped once he mastered his energy powers. He was taken in by Moira MacTaggert, and recruited by Xavier to save the X-Men after they were captured by Krakoa. His team was slaughtered, and he survived by bonding with Darwin. Xavier erased the memory of him from the world, but his return would see him attack the X-Men, and then the Shi’Ar Empire. His energy-manipulating powers are Omega-level, and his insanity from being enslaved and forgotten has seen him fall off the heroic wagon every time he gets on it. He’s a powerful wild card without too many dimensions to his character, but it is fun when he shows up.
8) X-Man
X-Man is the “Age of Apocalypse” Cable and has had quite a ride since then. He was one of four characters who survived the original story, coming to the repaired 616 timeline. He was created on his world from the DNA of Cyclops and Jean Grey to be the ultimate weapon against Apocalypse by Sinister, and soon found himself coveted by the powerful mutants of Earth-616. He was an awesome character for the first couple of years of his existence, but eventually Marvel stopped doing anything interesting with him, and he’s faded away. He’s made a few appearances over the last few years, but they aren’t what anyone would call good, squandering all the potential he once had.
7) Rachel-Grey Summers
“Days of Future Past” changed X-Men history, leading to the introduction of Rachel Grey-Summers. Rachel is the child of Cyclops and Jean Grey of that Earth, helping the X-Men of the future before being captured and made into a mutant-hunting Hound. She was able to break free and come back in time with the Phoenix Force, and has since been a member of the X-Men, Excalibur, X-Factor, and X-Force. She’s a powerful character who eventually no one knew what to do with, and is currently languishing, but she has been a part of some amazing stories and is a favorite of many X-fans.
6) Hope Summers
Hope Summers was the first mutant born after M-Day (conceived by Jean Grey with the Phoenix Force in Hope’s mother so she would exist to help defeat Enigma at the end of the Krakoa Era; if none of that made sense, let me be the first to welcome you to the X-fandom!) and played a huge role in X-Men comics in the late ’00s and early ’10s. She was taken to the future and trained by Cable, helped defeat Bastion and the Purifiers, joined the X-Men, and has had her fortunes rise and fall throughout the rest of the ’10s and ’20s. She’s a cool character who was once a major player, and now is mostly a footnote of history.
5) Havok
Havok is defined by his rivalry with his brother, but is one of the most underrated X-characters of them all. Alex Summers is always the lesser Summers brother; no one really ever wants him and this has effected him greatly. He’s constantly in the shadow of his sibling, using his energy powers to fight evil and prove that he’s his own person. He has led the X-Men, X-Factor, and the Avengers Unity Squad, but always feels like he’s trying to be like Cyclops (it doesn’t help that he’s often dating Cyclops’s ex-wife). He’s been mind-controlled more than just about anyone and has been used against his friends multiple times. However, for some fans, he’s the most interesting Summers brother, and never gets the credit he deserves.
4) Cable
Cable is the son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor, sent to the future after being infected by a techno-organic virus by Apocalypse. He learned to be the ultimate mutant soldier, all while using his vast telepathic and telekinetic powers to hold back the virus. He returned to the present to destroy Apocalypse and joined the New Mutants, founded X-Force, and joined the X-Men and Avengers. He became one of the most popular X-characters of the ’90s, and is something of an icon for many fans. He gets a bad rep because he was the poster boy for a lot of bad ’90s tropes, but anyone who’s followed the character’s adventures over the years knows that he’s actually a deep, entertaining hero.
3) Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Pryor has had quite a life. A clone of Jean Grey created by Mister Sinister to have a child with Cyclops, she ended up marrying the hero and having that child. However, Cyclops left her and their child after the return of Jean Grey, leaving her alone as Sinister came for her and her kid. This broke her, and after hiding out with the X-Men for a time (and messing with the mind of Havok), she became the Goblin Queen of Limbo and led an attack on New York City in the classic “Inferno”. Since then, Maddie has had her ups and downs, with a lot of fans seeing the tragedy of the character. She’s a complex woman, and has played a role in numerous milestones in X-Men history.
2) Jean Grey
Jean Grey married into the Summers family, her relationship with Cyclops blossoming into marriage. She’s been inextricably linked to the Phoenix Force, and her death in “The Dark Phoenix Saga” led to the creation of Maddie and the birth of Cable. She’s played a huge role in the life of Cyclops, especially her deaths, but she always finds her way back to the man she loves. She’s one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, a cosmic protector of the cosmos and mutantkind, and has long been a great partner (although Emma is better) for Scott Summers. While their relationship isn’t always perfect, it’s worked for both of them. She’s the mother of the Summers family, and an amazing hero.
1) Cyclops
Cyclops is the consummate X-Man, and one of the greatest leaders in comics. His optic blasts are extremely formidable, but his leadership and tactical skills are what him put him over the top. Scott cares about mutantkind more than just about anyone, and he’s willing to go to any length to make sure that his people survive. He’s graduated from leader of the X-Men to leader of the mutant race, helming them through their darkest times. He’s an unbeatable leader who’s grown out of being the boring boy scout character and into the vital leader that we love.
Who’s your favorite members of the Summers’ family? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Studio Bones -
Image Courtesy of Science SARU
