Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, is one of Marvel’s most iconic characters. The X-Man is one of the original members of the wildly popular heroic team and has been a fixture in X-Men stories for decades, stepping up countless times as a leader. However, while Cyclops is a pivotal part of the team, he’s also one of Marvel’s more divisive characters. Some see him as arrogant and undeserving of his leadership role while others think he’s the greatest hero on the team and deserves even more respect. Truth be told, a case can be made for both viewpoints, but as with any hero, it’s more nuanced than a simple black or white.
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The truth is that, love him or hate him, Cyclops is a pretty awesome character and hero who has certainly earned his status both in terms of the X-Men and in Marvel on the whole. Here are five moments from the comics that prove how great he actually is.
5) Sending His Son Into the Future
One of the more heartbreaking moments in X-Men comics belongs to Cyclops and it’s a gut punch to anyone who has ever been a parent. In X-Factor #86, young Nathan Summers is infected by Apocalypse with a deadly techno-organic virus. The only hope at saving him is Sister Askani, who had come from the future on a mission to save him. She was there to take Nathan to her time so they could cure the virus.
It’s a difficult moment for Cyclops, saying goodbye to his son even though he knows that letting him go is the only way to save him. It’s made even more bittersweet knowing that while Nathan does survive and eventually becomes Cable, Cyclops never has a close relationship with his son.
4) Standing Up to Mister Sinister
In another truly gut-wrenching moment in comics, Cyclops is faced with a horrifying revelation: X-Factor #39 sees Scott discover that Mister Sinister has been behind some of the worst things that he’s endured in his life — including creating Madelyne Pryor and major personal tragedies. The revelation comes at the worst possible time as Scott and his teammates are fighting Sinister at the time and it’s not going well.
However, instead of letting the hurt and devastation of the reveal at just how Sinister had been messing with him for decades keep him down, Cyclops rises to the occasion and takes Sinister down. It’s a turning point for the character — and an amazing moment in comics.
3) To Me, My X-Men
If there is one thing that an X-Man does not want, it’s to be powerless but that’s exactly where Astonishing X-Men #23 finds Cyclops. Captured (he had seemingly sacrificed himself in the previous issue, but that was deliberate so he would be captured in order to get exactly where he needed to be), Cyclops uses his wits and strategy to launch a counter attack. He also gets his powers back, which is pretty great.
What makes this moment in comics a particularly great Cyclops moment is that it highlights that he is still a very formidable opponent even without is powers. He’s tactical and incredibly intelligent and those are as much a power for him as those optic blasts.
2) Cyclops Was Right
Scott is no stranger to sacrificing himself, but Death of X #4 saw the ultimate sacrifice — and turned him into a martyr. When it’s discovered that the Terrigen Mists that give Inhumans their powers are actually deadly to mutants, Scott ends up one of the first victims of the so-called “M-Pox.” He breaths in the mist and dies a horrific, painful death. But with his dying words, he tells Emma Frost “don’t let it end” and she takes that to heart.
Emma ends up using her own telepathic powers to manipulate the actual events of Scott’s death, making people believe that he had led an attack on the Inhumans and died. It gives him a more powerful death and turns him into a symbol of resistance as he gave his life to fight against the oppression of mutants. His death turns the phrase “Cyclops was right” into a rallying cry. Fortunately, we do eventually see Scott brought back to life.
1) Get Off My Lawn
Perhaps the best Cyclops moment, however, is one in which he demonstrates why he’s a great leader and is also unintentionally funny in the process. In Astonishing X-Men #8, the X-Men are attacked by a Sentinel. The attack sends everyone into something of a panic or chaos mode, but Scott stays weirdly calm. As everyone else scrambles, Scott very calmly decides to just handle things, saying “I want this thing off my lawn” before hitting the Sentinel with a massive optic blast. Game over.
It’s an epic demonstration of just how good under pressure Cyclops actually is and illustrates how his very rigid form of leadership actually really works. In fact, the moment is so successful and iconic that even Wolverine has to acknowledge that moments like that are why Scott is in charge.
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.
