Wolverine and the 25 greatest X-Men characters of all-time
By Mark Lynch
2. Cyclops
If Nightcrawler is the soul of the X-Men, then Scott Summers is the heart. Cyclops was the first person that Professor Xavier recruited. From that moment on, he fought for Xavier’s dream of peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans no matter how bleak things became. When Xavier abandoned the school, Cyclops reopened it and continued on.
After House of M and mutants were cut by over 90%, Cyclops became the leader of the entire mutant race. Opening the doors of the mansion to any mutant. Friend or otherwise, they were all welcomed. Sabretooth was given sanctuary and he’s a remorseless killer. Cyclops has gone through some dark times, but he’s managed to remain exactly who he’s been. The leader of the X-Men.
To some, Cyclops is boring. He follows the rules, doesn’t condone killing (except with X-Force), and does what needs to be done. Those are also the reasons are why Scott Summers is in charge. He understands his role and doesn’t falter. He’s perfectly fine with being the bad guy if it means his team survives. At the end of the day, the X-Men respect him. He once destroyed a Sentinel by opening his eyes. It was so impressive Wolverine stared in amazement and said, “Every now and then, Summers… I remember why you’re still in charge.”
Despite being ostracized by humans and some of the X-Men, he continued on. When the chips were down, all the X-Men who hated him were willing to fight by his side and follow his lead (Uncanny X-Men No. 22).