As the first leader of the X-Men, Cyclops grew up and evolved as part of the team. He has moved beyond his early rigid and rule-following days to become one of mutantkind’s greatest defenders. Not only is he willing to sacrifice his own well-being for the sake of his people, but he’s proven himself capable of making the difficult decisions necessary to keep them moving forward. He’s a far cry from the boring leader he’s made out to be.
Since Charles Xavier recruited Scott Summers as the first member of his X-Men, Cyclops has lived through more than his fair share of difficult times. Often, his fellow mutants look to him for answers amid the many catastrophes they face, and after attempted genocides, relentless attacks, and a massive loss of power, those answers stop being polite and easy to swallow. To survive (and ensure mutantkind survived alongside him), Cyclops grew into a different sort of leader. The selection of quotes below illustrate some of his most poignant moments as he left his old strategies behind.
Related
Cyclops’ Most Underrated Team Get Saturday Morning Cartoon Redesigns in “X-Factor: The Animated Series” Fanart
Cyclops is the go-to leader for more than a few X-Men-related teams, with a new set of fanart images giving his X-Factor team animated series designs!
10
“Men Know That Regardless of Their Endless Sins Against Mutants, Their Heroes Will Protect Them.”
Avengers vs. X-Men #6 by Jonathan Hickman, Olivier Coipel, Laura Martin, and Chris Eliopoulos
“Men know that regardless of their endless sins against mutants, their heroes will protect them. They will do what their leaders think needs to be done. I will tolerate it no longer, Emma. It changes now.”
Avengers vs. X-Men is one of the most defining periods in Cyclops’ history, as he is pushed to the brink of relying on the Phoenix Force to protect mutants. After the Genoshan massacre, where tens of millions of mutants were killed, and so many other heinous events, the mutants felt abandoned by the world. Cyclops returned the energy he felt his people were receiving.
Rather than let the Avengers (or anyone else) continue to make their suffering harder to bear, or directly cause more of it, he took a stand against it. Although taking on the Phoenix Force was misguided, and he paid an incredibly high price for his attempt to wield it, it showcases how much Scott changed from his early days with the X-Men and how far he threw the metaphorical rulebook.
9
“I See a Man. A Uniformed Man With His Hands Around the Throat of a New Mutant Just Coming Into Bloom.”
Uncanny X-Men (2013) #3 by Brian Michael Bendis, Chris Bachalo, and Joe Caramagna
“I see a man. A uniformed man with his hands around the throat of a new mutant just coming into bloom…I see a man with a gun pointed at the head of a child. I am not going to have my people treated that way! I’m not going to have it! And shame on you for not seeing that.”
Following the events of Avengers vs. X-Men, Cyclops launched a full-scale mutant revolution as new mutants were finally being born. As the Avengers arrived to arrest Cyclops for Charles Xavier’s murder, he did not let that detract from what mutantkind continued to suffer. This particular moment of vitriol came on behalf of Eva Bell, whose powers had recently manifested, but it represents the collective mutant experience. Cyclops fights for his people even if no one else will.
8
“Unless You Want a War With Mutants, I Suggest You Let Them Come With Me.”
Champions (2020) #3 by Eve L. Ewing, Bob Quinn, Federico Blee, and Clayton Cowles
Although leading the X-Men is a defining feature of Cyclops’ life, they are not the only team he keeps close to his heart. The young Champions have earned a special place after his younger, time-displaced self joined their team, and he considers himself one of them. As a consequence, he didn’t hesitate to use the might of Krakoa to protect them from C.R.A.D.L.E. after they were captured.
Since he stepped foot in Xavier’s mansion, Scott has learned to account and plan for every eventuality. It always acted as an assurance that his friends and team would remain safe, but he typically exercised caution. Unnecessary conflict was out of the equation. While he still won’t dive headfirst into a fight if words will work, he’ll now do what is necessary and back up any threat – no matter the magnitude.
7
“We Save Those Who Need Saving. Whatever the Cost.”
X-Men (2019) #15 by Jonathan Hickman, Mahmud Asrar, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles
“You formed the Quiet Council to be the government of Krakoa. Well, the X-Men are its heroes. And we save those who need saving. Whatever the cost.”
The Quiet Council made many controversial decisions during Krakoa’s existence, including holding a vote to close the gates behind Cyclops and Jean Grey as they went to rescue their son, Cable, and others trapped on Otherworld. The lives of a few were not worth risking the entire nation, according to the Council, but the notion of abandoning any of their people did not sit well with Cyclops. He knew they’d be on their own when they left the island, but that did not change what he and the X-Men stand for.
Saving mutants requires sacrifice and a willingness to fight. The Quiet Council’s refusal to do so went against everything Scott learned as the leader of the X-Men, and he would not set those values aside. Their decision disappointed him, but it did not stop him.
6
“You Are All X-Men. Fight or Die.”
New Mutants (2009) #14 by Zeb Wells, Ibraim Roberson, Lan Medina, Nathan Fox, Brian Reber, Matt Milla, Jose Villarubia, and Joe Caramagna
“Today, each of you will face a future of mutant extinction. Today, you are all combatants. You are all X-Men. Fight or die.”
Since the earliest days of Xavier’s Institute, young mutants have trained to defend themselves. Scott shouldered that responsibility more heavily than most, as a critical part of his own youth was spent fighting and keeping others alive. Age did not free him from that burden, and unfortunately, the world he fought for never came to exist – certainly not on Utopia.
With a seemingly endless army of Nimrod Sentinels approaching the island, Cyclops did not waste time sugar-coating the mutants’ situation and instead spoke the truth. Everyone on Utopia had to fight to survive, and they would do it together as mutants and X-Men alike. While his actions and leadership on Utopia created an incredible rift between his most trusted friends and council, Scott still stuck by what he believed to be right, and he did not mince words.
5
“We Protect Everyone. That’s Kind of the Point.”
Uncanny X-Men (2011) #3 by Kieron Gillen, Rodney Bucemi, Paco Diaz, Carlos Pacheco, Dommo, Rex Lokus, Jim Charalampidis, and Joe Caramagna
Cyclops has taken the helm against Earth-shattering threats, literal gods, and magical beings of great power as leader of the X-Men. With that in mind, it’s only fitting that he would stand up against an entire group of Celestials. They came to retrieve the massive golden “Dreaming Celestial” that Scott and his X-Men had just saved from Sinister, but Scott cut the potential threat off before it took hold.
With words (and a bit of backup from the Dreaming Celestial itself), he sent them back to space. Not many can claim to face multiple Celestials and walk away, let alone do so without lifting a finger. The protection Scott extends to all mutantkind, or anyone who needs their aid, also went out to the Dreaming Celestial. Even cosmic beings chose against pursuing that battle.
4
“Did You Honestly Think We Were Going to Sit Around Forever and Just Take It?”
House of X #1 by Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz, Martin Garcia, and Clayton Cowles
“My family has spent our lives being hunted and hated. The world has told me I was less when I knew I was more. Did you honestly think we were going to sit around forever and just take it?”
The birth of Krakoa created waves through the world, and not everyone was thrilled at the new nation’s existence. When Cyclops stepped in after the Fantastic Four seized Sabretooth, the Invisible Woman questioned what they were thinking by following through on something so extreme. Scott wasted no time in setting the record straight – reminding Susan that he, and all other mutants, have spent their entire lives enduring ridicule, scrutiny, and persecution. They were not willing to endure it forever.
While Krakoa was ultimately doomed to fail, it offered mutants solace and peace at first. It was a well-deserved reprieve after the seemingly endless attacks over the years, and Scott had plenty of reasons to support the island. Mutants suffered long enough, and Cyclops is not willing to deny that for anyone else’s comfort.
3
“Pain, and Dealing With it…That’s What It’s Like Being an X-Man.”
Uncanny X-Men #534 by Kieron Gillen, Matt Fraction, Greg Land, Paul Renaud, Justin Ponsor, and Joe Caramagna
“Risking death, people staring at you down microscopes only to find ways to ripp you off, wipe you out or control you. Pain, and dealing with it…that’s what it’s like being an X-Man.”
In Utopia’s short-lived existence, it was attacked by a heinous virus that made mutants ill and negatively impacted their powers. Simultaneously, Lobe sold a drug intended to give human beings mutant-like powers. He initiated a fight between those individuals and the X-Men, prompting Cyclops to give a lesson in what life for a mutant and an X-Man is really like. It is pain and suffering, and often both come at the hands of people who believe themselves to be above it all.
Scott Summers has been in the thick of mutant suffering since he was a teenager. He’s participated in every major war, witnessed or experienced each disaster, and knows the depths to which others will sink if it means hurting a mutant. That is the mutant experience, and anyone playing pretend should know it.
2
“It’s Not So Hard to Die for Your People. It’s Hard to Order Your People to Die for You.”
Prelude to Schism #3 by Paul Jenkins, Will Conrad, Lee Loughridge, and Rob Steen
“Because a leader knows, it’s not so hard to die for your people. It’s hard to order your people to die for you. And leading with certainty into an uncertain future doesn’t require sight. It requires vision. It requires holding on. And no matter what happens, never letting go.”
Before the Schism that separated Cyclops and Wolverine, as well as those who stood loyal to each of their values, Scott led an elite team on Utopia.
To stand before such an incredible group of people who were powerful of both mind and body left him contemplating what it meant to lead and be a leader. This moment offers perfect insight into the ideas Cyclops holds closest to him. He’s been a leader for most of his life, and it’s taught him to be any and everything but boring.
1
“I’m Nothing Like You. I’m Winning.”
Uncanny X-Men (2012) #18 by Kieron Gillen, Ron Garney, Jason Keith, Morry Hollowell, and Joe Caramagna
Harnessing the Phoenix Force forced Cyclops through drastic changes, but it freed him to be the most extreme and outspoken version of himself. Though it wasn’t intentional, he had the power to make sweeping changes across the globe – and he did not squander the opportunity. His ideals grew so extreme that even Magneto, a man well-known for his grand visions and actions, advised him to slow down.
Rather than listen, Cyclops proved once and for all that he was his own man. Gone were the days of accepting advice and, instead, he wielded every ounce of his power for the supposed good of mutants everywhere. Never has Cyclops been so far from the “boring” leader of the X-Men as he was in this final entry, where he stood before the world as a god.
Cyclops
Cyclops, a.k.a. Scott Summers, is the X-Men’s core team leader and one of the first characters to appear in the franchise. As a human/mutant hybrid, Cyclops has the power to launch massive bursts of energy from his eyes that are regulated through the use of a specially designed visor. Despite his calm and collected demeanor, he tends to lose it when in the presence of a fellow team member, Wolverine.
