Superteams are a very important part of comics and one of the most important part of any team is leadership. Without good leadership, a team isn't going to survive long against the types of threats that they face on a regular basis. Two of the biggest superteams in comics come from Marvel, the X-Men, and The Avengers, and they coincidentally have two of the best leaders around- Cyclops and Captain America.
Both men have proven themselves to be the creme de la creme when it comes to leadership, leading their teams against some truly overwhelming odds. However, only one can be the best. Let's take a look at who is betterーCyclops or Captain America.
10 Cyclops: Leading Since He Was A Teenager
Cyclops joined the X-Men as a young teenager and was pretty much immediately thrust into a position of leadership in the team. There are many reasons behind this but no matter the reason, he took to it very well, proving himself to be a capable field leader at a very young age. He would only get better from there, leading the X-Men from victory to victory against some of the most powerful mutant and human threats.
There are few leaders who were as good as Cyclops at the same age. He would take a team of green teenagers and forge them into a formidable unit and that was just the beginning.
9 Captain America: Forged In The Crucible Of War
Captain America began his career as a superhero during WWII. While older than Cyclops when he began, he would be thrust into situations that were arguably more dangerous from the get-go and would quickly be entrusted with the command of both soldiers and the other first superheroes of the Marvel Universe, the Invaders.
Captain America learned to be a leader while the bullets were flying in one of the most dangerous wars in human history and survived long enough to excel at it.
8 Cyclops: An Excellent Teacher
The X-Men are all about training and Cyclops proved him to be excellent in the role of teacher to his teammates. Professor X was a huge help, especially in the team's early days but as time went on, Cyclops was the one in charge of the Danger Room sessions, putting his teams through their paces. Under Cyclops's tutelage, the X-Men would become a formidable fighting unit.
As time went on, Cyclops would be completely responsible for the training of the team, taking mutants who had no experience in combat or with their powers and making them into unparalleled superheroes.
7 Captain America: The Sentinel Of Liberty
Captain America's time in WWII and his subsequent return would catapult him to the top echelons of the Marvel Universe rather quickly. Captain America is one of the most inspiring individuals around and that inspiration is one of the factors that has made him such an effective leader over the years. His role as a hero of WWII earned him a lot of respect in the superhero community.
People would follow him into the bowels of Hell if he asked them to because of his status as a living legend. All of the things he's survived and all of the men and women he led during the war are testaments to his abilities and his modern compatriots have nothing but respect for him because of his experiences.
6 Cyclops: Leading From The Front
Cyclops never shies from the fight. It doesn't matter what his team is up against, Cyclops is upfront, fighting alongside his team. A good leader is in the trenches with their troops and that's Cyclops in a nutshell. There's nothing he would ask his team to do that he wouldn't do himself.
That's exactly the kind of leader that inspires the people under them. Cyclops never shies from a fight and is always ready with a new strategy, sometimes made on the fly, to get his team through whatever fight they get in. This tendency has formed some bonds between Cyclops and members of the X-Men that can never be broken.
5 Captain America: Master Of Strategy
One of the places where Captain America excels the most as a team leader is his unparalleled tactical skill. Some of it is from his time in WWII, learning battle tactics from the generals and other brass, as well as from the soldiers he fought with. As years went on and he joined up with the Avengers, his tactical acumen would only grow, making him into the best tactician in the Marvel Universe.
Captain America has brought his teams through some situations that any other leader would have found nigh impossible and he was able to do so because of just how good of a tactician he is.
4 Cyclops: A World That Hates And Fears Him
The X-Men have one of the toughest mandates of any superhero team in comics- not only do they have to protect their own people, mutants, from attacks by racist humans but they also have to protect those some people who hate and fear them. Cyclops has led the X-Men in some of their hardest fights knowing that they were never going get praised or get any recognition for it.
As one of the most important X-Men, Cyclops has had to keep his team together and fighting through some very hard circumstances, protecting people who would otherwise want them dead. As a leader, he has to put a good face on things and lead by example, even if the racism the team faces kills him on the inside.
3 Captain America: He Never Stops
Captain America's super-soldier serum makes him much better than a regular human being but compared to some of the superhumans he's teamed within The Avengers, he's remarkably fragile. When one works with people like Thor, Iron Man, various Hulks, and the sundry superpowered members of the team, being better than regular humans isn't always enough.
He has survived some hellacious injuries in his day and that's endeared him to the more powerful members of the team. They know that he's with them no matter, ready to throw himself at threats that could easily kill him so they have no excuse why they aren't doing the same.
2 Cyclops: Everything He's Overcome
Cyclops has had a very tough life. He lost his parents at a young age, had to look at for his younger brother at an orphanage run by Mister Sinister, and deal with the dawning of his devastating optic blasts. This made him a despondent youth, one on the verge of suicide, until Professor X came into his life and gave him a reason to live- leading the X-Men.
That was only the beginning, as Cyclops would lose people he loved, watch his people by almost destroyed more than once, and lose himself to the Phoenix Force, committing heinous acts beyond his control. Through it all, he always fought his way back, proving just how good he really is.
1 Captain America: Facing The Greatest Threats In The Marvel Universe
Captain America's time as the leader of the Avengers has put him up against the most dangerous beings not just on Earth, but the entire Marvel Universe. The Avengers battle all manner of threats- supervillains, evil gods, aliens, monsters, and everything in between. Through it all, Captain America has been a constant, always leading his team to victory.
There aren't many leaders out there that can boast about the number of victories wins Captain America has led the Avengers toward. They've beaten some of the worst beings the Marvel Universe has to offer, and this is a huge factor for his leadership.