Cyclops has long been one of Marvel's most underrated heroes. His optics blasts are ridiculously powerful, he's an amazing leader, and he's survived the kinds of things that would cause a lesser man to break down. He's led mutants through their darkest times and has helped battle some of the greatest heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe, triumphing more often than most people imagine.
As tough as Cyclops is, there are some people he's fought that he's never been able to beat on his own. Some of these characters are too powerful for him and some just have his number but it all adds up to a lot of losses for Cyclops.
10 When Thanos Had The Infinity Gauntlet He Killed Cyclops And Cyclops Never Got His Win Back
Thanos is one of the greatest villains in the Marvel Universe and it's easier to count the number of beings who can beat him than the ones he's beaten. He's just ridiculously powerful and when he had the Infinity Gauntlet, that power was increased exponentially. Cyclops was one of the heroes who went up against the Mad Titan and it ended very badly for him. Thanos put a cube-shaped force field around Cyclops's head, suffocating him.
Since then, Cyclops hasn't been able to get his win back against Thanos. Even given a chance to defeat him, there's no chance that Cyclops could win anyway.
9 Spider-Man Has Never Lost To Cyclops
Spider-Man is one of the most impressive heroes in the Marvel Universe. In the first Secret Wars, Spider-Man singlehandedly beat all of the X-Men and in the ensuing years, Cyclops has never been able to get revenge. Cyclops's powers are great but they're also extremely easy for Spider-Man to overcome. His spider-sense and agility easily keep him ahead of Cyclops.
Cyclops is good but he's not good enough to overcome Spider-Man. The Wall-Crawler has had all of the advantages every time they've fought and there's really not much Cyclops can do about it.
8 Captain America Has Always Been Able To Outsmart Cyclops
Captain America and Cyclops have a lot in common. They're both amazing leaders, they're both tougher than they appear, and neither of them understands the meaning of the words "give up." The one thing that separates them is that Captain America has always beaten Cyclops; as good as Cyclops is, Cap has always been that much better.
Even when Cyclops had the Phoenix Force, Cap was too smart to fight him in a way that would give him any kind of advantage and led the Avengers to victory against him when he turned into Dark Phoenix. Maybe one day Cyclops will beat Cap but for now, Cap is Cyclops's superior.
7 Cassandra Nova Always Destroyed Cyclops's Brain
Cassandra Nova was one of the X-Men's most dangerous foes, always able to defeat even their most skilled members. This included Cyclops. While the team would always end up triumphing, usually thanks to their telepaths, Cyclops always got beaten badly by Cassandra Nova. His mind is strong but she was always able to easily manipulate him.
Cyclops was always a non-factor in battles against Nova. Her powers allowed her to block his and she usually just ran roughshod through his mind, breaking him down like he was nothing.
6 Storm Beat Cyclops Without Her Powers
Storm is one of the most powerful X-Men but when she beat Cyclops, she didn't need them or even have them. The two mutants came to blows over who would be the leader of the X-Men and the then-powerless Storm was able to take Cyclops down, taking the role of leader from him, and handing him a pretty major loss. Since then, Cyclops hasn't really tried to get revenge. If Storm can beat him without powers, what chance does he have when she has them?
Storm has made a business of beating all kinds of heroes and villains without her powers because that's just how good she is. Cyclops knows this and respects her enough not to test her again.
5 Shadow King Beats Just About Any X-Man Who's Not A Telepath
Shadow King is one of the X-Men's most dangerous foes. His telepathy is on a level with Professor X's, meaning that he's able to mess with all of their minds with impunity. That's what makes Shadow King so dangerous. He can take control of any member of the team, including the telepaths if they aren't ready for him. While the X-Men have beaten him, it's more like Xavier, Jean, or Psylocke beat him.
Shadow King has taken over Cyclops's mind every time they've fought, so Cyclops knows just how dangerous Shadow King can be. A foe like him is pretty much unbeatable by physical means, meaning Cyclops can do nothing against him.
4 The Beyonder Smacked Around The Marvel Universe Including Cyclops
The first two Secret Wars comics both had Cyclops getting beat on and in the second one he was just one of many heroes to lose to the Beyonder. In his search for a mate, the Beyonder tried to get Rachel Summers, the new Phoenix, to be with him. Cyclops and the X-Men tried to fight him but it was pretty futile, as the Beyonder was just way too much for them.
The Beyonder smacked the team around, handing them the kind of losses he was handing the rest of the Marvel Universe at that time. Cyclops doesn't have a great win record against foes with godlike power.
3 The Hulk Has Beaten Cyclops Several Times
There have been lots of versions of the Hulk over the years but one thing is certain: he's the strongest one there is. While his fellow X-Man Wolverine has beaten the Hulk a few times, Cyclops has so far proved completely unable to do so. In fact, pretty much any X-Man but Wolverine who has fought Hulk has lost the fight or been beaten on relentlessly until the Hulk got tired of fighting.
That's pretty much the way every fight with the Hulk goes for the vast majority of heroes and villains. Cyclops has always lost to the Hulk and that will almost certainly never change.
2 Cable's Win Record Against Cyclops Is Perfect
It's debatable whether Cable is the most powerful Summers child but he's beaten just about everyone he's fought. Cable's powers are mostly used to keep his techno-organic virus in check but he's such a great fighter that he owns wins over just about every X-Man. Back when he first showed up, they didn't take too kindly to his shoot-first style and he fought a good number of them.
This included his father, Cyclops, and Cable was always able to win those fights. As good as Cyclops is, Cable learned to fight both from him and some of the greatest warriors of his era, honing his skills against Apocalypse's forces in the future. Those skills always allowed him to beat Cyclops.
1 Jean Grey Has Cyclops's Number
Jean Grey is one of the most powerful people on the planet and while she and Cyclops have been in relationships on and off for years, they've also fought each other. This is pretty standard for superheroes but Jean has always been able to win those fights against Cyclops.
To begin with, Jean is just way more powerful than Cyclops. She's also been training with him for years and knows exactly how he fights. Her powers allow her to shut him down with telekinesis or telepathy. While he has a chance against her if he gets the drop on her, he's never been able to make this happen and Jean has won every fight they've been in.