Scott Summers aka Cyclops is one of the most iconic characters in the X-Men franchise and is as loved as he is hated. Despite his squeaky clean, golden boy persona, ol' Slim actually has a very complicated history in the series — complete with family dysfunction, flawed character choices, and even downright diabolical acts that make up the stuff of all great characters. Cyclops is both good and bad, great and terrible, the line of good and evil falling straight through the center of his very human heart.
Because of this, his misdeeds and heroics often go hand in hand, proving himself to be one of the best and worst mutants in the series. What are these heroics, and how about his misdeeds? Here are five times Cyclops was the best mutant in the X-Men franchise, and five times he was the absolute worst.
10 BEST: Defeated Mister Sinister
Like his mentor, Charles Xavier aka Professor X, Cyclops has also taken down one of the most menacing villains in the X-verse, Nathaniel Essex aka Mister Sinister. Sinister has been a consistent thorn in the X-Men's side over the years and is most notably the archenemy of Scott Summers himself. But after being completely annihilated by the plasma-shooting leader of the Xavier's ground force, Apocalypse's protege has been dealt with once and for all (sort of).
The event goes down in X-Men: Inferno Crossovers when Cyclops battles against the villain after Essex blows up Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Luckily, no one was hurt in the blast, but in retaliation Scott Summers confronts Sinister and incinerates him with an optic beam at full throttle.
9 WORST: Tried To Kill Wolverine
It's no secret that there's bad blood between Cyclops and fellow X-Man Logan aka Wolverine. Any fan who's either read the comics or grown up watching the 90s animated series knows the two would kill each other and not even flinch.
Well, there have been numerous occasions where they almost did, some of those fights going to the leader of the OG team himself. Such is the case in X-Men: Schism when the two rivals battle it out after becoming increasing frustrated with one another during a campaign against Magneto and the Hellfire Club. The fight is fierce, both mutants unleashing all of their power on one another until the duel is ultimately interrupted by a sentinel.
8 BEST: Led Xavier's First Class Of X-Men
This one is as obvious as it is awesome. Every fan knows Cyclops as the point man for the original X-team, acting as Xavier's chief lieutenant on the front lines. As a student, Cyclops showed great leadership prowess and tactical awareness, able to motivate the fledgling super team and push its members to greatness.
Cyclops began his tenure as team leader in Uncanny X-Men #1, carrying on through the 80s revamp and into the 90s saga with his epic rivalry with Wolverine. Love him or hate him, Cyclops is an iconic staple of the X-Men franchise, and his leadership has proven his bona fides as a great mutant in the X-Verse on many occasions.
7 WORST: Deployed Child Soldiers
The X-Men universe gets complicated at times and that includes its heroes. One time Scott Summers was one of the worst mutants in the comicsverse was when he not only condoned but personally deployed child soldiers.
In one such case, Cyclops encourages a teen girl to use her powers to kill a room full of people. What's worse, the X-Men were already on their way to deal with the situation, making the murder spree as unnecessary as it is immoral. Nonetheless, Cyclops gave the command and the terrible deed was done.
6 BEST: Patched Things Up With Havoc
The Summers bros. were never on the best of terms despite both doing time at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. As fans know, Cyclops grew up to become the leader of the X-Men while Alex Summers aka Havoc became part of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants.
However, all of that changed in the Avengers Vs. X-Men event when Cyclops and Havoc put aside their differences to join forces against the Avengers. Despite the fact that they were battling literal good guys, for the first time in a long time the Summers bros. teamed up to unleash their great plasma powers together.
5 WORST: Cheated On Jean Grey With Emma Frost
Affairs comes in all shapes and sizes and this one started off as an affair of the mind. When Cyclops met Emma Frost it was lust at first sight, engaging in psionic side sex while couched comfortably in a relationship with longtime girlfriend Jean Grey.
During the Dark Phoenix Saga, Grey learns of the affair and tracks the White Queen down in order to mentally torture the Hellfire Club member with her own worst memories. Not one of Scott Summers' finest moments for sure.
4 BEST: Went Toe-To-Toe With Master Mold
If you have ever doubted Cyclops' ability as a tactician and warrior, let this entry settle the matter once and for all. Scott Summers did indeed take on Master Mold one on one while defending a police officer unlucky enough to get caught in the Supreme Sentinel's path of chaos.
The fight takes place in X-Factor #14 where Slim squares off in a downtown duel. Using his brilliant tactical mind and OP optic blast, Cyclops gives the ever-growing robot a run for its money. The battle almost claims his life, however, but after remembering his training he manages to thwart Master Mold and escape death.
3 WORST: Killed Professor X
This doozy of a feat came after Scott Summers inherited the power of the phoenix (along with four others) in Avengers vs X-Men. Together, he and the rest of the Phoenix Five took to the streets to use their newfound power to fight crime and promote moral living with an iron fist.
Charles, however, saw the Five for what they were and stepped in to stop them. Because of this, Summers destroyed his former mentor and friend, cutting him down with an optic blast until the widened professor lay dead at his feet.
2 BEST: Beats The Crap Out Of Apocalypse
In conjunction with taking on the Master Mold, Cyclops also kicked the ever-living crap out of Apocalypse once, making him a true force to be reckoned with. X-Factor #68 is where the battle occurs, in a combined effort between the namesake super team and the Inhumans.
During the fight, Apocalypse flexed all of his power, showing himself at his strongest. However, after a boost from brother Havoc, Cyclops unleashed a fully uncapped optic blast that brought the world's first mutant to his knees.
1 WORST: Infected Skrulls With A Virus
Granted, this event occurred during a battle between humanity and the shape-shifting aliens but still — biological warfare? Not a good look for Xavier's golden boy.
It all goes down in Marvel's Secret Wars after a long and hard fought battle against the skrulls. A battle humanity is losing. So what does Cyclops do? Simple: He synthesizes a brutal super virus and unleashes it on the unsuspecting changelings. Because of this, the skrulls nearly died off completely, making Slim Summers a would-be genocidal maniac.