Scott and Alexander Summers were born to Christopher and his wife Katherine Anne. Unfortunately, the boys were left orphaned when their parents were believed dead after a plane crash. Despite their troubled upbringing, both Scott and Alex grew up to be powerful heroes with the X-Men, known as Cyclops and Havok.

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In their own right, each brother has displayed intelligence on many different levels. The control of their powers and their leadership abilities are pretty on par, but there are a few characteristics that set them apart from each other. Here are five reasons that Cyclops is the smarter Summers brother, and five reasons Havok is.

10 CYCLOPS: His Control Over His Powers

Cyclops releasing his laser

Cyclops’ mutant ability is constantly absorbing solar energy, which he then can emit through “optic blasts.” These blasts fire from his eyes and have the power to even punch holes through mountains.

Cyclops is able to use his mind to manipulate his optic beams – he can very accurately control where the beams end up, reflecting them off of surfaces. This also means that he has a very high understanding of spatial and geometric mechanisms. He can even perform this feat while doing a cartwheel. Recently, his power was channeled in a new and exciting way in X-Men/Fantastic Four #3.

9 HAVOK: His Own Control Over His Abilities

While Cyclops’ intelligence is obvious through his ability to manipulate his optic beams, Havok shows an even greater control over his powers. Havok is able to absorb cosmic energy to create blasts that emanate directly from his body.

Initially, Havok had a hard time controlling his own powers. However, thanks to help from the X-Men, he ended up mastering the ability to release his own blasts. Havok demonstrates a stronger degree of control over his powers, as his brother needs to wear a ruby-quartz visor to help him control his because of a head injury suffered in the plane crash.

8 CYCLOPS: He's a Natural Leader

Cyclops is perhaps best known for his role as the first member of the X-Men, and his eventual role as the group's deputy leader. When Professor X is unavailable, Cyclops has often taken over leadership and led the X-Men to many victories.

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Not only is he a skilled leader, but his proficiency in tactical leadership is vast. He has also been integral to teams such as X-Factor and The Twelve. Cyclops is also a very talented pilot, a skill he might have inherited from his father, who was a U.S. Air Force Marshall and pilot.

7 HAVOK: He Is Also A Leader

Havok using his powers from Marvel Comics

Like his brother, Havok inherited impressive leadership qualities. At one time, he became a Magistrate for the Genosha government after helping overthrow their corrupt leadership. He also accepted an offer to lead the second version of the X-Factor.

Havok also founded the Brotherhood of Mutants alongside Dark Beast. This might sound like a villainous activity, but Havok was actually attempting to subvert Dark Beast’s evil designs.

6 CYCLOPS: He's Always Rescuing Havok

Havok has had a pretty tough time, between being partially raised by Mister Sinister and his constant capture by all kinds of villains. He’s been imprisoned by The Pharaoh who later became the Living Monolith, Larry Trask, Sauron, Krakoa the Living Island… and then again by the Pharaoh. Thankfully, big brother Cyclops is usually around to save the day.

5 HAVOK: He's Highly Educated

Havok is a highly educated mutant. In fact, he often takes time off from the X-Men to pursue his studies. After receiving a degree in Geophysics from college, he eventually joined the X-Men but his true calling seems to be getting his doctorate. At one time, Havok retreated to the Diablo mountain range in Arizona to continue his studies. He’s also helped Moira MacTaggert with her genetic research on Muir Island.

4 CYCLOPS: He Sent His Son To The Future

During his relationship with Jean Grey’s clone, Madelyne Pryor, Cyclops had a son. Their son, Nathan Summers, was infected with a techno-organic virus by Apocalypse. Cyclops had the foresight to send Nathan far into the future in order to save his life.

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Thanks to Cyclops’ decision, Nathan grew up to be a masterful tactician and extremely skilled futuristic warrior, Cable. Cable returns to the present day in order to work alongside Cyclops, something which proves Cyclops made the right call.

3 HAVOK: Cyclops' Relationship With Madelyne Pryor

When deciding which brother is smarter, it’s important to look into why one might be the less smart of the two. Havok beats out Cyclops for the smartest brother when you consider Cyclops’ many missteps in his romantic endeavors.

When the Phoenix Force took over Jean Grey and committed suicide, Cyclops was devastated. He left the X-Men for a time, and upon his return, fell for Madelyne Pryor… someone who looked pretty familiar. How Cyclops didn’t realize that Madelyne was a clone of Jean Grey is pretty baffling.

2 CYCLOPS: He Can Shield Telepathy

It’s pretty obvious Cyclops has a thing for telepaths. He’s been in relationships with Jean Grey, Madelyne Pryor, and Emma Frost – all well-known telepaths. Other than romantically, he’s spent quite a lot of time with one of the most powerful telepaths of all, Charles Xavier.

Thankfully for him, all his time spent with telepaths seemed to pay off. He doesn’t have any telepathic ability, but he does have some ability to ward off telepathic attacks. A good example of this is when he was able to create a prison in his own mind for the evil entity the Void.

1 HAVOK: Cyclops' Affair With Emma Frost

Havok of the X-Men charging up his powers

Another reason that Havok outsmarts his brother has to do with Cyclops’ poor romantic choices. After Cyclops had a pretty rough go of it, being tied into the mind of Apocalypse for one, he is pretty upset.

The resurrected Jean Grey is presumably busy doing other things, so Cyclops turns to Emma Frost. Emma is a some-time villain who occasionally joins forces with the X-Men. Why Cyclops decides it’s a good idea to start a psychic affair with her, right under the nose of Jean, a telepath, is quite perplexing.

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