The X-Men are one of the most beloved superhero teams to date with a huge variety of popular storylines, coupled with the fact that they serve as a metaphor for marginalized people in today's society. With their popularity comes all sorts of spin off storylines and comics focused around specific members of the team.
One such member— and frequent leader of the team— is none other than Cyclops. Scott Summers is one of the original members of the team and he has constantly been reinvented throughout his comic book history. While many have mixed feelings about him, it can't be denied that he is a prominent member of the team with tons of memorable storylines.
10 Schism: Cyclops Vs. Wolverine
Written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by Carlos Pacheco, Frank Cho, Daniel Acuña, Alan Davis and Adam Kubert; Schism is often overlooked by the following era. It saw the X-Men dealing with the aftermath of House of M and figuring out how best to move forward. More specifically, it saw a divide between two of the biggest X-Men: Wolverine and Cyclops.
Charles Xavier's work with Wolverine truly molded him into the man he is today which is seen in his desire to once again open a school for gifted youngsters. Conversely, Cyclops sees this as a time for big changes to be made in order for Xavier's dream to be realized. He feels like a failure and with it feels extra pressure to work towards the dream, though his idea of how to get there differs from that of Wolverine.
9 The Adventures of Cyclops And Phoenix: Post-Marriage
While the X-Men had a whole host of stories that were all over the place and suffered from editorial interference in the '90s, The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix is one of the more memorable ones. Written by Scott Lobdell and illustrated by Gene Ha, the story follows Scott Summers and Jean Grey after their marriage. They were taken to the future courtesy of Mother Askani to raise baby Nathan Dayspring (aka Cable).
Cyclops and Jean would inhabit the bodies of mutants Redd and Slym to help Nathan, who was combatting the techno-organic virus. It showcased Cyclops' challenging relationship with Cable and how Scott & Jean helped shape him into a hero in his own right. The storyline also showcased one of the more iconic battles against Apocalypse.
8 Uncanny X-Men: Aftermath of Avengers Vs. X-Men
Following the Avengers Vs. X-Men storyline, Cyclops continued down a dark path in the hopes of ensuring the survival of the mutant race. He became a much more focused man willing to take extreme measures. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, it shows Cyclops escaping from prison after his incarceration and joining up with Magneto.
Cyclops also had to deal with broken abilities throughout the course of the series. His actions were considered extreme by many though others felt he was right. Later on, Cyclops would die and come back, thus giving him a chance to change his ways once more.
7 The Dark Phoenix Saga: Changing Scott's Life Forever
Despite writer Chris Claremont and illustrator John Byrne's The Dark Phoenix Saga not being a "Cyclops story" per se, it still contains many key moments for the character. The story sees his love, Jean Grey, corrupted by the Phoenix Force which leads the team to make some difficult choices.
One of his key moments saw Scott fighting the Phoenix alongside the rest of the X-Men. The climactic finale saw Cyclops stand by Jean Grey and facing off against the Shi'ar until the bitter end. The story was packed with a ton of emotion and changed the course of Cyclops' storyline from that point on.
6 Uncanny X-Men #175: Cyclops Vs. X-Men
This story explores what would happen if Cyclops had to face off against the rest of his team. Another one of Chris Claremont's works, it sees Phoenix seemingly return and Scott face off against the rest of the team. He is extremely intelligent and knows the teams' strengths and weaknesses thus enabling him to get the better of them.
It shows off his strength, smarts and ability to face off against unlikely odds. It also settles the question of what would Cyclops do if forced to fight the rest of the X-Men.
5 Messiah Complex: The First New Mutant
The true fate of the mutant race was seldom tested like it was after the events of the House of M storyline in Messiah Complex. Scarlet Witch ultimately altered reality and brought the mutants close to extinction with her iconic line, "No more mutants."
Following this, the first new mutant baby appeared and Cyclops showed just how determined he was to make sure the X-Men get to the child first. It is a wild chase to get to the child first as she was also pursued by the Marauders, Reavers, Purifiers, Acolytes, and Predator X. In the end, Cyclops and his strike team prevail above all others and this victory serves as one of the most important events in X-Men history.
4 Uncanny X-Men #125-128: Proteus Strikes
Despite being first brought up much earlier, Mutant X (aka Proteus) did not take the spotlight until these issues in The Proteus Saga. Chris Claremont puts the team up against Proteus and the fight takes a psychological toll on some of them.
It is later revealed that Proteus is none other than Moira MacTaggert's son who possesses the ability to jump into other peoples' bodies and warp reality to an extent. The epic saga shows Cyclops shine as a leader, testing everyone and putting his own life at risk in the process. The event culminates in the killing of Proteus by Colossus as he has a weakness to metal.
3 X-Factor Endgame: Showdown With Apocalypse
Yet another one of Claremont's works, this story follows Cyclops and his time with X-Factor. This specific storyline featured an epic showdown between Apocalypse and X-Factor that would greatly test Scott.
Mister Sinister aimed at using baby Christopher— later to become Cable— as a weapon which led to Apocalypse infecting him with the techno-organic virus. Cyclops must then make a tough choice to save his son's life as help arrives from the future. This war with Apocalypse and the choice he made to save his son would stay with Cyclops long after it happened.
2 Avengers Vs. X-Men: At Odds With Captain America
While it showcases some controversial choices on the part of Cyclops, this Bendis story truly does add a certain edge to the character. In this event, Scott Summers comes to be directly at odds with Captain America, someone who very few heroes choose to stand against. He truly does show just how firm and unyielding he is in this which add a certain toughness to the hero.
The conflict centers around the fate of Hope Summers who becomes a host of the Phoenix. The story also sees Cyclops launching an attack on the Avengers after they journey to Utopia and ultimately leads in his arrest. To this day, fans still debate about whether he was right and justified in his actions.
1 Astonishing X-Men: Cyclops Shines As Leader
Written by Joss Whedon and illustrated by John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men is one of the more popular and talked about modern X-Men stories. The story was important not only in how it followed the team as a whole, but also in how it put Cyclops in the spotlight. It incorporates meaningful character analysis, dialogue, and humor all mixed in even doses to make this a truly memorable story.
As for Scott himself, it sees him leading a team keen on bettering their image as superheroes. It also highlights some epic optic blasts and his struggle to control his powers at times along with his relationship to Emma Frost. Cyclops is at his best in how well he leads in this story.