Far from Perfect: 10 Terrible Things Cyclops Has Done and Will Never Live Down

As the longtime leader of Marvel Comics’ X-Men, Cyclops has had to make some pretty harsh decisions to ensure the safety of his team and his species. Oftentimes, Scott Summers makes the right call with many X-Fans adopting the mantra, “Cyclops was right.”

But every now and then, Slim can’t help but make some flat-out terrible choices. And even Summers’ most diehard fans cannot deny that Cyclops isn’t always as right as he thinks.

10 Kicking Professor X Out Of The X-Mansion

X-Men: Deadly Genesis #6 by Ed Brubaker, Trevor Hairsine, & Scott Hanna

Cyclops outgrew Professor Xavier’s tutelage long ago, but one clear instance of the divide between teacher and student came after the revelations of Deadly Genesis came to light. Having learned of Xavier’s complicity in not only seemingly getting Scott’s heretofore unknown younger brother, Vulcan, killed and the steps he took to erase Vulcan from the minds of Scott and the X-Men, an understandably irate Cyclops throws Charles out of the X-Mansion.

Citing Xavier’s untrustworthiness, as well as his recent depowering as a result of the Decimation, Cyclops makes it clear to his old mentor that he no longer belongs. Ultimately, there are plenty of fans and even fellow X-Men that think Scott made the right call here. But kicking his surrogate father out of his family home is still somewhat harsh.

9 Dying From Terrigen Exposure

Death of X by Charles Soule, Jeff Lemire, Aaron Kuder, & Javier Garrón

Dying may not seem like something Cyclops should be chided for, but Slim’s demise couldn’t have happened at a worse moment. With all of mutantdom on the brink as the Inhuman’s Terrigen Cloud infected mutants with the terminal M-Pox, Scott himself fell victim to the plague long before Emma Frost used his memory to lead a war against Black Bolt and Medusa.

Without Cyclops himself there to keep things spiraling out of control, the situation escalated and deteriorated rapidly and led to a war between two incredibly powerful offshoots of humanity. Nobody is harder on Scott Summers than Scott Summers, so while the fans may not blame him for dying what was likely an editorially mandated death to tee up Inhumans vs. X-Men, Cyclops is probably still kicking himself for leaving his fellow mutants in the lurch.

8 Killing Professor X

Avengers vs. X-Men #11 by Brian Michael Bendis & Olivier Coipel

Cyclops’ possession by the Phoenix during the events of Avengers vs. X-Men is seen by many as the moment where he truly broke bad. And it was this Phoenix-possessed Cyclops’ murder of Professor Xavier that cemented his in-universe status as a criminal if not an all-out supervillain.

To this day, there are still many fans out there who would argue that the actions Scott took on behalf of his people were justified during his war with the Avengers – after all, that is where the “Cyclops was right” slogan originated – and more than a few of those fans even support his killing Xavier after all of Charles own manipulations and indiscretions. But at the very least, his murder of his former mentor is an act that Summers himself isn’t particularly proud of.

7 Treating Students As Soldiers

X-Men: Schism by Jason Aaron, Alan Davis, Adam Kubert, & more

After the Decimation left mutantkind’s population dwindling below two-hundred, it was largely through Cyclops’ leadership that the remaining Children of the Atom managed to survive in the face of all-out extinction, but not everyone agreed with his strategy. During the events of X-Men: Schism, Scott’s more militant methods drove a wedge between himself and Wolverine as the two literally came to blows over whether the young mutants of Utopia should risk their lives against an encroaching Sentinel.

In the end, the students took the choice out of their mentors’ hands and joined the fray, saving Utopia in the process while shattering the X-Men into two factions for years. Ultimately, Scott’s insistence that these young mutants be taught to defend themselves and each other paid off, but it doesn’t make him the most responsible guardian.

6 Attempting To Abandon His Family For The X-Men

Uncanny X-Men #201 by Chris Claremont & Rick Leonardi

Cyclops is arguably the most dedicated X-Men, but that same dedication has ruined his personal life more than once. A prime example of Scott’s dueling loyalties is forever enshrined in Uncanny X-Men #201 – the iconic issue in which Cyclops and Storm duel for leadership of the X-Men. Pulled to return to X-Men leadership following Xavier’s disappearance with Magneto in his stead, Scott is all too willing to ignore his wife Madelyne, and their newborn son, Nathan, in order to leap back into the fray.

Thinking that Maddy would be content to be a stay-at-home mother out of respect for his heroic responsibilities, Scott is reluctant to leave the X-Men to Magneto and a recently depowered Storm. It’s only when Ororo bests him in combat that he concedes and “retires” with his family – but the damage to his relationship had already been done.

5 Psychically Cheating on Jean Grey With Emma Frost

New X-Men by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Phil Jimenez, Marc Silvestri, & more

When it comes to organizing team dynamics, Cyclops is second to none, but he’s an absolute mess when it comes to handling a romantic relationship. Case in point: after spending decades in love with Jean Grey – and ruining a couple of other romantic relationships over this love – Scott begins a psychic affair with Emma Frost throughout Grant Morrison and company’s time on the New X-Men series.

This tawdry telepathic tête-à-tête comes crashing down once the pair are discovered by Jean herself, leading to all out psychic war between the two telepaths and the downfall of Scott and Jean’s relationship before her death. Ultimately, Jean makes it clear that she wants Scott to be happy before her demise. But no matter who gave their blessing, Cyclops and Emma Frost kissing over Jean’s grave isn’t the best look.

4 Stealing Emma Frost’s Phoenix Fragment

Avengers vs. X-Men #11 and Uncanny X-Men #18 by Kieron Gillen & Ron Garney

While many would point to Scott’s murder of Xavier as his lowest moment during the X-Men’s war with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, it’s really his betrayal of his lover and partner, Emma Frost, that really pushes Scott over the edge into bad guy territory. Overwhelmed by the combined onslaught of the Avengers, the X-Men, and even Professor X, Cyclops and Emma Frost are the only remaining members of the Phoenix Five and barely holding their own before Scott can usurp the White Queen’s fragment to consolidate his power.

Admittedly, a Phoenix-possessed Emma Frost wasn’t exactly the most trustworthy entity – having already had a psychic affair with Namor and goaded the Avenging Son of Atlantis into attacking Wakanda – but something about Cyclops’ own turn against the woman he claims to love smacks of yet another instance in which Scott cannot be trusted to maintain a healthy relationship.

3 Successfully Abandoning His Family for Jean & The X-Men

X-Factor #1 by Bob Layton & Jackson Guice

Cyclops may have tried and failed to abandon his family in favor of leading the X-Men, but Scott Summers never gives up when he sets his mind to something. After a living Jean Grey is found by the Avengers and The Fantastic Four, Warren Worthington III phones Scott as the pair are attempting to work on their less-than-blissful marriage following Uncanny X-Men #201. A stunned Scott tells Maddy that he has to go without even explaining why, taking her all too seriously when she tells him not to return should he leave.

Ultimately, Cyclops ends up leading the newly formed X-Factor alongside Jean – who doesn’t understand Scott’s emotional distance until issues later – and Maddy and the baby get pulled into a plot by Mr. Sinister, so they never get the chance to work things out before Pryor’s rise as the Goblin Queen.

2 Sanctioning X-Force And Weaponizing X-23

X-Force #1 by Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, & Clayton Crain

Leading a nation is hard work, and when Cyclops was forced to step up as the leader for all of mutantkind following the Decimation, he was more than willing to get his hands dirty to do it. When a new plot by the Purifiers threatens all that remains of the Children of the Atom, Scott reestablishes X-Force as Utopia’s own black-ops hit squad to take out extinction-level threats before they happen.

Recruiting Wolverine, Warpath, and Wolfsbane, Cyclops can’t help but take it one step too far by roping in Laura Kinney, still operating under her X-23 codename at the time, against Logan’s wishes and against her best interests as she recovered from the trauma of her previous life as a weapon. Cyclops’ sanctioning a group of clandestine killers is one thing, but using a victim as a weapon was a new low for Slim Summers.

1 Ignoring His Son’s Birth

Uncanny X-Men #200 by Chris Claremont & John Romita, Jr., cont. in Uncanny X-Men #201

If one thing is clear, it’s that Cyclops is not the world’s greatest husband and father. Having left his pregnant wife Madelyne behind to rescue Storm in Asgard, only to then reappear in Paris in time for the Trial of Magneto, Scott hardly showed any consideration for his wife who, unlike her portrayal in X-Men '97 (2024), was forced to give birth alone on the kitchen floor of the X-Mansion in Uncanny X-Men #200.

To make matters worse, the next issue makes it clear that he hardly even thought to check in prior to the future, Cable’s birth, as Maddy expresses her frustration over the fact that all of the X-Men, including thirteen-year-old Kitty Pryde, thought to call and check in – except for Scott. Clearly, Cyclops would go on to make many more mistakes both in terms of his relationship and as leader of the X-Men. But it was this initial inciting incident that truly put a stain on the reputation of the X-Men’s optic blasting leader and showed just how far Cyclops would go on behalf of the X-Men.