Figuring out what is or isn’t a Cyclops story isn’t the easiest thing in the world. He’s the first X-man, and according to the wiki he’s made over 2,000 appearances. Does every X-Men story with Cyclops count as a Cyclops story? Surely not, but how focused on our rosy-eyed friend does a story have to be for it to count?
For example, you will notice there is no “Dark Phoenix Saga” on this list, because while it has some important Scott Summers moments, the story as a whole is not centered on him. The difference between a Cyclops story and an X-Men story can be quite … slim, so bear with me.
This week, Alex Paknadel and Roge Antonio start Cyclops’ first solo series in over a decade. What visor-less trouble will Scott be in? You can listen to our interview with Alex for more info, then pick up the issue at your local comic shop.
To mark the occasion, we consulted Battle of the Atom’s Big Ol’ List — an official ranking of more than 1,000 of the best X-Men stories — to find the 10 best stories involving Mr. “These Aren’t Laser Eyes” himself.
Don’t see your favorite Cyclops story here? Disagree with the order or what even counts as a Cyclops story? Too bad, so sad! Keep in mind that despite ranking 1,000+ X-stories, we haven’t ranked ’em all. It’s also important to remember that we are the X-perts, so as Zack says, “There is no room for arguments, and no room for disagreement.”
Uncanny X-Men Vol. 2 #19, “The Passion of Scott Summers”
Current ranking: 24
It is the finale of Avengers vs. X-Men, and Cyclops has gone Dark Phoenix. In “The Passion of Scott Summers,” Kieron Gillen and Dale Eaglesham take us inside Scott’s mind as he experiences every moment of his life simultaneously through cosmic power. While the main crossover had to keep “the action” moving, this issue provides insight into what it means to be driven mad by the Phoenix Force. A denouement shows Scott waking from his insanity to realize the horrors and the pride in what he’s done. It’s an incredible portrait of the character standing in resistance to the world for the future of mutantkind.
Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #201, “Duel”
Current ranking: 33
Who is the greatest leader of the X-Men? Is it master strategist Scott Summers or the sly and powerless Ororo Munroe? This is the question Chris Claremont tackles with Rick Leonardi’s angular art in this classic fight for the mantle between two of the best X-Men. Ultimately Storm wins, forcing Cyclops to once again contemplate superhero retirement. Did Madelyne Pryor influence this battle as she hints at in “Inferno,” or was she just boasting? It only adds another layer of interest to this “who would win” scenario for the history books.
Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #174-175, “Romances”
Current ranking: 42
What’s a guy to do when his lady (yes, yes cocoon in Jamaica Bay) dies on the moon only for him to meet and fall for her clone? Apparently the thing to do is fester in your uncertainty until you get punched in the damn face by your new lady love when you ask if she’s really your dead love. In this incredible two-parter, Chris Claremont, Paul Smith and John Romita Jr. take us from Cyclops wondering whether he should go to space with his pirate dad to him saying, “I do” and marrying Madelyne Pryor. In between, the X-Men battle with Dark Phoenix … or do they?
X-Factor Vol. 1 #65-68, “Endgame”
Current ranking: 74
On the one hand, this is four issues of X-Factor co-plotted by Whilce Portacio and Jim Lee that allowed Whilce to draw the most Portacio-ass villains ever committed to page outside of the Cyburai. I’m talking Tusk, the big guy who poops out little Tusks. Or Gauntlet, a hooded goblin with gun fists! But on the other hand, this is the monumental arc that sets up huge amounts of Summers family lore as Apocalypse forces Scott to send (we would learn a few years later but also guessed correctly at the time) Cable into the future to save him from the technoorganic virus. It’s very ’90s but with Claremont co-writing, it packs an emotional punch.
X-Men Vol. 5 #1-2, “Pax Krakoa”
Current ranking: 86
Adjoining rooms, people. For all the incredible work Jonathan Hickman and Leinil Francis Yu do in establishing the new status quo for Papa Cyclops and his extended family both on Krakoa and on the moon (and it’s considerable — just consider the hunting party with Rachel and Kid Cable and all the fatherly emotions that entails on its own), it’s worth noting that a single graphic showing the open doorways between Scott, Jean and Logan’s quarters canonically made them a throuple and ushered a decades-old love triangle into a new age.
The Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix
Current ranking: 128
In a stark departure from the post-apocalyptic landscape of its predecessor, Further Adventures scribe Peter Milligan shuffled Scott and Jean backward in time to partake in the origins of Mister Sinister. It’s worth the price of admission for Apocalypse rendered as a giant King Tut Transformer by the immensely talented John Paul Leon. The artwork is dark, moody, and the result is a completely unique time travel tome for our heroes.
Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #176, “Decisions”
Current ranking: 155
Not every hero gets to take a honeymoon with their newlywed pilot wife. And certainly not everyone has to fight off a shark and a giant octopus in the middle of the ocean. This final entry into the From the Ashes trade has Scott and Maddie head over heels for each other and working together to fight the elements to survive. John Romita Jr. has big shoes to fill on the heels of Paul Smith but jumps in with style, having Cyclops eye-blast the X-Men logo into pieces on the cover.
X-Men Vol. 2 #30, “The Ties That Bind: The Wedding of Jean Grey and Scott Summers”
Current ranking: 163
You know me. I’m a Scemma guy. I don’t really listen to U2. But that doesn’t mean I can’t get misty-eyed at the nuptials of Scott Summers and Jean Grey. Credit to Scott Lobdell, who took the emotional threads from where Claremont and Weezy left off and built to this moment pretty naturally. Andy Kubert’s action-forward style might not have been the best pick for this issue (just imagine it drawn by Greg Capullo), but he dials it back and focuses on expression and allows the drama of the moment to create one of the classic Marvel wedding celebrations.
Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #310, “Show Me the Way to Go Home”
Current ranking: 168
Speaking of said wedding, how do you invite your time-displaced son to your wedding when he’s wanted by SHIELD and you still really haven’t gotten a chance to connect? Cyclops and Cable have just this awkward encounter prior to the big day. Luckily they get to bond by kicking the crap out of the X-Cutioner in the X-Mansion. This is great character development from Lobdell. And JRJR’s version of boxy meat-men is perfect for this meditation on macho mediation.
Uncanny X-Men Vol. 3 #1-4, “Revolution”
Current ranking: 188
At the end of “The Passion of Scott Summers,” an incarcerated Cyclops exits a tent and extends his arms into an X. After sanctimoniously having Beast pull teen versions of the original five X-Men into the present in his All-New X-Men, Brian Michael Bendis picks up what Kieron Gillen was putting down and makes Cyclops into a “revolutionary,” complete with Chris Bachalo giving Scott a sharp new Racer X-inspired bodysuit. We would learn over time that being a “revolutionary” really just meant Scott was rededicating himself to saving new mutants, and in these issues we get introduced to some truly great newbies including Tempus, Triage and Egg (Goldballs).
Adam Reck is the cartoonist behind Bish & Jubez as well as the co-host of Battle Of The Atom. Follow him @adamreck.bsky.social.
