Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops, has quite a history. From his first appearance in the X-Men to his new position in the 616 universe, plenty of writers and artists have given us memorable story arcs which feature Slim and possibly implement big changes in his life. He's been appearing in comics for several decades now and we believe the following options are worthy of your attention. Obviously, not every standout Cyclops story is on the list, so if your top choice isn't below, go ahead and give it some praise in the comments section.

ASTONISHING X-MEN

If there's one Cyclops story you're going to read, many would strongly recommend Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's ASTONISHING X-MEN. Not only is it an exciting, fun and engrossing adventure for the team as a whole, but Cyclops' has an especially strong arc. There's a momentary development with his abilities, but Whedon primarily focuses on Scott's abilities as a leader and makes the dude unleash some jaw-dropping optic blasts. The bit on the lawn is something no Cyclops fan will ever forget. We'll be blunt: you need to read this if you're interested in Cyclops and the X-Men.

NEW X-MEN

Grant Morrison writing the X-Men? Come on, how could you pass on this one? After an encounter with Apocalypse took a toll on his psyche, Cyclops is left in a difficult spot and his relationship with Jean Grey is weakening. His connection to Emma Frost, however, is just beginning. It may not technically be one of the most flattering arcs around for Slim, but it aims to humanize his struggle and reveals the earlier stages of Frost falling for the popular X-Man. If you want to dive deep into the relationship drama, we recommend reading Issues 138 and 139.

UNCANNY X-MEN

Cyclops walked away from Avengers vs. X-Men with quite an attitude. No longer can Scott be viewed as a "boy scout" or too "boring." Brian Michael Bendis' latest volume of UNCANNY X-MEN focuses on how Marvel's big event impacted the Summer's world and how it molded him into the focused and more direct man that he is today. Was he right? That's still being debated by many fans, but this shows how he's moving forward and forming an all-new team. If you want an insightful look into current Cyclops, we strongly recommend picking up the first trade (which happens to have a Comic Vine quote right on the cover).

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN

Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, is a man that just about every hero respects. Even if they won't admit it, they probably do admire the guy on some level. So, to take a firm stance against him takes a ton of confidence and it takes a whole lot more to make readers think you were right to go against the super-soldier. Many of you have event fatigue and understandably so, but the House of Ideas' Avengers vs. X-Men is a critical arc for Summers, especially if you're going to leap into modern X-Men titles. Like stated in the highlight above, this event still has fans discussing whether "Cyclops was right" and whether what he did was indeed beneficial for the greater good.

THE DARK PHOENIX SAGA

Chris Claremont and John Byrne's classic The Dark Phoenix Saga is something no X-fan can miss. Sure, it's technically not a "Cyclops story," but he does have a few pivotal moments in the spotlight -- such as the big fight with Phoenix and the conclusion -- and, simply put, it's a dose of classic goodness that packs a surprising amount of heart. And if you're not familiar with the X-Men's earlier years, you'll be happy to know the follow-up issue, UNCANNY X-MEN #138, is basically a stroll down memory lane.

MESSIAH COMPLEX

After House of M struck the mutant population, a glimmer of, well, hope appeared. What appears to be the first new mutant has popped up and Cyclops will do anything and everything to make sure the child is in the X-Men's care. Obviously, they aren't the only team aware of Hope's existence and this sets off an absolutely action-packed race. Not only does this journey show the lengths Cyclops and his allies are willing to go to protect the future of the mutant race, but it occasionally puts Scott's dynamic with Professor X in the spotlight, too.

UNCANNY X-MEN #175

Cyclops has a brilliant tactical mind and he's trained extensively with his peers so they can work better as a team. He knows their strength and weaknesses, but what would happen if they went after him and refused to hold back? Well, that's exactly what happened in UNCANNY X-MEN #175 and the end result is a seriously cheerwothy read for any fan of the character. Despite having the odds completely staked against him, Cyclops is able to systemically take down his teammates and proves he's certainly no pushover. It's a hugely amusing way to put his sharp mind and skills as a combatant front and center.

DIVIDED WE STAND (UNCANNY X-MEN #495-499)

Taking place after the events of Messiah CompleX, Ed Brubaker and Mike Choi'sDivided We Stand was a fun and substantial read. The storyline with Emma and Scott gets pretty out-there, but it's really enjoyable and their time in the Savage Land highlights why Scott has what it takes to act as a leader. Plus, there's a side story with Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus taking on Omega Red and it's a total blast.

UNCANNY X-MEN #127

The team faced Proteus and it wasn't an uplifting experience at all. The encounter took a psychological toll on some of the heroes, so Scott steps up to make sure he can get his team back in tip top form. But the abrasive way he attempts to help his teammates actually puts his own life at risk. When all is said and done, the bold move helps some characters move forward and Logan even compliments Scott's abilities as a leader.

This is a great list except for the fact that nobody should read Avenders Vs. X-men ever. The only person who was "right" in that event was whoever didn't buy it...and also Kieron Gillen, he was right too

Great choice with Avengers vs X-Men. It had a great story, great battles, and moral issues, and a heartbreaking death. Not sure why people don't like it.

Hey!!!! What about Second Coming????? Cyclops' leadership through this event is as important as it was on Messiah Complex!!!!

@micah:

You're right!!!! I also liked Avengers vs X-Men!!! Maybe there were too many issues... buy it was great!!! Besides... Cyclops was right: the Phoenix Force was the only choice to save the mutantkind...

why no current Cyclops series?

There's some very good stories here, but some very very bad:

- Bendis run is absolutely awful for Cyclops fans.

- AvX should never be mentionned for a good Cyclops story

Gillen's run was far better than those two. Second Coming too.

It's only 4 issues in! Care to tell the world why they should check it out, though? ;)

Solid choices

Thank god Current series didn't make it.

Technically avx made me hate avengers and cyclops was right, if they just let the pheonix force come for hope and she re-ignite mutantkind there would be no wars but no steve rogers and avengers must always be earth's mightiest heroes always wanting to save the day, and caused the chaos. Avx almost made cyclops a villain

@gizmorino: Technically avx made me hate avengers and cyclops was right, if they just let the pheonix force come for hope and she re-ignite mutantkind there would be no wars but no steve rogers and avengers must always be earth's mightiest heroes always wanting to save the day, and caused the chaos. Avx almost made cyclops a villain

They put him as a villain. They want to put him on trial for his crimes as an avatar of the Phoenix Force, but what about Stark???? He splited the Phoenix in 5 and nobody said anything not even a "why Stark?? why???" hahahaha

Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's run on Astonishing X-Men is something any comic fan should read. Best writing of Cyclops ever.

1. I've been a Cyclops fan for 20 years, and I think Bendis' run is pretty good. Uncanny X-Men is a good story and it's probably the most interesting Cyclops has been since Whedon wrote him.

2. Avs.X might not be a good X-men or Avengers story, but it's a huge part of Cyclops' story and actually shows a lot about his character. I wouldn't really recommend it to fans of any other character in it, but for Cyclops it really is one of his biggest and most relevant roles.

Thanks for agreeing :)

took the words from my soul

because it's atrocious. too many writers, writing badly. the avengers were wrong! we know that a lot of comics stories are illogical in nature. but one teams of 'heroes' invading the home/nation of another, and those being invaded are made out as the bad guys the whole time...

I need to stop, I could rant about this for months.

Avengers vs X-men was great in a lot of respects. Writing, the fights, the end was spectacular, and has had lasting effects on Marvel to this day and is still the driving force behind all the X-Men books. Nerds always complain about events not having any effect on the universe but when it does they make up illegitimate reasons why it sucks. I think nerds dislike stories just because they are told they are supposed to. I mean really? How do people not like the fun that was Avengers vs. X-Men? If mutants were so blatantly persecuted and the "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" blatantly ignored it, I suspect Cyclops would have a problem with it. And do not give me that marvel heroes just fight among themselves because when they band together like Secret Invasion,Siege, Fear Itself, Infinity, and this upcoming Axis it is just labeled action with no content. Stop complaining and be satisfied. Stop hating everything.That is why comics are dying today. Not because of lack of quality but the inability to accept the talent and ideas put out. Please just prove you are humans instead of crabs in a barrel.

I also liked Cyclops in Utopia and Second Coming. I forgot to say that.

I know the Avengers were wrong. But Namor invading Wakanda was intense, it was the first time I truly saw how cocky, arrogant, and nasty Namor could be, it was well written. It also wasn't that bad of a story, I felt the teams were evenly matched against one another, and depiction of the Phoenix Five was incredible.

Come oooon guys AvX was not THAT bad.

Granted it's all over the place and kinda weak at points, but it opened doors for cool storylines and we still got PhoenixClops with one hellofacool costume, and there were some pretty good fights.

As for the Bendis haters, the only thing I really dislike with his take on the X-men is that everything is moving really slowly. But Uncanny X-men is really really good, I love it, and it's got a very different vibe from most other stories ongoing.

I'm not reading it but I hear it's pretty great.

@nfareed71024:

I also liked Cyclops in Utopia and Second Coming. I forgot to say that.

Hey!!! That's right!!! Utopia was great too!! Another example of Scott's leadership!!!

Inb4 AvX haters optic blast this thread to pieces.

I was never a big avengers fan, but I still liked just about all of them. since avx, I personally don't really like any of them anymore. the iron fist/phoenix connection was so tedious. even when they were possessed by the phoenix force the p5 were still doing good (except namor who has always been a tool). even when namor tried to burn hawkeye alive, it was cyke who made sure he was fully healed (although he never healed his son, that makes sense). mr fantastic even made the point in not wanting to get involved because the p5 were doing good. it was only after repeated attacks by avengers that namor went onto epic tool status and attacked wakanda, which kinda started the end of the whole thing. personally, I find the highlight of the event, is that it showed how not to do an event.

I did like the p5 uniforms. those were wicked. I know avx changed the landscape, but I find it silly that cyke gets branded a terrorist and the avengers don't.

the teams were kind of evenly matched. but I had issues with a few of the one on ones.

one of my biggest gripes is that cyke has been branded responsible for the death of Xavier. he played a part in it sure, but shouldn't the avengers also be held responsible? after all their repeated attacks against the p5, it was only a matter of time before they snapped and someone got killed.

if i'm honest with myself, I still haven't forgiven avx for braking up scott and emma. nor have I forgiven bendis for not bringing them back together.

ooh, I forgot, I like magik a lot after avx. i'm glad I was able end this rant on a positive note. nobody likes being negative all the time :)

@galathanos: I freaking loved AvX.

Schism to.

"Grant Morrison writing the X-Men? Come on, how could you pass on this one?" Well, there's junkie Magneto, but that's another story.

I knew the Dark Phoenix Saga would be here. Scott himself once said "that day defined me as much as it did Jean".

Believe it or not, some of those were my problems as well. I did like how the Avengers were forced to make several last stands to help bring down the p5. It really added a sense of desperation,and panic to the whole situation. I felt the Iron Fist/Phoenix connection was hard to pull off but they did make it work in a way. Plus the aftermath of the event is still being felt to this day, so that's always a good sign. And the event did make me like Magik. Plus Red Hulk vs Cyttorak Juggernaut= EPIC!!!!!!!!!!

I enjoyed avx but made me hate the avengers in a way that i might never stop it was a good story but it f*cked up things for my man cyke.

1. Cap bringing a full avengers team to 'talk'. Nice one steve but cyke ain't dumb.

2. Avengers were wrong the whole time and they were labelled heroes. Pretty cool huh?

3. The scarlet b!tch got to save the day. Burnt a hole through my heart.

4. Everyone keeps saying cyke was possessed when he killed proff but still hate on him besides didn't jean do was when she was dark pheonix....*set of BIG HYPOCRITES(looking at iceman and avengers pix)*

4. Pheonix force is a psionic being meant to amp powers but it f*cked with their powers......* i know this part isn't relevant but i have to let it out*

5. I almost forgot, it also f*cked with ororo and t'challa's marriage.

I enjoyed the story but as i said earlier it messed up many it and @oldnightcrawler: is right it is an important part of cyclops history and a must read.

It also messed up some characters

it's a pretty fun series, quite well done. Even just Cyclops #4 by itself would be a story I would recommend to any Cyclops fan.

Great list. Just to add
AvX: Consequences

When I think of the messiest, least intriguing X-Men story I don't think of AvX. I think of Battle of the Atom. I was so freaking excited when it was announced... I really regret having bought the series...

@k4tzm4n: For the fact that it is a whole book. About Cyclops. Nuff said.

-AvX make me hate and absolutely despise the avengers, I'm never going to buy anything that has the avengers word in it's title, ever.

-For those that are speaking about lasting effects, it only effected X men books, mainly Uncanny because cyclops seems to be the one carrying the weight of the whole consequences while the avengers and gold team just moved on with their lives.

-Don't dare to said the loss of Proff X affected anyone, it was just a plot device to make gold team hate cyclops and extend the schism and arrhate against cyclops to unspeakable level of hypocrisy, charles for the years prior his death was as relevant as X man

-For those blaming cyclops for his death blame the avengers for making charles do a leeroy jenkins against a fully powered and out of control cyclops while everyone was trying to kill him, and if that ain't enough I wonder why no one blamed jean of her actions as phoenix (blowing up a planet), I almos respect the shi ar for putting young jean in trial.

-Did I said I hate the event because in the end it only affected cyclops while everyone is living happily ever after as if nothing had happend? (I'm looking at you tony stark and captain america) Well I'm saying it again.

-If cyclops foes apocalypse clops or void cyclops in AXIS and kills a bunch of avengers I'm gonna be so happy for it, and if somehow everyone gets away with the inversion except cyclops I'm gonna implode and switch to DC comics or start downloading comics illegally from internet.

@somacula: lol, even bobby who keeps reminding/tormenting him of killing prof x and admitted he knew cyke wasn't himself is on another level of stupidity or should i say hypocricy?

@gizmorino:

Bad writting, editorial mandate, self induced amnesia, hypocricy because he obviously forgot the time he was possesed and almost froze the whole planet. I think just that maybe they have the right to be mad at him, but not to judge him because most of them have done horrible things under possesion and got away with it. What I found logical is that young jean finally came to understand old cyclops and maybe forgive him for killing prof X after her trial.

Oh and I forgot, I really like cyclops current run in his solo, young cyclops is a different take on the character but I still believe is him, in a way.

@somacula: my hopes for young cyclops is that he becomes a popular space dude like his dad, and to still keep his tactical mind, and well his dad his teaching him fencing so yeah martial arts is no worries he is gonna be good at it.

@gizmorino: Young cyclops is a wild card, if he goes back to the past with his memory intact and experience as a space pirate he might want to leave the X men, or fix all the mistakes his older self made and take the X men to a whole different future. He and young jean have the potential to cause and epic reboot to the MU

I really admire Steve Rogers as a militar leader (his strategy during Infinity was awesome!!), but not as the moral guidance he appears to be. Xavier's dream was already useless whe he was killed by a Phoenix-Force-Possessed Cyclops. Jean exterminated entire planets and civilizations but nobody cared. Summers saved the mutankind and the whole non-mutant super hero people complained about it. That's why I admire Scott Summers... it doesn't matter how but he manages to get the job done in order to save his fellow mutants.

Avengers vs. X-Men proves Cyclops is the ultimate douche who doesn't deserve any respect whatsoever.

please explain

also, it's quite funny how judgmental hank is these days, especially when you consider his actions and the part he plays in new avengers.

@vandinejd_1991: Hey! Hey! Hey! Slow down so cyclops was a bad guy? Bring your case to me and am gonna defend my client like a real cyclops fan would, and am gonna without any fanboyism. Cyclops a douchebag *laughs*, when steve is still alive, wanda still lives, tony stark still lives and you call summers a douchebag. *still laughing*

@somacula: don't even want them to go back besides there has been no temporal effect yet, and they are lost in another universe with a possibility of bringing back a souvenir(miles morales) to their real universe.

Where the hell is Uncanny X-Men by Kieron Gillen????

Where is AVX: Consequences?

I agree that AVX is a needed read for knowing who Scott Summers is right now. Phoenix-clops (and P5 in general) was good btw.....

Skip Bendis and Morrison, their Cyclops is just meh.

Enlist Second Coming as well, it shows yet another Scott's success as a general heh

Personal recommendation: X-Force which while hasn't have Summers as regular operative yet had him as their principal with some of his best cold-blooded decisions moments.

lol marvel rectonned that sooooo hard

1. Bendis Cyclops is full emo. How is he the most interesting since Whedon wrote him? Gillen's Cyclops was better, Brubaker was better, hell, even Fraction was better. All we got from Bendis regarding Cyclops is a leader who lost everything and isn't able to recover from it. He want to do a revolution but Bendis pacing keep everything from actually happening. Bendis Cyclops is interesting? How is leading Mutant kind through survival less interesting than attending the Last Will of Charles Xavier? Please.

2. Yes AvX was mostly Cyclops, but it was still bad. At least Gillen ties-in were actually good. Yet they didn't even put Gillen run up there when it was 10 times better than the main AvX story. And just for fun, Civil War was very big for Iron Man, but I would never recommend this story for an Iron Man fan. Same thing goes for Cyke and AvX. Just because the character was really involved in the event doesn't mean it's good for the character.

I feel the same way. I was never particularly fond of The Avengers as a team, but if they are the main enemies of Cyclops and mutant-kind, then they are also my enemies :P
I don't know, I just feel SHIELD simbolizes everything wrong with our society and government.