1. Scott Summers
Yep. Cyclops. Almost always casually dismissed as the boring boy scout of the Marvel Universe, Scott Summers is my favorite example of a good character dealing with very real flaws at different times that gradually develop from his personality and experiences. In the early days of X-Men comics, Scott was one of the first characters to really admonish himself constantly, yet keep his doubts to himself to be able to lead the team, which created a distance between himself and those who could have been his friends, and was made even worse by his mutation. Cyclops always had to be the bigger person to do what was right. Scott's fears very much influenced his relationship with Jean Grey, and with all they've been through, readers can always feel the truth of time between them, even across the scores of writers and artists who have handled them. But Scott's misgivings in his life have ever-increasingly led him to do questionable things. There's his tendency to go off by himself whenever something bad happens. There was his affair with Emma Frost. Then he killed Professor Xwell, at least until we'll inevitably find out it was a robotand STILL took responsibility. Kind of. Now, convinced that hostility against and apathy toward mutants is worse than ever, especially from those in power, Scott has been leading a force of mutants for mutant rights in ways the current X-Men disagree with, even his past self. Scott unapologetically protects mutants from being persecuted, whether by the institutions of law or education, while the other (and past) X-Men try to convince Cyclops of how "wrong" he is. For better or for worse, Cyclops is done trying to convince the world that they need mutants, instead showing them they mutants are a fact that "normal" people are just going to have to live with. It's truly radical stuff done very well. Cyclops is much more true to Malcolm X's still-misunderstood memory than Magneto supposedly ever was. With the giant X on Scott's face, the X-Men story has never had more nuanced meaning in its hyperbole. There's nothing like average over-the-top comic book conflict, but there's also nothing like watching more nuanced flaws play out in kinder hearts, whose motivations and conflicts can tread truly complex paths all their own when given the opportunity. What about you? What are some great comic book character layers you enjoy?