10 Mutants Who QUIT The X-Men
2. Cyclops
Scott Summers, leader of the X-Men, and bane of Wolverine's existence.
Like a lot of things involving the X-Men, Cyclops's departure goes back to the Dark Phoenix saga. After the death of Phoenix, and Jean Gray, Cyclops left the X-Men to be on his own.
He traveled, eventually finding himself in his home state of Alaska. In Alaska, Cyclops met a red-haired pilot named Madelyne Pryor, who he marries, has a child with, and settles down with in a domesticated life. This pastoral lifestyle is not ideal if you're the kind of person who can channel other-worldly, concussion blasts through your eyes, though.
Naturally, Cyclops got bored chopping wood in Alaska. Then he got the news that Jean Grey was alive.
Turns out, the Fantastic Four found the real Jean Grey's cocoon, and she had returned to her life with the X-Men, no worse for wear.
Cyclops's marriage was already on the rocks at that time, and Madelyne told Cyclops that if he left for New York then he shouldn't bother coming back. Cyclops was like, "k, bye," and hightailed it back to New York.
In Cyclops's defence, he felt super guilty about abandoning his family.
Just not guilty enough to go back.