2. Cyclops
What Makes Cyclops a Great Character: What doesn't make Cyclops a great character? Scott Summers has been there since the beginning appearing in X-Men #1 all the way back in 1963. His powers seemed pretty plain at first but coupled with his inability to control the destructive blasts they became a bit more interesting. Using his visor to help him keep his eye bazookas under control, Cyclops came to hone his powers with incredible skill going so far as to be able to focus his blast to strike at critical points to immobilize foes without doing them too serious harm. Along with Jean Grey, Cyclops has the greatest and most complex romance in the history of the X-Men. Their love has taken many shapes in various forms of media. Scott's greatest quality, however, is his role as the leader of the X-Men. As great and as loved as Cyclops is, he has come under far more scrutiny than any other big name superhero within the X-Men comics.
Why He is So Under-Rated: Noted for lacking a distinctive personality, this couldn't be further form the truth. Scott has always been brooding and overly focused but this is what made his character great. He deviates from your typical leader but still manages to always pull his team together and make the harsh decisions to get things done. Scott has always been a magnet of undeserved animosity from readers and non-readers alike and this can mostly be blamed on one man: Wolverine. Ever since the character of Wolverine was introduced and showed interest in Jean Grey, Scott was portrayed as the bad jock boyfriend keeping the two apart. As Wolverine's popularity grew Cyclops continued to be given less spotlight. The entire movie trilogy is a showcase for Wolverine and there is no greater insult than X3's hideous treatment of Cyclops' character. Depicted as being a heartbroken loser who can't go on following Jean's death, he is killed within the first thirty minutes, and by Jean herself! In actuality, Scott always remained incredibly strong whenever faced with such situations and was able to move on each time Jean Grey faced death. The movies aren't the only medium to blame when it comes to poor depictions. The original nineties cartoon often picked on Scott in order to make Wolverine shine brighter, and the new age Wolverine and the X-Men put him back into the same role as the movies and with even more emphasis on his inferiority to Wolverine. The reason Scott ranks so high on this list is because he's the only one here that absolutely cannot be separated from the franchise. If there's a cartoon, a movie, or a video game being made in honor of the X-Men it's customary that he be included. Cyclops was the very first X-Man and has led the team far more often than any other member. When you think X-Men, you think Cyclops regardless of whether or not Wolverine is thought of first. He is an amazing tactician and has overcome devastating odds in his life to become a rock that others lean on. Pick up any issue of Uncanny X-Men in the seventies or eighties to know what I mean when I say that Cyclops is one of the best X-Men of all and that he deserves far better treatment.
Where He is Now: Marvel came under controversy during the Phoenix Five storyline with Cyclops' descent into darkness and the staining of his hands with the blood of none other than Professor Xavier himself. It's easy to see that the character is being taken into the wrong direction, and one that seems irredeemable. It's not hard to notice that this is something that Wolverine would never have to deal with highlighting how under-rated this once truly amazing character is.