For many die-hard fans, no character was given shorter shrift across the X-Men films as badly as Scott Summers aka Cyclops. Played by the likeable and talented James Marsden, he had a decent-sized role in the first film, but unfortunately didn't register much beyond the persona of the stoic Boy Scout who was at Professor Xavier's beck and call. Some of his banter with Wolverine held promise for the future, though, so maybe there were a few more shades of Cyclops that audiences would be treated to? Sadly, his role in X2 was, suffice to say, limited. Again cast as the boringly safe boyfriend to Jean Grey, he seemingly spent the whole film being beaten up and pining after Jean. The film played up to the idea of Wolverine as the sexy loner who Jean really desired, which is not how the relationship should play out. Alas, even worse was yet to come when Cyclops was killed (off-screen) in The Last Stand, a mere 30 minutes or so into the movie. This shoddy and borderline insulting treatment of a comic book mainstay was a huge missed opportunity. All Fox had to do was look to the comics for inspiration, as Cyclops has undergone a huge evolution and drastic character shifts since Grant Morrison took over New X-Men in 2003. In fact, Cyclops is now considered more militant and dangerous than Wolverine, a role reversal that would play out interestingly on-screen if Fox wanted to bring Marsden back for a future movie.
