Cyclopsmay be one of theX-Men’s greatest heroes, but he’s far from a saint, and one of his writers will be the first to admit it. The longtime leader of the X-Men tends to be perceived as a controversial figure in Marvel lore despite the good he’s done on behalf of mutants, due in large part to the upsetting way his marriage to Madelyne Pryor ended.
In aReddit AMA, legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont opened the floor for questions about the many comics he’s written. One commenter inquired about why many readers consider Wolverine abetter hero than Cyclops, and rather than defending Scott, Claremont called him out.
Logan is cool, Scott is not. My problem is I thought Scott was a wonderful character until he moment he walked out on Madelyne, and went back to Jean—and that was dishonorable and destroyed him as a character. Logan wouldn’t do that. He’d kill you but he’d do it for the right reasons.
Claremont’s hatred of this Cyclops twistreflects the stance of many X-Men fans, asScott Summers abandoning his wife and child to return to his superhero lifestyle remains a contentious moment in Marvel history. Cyclops' mistakes have tarnished his reputation in the X-Men, and it’s difficult not to understand why Chris Claremont feels the way he does about him.
Cyclops Leaving His Wife For the X-Men Cemented Him as a Problematic Hero
Even Chris Claremont Can’t Forgive Cyclops For Abandoning Madelyne Pryor
When Cyclops fell in love with Madelyne Pryor back in 1983, Chris Claremont had high hopes that the whirlwind romance would stand the test of time - that is, untilJean Grey’s returnderailed their marriage. Even with a wife and child at home, Scott couldn’t resist the call of the X-Men once he learned that Jean was alive again, resulting in him leaving them in 1986’sX-Factor#1 by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice. From Claremont’s perspective,Cyclops walking out on Madelyneand baby Nathan served as a betrayal to the stories he’d hoped to tell about the X-Man becoming a family man.
For Scott, it’s coming up to a point where he has to rewrite the patterning of his life, which occasionally is what happens when you grow hit your 20s. And it’s very, very hard. Falling in love, making the commitment of “I do,” is awesome. Finding yourself with a baby is the scariest, most wonderful thing that can possibly happen. And again, as a writer, I was selfishly looking forward to dealing with that over the years with Scott, as I tried to do in X-Men. What’s it like for him to be a father? How does he relate to things? How does he deal with being married? There was all sorts of stuff there on both a real world and a superhero perspective. And then it all got thrown away.
Rather than exploring a more human side of Scott Summers, Claremont - along with X-Men readers - has been forced to accept that Cyclops isn’t cut out to be a loyal husband after all. This problematic decision redefines Scott as a much more complicated character, much to the dismay of many. Rather than honoring his vows to Madelyne, he instead shows his true colors as someone who’s willing to neglect his familial obligations on a whim to pursue his own selfish desires.Cyclops' blatant disregard of his love interestis a tough pill to swallow for fans of the X-Men, fueling his negative perception.
Cyclops Needs to Move Past the X-Men In Order to Evolve As A Character
According to Chris Clarement, Cyclops Missed the Chance to Grow Up
Further expanding upon his dismay with Cyclops' choice, Claremont offered his insights on a better direction that the hero could have taken:
I was just reading the issue with the fight between Scott and Ororo. And the whole point is, Scott thinks, “I have to stay with the X-Men, they need me to lead them.” But he’s got wife and a kid now. Maybe it’s time to grow up. There aren’t that many families in the super hero universe, like the FF. Scott is not Reed Richards. Give yourself a break. Give yourfamilya break.
Cyclops and Storm’s fighttook place inUncanny X-Men#201, when they participated in a duel to settle who should lead the team. Upon losing, Scott left with Madelyne, only to later break her heart. Claremont’s words suggest that Scott prioritizing his family could have helped him “grow up” at long last, but that ship has long since sailed by now. Cyclops' controversial actions continue to haunt him, and it’s doubtful that he’ll ever heed his writer’s advice and let theX-Mengo.
X-Men: Cyclops Is Tapping Into the Villains' Playbook, But Is It For the Best?
As the X-Men find themselves in a “cold war,” Cyclops pulls the ultimate move by using a tactic that is straight from the villains' own playbook.
