Cyclops: A Character Study & Comparison
Becoming a Cyclops fan has sparked the beginning of a sudden change within me, teaching me the important lesson about growth, and all the good things that come with it.
When we often look back on certain things we said, or ideologies and beliefs we shared once upon a time, oftentimes a sign of development stems from a change in point of view. And, well, that’s exactly what led me down the path to being a fan of Scott Summers.
As a child, like most people in the 90’s, I grew up with the X-Men animated series. And while I still love that ICONIC theme song, there was one thing I hated, at least at the time, and that was Cyclops.
“Christ, what a bore!” I remember thinking to myself, at the time. I felt he had a cardboard personality, and that anything, including but not limited to watching paint dry would be better than seeing a moment of this guy on screen.
I for the life of me couldn’t figure out why this guy was the leader of the team. I felt the fan-favorite, Wolverine, should have taken the reins, and livened up the place. Of course, as an adult now, I feel different. That’s what we’re here to dive into.
As I delved back into the exciting, colorful world of Marvel’s Merry Mutants, I sought to study the various pieces of media I consumed as a kid, to try to understand it better. This was about the time where I started noticing something different about Scott Summers as a character. Where I thought he was boring, he felt distant and introverted. Where I thought he had zero personality, I started to see complexity.
Basically, I viewed him in a new light. I started to see myself in him. And suddenly, Wolverine wasn’t so cool in comparison. So, I thought to myself “Exactly what is the problem with folks portraying Scott Summers?”
Well, the movies. Duh. I know at this point, I’m not the only one to bag on them, as it’s a pretty common thing for comic or animation aficionados to do. But it needs to be said.
In the movies, we see Cyclops — brilliantly played by James Marsden, by the way — for his very basic character traits. He’s the foil to Wolverine, partner to Jean Grey and of course, the stoic-esque leader of the team. The problem here is….that’s it.
“That’s it?!” I exclaimed to myself, as I finished the 1st X-Men movie from way back when. I wasn’t any more impressed with what they did with him in the following movies, the most insulting of which was The Last Stand. (If you know, you know.)
I realized right then and there, that this was a HUGE part of the stigma against him. While they got number of things like the casting choice, the wardrobe, and the basic idea of him right, they never gave the audience his side of the story in his rivalry with Wolverine. The why of it all, was missing from the films, and was ever so present in the comic books.
In X-2, for instance, there’s a whole sub plot involving good ol’ Wolvie sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong, to battle for the affection of Jean. At a point it comes to a crossroads and Jean says she chooses Scott Summers over him, offering nothing more than an explanation citing “he’s the good guy.” and that “girls flirt with the dangerous guy,” but “marry the good guy”.
While that makes sense for her to say, we haven’t seen much of him be the man she loves him for being. We haven’t seen him be this pillar of strength and support for her, or the paragon of love and unshakeable faith that makes people swoon.
In fact, we haven’t seen much of him at all. Yeah that’d be because of the huge Wolverine worship goin’ on in these FOX films. But I digress.
In the comics, the why of his nature, his behavior and personality were always given. He’s committed and stern because he’s one of the earliest members of the team. Professor Xavier had been conditioning him to essentially be and lead a team of child soldiers to fight for their kind. Which means the burden of responsibility for himself, the mission and that of his teammates has been put on him. He has to be the visionary, the leader, and the guy with answers to whom people will inevitably and eventually look at when things go sideways.
He’s distant, stoic and a man of few words outside of the battlefield because he’s afraid of letting anyone get in too close. This would be because of his powers, which he can’t control.
So, while people could and still can always dislike Cyclops cuz that kinda character archetype isn’t for them, at least even they know why he behaves the way he does. The comic books also added so many other layers to him that we just never got from the films. On their days off back in the 60’s comics, the X-Men all had their ‘thing’ to do. Warren, the rich playboy that he was, would always ask Jean out on a date. Hank McCoy and Bobby Drake’d always be down at some cafe chatting up the ladies workin’ there. But what, pray tell, would our boy Scott be up to on his day off?
Nothing. He makes excuses to avoid letting people know he’s sad about Jean and that he can’t make a move on her, and he just sorta wanders around on his own. He’s a soldier fighting a war, but what happens when the war’s over, or at the very least, on hiatus? Within him, I started to notice a lot of things I could relate to over time. The feeling of loneliness, introversion, and isolation from the world around you.
The feeling of falling in love with woman you think you can never have. There was a very Shakespearean like tragedy to his whole story. One not focused on nearly enough (or rather, at all) in the films. Even animated adaptations don’t scratch the surface of some of the stuff explore within the comic books, but they sure as hell do a better job than the movies.
Sure, there’s been some messed up things the character’s engaged in over the many comic books published throughout the years, but the secret sauce, if you will, for creating a successful adaptation of the character is deeply rooted in at least providing an answer as to why he is the way he is.
Perhaps the MCU will execute this whole thing better as they attempt to pick up the broken pieces of a potentially fantastic character.