Summers, Scott

Scott Summers is a mutant with the ability to fire destructive optic beams from his eyes. As the first X-Man **Cyclops**, he has ascended from superhero field leader to a mutant revolutionary icon. The firstborn son of Major Chris Summers, Scott and his brother Alex witnessed the apparent murder of their parents by the Shi'ar Emperor D'ken. As an introspective orphan and in the clutches of the nefarious Mister Sinister, his mutant abilities first manifested. After escaping Sinister's orphanage, Summers was rescued by Professor Xavier, a fellow mutant who ran a school aimed at helping mutants to control their uncanny abilities.

## Scott Summers

### Relatives

Christopher Summers (father), Katherine Summers (mother, dead), Alexander Summers (brother), Gabriel Summers (brother), Adam Neramani (maternal half-brother), Philip Summers (paternal grandfather), Deborah Summers (paternal grandmother), Oscar Summers (adoptive paternal ancestor), Daniel Summers (paternal ancestor), Amanda Mueller (paternal ancestor), Gloria Dayne (paternal ancestor)

### Affiliation

Professor Charles Xavier, X-Men (commander), Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters

## Biographical information

### Place of birth

Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America, Earth, Sol system

## History

### Early Years

Scott Summers is the oldest son of Major Christopher Summers (a.k.a. Corsair), a test pilot in the U.S. Air Force and his wife Katherine Ann. His younger brother is Alex, known today as the mutant Havok.

#### Death

When Scott and Alex were boys flying home from a family vacation in their father's vintage private plane, a scout ship from the alien Shi'ar Empire suddenly materialized and set the plane ablaze. Katherine pushed Scott and Alex out the plane door with the only available parachute. The parachute caught fire, so Scott used his mutant optic blasts for the first time to slow their descent. Scott and Alex were unaware that their parents had been teleported from the plane by the Shi'ar a moment before it exploded.

Scott suffered a head injury on landing that damaged the part of Scott's brain that would have enabled him to control his optic blasts. The two boys were hospitalized, and both suffered traumatic amnesia regarding the incident. The geneticist, who happened to be Mr. Sinister, took an interest in the boys. He believed that Scott was the Summers brother with the most potential, so he had Alex adopted to separate them and render Scott emotionally vulnerable, something he became.

One night, Scott woke up and destroyed the roof of the hospital with his optic blast. When Scott woke up again, a year had passed. Upon recovering, Scott was placed in the State Home for Foundlings, an orphanage in Omaha, Nebraska. There he was subjected to batteries of tests and experiments by the orphanage's owner, Mr. Milbury, an alias for Mr. Sinister. Sinister placed mental blocks on Scott and took on the role of "Lefty," who was Scott's roommate and bullied him at the orphanage. Sinister intervened any time anyone came close to adopting Scott.

As a teenager, Scott began to suffer from severe headaches and he was sent to a specialist (again Sinister in disguise), who provided him with lenses made of ruby-quartz. Soon after, Scott's mutant power erupted from his eyes as an uncontrollable blast of optic force. The blast demolished a crane, causing it to drop its payload toward a terrified crowd. Scott saved everyone by obliterating the object with another blast, but the bystanders believed that he had tried to kill them and rallied into an angry mob. Scott fled, escaping on a freight train.

### Meeting Xavier

Scott was drawn to a mutant criminal named Jack Winters, also known as the Jack O'Diamonds. Jack O'Diamonds sought to use Scott's newfound talent in his crimes and physically abused the young boy when he initially refused. However, Scott's display of power had attracted the attention of the mutant telepath Professor Charles Xavier, who teamed up with FBI agent Fred Duncan to find Scott. Scott was rescued from Winters' clutches and was enlisted by Professor Xavier as the first member of the X-Men, a team of young mutants who trained to use their powers in Professor Xavier's dream for human/mutant equality.

#### The X-Men

In the School for Gifted Youngsters the X-Men were tutored by Professor X and trained in the use of their powers in the Danger Room. Xavier provided Scott with a visor made of ruby quartz to help him control his powers in the field. As Cyclops, Scott became deputy leader of the X-Men. While he was a skilled tactician, Scott's social skills were lacking. Scott had fallen in love with his teammate Jean Grey, but his reserved demeanor prevented him from expressing his actual feelings for her.