Top 10 Times Cyclops Was Badass in X-Men The Animated Series

“The Dark Phoenix Saga Part 2: The Inner Circle”
Though the villainous Sebastian Shaw has been a persistent thorn in Cyclops’ side, he’s ultimately no match for our hero. In this episode, Scott manages to best his foe through a pretty inventive way. By blasting the floor, he causes Sebastian to crashland onto a table of food meant for his fellow socialites. It’s always a treat when Cyclops is able to put bad guys in their place, but when he’s able to completely embarrass them like this it’s an added bonus. Thanks to Scott’s clever thinking he was able to dish out some just desserts for this Inner Circle Club member.

“No Mutant Is an Island”
In the event of a fire you should always have an emergency plan prepared. If Cyclops happens to be nearby then chances are your emergency plan is Cyclops. When Scott calls it quits on the X-Men following Jean Grey’s death and returns to his childhood orphanage, trouble follows. As the McNeil Orphanage is set ablaze, Scott swoops into action by blasting at the flames. At first you might think he’s just fighting fire with more fire. But since Cyclop’s optic blasts are concussive and not heat-based, that means he’s able to put out the flames. He effortlessly extinguishes the fire and hardly breaks a sweat while doing it. Though he tries ditching the costumed life, his expertise here proves that he was meant for it.

“Night of the Sentinels, Part Two”
Who says you can’t destroy millions of dollars worth of corporate-funded weapons and have some fun doing it along the way? As the Sentinels begin terrorizing the city, hunting down mutants, one particular robot orders Cyclops to surrender. Cyclops does as he’s told, and you’d be right to think that going out like this is a pretty lame move. But Scott Summers isn’t actually a chump, and with quick precision he chops the Sentinel’s arm off like it’s nothing. He’s fast, powerful, and quippy. Considering how well he humiliated the Sentinel here, it’s no wonder he’s such a fan favorite.

“Orphan’s End”
Nobody ever said family reunions were easy. When the X-Men meet a group of space pirates called the Starjammers in a prior episode, Cyclops butts heads with their leader Corsair. But in a soap opera level twist in “Orphan’s End”, he learns that he’s actually his long lost father. Through some scheming done by the episode’s main villain Raknar, Corsair is placed in the bad guy’s custody. But when Cyclops learns of Raknar’s true intentions, he springs into action and successfully saves his dad. He might have had some help with his jailbreak, but it’s safe to say that he saved Corsair’s life. And that’s a good thing considering they definitely have a lot of father-son bonding to catch up on.

“Night of the Sentinels, Part Two”
Jubilee has found herself hunted down by Sentinels multiple times, and on more than one occasion she’s been rescued by none other than Cyclops. During this specific encounter, multiple Sentinels corner Jubilee inside of a warehouse. But before they can attack, Cyclops shoots them all down. Trying to take on just one Sentinel can be a life-threatening affair. So Scott being able to merc three in record time is an accomplishment worthy of accolades. Jubilee’s hardly a damsel in distress since she’s a hero in her own right. But she must be pretty thankful to Cyclops for making the save.

“X-Ternally Yours”
As Scott trains in the X-Men’s danger room, he demands Gambit adjust the difficulty to give him a real challenge. This leads to Gambit accidentally setting the room on the most dangerous settings when he gets distracted. If you had to fight the freaking Juggernaut, Omega Red, Mister Sinister, and even Apocalypse, you’d simply die. Now imagine fighting them all at once! Ok sure, technically Cyclops was only fighting simulated versions of them. But as this scene proves, that was no easy task. While he didn’t quite beat all of them, given the insane circumstances it’s astonishing how he survived as long as he did before the simulation was finally shut down.

“Cold Comfort”
The Summers family is a pretty complicated one if you didn’t already know. When Cyclops meets the mutant known as Havok, they quickly get into a brawl. Though the series didn’t quite address their relationship, seasoned X-Men fans recognize Havok as Cyclops’ younger brother. As they battle, neither of the two mutants’ powers are able to work on the other. While the limitation proves to be an obstacle, Cyclops is able to win regardless thanks to his ingenuity. By blasting at several wooden boxes behind Havok, they tumble and knock him down for the count. Where some might struggle with their greatest power getting nerfed, Cyclops stays ahead of the curve by thinking outside of the box.

“Reunion Part 1”
An overly confident Cyclops is a dangerous one. As he and Jean fend off Mister Sinister’s henchmen the Nasty Boys, Cyclops insists on cutting to the chase and attacking Sinister head on. He tries to evade Scott’s blasts but it’s no use as he gets cut down to size in the end. Not only does Cyclops tower over an injured Sinister, he also taunts him while hitting him with his beams. Given how much of a menace this villain has proven to be, having Scott put him in his place through humiliation is nothing short of awesome.

“Come the Apocalypse”
One of the most imposing mutants of all time, Apocalypse is a villain hellbent on destruction. And with his immense power also comes an immense ego. So when he declares that he’s incapable of being defeated, it’s only right that Cyclops delivers him one hell of a reality check. Blindsided by an optic blast, Apocalypse is thrown completely off course as Scott and the rest of the X-Men swoop in. That had to have been atleast a little bit embarrassing for someone who’s supposed to be so powerful. To top the moment off, Cyclops delivers a witty remark that just lets you know he stands on business.

“Till Death Do Us Part, Part 2”
You don’t mess with Cyclops’ friends. When Mister Sinister captures newlyweds Jean and Scott, he plans to acquire Scott’s DNA. Aiding him is Morph, who he’s manipulated into joining. Though the stakes are certainly dire, our hero manages to pull it together and free himself and Jean. And when Morph finally rebels against Sinister after some convincing, Scott goes the extra mile to make sure that this enemy doesn’t cause any more harm to his allies. It’s almost scary just how intimidating he comes across in this scene. As he forces an injured Sinister to flee the island, we’re thankful that we’re not on the receiving end of one of his optic blasts.

Is there a totally badass Cyclops moment we forgot? Share it in the comments!