10 Greatest Cyclops Costume Redesigns In X-Men History

Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, made his comic debut in 1963, going on to become not only one of the best-known X-Men members but also one of Marvel's most famous heroes, with a look instantly recognizable to fans worldwide. While certain traits define Cyclops, such as the visor that helps him control his optic blasts, the hero has undergone significant evolution over the years and across various Marvel eras, sporting a wide array of incredible costumes along the way.

While Cyclops has certainly rocked the X-Men's matching suits, looking really stylish, his classic outfits are also timeless fashion statements that never fail to look good. Most of Scott Summers' costume redesigns haven't been overly drastic, but he has undergone a couple of radical makeovers that offer a visual representation of his state of mind and the life events he is experiencing, earning them a spot among the best suits Cyclops has worn to date.

Young Cyclops

Champions Vol. 2 (2016-2019) By Mark Waid, Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado and Clayton Cowles

In 2016, a time-displaced young version of Cyclops found himself inspired by the Champions. After Ms. Marvel quit the Avengers following the second Civil War, she created her own team with Amadeus Cho's Hulk, Miles Morales as Spider-Man, Vision's daughter Viv, and Nova. Adding Scott Summers to their ranks, the young heroes became the Champions, looking to make a more positive impact on the world by being heroes worth looking up to.

The older Cyclops had turned evil and was dead, leaving a younger alternate of himself left in time to try to make a better future for himself. This era grants him a new suit that is still very much in line with his classic X-Men looks. This design fits his slimmer, youthful iteration, without losing his core recognizable appearance. It's classic, yet modern in the best ways.

Krakoa Era Design

House of X #1 (2019) By Jonathan Hickman and Pepe Larraz

Cyclops’s Krakoa-era costume is a perfect example of sticking with what worked in the past, which is by no means a bad thing, serving as a tribute to his previous "revolutionary" design. While Cyclops wore the red-and-black revolutionary suit during the Uncanny X-Men Vol. 3 run, this jumpsuit, featuring an X-themed belt, combines two shades of blue (one light, one dark), making it more consistent with the classic X-Men color scheme.

The main difference between the two designs is that the Krakoa suit has the hero wearing his visor. While there is nothing particularly striking about this redesign, it has a classic, sleek look that honors the character's past and was exactly the breath of fresh air Cyclops needed for the Krakoan era.

Cyclops' X-Factor Designs

X-Factor (1986) #1 & #26 By Bob Layton, Butch Guice and Joe Rubinstein; Louise Simonson and Walter Simonson

In the 80s, Cyclops' life underwent big shifts. After losing Jean, he married Madelyne Pryor, eventually retiring. However, his retirement from hero work wouldn't last long as mutant hatred rose in the world. When it was revealed that Jean had survived everything after all and was alive, he regrouped with the original X-Men as they created a new team: X-Factor.

With this work came new suits, which aren't too different apart from the giant X stretching from his shoulders to his hips. Later on in the series, in issue #26, the team begins a new era as they're welcomed as heroes after a run-in with Apocalypse. The color of the costume is the biggest change, going from blue and yellow to blue and white. While not the sleekest suits, they do show the influence of the X-Men without being the X-Men.

Age of Apocalypse' Cyclops

X-Men: Alpha #1 (1994) By Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, Roger Cruz and Steve Epting

Earth-295 is an alternate reality in which Apocalypse is the ruler of America and Magneto takes charge of fulfilling Charles Xavier's dream. In this universe, Cyclops and his brother were raised by Sinister and work with Apocalypse. While one of his wildest looks, it's also a good glimpse of how much can be changed, even though Scott is still recognizable.

The visor has remained, though it's concentrated primarily on the right half of Cyclops' face. His hair's long, covering the left half. This twisted version of Cyclops delivers an asymmetrical look and returned in 2012 with Age of Apocalypse. This suit matches a lot of the comic aesthetic of the 90s as it delivers a futuristic theme on the classic hero. It's wild, but it's also recognizable for who wears it, and which era it comes from.

New X-Men's Cyclops

New X-Men #114 (2001) By Grant Morrisson, Tim Townsend, Brian Haberlin, Richard Starkings, Frank Quitely

Lauded as being a fresh take on the X-Men, the Morrisson/Quitely era ushered in the new millennium with a bold new take on the X-Men's costumes. Blending 90s and Y2K fashion, the X-Men donned black and yellow jackets. Highly noticeable is the X branding made with the yellow chest section, as well as the additional yellow emblem detailing. Cyclops also gained a much thinner visor, looking more like a thin strip of sunglasses than a bulky piece of optical gear.

Foregoing the skin-tight and one-piece suits of the past, the X-Men donned more casual gear, while still managing to stand out. Each X-Men member is easily recognizable, with Cyclops' look being particularly modernized by keeping his head uncovered like in the 90s. The X-Men leader looks sharp when allowed to maneuver in a bigger wardrobe.

Cyclops' Phoenix Force Suit

Avengers vs. X-Men #5 (2012) By Matt Fraction, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna and Laura Martin

With four other mutants, Scott Summers became part of the Phoenix. Kicked off by Hope Summers having exposure to the Phoenix, the Avengers sought her as the X-Men protected her. This incited a brief battle between the teams. However, Cyclops would be one of the few to accept its power, resulting in him getting a new suit in Avengers vs. X-Men #5.

While this suit is often criticized as being a knock-off of DC's Nightwing, it also makes a lot of sense given the Phoenix emblem. Most importantly, it shows a darker alternate side of Cyclops, while solidifying that he doesn't always have to be relegated to black, yellow, and blue. Other colors don't make him less recognizable, given his visor is a key component to his look that adapts well to alternate color schemes.

Uncanny X-Men's Cyclops Revolutionary Look

Uncanny X-Men Vol. 3 #1 (2013) By Brian Michael Bendis and Chris Bachalo

Following up after Avengers vs. X-Men, Uncanny X-Men similarly began a new era in Scott Summers' life represented in his Marvel NOW costume. A new team typically means a new look, but this one was bold and a bit polarizing as a result. The red coloration stayed with Cyclops after his Phoenix suit but was incorporated with a more traditional X-Men style. It maintained the bodysuit cut the X-Men are known for while turning the suit somewhere between blackish red and brownish red depending on the lighting.

This is one of the few times Cyclops has gone without a visor in his look, instead gaining a big X cutout on his mask. The visor-less aspect caused the most controversy about the suit's appearance. While less recognizable compared to previous suits, Cyclops doesn't change his look drastically very often, making it an original, bold twist.

Astonishing X-Men Suit

Astonishing X-Men (2004) By Joss Whedon, John Cassaday, Laura Martin, Chris Eliopoulos

Astonishing X-Men was the follow-up series after the New X-Men run concluded. The title lived up to its name, surprising readers with its take on the classic team. With this new era came another new suit. This one puts Cyclops in a matte bluish-black bodysuit. His visor is silver in tone and, when incorporated into the suit, has a thin, streamlined appearance similar to the previous visor in New X-Men, albeit in silver instead of gold and paired with a full head cap.

This suit is very practical and streamlined. It keeps the traditional X-Men emblem small as a belt accent, using only a small amount of yellow trim. It foregoes the jackets and bold fashion statements in favor of a more muted look. Though less bold than several of his past suits, this look has still been a staple in Cyclops' overall wardrobe.

Cyclops' Classic Second Suit

Uncanny X-Men #39 (1963) By Roy Thomas, John Verpoorten, Vince Colletta, Art Simek, Werner Roth, Don Heck

In 1967, Uncanny X-Men debuted a new suit for Cyclops. This is the suit that preceded many of his later ones, providing the baseline for each alteration hereafter so it never truly goes out of style. It brings the blue and yellow combo together, leaving behind the black the original X-Men began with. This would mark the team's first moment of fashionable individuality, allowing each member to have their own look instead of being in one collective uniform.

This paves the way for many independent X-Men suits but also provides Cyclops with one of his best designs. It's bright but sleek, incorporating the X-Men color scheme brilliantly with good visual balance. It's symmetrical and classic, as well as easily recognizable. Given it set up not just Cyclops' look but the future of X-Men uniform designs for decades, it is one of the best the hero has ever worn.

'90s Cyclops Design by Jim Lee

X-Men #1 (1991) By Jim Lee, Chris Claremont, Scott Williams, Joe Rosas, Tom Orzechowski

The 90s brought about an X-Men revolution, particularly regarding Jim Lee's design for Cyclops. Like the Uncanny X-Men #39 suit, this suit is one of Cyclops' most recognizable and most beloved. In many regards, it serves as many fans' best-known outfit for the hero, given its use in other media at the time. It maintains a sleek look that past suits had, without losing the core visual elements of Cyclops' style, like his visor.

This look adds a broader belt that embellishes the upper torso, instead of just his waist. It also lets his hair move more freely, which is a big contrast from his debut and classic suits. This X-Men suit is streamlined, but its respect for the classic elements of the team design and incorporation of new aspects makes it Cyclops' best.

Movie(s)

X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

TV Show(s)

X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)

Video Game(s)

X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)

First Film

X-Men (2000)

Character(s)

Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23

Comic Release Date

213035,212968