Summary

• In Uncanny X-Men #19, Captain America acknowledges Cyclops as a superior hero after recognizing the immense hardships Cyclops has endured, compared to himself.
• Cyclops' daily struggles as a mutant leader far exceed Cap's worst days, showcasing his resilience and leadership qualities.
• Even Captain America ires Cyclops' strength, acknowledging the challenges faced by X-Men leaders like Cyclops have forged him into the Marvel Universe's greatest leader.

Even Captain America its Cyclops is the better hero, putting to rest one of Marvel fandom's perennial debates going back decades. Though the two have had their disagreements over the years – reflecting the wider divisions between the X-Men and Avengers – an exchange between the superhero colleagues in an issue of Uncanny X-Men unequivocally established Steve Rogers' position on the matter.

Uncanny X-Men (2019) #19 – written by Matthew Rosenberg, with art by Juan Vlasco – settles the argument with one final verdict, coming from no less of an authority than Captain America himself.

In the issue, Captain America reflects on everything Cyclops, personally, and mutantkind in general, have been through, itting that he would not be able to handle it himself, if he were in Scott's shoes instead. That is as good as an ission of anything that Cyclops is the better leader between the two of these heroes.

Steve's words to Cyclops are what's most relevant, as he states, "Look, Scott, I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, but I hope you know I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and the X-Men."

Captain America its That Cyclops Has Endured More Hardship Than He Could Bear Himself

Uncanny X-Men #19 – Written By Matthew Rosenberg; Art By Juan Vlasco, Craig Yeung, Guru Efx, & VC's Joe Caramagna

As the team celebrates a small victory at the Harry's Hideaway (a bar down the road from the Xavier Institute), the conclusion of Uncanny X-Men #14 sees Captain America confront Cyclops and company. The next issue opens with Cap trying to warn Scott about his uneasy allegiance with the state department's Valerie Cooper, but Steve's words to Cyclops are what's most relevant, as he states, "Look, Scott, I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, but I hope you know I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and the X-Men."

Cap resurfaces again later to check on Cyclops after his granddaughter shoots his eyes out of his head. Clearly, in this one ordeal, Cyclops has dealt with enough trauma to fill a franchise in a span of three issues. That's beyond just all the other traumatizing things Cyclops has experienced over the years, and Steve Rogers recognizes that. If Captain America's immense respect for Cyclops hinges on sympathizing with how much pain Scott's endured, then it's easy to see how that respect would skyrocket after this.

Captain America's Worst Day Is Nothing Compared To Cyclops' Average Experience

Steve Rogers Respects Scott Summers' Resilience

Without minimizing Captain America's own struggles, his worst moments pale in comparison to an average day in the life of Cyclops.

Cyclops, meanwhile, doesn't carry that same luxury as a mutant. Like other X-Men, Cyclops can't go to most parts of the world without being ostracized, discriminated against, or just plain hated for the fact that he's a mutant.

Then, there are the moments where even Cyclops' biggest haters felt bad for him. Without minimizing Captain America's own struggles, his worst moments pale in comparison to an average day in the life of Cyclops. It takes a great amount of endurance, stamina, and fortitude to deal with what Cyclops has to deal with on a regular basis, and Steve knows that. It's not easy being an Avenger, and it's even harder to be an X-Man. It takes a leader like Cyclops to handle what not even Captain America can.

Uncanny X-Men (2019) #19 is available now from Marvel Comics.