Cyclops and Jean Grey represent what is arguably the cornerstone relationship in the world of the X-Men, with the two superheroes close partners since their debut in 1963. Now, they are both the heart of the latest version of the X-Men team in Marvel Comics. Along the way, comic book fans know Cyclops and Jean Grey's relationship has led to some of the greatest moments in the history of superheroes.
Their relationship has also led to some of the darkest moments as well, with it seemingly being at an end in the landmark Dark Phoenix Saga from the early '80s. But perhaps the defining feature of Scott Summers and Jean Grey's romance is that it defies any end. They have died, returned, and died again, but every time, these two powerful mutants find each other.
Cyclops And Jean Grey Are Each Other's First Loves
So far as the comics have represented to this point, Cyclops and Jean Grey both appear to be each other's first loves. A lot of their youth and history before the X-Men has been recounted in the last sixty years, but they were each other's first true romance.
Despite complications and other potential suitors in later years, Cyclops and Jean Grey never seem to have fallen out of love. They complement each other very well, with the pair operating now more as a single unit driving the engine of the reformed X-Men team in the comics.
Death Can't Keep Cyclops And Jean Grey Apart
Uncanny X-Men #137 is one of the best X-Men issues of the 1980s. It concludes the Dark Phoenix Saga with Jean's heroic sacrifice, potentially saving the entire universe. Though it seemed like it for many years, it wasn't the end for Scott and Jean.
Jean Grey would be resurrected several years later and rejoin Scott as part of the X-Factor team, which brought them back together with the original five X-Men including Beast, Angel, and Iceman. Jean has since died and returned again, and both she and Cyclops have died a few times in the Krakoan era, only to be instantly resurrected via the game-changing Resurrection Protocols.
Cyclops And Jean Grey Have A Daughter From Days Of Future Past
Chris Claremont, perhaps the best writer of X-Men comics ever, signaled that he probably wasn't done with Scott and Jean almost immediately after her death. Uncanny X-Men #141 introduces Rachel Summers, their daughter from one of the darkest future timelines in Marvel Comics.
Rachel emerged from the dystopian Days of Future Past timeline, the adult daughter of Cyclops and Jean Grey, who had both been killed by Sentinels. She would later travel back to the present and join the X-Men, though her relationship with Jean Grey was fraught for years as Jean struggled to accept Rachel as her daughter.
Cyclops And Jean Grey Have A Son From Another Timeline
Comic book fans know that Cyclops and Jean Grey have numerous children associated with them from multiple alternate timelines. One of them is Nathan Grey, also known as X-Man. He first appeared in 1995, a product of the Age of Apocalypse crossover event, which included some of the best X-Men comic books of the '90s.
Like Rachel Summers, Nate Grey is extremely powerful. He's in fact a variant of Cable, who is Nathan Summers from the Earth-616 timeline but as sent forward into the future. Nate Grey also came into the present but doesn't have the same bond with his parents the others do.
Cyclops And Jean Grey Raised His Son In The Future
Nathan Summers is Cyclops' child with Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean Grey. Nathan was sent to the future to be cured of a techno-organic virus and came back as the older Cable. One thing only comic book fans know is that despite this, Scott and Jean did raise their son.
In the 1995 limited series The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix, Jean and Scott are transported to the far future where Nathan is. They pretend to be common people from the period and get the opportunity to be part of their son's life, easing all of the pain at their separation.
Cyclops And Jean Grey Are Married
Most general fans likely know that Scott and Jean are a couple since they have been in almost every medium they appear in, including movies. But they may not know that Cyclops and Jean Grey are actually married and have been since X-Men #30 in 1995.
As with Mister Fantastic and The Invisible Woman, they are one of the most stable relationships in superhero comics. Though their lives together have been interrupted by death and other calamities, they've remained married and in love into the present day.
Silent Night
The love between Cyclops and Jean Grey is perhaps best depicted in a great but not very well-known backup story in Classic X-Men #6. "A Love Story" adds some great character moments as Jean prepares for her date with Cyclops. She uses her telekinetic power to assemble his clothes into a figure of him she admires.
It's a silent story that gives readers rare insight into how much the two love each other. Written by Chris Claremont and drawn by John Bolton, one of the best X-Men artists, it's well worth tracking down to get the full story on Jean Grey and Cyclops' relationship.
Ultimate Differences
Jean and Scott's romance spans life and death, as well as space and time. A different version of the couple appears in the Ultimate Comics universe of Earth-1610, where Wolverine is much more of a romantic rival for Cyclops from the start.
Unlike mainline continuity in Earth-616, Jean only starts dating Cyclops after she breaks up with Wolverine. Their connection is far less strong in the Ultimate universe, and Scott and Logan are both eventually killed. After, Jean leaves the X-Men.
A Different Perspective With Wolverine
Jean Grey and Cyclops' relationship remains a major element of current X-Men comics, but it appears to have evolved. Hints in the comics going back to the beginning of the Krakoan era in 2019 suggest that Wolverine may be part of their romantic relationship now as well.
While this has yet to be made explicit in the comics, it represents a massive shift in perspective for all three characters. Rivals and enemies at many points and in many continuities, they now appear to be teammates, friends, and lovers.
Triangle With Emma Frost
There also seems to have been a shift with Emma Frost, but there remains some tension between Jean Grey and the White Queen. It stems from the fact that Emma had a psychic affair with Cyclops for some time behind Jean's back.
She also was in an open relationship with him after Jean's apparent death in the early 2000s. Jean and Emma at the very least tolerate each other in the Krakoan era, though it doesn't seem that their triangle has evolved in the same way that it has with Wolverine.