2012 was a year of new beginnings and yes, I am aware that's redundant. But 2012 flipped things around so much that the redundancy actually makes sense. The year saw rebirth of a species, villains becoming heroes, heroes becoming villains, teams changing lineups, new titles being launched, and a bunch of other new things. But no character was more responsible for the gears of change turning than our 2012 Character of the Year - CYCLOPS!
He started a war with the Avengers, making human-mutant relations that much more strained. It wasn't enough that he exiled his species onto an independent island nation; he had to risk the lives of everyone on the planet based on a hunch - an act like that shook the Marvel Universe to the core. New problems were brought to light that the current characters must now face, which makes for a very nice segue to the events of Marvel Now! And you know what, it turns out, Cyclops was right! Captain America and every other Avenger was wrong.
What was once a species on the brink of extinction has been brought back in full force. You know who you should thank for that? Well, Hope Summers. But it was Cyclops who made it all possible. It was Scott Summers who took the risk on everything, and it paid off big time. All of this, at the cost of Cyclops' freedom and status as a superhero. The man once considered to be the general of the mutant species is now a revolutionary, a renegade, a criminal in the eyes of so many, and the law.
It feels refreshing yet familiar at the same time, which makes all of 2013 a very exciting time to be a comic book fan.
Runners-Up:
Dr. Octopus - Big year (couple of years, actually) for Doc Ock. He was able to get the worlds' leaders on his side, got everyone to hate Spidey for opposing him. He defeated the Avengers. And to top it all off, he hurt Peter Parker the way no other villain has or ever could. Read Amazing Spider-Man 698, 699, 700 and Avenging Spider-Man 15.1.
Joker - The Clown Price of Crime made his debut in the New 52 DC Universe and he made it with the style you would always expect from him. Death in the Family is in full swing now and he is in the Bat-Family's collective head real bad. To this day, the only villain that actually makes me nervous every time he makes an appearance in whatever medium, whether a video game or comic book or cartoon, is the Joker. And 2012 just made him that much creepier.