Marvel’s X-Men are known for the rigorous training they undergo to control their powers, and few of them exemplify that quite like Cyclops. But while he may represent the pinnacle of self-control now, a look back at his original weakness shows just how much progress he’s made, and how he can be considered the ultimate superhero.
It’s often said that Cyclops’s powers can be difficult to understand thanks to a combination of their visual representation and apparent effects on the things/people who are unlucky enough to be on the receiving end. As simple as it can be stated, Scott Summers’ eyes are gateways to a pocket dimension where his body stores solar energy and reproduces it into optic blasts. These signature crimson beams produce no heat but pack enough concussive force to level buildings and even mountains. It’s a big gun, and not one Cyclops has always been able to handle.
In Uncanny X-Men #4 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the young band of heroes came against Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants. During the battle, Cyclops unleashed a beam that destroyed a massive electric generator, fainting promptly thereafter. Even in the world of comics, the rules of physics still apply to some degree. If every action has an equal and opposite reaction, each of Scott’s blasts probably has an effect on him. At his developing age, it’s possible that the recoil of a big enough blast could knock him out. But since then, Cyclops has developed his endurance to the point where almost no output is too much—like when he leveled several hundred yards of landscaping to disable a Sentinel in Astonishing X-Men #8 by Joss Whedon and John Cassady.
Cyclops offers comic writers and artists a challenge. Since his power is so simple, how does one find new and exciting ways to conceptualize it? In some ways, this mirrors Scott’s individual quest to refine his optic ability and make it as versatile as possible. His visor is one of the Marvel Universe’s most underrated tools, allowing him to refract the emittance for any number of particular results. But when he removes it, few beings can withstand that impact unscathed. Iron Man himself has measured the full force of Cyclops’ optic blasts, saying it comes to nearly two gigawatts—twice the output of the average nuclear power plant.
More than the sheer scale of his powers, what’s impressive here is how Cyclops has committed himself to their mastery. DC Comics’ Batman is often lauded for his indomitable will and self-determination, but the X-Men’s captain may easily have the Dark Knight matched. Given how Marvel defines the X-Men’s Omega-level mutants, Scott is no Omega-level mutant; he can’t absorb and manipulate energy or control minds from continents away. But what he is able to do with what he has commands respect from friends and foes alike, and goes a long way in proving why Cyclops is viewed as one of the greatest superheroes.
