In uniform, he wears a battle visor with a single, ruby-quartz lens running eye-to-eye; the resulting one-eyed appearance is why he is codenamed "Cyclops." X-Men: How Do Cyclops' Optic Blasts and Visors Really Work? RELATED: Emma Frost Recruits An X-Man as the New Red Queen in Marauders Teaser. Emma Frost was temporarily able to lift the blocks to allow Scott to see without use of his usual eyewear for the first time in years, although eventually the inability to control them returned. "The world is a traumatic place for some children," Emma explained. Sam Stone is a 10th level pop culture guru living just outside of Washington, DC who knows an unreasonable amount about The Beatles. Appearing ever since the debut of the character and all subsequent media adaptations, Cyclops is rarely seen without his protective eyewear -- with the visor and glasses being protection for others instead of himself. It was always in you. Marvel has always tried to market its characters as existing in "the world outside your window," albeit with the addition of superpowers. Users. Whedon's book saw Emma Frost join the X-Men as Cyclops' lover, and she wound up under the influence of a corrupting force. Cyclops removes his protective lenses, Jean telepathically neutralizes his optic blasts, with his eyes becoming normal (blue) for the first time since his powers manifested. Let's review the Summers family. ZNOP. A graduate of Edge Hill University in the United Kingdom, Tom is still strongly connected with his alma mater; in fact, in his spare time he's a voluntary chaplain there. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. While this explanation is canon, it is far less popular than the theory of the "Punch Dimension," or the idea that his eyes are in fact portals to a dimension of pure kinetic energy. Since the generally accepted narrative behind his inability to control his optic blasts is due to a mental block originating in trauma he experienced as a child, it’s entirely possible that the upper limit of his … RELATED: X-Men: House of X's Deaths Aren't Permanent - But They Are Real. Tom's focus tends to be on the various superhero franchises, as well as Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Star Trek; he's also an avid comic book reader. Cyclops can actually control the strength, shape, direction and impact of his beams. There's a reason the X-Men's greatest leader, Cyclops, can't control his optic blasts - even now he's been cloned in Jonathan Hickman's X-Men reboot. The eyes are simply the channel through which said energy is released, as devastating force beams. Meaning he can make them as wide or as narrow as he wants to. While Cyclops can't control his optic blasts when he loses his protective visor, that does not mean he can't control them at all. Originally, Cyclops' optic blasts were fueled by solar energy metabolized by Scott, with blasts visibly weaker when Scott had been out of direct sunlight for an extended period of time. Body Power (Optic Eye Blasts): Cyclops can shoot a beam of ruby-coloured concussive force from his eyes. Ever since his debut in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men #1,  the character has been unable to control his powerful optic blasts constantly projected from his open eyes, resulting in him wearing a signature visor or specially designed sunglasses to contain the immense energy. The optic blasts themselves are a powerful concussive force -- not heat-based as occasionally depicted in places like X-Men Origins: Wolverine -- that constantly emit from his eyes involuntarily. 3. Cyclops possesses the mutant ability to project a powerful beam of concussive, ruby-colored force from his eyes. KICKED A SENTINEL OFF HIS LAWNThe Sentinels are one of the X-Men's oldest enemies, and … He's heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will quickly learn that he's interested in British politics as well. Cyclops' power levels seem to have increased with age; by the time of the superhero Civil War, Iron Man was measuring his energy output at 2 gigawatts a second, the equivalent of a nuclear power station. Cyclops is a tactical master, and over the years he's learned how to manipulate that visor in order to pull off some pretty impressive tricks. Emma dove deep into Cyclops' mind, and learned the real problem was a psychological one. You can follow him on Twitter @samstoneshow and ask him about Nintendo, pop punk, and Star Trek. The 1986 Handbook corrected this, but it came up against in the 2004 edition. 2. Parachuting to safety with his younger brother Alex, Scott accidentally struck his head on a rock upon landing, and the trauma supposedly made him unable to control his optic blasts later in life. After living with the power most of his life, Scott has trained himself to be immaculately accurate with his beams, with the energy generated once measured by Iron Man to be approximately two gigawatts, roughly equivalent to half the energy output of a nuclear power plant. X-Men: A Major Marvel Mystic Just Declared War on Mutants. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe attempted to explain away superheroes' powersets in a more detailed way than ever before, and it introduced the idea that Cyclops' eyes are essentially a portal to another dimension. Distraught and surprised by her appearance, Cyclops is taken off guard when she asks him to take off his ruby quartz glasses because she says she can control his powers. This is due to a head injury he sustained in his youth. While out of costume, Cyclops constantly wear red, ruby-quartz shades, to hold back his blasts. The truth is that he probably didn't have permission from the editors to make such a lasting change to such a prominent X-Men. 2. His body automatically metabolizes solar energy that keeps the apertures open. Previously, he's written entertainment news and articles for Movie Pilot. Later comics implied that Cyclops' entire body is the battery, not just his eyes, explaining why he's been able to absorb Havok's energy blasts and even, on occasion, Storm's lightning. The X-Men Just Rejected Marvel's Desperate Young Heroes, The REAL Reason X-Men's Cyclops Can't Control His Power, The X-Men Just Teased Another SECRET Cyclops Brother, Cyclops Brings His ENTIRE Family To The New X-Men, Cyclops explained that he'd been left in a coma, X-Men Theory: Marvel's New Xavier Is Secretly [SPOILER], Marvel's Wonder Woman Slayed The King in Black In Heroes Reborn, Guardians of the Galaxy's Collector Helps Defeat the King in Black, Green Lantern Hal Jordan Could Be About To Destroy The Corps, Spider-Man's Darkest Secret Has Finally Been Revealed, Harley Quinn Just Nearly Discovered Batman's Identity in the Dumbest Way, Wolverine Defends A Canadian Wasteland In Marvel's Heroes Reborn, Marvel’s Weirdest Romance is Finally Official. 08-28-2015, 05:51 PM #28. somacula. This ability may vary in the terms of both intensity and even color. For many years, readers thought there were only … 1. Ever since his debut in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men #1, the character has been unable to control his powerful optic blasts constantly projected from his open eyes, resulting in him wearing a signature visor or specially designed sunglasses to contain … Click the button below to start this article in quick view. In Uncanny X-Men #138, Cyclops explained that he'd been left in a coma for over a year and had sustained brain damage; this, he reasoned, was the explanation for his inability to control his optic blasts. Chris Claremont fleshed out the story in Classic X-Men #41 and 42, in backup stories that revealed Scott Summers' origin. His body automatically metabolizes solar energy that keeps the apertures open. He is completely unable to switch his optic blasts off, and their energy can only be restrained by ruby quartz. If Cyclops' lack of control were simply due to brain damage sustained during a plane crash when he was a teenager, then the clone wouldn't need a visor. After briefly bonding with the Phoenix Force, Cyclops' control of his powers was fractured for a time, resulting in even more erratic optic blasts. There's a simple reason Cyclops' power levels appear to have grown with age; it's because his body has had more time to metabolize sunlight. 1. Xavier would later reflect that he had made dozens of visors for Cyclops due to the strenuous superhero work his star pupil undertook. More: X-Men Theory: Marvel's New Xavier Is Secretly [SPOILER]. Taking the name Cyclops, he fights for mutant equality and peace between humans and mutants. Scott frequently listens to the radio, and even worked as a DJ for some time. Cyclops has shown on more than one occasion that he can do just about anything with the optic blasts. The clone, however, has only been exposed to the light of the sun for a far shorter time, meaning his powers are far less formidable. A one-stop shop for all things video games. An Optic Blast is an energy-based power that enables one to emit beams of energy from their eyes. Curiously enough, that question never even occurred to comic book writers until the 1970s, when Cyclops explained to Jean Grey that it was a result of being caught up in a plane crash when he was just a kid. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. 1 Doesn't Take Advantage of its Colorful Cast, Nocterra #1 Is a High-Octane Debut for Scott Snyder and Tony Daniel, The Swamp Thing Leans Hard Into Horror With Its New Protagonist, The Suicide Squad #1 Is Infinite Frontier's Bloodiest Launch, Batgirl: Future State Reunites DC's Most Beloved Newlyweds, Avengers: Enter The Phoenix Sets Up a Duel Between the MCU's Best Fighters, Fantastic Four: How The Thing Became a Multi-Millionaire, King in Black: A Cosmic Marvel Force Wanted a Thor Villain to Stop Knull YEARS Ago, Marvel's Voices: Legacy #1 Brings Deserved Stories to the Spotlight, The Avengers and New York City Get Bailed Out By Daredevil, When the United States Government Asked Stan Lee to Ignore the Comics Code, Doctor Strange Just Turned One MCU Hero Into a Mystical Marvel God, Young Hellboy Just Found an Even Scarier Version of Skull Island, Marvel Unites Four Generations of Captain America in a New Series, Green Lantern: How a Justice League Hero Gave Sinestro His Best Idea, X-Men: Demon Days Gives Wolverine, Hulk & Psylocke the Ultimate Ancient Team-Up. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. The injuries wouldn't be reproduced during the cloning process, and as a result the Cyclops clone wouldn't have to cover his eyes with ruby quartz. A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes (an "optic blast"). Assuming the classic theory is right, then the Cyclops of House of X is weaker than the Cyclops readers are familiar with. Under Professor Xavier, Cyclops became the first student of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. However, it's clear that isn't the case; which strongly supports the Whedon idea, that Cyclops' lack of control is psychological. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. Cyclops is one of the most powerful mutants that exists in the Marvel Universe. While a similar pair of sunglasses with the lenses made from ruby-quartz simply cancel out the optic blast, the visors contain various sets that allow Cyclops to adjust the intensity, size, and shape of his optic blasts to varying levels of pinpoint accuracy and devastating effect. 4. As a mutant, his ability or “power” is to shoot powerful optic beams. But Jonathan Hickman's House of X has left readers with a lot of questions; Hickman has introduced a clone of Cyclops, but one who still needs to wear a visor. Ironically, it's reasonable to assume that repression also means Cyclops is unlikely to stop to ask the question in the first place, while his fellow X-Men are far too used to his powers to question just why the clone still requires a visor. He is an “Alpha” level Mutant which is a category that includes Professor X, Jean Grey, Storm and Franklin Richards; all of whom have later been called “Omega” level. The material used was revealed to be a translucent mineral called ruby-quartz that nullifies the optic blasts, absorbing the energy constantly emitting from Scott's eyes. Superman has never exibited such control. If Cyclops's weaknesses are exposed, Homelander can dispose of him. Cyclops cannot control his optic blasts without his visors, so Homelander can disarm him and blast him out of the fight. Cyclops struggles with controlling his power, due to a head injury as a child. It's easy to forget just how powerful Cyclops really is; his optic blasts pack quite a punch, and they seem to have become increasingly powerful with age. Cyclops' optic blasts stem from a separate universe where his eyes are portal to. Unfortunately, as powerful as Cyclops may be, his mutant abilities come at a cost. Moreover, Superman has shown a level of control over his powers that Cyclops simply does not possess. By the time of the superhero civil war, Iron Man measured Cyclops' energy output at 2 gigawatts a second, the equivalent of a nuclear power station. Cyclops' power levels seem to have increased with age; by the time of the superhero Civil War, Iron Man was measuring his energy output … Cyclops would rape superman with his optic blast The X-Men just found the coolest use of Cyclops' powers. Related: The X-Men Just Teased Another SECRET Cyclops Brother. The X-Men leader Cyclops has powerful optic blasts that would destroy everything in sight if it wasn't for his protective eyewear. Scott can completely control the power of the blasts as they shoot from his eyes. As a result, this has pretty much been forgotten by most X-Men fans. As a result, Cyclops developed a psychosomatic disorder which makes him lose control over his destructive optic blasts. Later depictions explained that his lack of control is psychosomatic and due to the emotionally traumatic events of his … X-Men: House of X's Deaths Aren't Permanent - But They Are Real, Emma Frost Recruits An X-Man as the New Red Queen in Marauders Teaser, House of X Officially Unveils the X-Men's New Leaders, Avengers: The Six Marvel Heroes Who Could Still Wield the Phoenix Force, Avengers: How Asgard's Siege Kickstarted Marvel's Heroic Age, King in Black: Knull Isn't Done Tormenting Captain America Yet, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: How the Literary Heroes Lasted Into the 21st Century, Vision: How Avengers Completely Transformed the WandaVision Star, Black Cat: Felicia Hardy Is About to Be Marvel's Next Superstar, Shadecraft Shines a Mysterious Light Onto Our Darkest Fears, BRZRKR #1 Gives Keanu Reeves a Blood-Soaked Comics Debut, My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions Vol. In 1983, however, Marvel offered an alternate explanation. Without the visor, he can't open his eyes without emitting a destructive, optic blast. Cyclops is immune to the damage caused by his optic blasts, but can still suffer knockback from any reflected attack. Heightened Expertise (Danger Room Training): +4 to Hit with Optic Blasts. Able to knock back virtually any target, Cyclops has used his optic blasts to rupture strong metal alloys, puncture Blob's skin and blast through alien spaceships. Emma Frost once indicated the psychological trauma of losing his parents and being separated from his brother are primarily responsible for his inability to control his powers. Cyclops: Within every X-Men comic and form of media that has Cyclops, he is known to have the ability to shoot an uncontrollable ruby-colored optic blast from his eyes. KEEP READING: House of X Officially Unveils the X-Men's New Leaders. One of Marvel's most famous mutants, Cyclops is secretly a lot more powerful than most readers realize. Both Cyclops and Homelander can emit power from their eyes. She revealed that the young Scott Summers had been traumatized by the experience of the plane crash, and that his developing powers had made him ever more afraid. Later, his powers awakened suddenly, which almost led to the death of innocent bystanders. Does Cyclops' optic beams continually blast into his ruby-quartz visor, never ceasing unless he closes his eyes? While this theory is generally accepted online, however, it's never been referenced in the comics themselves; at present, all evidence from the comics suggests that the classic explanation is the correct one. This power source was retconned to be Scott drawing fuel for his blasts through unseen extra-dimensional energies similar to his brothers Havok and Vulcan, which also serves as an explanation as to why the Summers Brothers are resistant to each other's energy attacks. To control his optic blasts, Cyclops wears a ruby-crystal visor at all times. It didn't last, of course, although Whedon was never entirely clear why. Charles Xavier helped the young mutant Scott Summers deal with his unwieldily "optic blast" mutant ability by constructing this visor with Ruby-Quartz. For a time, Cyclops overcame this subconscious fear, and gained control over his optic blasts. One of Marvel's most famous mutants, Cyclops is secretly a lot more powerful than most readers realize. Why Green Arrow and Hawkman Hate Each Other in DC Comics, Batman Has A Classic Wolverine Problem in DC's Future, Marvel's Superman Is Stronger Than The Hulk In Heroes Reborn, Battle Chasers 10 Teased By Joe Madureira 20 Years After Issue 9, Superman’s Future Son Is The Complete Opposite of Kal-El, Boba Fett Showed Amazing Bounty Hunting Skills At A Young Age, The X-Men May Be Bringing Back The Classic Cable At Last, Even Marvel's Villains Are Teaming Up Against the King in Black, The Death of Spider-Woman is Going To Save The Marvel Universe, Hulk's Origin Also Created Marvel's Gamma Green Lantern. According to the comics, the kinetic energy of Cyclops’ eye blasts are strong enough to end an energy crisis. There's an aspect of Cyclops' subconscious that fears and even hates his own powers, and that long-buried part of his mind will never allow him to control his optic blasts. That was the status quo for decades, until Joss Whedon penned Astonishing X-Men #24 in the 2000s. That's meant the comic book publisher has always been interested in defining its powersets in pseudo-scientific terms. Natural Weaponry (Danger Room Training): +1 to Hit, +2 Damage 4. Scott Summers' mutant power was unlocked when he and his family were attacked by a Shi'ar spaceship during a private flight. ... Cyclops isn't cyclops with his uncontrollable optic blasts IMO 08-28-2015, 06:03 PM #29. Additionally, the Summer Brothers' mutation was retconned to include generating a psionic field rendering them immune to their own blasts and why Scott's eyelids were unaffected by the optic blasts. Weakness (Low Self-Control): Cyclops cannot control his Optic Blasts. Cyclops's powers were originally believed to be ambient energies (such as solar radiation, photons, and cosmic rays) absorbed and metabolized by his body into concussive blasts that are released from his eyes. In the previous two decades his powers have increased in scope to match the growing escalation of popular cosmic-level villains like Galactus, Thanos, and Knull. Related: Cyclops Brings His ENTIRE Family To The New X-Men. As one of the founding members and longtime leaders of the X-Men, Cyclops is one of the most iconic and fan-favorite members of Marvel's Merry Mutants. dey need ta hook my dawg Cyclops up with his powers under his control naw mean let dem boys play let em play Cyclops was right. Click the button below to start this article in quick view. The visor also weaponizes his optic energy into focused blasts that he can control the severity of with a dial. To do this, double the PR cost for each additional 1d20 damage. Cyclops uses the visor to control his optic beams. The errant blasts were later revealed to be exacerbated by Dark Beast infecting Cyclops with nanobots, but his abilities went back to normal after they were removed. Cyclops, real name Scott Summers, is the leader of the X-Men. This is because of the composition and power of Cyclops’ optic blasts. Why can't the writers just make Cyclops be able to control his heat vision powers? In an effort to contain the blasts, Cyclops wears protective eyewear, usually sunglasses or a visor, with ruby quartz lenses. While the story centers around the first of many funerals for Charles Xavier, we get the vague explanation that Cyclops absorbs solar energy to power his optic blasts. When Wolverine joked that God had given Cyclops a "nuke" in his eyes, he wasn't exaggerating much. Cyclops’ miniature is set in the most iconic pose for the first X-Man, with his hand ready to adjust the controls of his ruby visor to let loose an optic blast. As a result, Cyclops wears glasses at all times, or - when in costume - a visor. Cyclops can push his Optic Blasts beyond their normal strength. 3. However, Joss Whedon and John Cassady's Astonishing X-Men run revealed that this was due to his subconscious mental blocks stemming from the traumatic incident. Cyclops' optic blasts stem from a separate universe where his eyes are portal to. Over the years, Tom has built a strong relationship with aspects of the various fan communities, and is a Moderator on some of Facebook's largest MCU and X-Men groups. The first attempt to explain away Cyclops' powers was in X-Men #42, which explained that Cyclops' eyes act as solar batteries, absorbing sunlight "in a process not unlike photosynthesis." Family Matters. Since there are so many Marvel universes, couldn’t they make one in which he … I would say, probably not. Now, we're taking a close look at Scott Summers' mutant power, how it's been revised over the years and how exactly his unusual eyewear is able to stop his optic blasts from constantly destroying everything in sight. Cyclops' poor control over his power is attributed to events in his childhood, initially described as being due to a head wound, disabling his brain's ability to turn off his optic blasts. Will Batman & Catwoman's Daughter Follow The Cat or The Bat? Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant's staff writers, and he's frankly amused that his childhood is back - and this time it's cool. As one of the founding members and longtime leaders of the X-Men, Cyclops is one of the most iconic and fan-favorite members of Marvel's Merry Mutants. Following a childhood head trauma, Cyclops is unable to shut off his optic blasts at will and must therefore wear a visor, glasses or contacts with ruby quartz lenses that block the beams. However, unlike Homelander, Cyclops has to wear these glasses-like visors to control his powers. He can blow the top off a mountain. So how do Scott Summers' powers really work, and what control does he have? This is the "classic" explanation for Cyclops' powers, and it holds with the evidence of the comics themselves, even fitting with some Claremont-era stories in which Cyclops began to lose his powers when he'd been underground for too long. But why can't Cyclops control his powers? Jonathan Hickman's House of X has brought Cyclops back from the dead - but why can't the NEW leader of the X-Men control his optic blasts? In the second film, the visor has a … Jonathan Hickman's House of X apparently settles the question once and for all. Monitored constantly by neutron detectors and regulated with powered microchips installed within it, the visor allows Cyclops to project a blast small enough to fire through a standard coin or wide and powerful enough to punch through an entire mountain. A one-stop shop for all things video games. After growing up in an orphanage, the young mutant would be found by Charles Xavier and given his signature eyewear to prevent the blasts from striking anything in Scott's line of vision. It's generally believed that Cyclops' lack of control over his powers is a result of brain damage. There's a reason the X-Men 's greatest leader, Cyclops, can't control his optic blasts - even now he's been cloned in Jonathan Hickman's X-Men reboot. The only way to be sure you would always, always hold yourself together... was to make it impossible not to." Attacks as Force Field, +1 to hit (includes Training Bonus), Range 36" (End x2), Damage 2d20, PR 3/blast. Initially, Scott's inability to control his own optic blasts was linked to the childhood head injury.