When we think of mutants, X-Men is the greatest force of them all. The core five original X-Men members are Beast, Angel, Iceman, Jean Grey (also known as Marvel Girl), and Cyclops. But one that particularly stands out is the latter, Cyclops, aka Scott Summers. He is easily one of the most popular characters in the mutants diameter, known for his eye blasts and leadership skills. He was eventually named team leader of the X-Men. Apart from the 50+ years of history in the comics, he became a famous character in the film series as well. But, what if I tell you that the greatest power of Cyclops doesn’t lie in his eyes, but his neck?
The Greatest Power of Cyclops Is His Neck, Not His Eyes
Along with all his powers, particularly speaking of eye blasts, comes another one. I say that because his neck doesn’t immediately snap backward upon opening his eyes. So, Scott Summers must have the strongest neck muscles in the Marvel Universe. So, if we go by Newton’s Third Law of Motion, it states “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Hence, if Cyclops’ optic blasts are indeed concussive, his neck therefore must be able to withstand the same amount of force. Including that of shredded adamantium, skyscrapers, and the like. Isn’t it mind-boggling?
Cyclops can’t control his blasts without a specially-made visor made with ruby-quartz lenses. His eye blasts are completely devastating. Over the course of his history, he has been depicted to punch holes through adamantium, sheer through a skyscraper, and even slow (but not completely stop) the most powerful version of the Hulk, the Worldbreaker. Many writers assume his eye beams are a type of heat vision. But that’s decidedly not the case, Cyclops emits concussive blasts only.
Scott Summers aka Cyclops Brief History
Most heroes with seemingly one power actually have a second power that allows the first to function. And Cyclops is no different. He can emit immensely powerful optic blasts from his eyes. But, this power can’t be activated or deactivated at will. If Scott’s eyes are open, his blasts will fire. Tragically, this happens because of his brain injury. He suffered this brain injury after surviving a plane crash. Yes, this is the same crash that seemingly killed his parents. Surprisingly, his brother Havok doesn’t have this injury and can control his abilities.
It’s a shame that Cyclops as a character has not been explored further on-screen. He eventually became one of the main characters in the X-Men film series. But his run was limited as he died in the third installment because his actor, James Marsden, took a role in Superman Returns. But the legend goes strong in the comics and is indeed a great character. Now that the mutants are coming to the MCU, we can expect a better iteration of Scott Summers!
So now do you believe that the greatest power of Cyclops lies in his neck? Let us know in the comments.
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