When it comes to understanding mutant superpowers, few seem quite as straightforward as X-Men leader, Cyclops. However, when one really thinks about the questions involved with his optic beams, such as where the energy comes from or how his neck accommodates the force it's putting out, suddenly his powers aren't so cut-and-dry. Dig into the anatomy of Cyclops, and you might just find that there's a whole lot more than meets the eye.
1) Where Do Cyclops' Optic Beams Come From?
One of the most puzzling problems with Cyclops' powers is whether they work with Newtonian physics. If every action creates an equal and opposite reaction, then you would think that every time Cyclops fires a beam of mountain-destroying force, his head or body would get flung backwards from the blast. The explanation for why this doesn't happen is contained in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.
While the comics themselves rarely go into it, Cyclops' optic beams actually come from an alternate non-Einsteinian dimension of near limitless power. His eyes only serve as apertures to that space, meaning they're like little portals that the energy pours out of rather than a force his eyes produce. That's the explanation from the handbooks, at least, but there's a bit more to it than that.
2) What Other Mutant Traits Does Cyclops Have?
The alternate explanation Marvel offers for the source of Cyclops' power is solar radiation, explaining that his body passively absorbs all the energy it needs from the Sun and stores it in his body like a battery. This seems to be the working theory for the character in the comics themselves rather than the handbook, as frequent usage of his powers can drain Cyclops' power reserves in a way that doesn't quite jibe with the "portals to the punch dimension" explanation fans and handbooks like to throw around.
What's interesting is that Cyclops actually protects himself from his optic beams with a psionic field his mind unconsciously generates. His skin blocks or absorbs all of the energy so he does not pose a danger to himself. If he's clutching at his face, he just needs to be careful to close his fingers or else the beams will shoot through the cracks!
3) How Does Cyclops' Brain Affect His Mutant Abilities?
Fans of the character are likely familiar with his origin, which, in typical Scott Summers fashion, is extremely weird. As a child his parents were on a crashing plane, and Scott and his brother leapt from the wreckage. Scott's landing was a lot harsher than Alex's, so he suffered some brain damage that would prove his greatest curse once his powers developed.
At first, it seemed it was only because of the brain damage that Cyclops could not turn his powers on and off. The parts of his brain responsible for managing his powers were irreparably destroyed. Later, the comics revealed Scott's limitations were all psychosomatic. Emma Frost was able to treat this with therapy and in X-Factor, and Mr. Sinister instilled subconscious blocks against Scott using his powers against Sinister himself.
4) What Are Cyclops' Limits?
Out of the two explanations for the source of Cyclops' powers, the "battery" theory seems a lot more likely than the "portal" theory because of just how exhausted and fatigued Cyclops can get. While the handbook refers to Cyclops' limits as a purely mental block, time and again Cyclops strains himself to the end of his rope and nearly passes out from producing as powerful a beam as possible. Despite that, the "limits" to Cyclops' powers prove inconsistent.
In one issue, his limits may stop at busting through a barrier, while another may have him casually output enough destructive force to destroy a swath of forest and the Sentinel within it. It makes more sense to say he just has varying levels of power than to say he arbitrarily feels fatigued from one feat to the next -- especially since it's unclear just how much power he can absorb.
5) Who Are Scott Summer's Family Members?
Much like Scott's own body, his family's bodies can harmlessly absorb the optic beams he produces. Any time Scott and his brother Alex fought, it meant Cyclops could never quite get a leg up through raw power alone. Of course, the reverse also holds true -- Scott's own body absorbs Havok's power beams just as easily. The two normally need to duke it out with their fists rather than their energy beams and their immunity to one another's powers is even a recurring trend with other mutant families like Banshee and Black Tom Cassidy.