WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Force #19 by Benjamin Percy, Garry Brown, Guru-eFX, VC's Joe Caramagna, and Tom Muller, on sale now.
The X-Men of Krakoa have taken on some of the most iconic and powerful villains in the Marvel Universe time and time again. Somehow, they have almost always managed to come out on top, or at least proved themselves capable of surviving their worst days and moving on towards better ones. It's hard to imagine that rest comes easy when world-ending threats are part of the daily routine.
But X-Force #19 shows how the iconic X-Man Cyclops sleeps at night and keeps his optic blasts in check.
While attempting to tackle a grave threat head-on, Quentin Quire ends up needing far more help than he anticipated, so he calls out to the one person he knows can get him out of his predicament - Jean Grey. It just so happens to be the middle of the night when he calls out to her, and when Jean wakes from Kid Omega's telepathic cry for help, she initially wonders if it wasn't Scott sleeping next to her that broke her slumber. Cyclops is still asleep, though, leaving Jean startled when she realizes what is happening. Still, for a mutant such as Scott Summers, sleep can't come easy. At least, it wouldn't if it weren't for his protective sleep goggles, complete with a comfort fringe and visor capable of holding back his optic blasts.
This isn't the first time that the subject of how Cyclops sleeps safely has been broached, though it is easily the most adorable. Throughout the years he has been shown sleeping with both his usual and modified visors, as well as with his visor or glasses just nearby.
In 2010, X-Men Origins: Cyclops #1 by Stuart Moore and Jesse Delperdang showcased Scott's powers manifesting in the middle of the night, further emphasizing the possible consequences of sleeping without the proper protection. Cyclops isn't the only mutant to have to worry about these kinds of things, though, and there is a long history of others having very similar problems.
2000's X-Men film saw Hugh Jackman's Wolverine stab Rogue, played by Anna Paquin, through the shoulder when he awoke from a nightmare in a fright. This was of course an accident, and Rogue was able to use Wolverine's healing factor to mend her wound, but it proved to be another instance of a mutant's powers becoming more of a curse than blessing when not completely under control. Similarly, Famke Jansen's Jean Grey experienced a nightmare that manifested in the entire building shaking before being brought under control.
Life as a mutant has never been easy in the Marvel Universe, but for those who find it hard to sleep due to their own abilities, things can be rough even on the best days. But at least the X-Men's greatest leader has found a way to control his powers long enough to rest when he really needs to.