Cyclops is famous for his rigid, controlled personality. When he lets that control slip, the true nature of his concussive blasts becomes apparent.
Warning: Contains spoilers for X-Men Annual #1!
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Cyclops, more than many of his fellow X-Men, has been in a constant struggle with his powers since they appeared. Not only is his control over his powers limited, but their nature is mysterious. As a result, he has compensated by becoming a disciplined, controlled – at times, rigid – person himself. However, when he loses control, unleashing his optic blasts in full, his abilities’ true potential becomes immediately clear.
X-Men Annual #1 – by Paul Allor, Alessandro Miracolo, and Annalisa Leoni – finds Cyclops facing off with Captain Marvel, under the influence of Agatha Harkness’ chaos magic.
Scott, ever the tactician, removes his ruby-quartz visor, forcing Carol to absorb the astonishing amount of energy he can unleash. In doing so, he shows that the true nature of his blasts is a spiraling, whirling energy, rather than the familiar controlled beam.
Cyclops’ True Power Is An Uncontrollable Surge
Scott Summers is perhaps best known for the ruby-quartz visor, or glasses, that he must wear in order to contain the flow of his optic energy. In combat, this allows him to direct and control his power, often with extreme precision. The twisting, wide mass of energy shown when he removes the visor in X-Men Annual #1 is one of the most striking visual representations of the true chaotic nature of Scott’s uncontrolled powers that an X-Men title has offered up in some time. The reminder serves to highlight not only that Cyclops is one of the most powerful X-Men, but why he is so committed to self-control.
Cyclops’ Need for Control Limits His Powers
While Cyclops’ need to control his powers, and by extension himself, has long been seen as a positive attribute for the character, even a necessary one, failure to acknowledge, or utilize, his full power set may be holding Scott back from his true potential. X-Men Annual #1 isn’t the first time Scott’s powers have taken on their more natural form. In the wake of the Avengers vs. X-Men event, his powers were on the fritz more than ever. In All-New X-Men #3 – by Brian Michael Bendis, Wade von Grawbadger, Stuart Immonen, and Marte Gracia – Cyclops’ out-of-control abilities took on that same wavy, moving appearance he displays while fighting Carol Danvers.
When Cyclops relinquishes, or loses, control over his concussive blasts, they’re allowed to emerge in their free form. Even by limiting the range and force of his concussive blasts, Cyclops is still one of the most powerful mutants on the roster, so it is not a question of capability. Instead, by not allowing his abilities to completely be what they are, he continues to prevent his own understanding of them. Not only does Scott hem in what his concussive blasts can do – he forces them to take a rigid pathway, like he often sets himself on to protect those around him.
Giving up control causes Scott Summers great distress, as highlighted during the fight with Captain Marvel in X-Men Annual #1. Scott finds no relief in unfettered freedom. His powers have always caused him anguish, and the core lack of control has fundamentally undergirded his character since the inception of the X-Men franchise. The character’s core values are a reactive response to his uncontrolled mutation – and while Cyclops has become a confident leader, and a strong-willed individual, glimpses of his true unconstrained powers, such as during his fight with Captain Marvel, show that the original X-Men member’s true power level is incredible.
X-Men Annual #1 is available now from Marvel Comics!
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