Editing Cyclops (Marvel Comics) (section)

==Powers and abilities==
Cyclops emits powerful beams of energy from his eyes, described as "optic blasts", which have the appearance of red light and deliver massive concussive force. His cells constantly absorb solar energy and he can use some of that energy to create an opening to another universe in front of his eyes. The beams fire from these openings. The beams cause no [[recoil]] or heat, are tremendously powerful, and can be used to rupture steel plates and pulverize rock, or even punch a hole through a mountain.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Marvel Encyclopedia: Updated And Expanded}}</ref> The beams constantly emanate from his eyes involuntarily, and can generally only be stopped by his own eyelids, or by shielding his eyes with "ruby-quartz", a [[Transparency and translucency|translucent]] mineral. Cyclops wears ruby-quartz as lenses in his sunglasses or in his visor, which is generally the only way for him to safely see without inadvertently damaging his surroundings. The beams' involuntary nature has been explained as a psychological shortcoming that resulted from childhood trauma.<ref name="Uncanny X-Men #156"/><ref name="Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2"/> Cyclops can nevertheless manipulate the beams in several different ways, partially through the use of adjustable [[aperture]]s in his visor that allow the beams to fire through their shielding at variable levels.

In addition to varying the beam width, height, and intensity, Cyclops has demonstrated a high degree of skill and accuracy in manipulating his optic blast. Cyclops is able to reflect the beam off hard and shiny surfaces.<ref name="Uncanny X-Men #144"/><ref name="Uncanny X-Men #124">''The Uncanny X-Men'' #124</ref><ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #152</ref> This feat also demonstrates his intuitive sense of spatial geometry between objects.<ref name="Uncanny X-Men #144"/><ref name="Uncanny X-Men #124"/> The reflective qualities of the beams allows him to bounce the beam off many different surfaces in rapid succession. It has been observed to be focused tight enough to punch a pinhole through a coin,<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #170</ref> drill through the trunk of a log,<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #12</ref> and pierce the skin of the [[Blob (comics)|Blob]].<ref>''X-Factor'' #30</ref> Cyclops has shown the power of his optic blast by blasting through the walls of a hardened building,<ref>''Astonishing X-Men'' vol. 3 #23</ref> tunneling through solid rock,<ref>''Classic X-Men'' #20</ref> and blowing the top off a mountain.<ref name="X-Factor #1"/> Cyclops's force beams were measured by [[Iron Man]] to be almost 2 [[gigawatt]]s.<ref name="Civil War: X-Men #4">''Civil War: X-Men'' #4</ref> Two gigawatts is about half the peak power output of the [[Nuclear Plant Doel|Doel Nuclear Power Plant]] and when Cyclops released this much energy he exceeded his control over his optic beam. With Cyclops unable to shut off his optic beam, [[Leech (comics)|Leech]] came to his aid and negated his mutant power.<ref name="Civil War: X-Men #4"/> Against other Marvel characters, Cyclops has been able to use his optic beam to knock [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]]'s Hammer from his hand.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' vol. 2 #9</ref> He is known to be able to overload [[Bishop (comics)|Bishop's]] energy absorption power and is revealed to never have willingly used more than a small fraction of his full potential due to his anxiety regarding his optic blast.<ref name="Civil War: X-Men #2"/>

Early accounts describe Cyclops' optic beams as the product of his body metabolizing sunlight and other ambient energy.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #43</ref> This is similar to his brother Alex (alias [[Havok (comics)|Havok]]) who metabolizes cosmic radiation. This metabolized energy is then released in the form of the beam from his eyes. In some stories, Cyclops depletes his body's energy reserves and needs to recharge through exposure to sunlight. When depleted, Cyclops continued to emit the beams; however, their intensity was greatly diminished. One story showed him able to safely open his eyes when in total darkness-without any ambient light to absorb, his power diminished to the point that he did not need his visor.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=December 2011}}

The original 1983 ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' volume stated that Cyclops' eyes contain inter-dimensional apertures, releasing powerful energies from another dimension into his own via the beams. This account states that his body naturally metabolizes ambient energy that is used to open and focus the apertures in his eyes. The energy of the beam itself originates from this other dimension. This explanation, however, was later changed for the 1986 ''The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2013/09/27/comic-book-legends-revealed-438/3/ |title=Comic Book Legends Revealed #438 &#124; Page 3 of 3 &#124; Comics Should be Good! @ Comic Book ResourcesComics Should be Good! @ Comic Book Resources |access-date=2014-06-16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528052233/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2013/09/27/comic-book-legends-revealed-438/3/ |archive-date=2014-05-28 }}</ref>

Cyclops's body is naturally immune to the force of his own beams.<ref>{{Cite comic|writer = [[Len Wein]]| penciller = [[Dave Cockrum]]| inker =| story = Second Genesis!| title = Giant Size X-Men|issue = #1|date = May 1975| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]}}</ref> His mind projects a psionic field that envelops his body rendering it immune to his optic beam, allowing him to shut it off by simply closing his eyes. Scott is also immune to the power of his brother Alex (Havok) who has the ability to emit waves of energy that heat the air into plasma. Likewise, Havok has demonstrated immunity to Cyclops's optic beam.  Scott has been shown as being able to absorb [[Storm (Marvel Comics)|Storm]]'s lightning bolt, although this act caused Cyclops a great deal of pain.<ref>''X-Men Annual'' #3</ref>  The ruby quartz used in his battle visor has been said to resonate with his body's psionic field. Scott has only limited resistance to his brother [[Vulcan (Marvel Comics)|Vulcan]]'s powers.

In his X-Men uniform, he uses a ruby quartz battle visor in place of the glasses. His uniform has firing studs incorporated into his gloves and on the sides of the battle visor that control the visor's aperture. In the event that the visor has a power failure, the apertures are spring-loaded to automatically close so Cyclops can at least see normally. He has also been observed using casual sunglasses and contact lenses made from the same ruby quartz as his visor lens.<ref>''New X-Men''</ref>

Cyclops' poor control over his power is attributed to events in his childhood,<ref name="Uncanny X-Men #156"/><ref name="Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2">''Astonishing X-Men'' vol. 2</ref> initially described as being due to a head wound, disabling his brain's ability to turn off his optic blasts.<ref name="Uncanny X-Men #156"/> Later depictions explained that his lack of control is [[psychosomatic]] and due to the emotionally traumatic events of his childhood.<ref name="Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2"/> This later explanation allowed Cyclops to finally control his optic blasts for a short time during a mission on the Breakworld, though at the conclusion of these events, he revealed that he was beginning to lose control again and reverted to using his visor and lenses.<ref name="Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2"/>

Cyclops' power has been altered by his exposure to the Phoenix Force.<ref name="All-New X-Men #3"/> His optic blasts are more powerful, now appearing as multiple curved beams.<ref>''All New X-Men'' #4</ref> His optic blasts can even cause Dormammu pain.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' vol 3 #6</ref> However he would afterward be infected with nano-sentinels that made him lose control over his power even further, to the point that his blasts became inaccurate, activating on their own and becoming even more unstable. The end of the issue concludes with Beast purging the nano-sentinels from both Cyclops and Magik, giving him control over his still altered optic blasts.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=May 2016}}

===Skills===
Cyclops seems to possess an uncanny sense of geometry, in this sense used to describe his observation of objects around himself and the angles found between surfaces of these objects. Cyclops has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to cause his optic blasts to ricochet and/or reflect off those objects in a trajectory to his liking. This is commonly called a "banked shot" when applied to this talent. Cyclops has been observed causing beams to reflect from over a dozen surfaces in the course of one blast, and still hit his intended target accurately. It is his sense of superhumanly enhanced spatial awareness that allows him to perform these feats as well.<ref name="Uncanny X-Men #144"/><ref name="Uncanny X-Men #124"/> On two occasions Cyclops has been fast enough to blindly predict the position of [[Quicksilver (comics)|Quicksilver]] and [[Northstar (Marvel Comics)|Northstar]] who were moving at superhuman speeds with enough accuracy to hit them with his optic blast.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #45</ref><ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #121</ref> Cyclops is an expert pilot of fixed-wing aircraft, a skill he appears to have inherited from his father. It has also been implied that his geometric sense improves his abilities in the air. Cyclops has spent most of his superhero career as the leader of either the X-Men or X-Factor and has developed exceptional leadership skills. According to [[Nick Fury]]'s files, Scott's abilities are at their best during tense situations. Fury notes that the less time Cyclops has to think about a decision, the better that decision is.<ref>''"Secret War TPB" Appendix''</ref> Even when vacationing in the Savage Land, while others enjoy watching two dinosaurs fight, Scott analyzes their strength and calculates how to defeat them by himself.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #495 (April 1988).</ref> Even [[Sebastian Shaw (comics)|Sebastian Shaw]] has acknowledged Cyclops's skill in taking advantage of the single flaw in the Hellfire Club's defense to reverse a dire situation for the X-Men.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #134</ref>  When the other X-Men were hypnotized into thinking Cyclops was the Dark Phoenix and started hunting him down, he thwarted Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Storm in quick succession before fleeing to the [[Danger Room]] and creating a jungle environment in which to hide from his fellow X-Men, allowing him to outwit and defeat [[Kitty Pryde|Shadowcat]], Wolverine, Colossus, Storm, and Rogue, all while suffering from broken ribs.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men #175''</ref> In ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #150, Cyclops organizes the X-Men to defeat Magneto at a time when the team is denied their mutant powers. Cyclops also has extensive training in martial arts and unarmed combat, including black belts in [[Judo]]<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #121 (May 1979)</ref> and [[Hapkido]]. While not a telepath himself, Cyclops has trained himself in various psychic defenses after his relationships with Jean Grey and Emma Frost. As a result, when he was possessed by a fragment of the Void – the seemingly unstoppable evil side of the [[Sentry (Robert Reynolds)|Sentry]] – Cyclops was able to use this training to seal the Void in an inescapable prison within his own mind when even Emma Frost had only been able to stop the same Void fragment by turning into her diamond form where she had no telepathic abilities.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #519</ref>

During the "[[Riot at Xavier's]]" storyline, Cyclops faces off against [[Quentin Quire]]'s [[Omega Gang]] and can be observed doing a cartwheel while firing his optic blast at [[Phaser (comics)|Radian]]'s leg.<ref>''New X-Men #137''</ref> In a fight with the Horseman of Apocalypse named War, Cyclops executes an acrobatic flip off a statue in the graveyard and while inverted in mid-air fires his optic blast into the mouth of the robotic mount.<ref>''X-Factor #25''</ref>

===The "punch dimension"===
In ''[[Uncanny X-Men|X-Men]]'' #43, a backup story by writer [[Roy Thomas]] and artist [[Werner Roth (comics)|Werner Roth]] explained how Cyclops's eye beams worked: his eyes were solar batteries and, using a process not unlike [[photosynthesis]], his body converted sunlight into the energy that would be emitted from his eyes.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Roy |title=X-Men #43 |last2=Roth |first2=Werner |date=February 8, 1968 |publisher=[[Marvel Comics]] |language=en}}</ref> However, in ''[[Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe|The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe]]'' #3, Cyclops's powers were described as such:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gruenwald |first=Mark |title=Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #3 |date=December 14, 1983 |publisher=[[Marvel Comics]] |language=en}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|text=Cyclops's eyes are no longer the complex organic jelly that utilize the visible spectrum of light to see the world around it. Instead, they are interdimensional apertures between this universe and another, non-Einsteinian universe, where physical laws as we know them do not pertain. This non-Einsteinian universe is filled with particles which resemble photons, yet they interact with this universe's particles by transferring kinetic energy in the form of gravitons (the particle of gravitation). These particles generate great, directional concussive forces when they interact with objects of this universe.}}
The 1986 update to ''The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' changed his powers back to how it had been in 1968, but the 2004 ''Handbook'' restated they came from "interdimensional apertures between this universe and another."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cronin |first=Brian |date=2013-09-27 |title=Comic Book Legends Revealed #438 |url=https://www.cbr.com/comic-book-legends-revealed-438/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stewart |first=Brenton |date=2020-03-20 |title=X-Men Anatomy: The 5 Weirdest Things About Cyclops' Body, Explained |url=https://www.cbr.com/x-men-anatomy-cyclops/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref> The current official Marvel website uses this explanation for his powers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cyclops (Scott Summers) Powers, Summary, & Villains {{!}} Marvel |url=https://www.marvel.com/characters/cyclops-scott-summers |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=Marvel Entertainment}}</ref> However, currently editors at Marvel don't like to reference this.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnston |first=Rich |date=2023-01-14 |title=Marvel's Sins Of Sinister Checklist & Solicitations For April 2023 |url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/marvels-sins-of-sinister-checklist-solicitations-for-april-2023/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=bleedingcool.com |language=en}}</ref>

At some point, the [[meme]] "Punches! From the Punch Dimension!" was used to refer to Cyclops's eye beams and the term for the non-Einsteinian universe stuck.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shayo |first=Lukas |date=2022-06-27 |title=10 Memes That Perfectly Sum Up Cyclops As A Character |url=https://screenrant.com/memes-sum-up-cyclops-as-xmen-character/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref>

The punch dimension first canonically appeared in ''[[Ultimates (2015 team)|Ultimates 2]]'' #9, written by [[Al Ewing]], when America Chavez visited a dimension of "pure, endless concussive force."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morrison |first=Matt |date=2019-09-30 |title=What X-MEN's Cyclops Actually Shoots From His Eyes |url=https://screenrant.com/xmen-what-cyclops-eyes-shoot-energy/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> In ''[[Scarlet Witch]] & [[Quicksilver (Marvel Comics)|Quicksilver]]'' #1, written by [[Steve Orlando]], a "peek into a concussive-force dimension" is mentioned as the reason why the spaceship Skypiercer was damaged.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Orlando |first1=Steve |title=Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver #1 |last2=Tammetta |first2=Lorenzo |date=February 14, 2024 |publisher=[[Marvel Universe]] |language=en}}</ref>