Scott Summers aka Cyclops is one of the most popular members of the X-Men. A protégé of Charles Xavier himself, Cyclops is a born leader on a relentless pursuit of accomplishing his mentor’s dream: harmony between mutants and humans. One of the most powerful members of the X-Men, a startling new discovery has shed some light on his powers being derived from the ancient Pharaohs of Egypt.
Handpicked by Charles Xavier, Scott Summers had a traumatic childhood as he witnessed his parents dying in a plane crash. Later, his powers awakened suddenly, which almost led to the death of innocent bystanders. As a result, Cyclops developed a psychosomatic disorder which makes him lose control over his destructive optic blasts.
Under Professor Xavier, Cyclops became the first student of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. His unwavering loyalty to his mentor to establish peace has put him at odds against many of his teammates. Yet, his natural leadership skill has always brought the X-Men together to fight against overwhelming odds.
His destructive optic blasts have had varied origins in the comics. One theory states that his powerful beams are from another dimension as his eyes contain inter-dimensional apertures. But in later years, his powers are stated to manifest from solar and ambient energy surrounding him. As his own mental block prevents him from controlling his destructive powers entirely, he always has to wear a ruby-quartz visor to keep them under control.
Interestingly, Scott Summers is not the only one blessed (cursed?) with such incredible powers. His brothers Alexander and Gabriel also possess destructive powers. Alexander Summers aka Havok is another powerful mutant who can absorb ambient cosmic energy and release them as energy waves in the form of plasma. His powers can shatter or disintegrate things in his range, which makes him an extremely powerful mutant.
Similarly, Gabriel Summers aka Vulcan is an Omega-level mutant, which makes him much more powerful than Cyclops and Havok. Being able to psionically manipulate all forms of energy including Cyclops’ optic blasts and magical energy, Vulcan has a vast array of powers at his disposal. He can tap into suppressed mutant energies, survive in the vacuum of space, can travel almost at the speed of light in space, and can track down energy signatures over vast interstellar space. He can also create force fields and solidify energy, which makes him more than a handful.
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Even more interestingly, Cyclops and Havok are immune to each other’s powers. But apparently, both of them are not totally immune to Vulcan’s powers, and neither is Vulcan from their powers.
So, how did the Summers trio end up with such incredible abilities to absorb and dissipate cosmic energies? Well, it has to be in their genes which might go back to the ancient lands of Egypt. In the comics, all the Pharaohs of Egypt were originally mutants, which explains why they were revered by the people back then.
In Uncanny X-Men #54, the Living Pharaoh kidnaps Havok and reveals that the Summers family are actually descendants of the Egyptian Pharaohs. Another major nemesis of the X-Men, Apocalypse also has his origins tied to ancient Egypt and a particular Pharaoh. Often considered to be the first mutant, En Sabah Nur aka Apocalypse is one of the most powerful mutants to ever exist.
Having descended from the Egyptian Pharaohs, Cyclops has immense powers that he keeps suppressed most of the time. According to Iron Man, Cyclops’ optic blasts measure around 2 gigawatts in value which is roughly equivalent to half the peak power output of the Doel Nuclear Power Plant. In the comics, Cyclops has done some truly remarkable stuff like knocking Mjolnir down from Thor’s hands and blowing off mountains in seconds.
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As he can absorb ambient energy around him, Cyclops has been able to absorb his fellow X-Men member Storm‘s lightning blasts without suffering from severe damage. His incredible sense of spatial geometry allows him to adroitly use his optic blasts to bounce off reflective surfaces and take down enemies by surprise.
As the protégé of Charles Xavier, Cyclops is the de-facto leader of the X-Men whenever his mentor is unavailable. Despite being a bit authoritarian in his attitude while leading, his leadership abilities have been praised by his allies and foes alike.
In Joss Whedon’s critically acclaimed Astonishing X-Men, Cyclops became a fan favorite for his revamped leadership abilities. As a bold, audacious, and an outspoken leader, Cyclops has entirely re-invented himself as the most formidable leader of the X-Men. Having fought against the likes of Magento and emerging as the triumphant victors, Cyclops has also earned the respect of his longtime rival and teammate, Wolverine.
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In the comics, Scott Summers is a long time love interest of another powerful mutant called Jean Grey. Despite Jean Grey’s unstable powers and her connection to the Phoenix Force, Cyclops and Jean Grey are one of the most popular and beloved couples in the comics.
As it has already been established that the Summers brothers are descendants from the ancient Pharaohs of Egypt, it also explains the incredible abilities of Cable and Hope Summers. In the comics, another major supervillain named Mr. Sinister had found evidence of untapped potential in the Summers bloodline, which has ultimately been proven true with the startling new discovery.
