Published Feb 9, 2026, 7:00 AM EST
Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.
Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.
Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.
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The longtime leader of the X-Men, Cyclops is known as a tactician who directs far more powerful mutants to work as an unbeatable team. However, as Scott Summers' new solo series begins, Marvel wants you to know that he's among its most powerful heroes.
With the power of a hydrogen bomb behind his eyes, Cyclops is one of Marvel's most powerful heroes.
Cyclops' Optic Blasts Officially Have the Power of a "Hydrogen Bomb"
In a preview of Cyclops #1 - from Alex Paknadel, Rogê Antônio, Fer Sifuentes-Sujo and Joe Caramagna - a cadre of AIM scientists attack the X-Men. When Cyclops steps in, their leader reminds fans that Scott Summers "can generate concussive force equivalent to that of a hydrogen bomb."
Cyclops' powers tend to be highly inconsistent across X-Men comics, however this statement is a clear sign from Marvel that in modern comics, Scott Summers can unleash the force of a nuclear bomb from his eyeballs. It's worth noting that Cyclops' eyes exclusively unleash kinetic force - his powers don't have the heat or radiation of an H-bomb blast.
Hydrogen bombs vary vastly in terms of concussive force, however it's fair to say that Cyclops definitely has city-destroying levels of power behind his eyes, thousands of times more destructive than TNT. While Scott definitely knows more powerful mutants - Storm and Jean Grey have beaten down gods - this still makes him one of the most powerful heroes in Marvel canon.
X-Men Is Done Sleeping on Cyclops' Potential
This new revelation isn't entirely inconsistent with Cyclops' prior appearances. He's been able to destroy towering Sentinels in a single blast, temporarily held back the Hulk and even hurt Dormammu. However, these incidents have been few and far between. That makes sense, since Cyclops has dedicated most of his life to controlling his powers.
The last decade has acted as a renaissance for Cyclops, often seen as the boring straight man of the X-Men franchise. Scott Summers has taken on the role of a radical political leader who kept his species alive during their darkest days. Now, he's replaced both Xavier and Magneto as the de facto leader and protector of mutants all around the world.
Given that status, it makes sense for Marvel to emphasize to fans just how powerful Cyclops actually is, and bring his maximum power to the forefront. This new solo series will see Cyclops go up against the cyborg Reavers without his visor, so it's especially vital that X-Men fans understand why he needs to keep such tight control of his powers.
Cyclops #1 is coming February 11 from Marvel Comics.
First Film X-Men (2000)
TV Show(s) X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)
Video Game(s) X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
Character(s) Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
Comic Release Date 213035,212968
English (US) ·