Warning! Spoilers ahead for X-Men #10!Marvel just took the very source that keepsCyclops’mutant powers in check and turned it into the superhero’s most damning weakness, a move that both theX-Menand Marvel may never recover from. Cyclops' optic blast and iconic ruby-red visors are some of the most recognizable X-Men elements, but the X-Men’s leader is facing an army of villains who have shockingly made his powers beyond useless.
InX-Men#11 – written by Jed MacKay, with art by Netho Diaz – Cyclops’ father, Corsair of the Starjammers, comes to warn the Alaska X-Men team that a hoard of Skrull bounty hunters are gunning to take down Cyclops to collect a reward. Despite Cyclops’ confidence coming into the fight, it’s revealedthe bounty hunters have fashioned ruby-quartz crystal into armor, rendering Cyclops’ blasts ineffective and turning him into a sitting duck.
Ruby-quartz crystal is the very substance used in Cyclops’ visor to help him control his beams, but in a twist, this clever way of utilizing the crystal has become his downfall.
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X-Men#11 – Written By Jed MacKay; Art By Netho Diaz; Ink By Sean Parson; Lettering By Clayton Cowles
Cyclops’ eyes exist as portals that emit large concussive blasts of kinetic energy, essentially hitting his enemies with absurdly powerful force, which he himself cannot control due to the head trauma he received in his youth.The highly recognizable glasses Scott usesare lined with ruby-quartz crystal to block and channel his optic blast so he can safely emit the energy his body naturally absorbs. Cyclops visor is the very foundation of his identity as an X-Men and without them, he can’t control his powers on his own which is why the crystal being used against him is so damaging.
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Ruby-quartz is the only material able to block Cyclops’ optic blast by resonating at the same frequency as the psionic aura that surrounds him and shields him from his own power. The crystals have been weaponized by the anti-mutant business mogul, Cameron Hodge, implemented in androids and inX-Men#130 by John Byrne, the knights of the hellfire club used ruby-quarts projectiles on Cyclops to neutralize his powers. The substance has remained a consistent part of X-Men lore butthis is the first instance the crystals have been used in armor by a fleet of enemies solely to take down Cyclops.
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The weaponization of ruby-quartz into armor is a simple but effective way to take out the X-Men’s most prominent leader to the point that it’s surprising this tactic had yet to be employed before. While Cyclops is an incredibly powerful mutant capable of leveling cities with his concussive blasts,this new use of ruby-quartz exposes the blatant Achilles heel that Scott Summers has.The loss of Cyclops’ glasses means he can’t control his powerswithout causing devastating destruction, but if Cyclops’ enemies use ruby-quartz to nullify his abilities, he becomes a powerless superhero.
This new ruby-quartz armor opens the door for more of the X-Men’s enemies to easily make Cyclops less of a threat.
Cyclops has few weaknesses other than the ones that stem from his own powers, but in using the very crystal that helps him control his abilities to make them virtually unusable, Marvel just took away Scott Summers' biggest asset. This new ruby-quartz armor opens the door for more of the X-Men’s enemies to easily make Cyclops less of a threat, an interesting but harmful revelation. WhileCyclops is the X-Men’s best strategist and defacto leader, this is a weakness that Marvel can’t take back and it comes at a terrible time forCyclopsand theX-Men.
Cyclops
Cyclops, a.k.a. Scott Summers, is the X-Men’s core team leader and one of the first characters to appear in the franchise. As a human/mutant hybrid, Cyclops has the power to launch massive bursts of energy from his eyes that are regulated through the use of a specially designed visor. Despite his calm and collected demeanor, he tends to lose it when in the presence of a fellow team member, Wolverine.
