how is it that Scott cannot control his optic blasts if he cannot control them already and his optic blast is always on??? And at the end of Uncanny, he let it loose and leveled a entire city block but it seemed random.

This whole wonky power set thing is driving me squirrelly! I still don't know why Magento's powers are so screwy when he wasn't part of the Phoenix Five Disco Dance Troop. I understand you got to give the writer some time to tell a story, but I wish they hurry up a clear up what's going on with their powers. I like the fact that Hickman doesn't even want to mess with it with Namor....

@jojo111 said:

how is it that Scott cannot control his optic blasts if he cannot control them already and his optic blast is always on??? And at the end of Uncanny, he let it loose and leveled a entire city block but it seemed random.

it sort of reminds me of how Havoc's powers used to work; it seems like it doesn't shoot out in just one direction any more.

@judasnixon said:

This whole wonky power set thing is driving me squirrelly! I still don't know why Magento's powers are so screwy when he wasn't part of the Phoenix Five Disco Dance Troop. I understand you got to give the writer some time to tell a story, but I wish they hurry up a clear up what's going on with their powers. I like the fact that Hickman doesn't even want to mess with it with Namor....

yeah, but I think that story will be mostly told in Uncanny' and, to be fair, there's only been one issue so far.

The problem isn't that he can't control them, it's that they no longer work the same way.

@Matchstick said:

The problem isn't that he can't control them, it's that they no longer work the same way.

it sort of seems like a bit of both, really.

@dangallant984 said:

@Matchstick said:

The problem isn't that he can't control them, it's that they no longer work the same way.

it sort of seems like a bit of both, really.

Yes he can't control them now, because they no longer work the same way. The lack of control is nothing new, it's the change in how they operate that is the problem.

Bendis is writing the series. Just ignore it and hopefully it'll go away.

Cyclops has grown to have a limited control over the output of his blasts. The visor just helps keep them back and allows for more precise control. He's had his glasses/visor off plenty of times in battle or off at certain points in life to show the output isn't the same like when with Emma and she went diamond. He didn't nuke the whole room despite them being off. His blasts were still firing but he limited the output. He's used it to attack some mercs in the grocery store. When he used his blast to play pool, he mentioned he had to be careful or he would break the thing and this was decades ago so his control over the output has definitely improved since then. Then he goes on to show he can completely obliterate massive sentinels with the area around it, the brood-krakoa clones etc. All New X-Men 3 I think pointed it out in the fact that he is somewhat back to day one. His output seems higher, but Magneto said it best in the issue that he doesn't have the control he once had. That Cyclops gave everything he had in that blast but didn't know it. In short, whatever control Cyclops did have in managing to control the output of his blasts is pretty much gone.

Originally Scott couldn't control the off switch on his powers due to a head/brain injury. Now it seems the power themselves are becoming so overcharged to the point where his main blast has several smaller blasts arcing off they are almost like mini solar flares. I think this may just be his next evolution. mags may just be laying dormant. And I almost feel like beasts transformation was due to the trigger.

when scott gains control his x shaped visor should also retract to this original visor as he can fire his normal level blasts plus his new "One Shot Blast"

@Imperius_Rex said:

Originally Scott couldn't control the off switch on his powers due to a head/brain injury.

I actually prefer Joss Whedon's explanation, that besides the head injury, the lack of control is psychological as well and is a part of who he is as a person due to traumatic events in his life.

This makes more sense to me as there are a multitude of healers and scientists in the Marvel Universe, and im sure at one point or another Cyclops would have had the opportunity to repair any physical damage done to his brain to fix his brain. And although he keeps/kept company with some of the most powerful psychics in the world, psychological damage is a lot harder to cure than physical damage.

As for topic, it is unclear EXACTLY what has changed to affect his powers. It looks to me like it is a combination of a alteration in his power, both in how it works and the power output. This alteration to his power could be causing his current lack of control as he has to relearn how his powers work. Of course, this is merely speculation and there could be an entirely different reason why the Phoenix Five and Magneto's powers seem to be affected.

@slimlim said:

@Imperius_Rex said:

Originally Scott couldn't control the off switch on his powers due to a head/brain injury.

I actually prefer Joss Whedon's explanation, that besides the head injury, the lack of control is psychological as well and is a part of who he is as a person due to traumatic events in his life.

This makes more sense to me as there are a multitude of healers and scientists in the Marvel Universe, and im sure at one point or another Cyclops would have had the opportunity to repair any physical damage done to his brain to fix his brain. And although he keeps/kept company with some of the most powerful psychics in the world, psychological damage is a lot harder to cure than physical damage.

yeah, I always liked that explanation better. It reminds me of how Xavier couldn't use his legs even after having his mind put into a new cloned body, although they obviously got around that eventually..

As for topic, it is unclear EXACTLY what has changed to affect his powers. It looks to me like it is a combination of a alteration in his power, both in how it works and the power output. This alteration to his power could be causing his current lack of control as he has to relearn how his powers work. Of course, this is merely speculation and there could be an entirely different reason why the Phoenix Five and Magneto's powers seem to be affected.

I was thinking it might actually be interesting if the change in their powers was due to one of the new mutations that had been activated. The Isolationist, for example, is effected by every other mutant in the world, so maybe there's a new mutant out there who's effecting certain mutants or mutations maybe without even being aware of it, or even realizing that they're now a mutant themselves.

It's been pointed out that Emma's loss of telepathy also happened to Jean after she first returned in X-factor; Magneto could just be getting old, he's been shown to be less and less powerful ever since he rejoined the team.

As for Cyclops, wouldn't it be a kick in the pants if Xavier was subconsciously helping control Cyclops' powers this whole time?

@dangallant984 said:

As for Cyclops, wouldn't it be a kick in the pants if Xavier was subconsciously helping control Cyclops' powers this whole time?

I think I respect you more now. That is a great idea...

@god_spawn said:

Cyclops has grown to have a limited control over the output of his blasts.

??? I was (and had been since the beginning) under the impression that the thickness and angle of ruby quartz lattices in his visor was controlling the output of his optic blasts. Like below.

@chasereis said:

@dangallant984 said:

As for Cyclops, wouldn't it be a kick in the pants if Xavier was subconsciously helping control Cyclops' powers this whole time?

I think I respect you more now. That is a great idea...

hey, thanks! I like to think I have my moments..

@god_spawn said:

Cyclops has grown to have a limited control over the output of his blasts.

??? I was (and had been since the beginning) under the impression that the thickness and angle of ruby quartz lattices in his visor was controlling the output of his optic blasts.

well, that and his eyelids. Which is why, if he's drawn with his eyes uncovered, he should have dark, puffy eyes, like John Cassaday drew him in Astonishing':

@dangallant984: Hmmm. while I always appreciate artistic license, it shouldn't be like that. Any part of body would be immune to the energy, he has used his hands, his arms, basically everywhere. I don't see why the eyes would look any different than anyone else's. I don't imagine the optic blasts do anything to effect his eyes or general vision. Although his hair and ear HAVE to be f***ed up from all those skullcaps and ringed ear pieces.

@chasereis: I just meant that his eyes should look haggard from always having to look at things through the quartz, and dark from not getting any sun (which is a natural strain on the eyes, regardless of his power).

@dangallant984: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.......................

@chasereis:

The visor helps filter and control the blast. As I said in the reply since you only quoted one part, that he has enough showings otherwise to show he at least has some control over the output even though he can't turn them off. It's not like there aren't examples of him saying he's going full power too. The visor doesn't provide the power, he does.

@god_spawn: No, I know that nothing is generated by the visor. The visor serves a purpose much like a dam does water, but what I was referring to is I've never heard of Scott being able to lower his output (or raise his output for that matter). He (was and theoretically still should be) stuck on a constant full blast. So when you said he had limited control of his blasts, I could not recall this event happening...

@chasereis: I thought it was kind of obvious over the years he gained a limited control over various showings, but whatevs.

@god_spawn: Really? Oh I guess I never noticed a subtle turn of events... Good convo...

@chasereis: It's just something that I naturally picked up on based on various showings and thought others have as well. Didn't mean to come across as rude.

@ApatheticAvenger What is your opinion on the topic? Considering you run the Cyclops page, if I am wrong you would be able to correct me on it.

@god_spawn: You didnt in the least. I thought I had missed something, no biggie.

@ApatheticAvenger: Basically what I said but more detailed. Thanks, bro for your input.

@chasereis: My mistake then. I read your last post as sarcastic in response to me saying "thought it was obvious" as if I was dumbing something down when I had no intention. Alrighty then, glad I could help lol.

@chasereis: I don't think Marvel has ever given a definitive answer to the question of how Cyclops power and visor works. A lot of it is artistic license. But judging from what i've seen so far over the years, i would say that Cyclops had learnt some control over the output of his blasts. For example, in the final few issues of Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men, Cyclops was using his powers visorless, and it seems that his blasts wasn't always blasting at full power. Another was during Grant Morrison's run when he lost his visor and issued a "quick death" for a dying mutant. While the full extent of damage to the body was never shown, we can more or less make out that the mutant's head wasn't totally obliterated like how you would expect from a full on optic blast to the face. As for the extent of the settings on his visors. I do believe they don't just serve an "on and off" purpose, but rather to give even more precise control on the output as well as width of the blast. From blasting as wide as a football field, to being able to shoot through a keyhole.

So although he may have possessed some control over his power output, the visor acted as a device for added precision.

@FadeToBlackBolt said:

Bendis is writing the series. Just ignore it and hopefully it'll go away.

@god_spawn: s'allllll good, but the next round of drinks are on you. LOL.

@slimlim: Yea...I remember that it is just it always "seemed" storyline temporary much akin to say X-Men / Alpha Flight where the same thing occurred. Much to your point Scott's powers (really) have only been detailed in the OHOTMU volume 2 and actually that is where I got the visor specs too. We seem to know more about the visor than the powers. Much like the example of losing his visor, perhaps his visor is actually based the workings of his eyelids. Perhaps his "control" was actually just squinting his eyes carefully, where as he can have his eye open wide with the visor on but the visor (like my earlier assessment) acts like a sluice on a dam...Or at least mechanically that is what Im getting from the visor specs...

@chasereis: Fair enough, LOL.