Posted - February 26, 2011 | Updated : December 2, 2011 | August 27, 2015 

Cyclops and his magnificent optic blasts. Ruby red beams of force emitted from single slit visors. Visually stunning and devastatingly powerful. How powerful where these optic blasts during the early issues of X-Men? Let's go have a look . . .

During their very first outing, in X-Men issue no. 1, the X-Men go up against Magneto. The arch-villain surrounds himself with a powerful magnetic shield, it is up to Cyclops to penetrate it. As seen below, he uses maximum power; so much force that he eventually does penetrate the shield staggering even the mighty Magneto.

The optic blasts are used just as we expect - as a destructive force. Cyclops blasts through some debris, also in the first issue.

In an adventure against the Sentinels, Cyclops destroys Sentinel equipment with ease.

In the second issue, he saves some bystanders by turning some falling masonry into powder.

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Twice during the first twenty issues Cyclops functions as a human battering ram. Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants get a surprise in issue no. 5 as Cyke's force beam breaches the metal door of their sanctum.

Issue no. 10 takes the X-Men to the first of many forays into the Hidden Land where they meet Ka-Zar, who gets a demonstration of Cyclop's "magic eyes" as he splinters a wooden gate.

When the X-Men meet the Avengers they are definitely outpowered by Earth's Mightiest Heroes but not before Cyclops impressively disarms Thor - bouncing Mjolnir from the Thunder God's hand and off Iron Man to boot!

When the X-Men first encounter the Sentinels the giant robots still didn't have the ability to adjust to mutant powers, making them easy pickings for Mr.Summers.

Also twice in the first twenty issues, Cyclops uses his power to blow holes into the ground. In issue no. 20 he creates a convenient escape route to the subway.

In issue no. 13 he creates a hole as a defensive maneuver against the Juggernaut.

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These feats definitely places Scott Summers as his team's heavy hitter. Professor X himself acknowledges it in issue no. 3

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By issue no. 6, he already has a formidable reputation among Magneto and his mutant allies - note the reference to him as the most feared of all the X-Men.

The first twenty issues of the X-Men reveal that Cyke's force beams are not purely destructive. The power of the optic blasts can be lowered for some useful effects such as knocking the Beast over as part of a Danger Room exercise in issue no. 1.

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Fine control is also displayed in destroying Iceman's ice block without harming Bobby - also part of the first issue's Danger Room sequence.

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In the second issue, the American government's top secret defense plans are stolen by the Vanisher. Cyclops uses an accurately placed low level force beam to knock the briefcase containing the plans from the Vanisher's hand without harming the briefcase or Vanisher's hand.

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When the playful Iceman ices up Angel's wings, Cyclops melts it off with a low intensity beam.

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A stronger beam but still gentle pushes back this elephant during an attack by the Blob and his circus buddies on the Xavier estate in issue no. 3 - the first appearance of the Blob.

A low intensity beam is also used by Cyclops to harmlessly pack the Blob's henchmen in a corner.

When Hank McCoy interrupts an irritable Scott Summers the eye beams are employed for the mundane task of slamming the door.

The range of intensity of the optic blasts gives it a versatility that is showcased in this early issues. So far, we've seen raw power and skilled control, now let's check out accuracy

In issue 5 and issue 11 Cyclops is shown destroying guns without harming the hands that hold them.

In issue no. 18, Magneto traps the X-Men inside an upper atmosphere balloon. Here Scott uses his power with surgical skill to create a pin-prick opening in the balloon to gently lower them to the ground - anything more would have the X-Men crashing down.

Still more impressive is when Professor X directs Scott to defuse a bomb with pinpoint accuracy in issue no. 9.

These first twenty issues also show Cyclops' weakness: A strong enough expenditure of energy leaves him drained and weakened. The panel below shows a scene from issue 4 were Cyclops blasts a huge engine sending it crashing through a wall. The exertion is such that Cyclops becomes unconscious.

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In issue no. 9 is a scene straight out of Titanic as a cruise ship heads for  a lethal collision course with an iceberg. Lucky for them that Cyclops is on board. The exertion once again leaves Scott weakened.

The first twenty issues shows Cyclops having difficulty with faster foes - non-faster than this guy .

Captain America is not superhuman but is as fast as a human can get, Cyclops still struggles against Cap in issue no. 9.

Are the optic blasts absolutely irresistible? The answer is 'No'. In issue no. 16, the X-Men are captured by the Sentinels and placed in a glass-like enclosure which resists Cyclop's force beam.

The Juggernaut is the living embodiment of the mystical Crimson Bands of Cytorrak. In issue no. 13, we learn that the Juggernaut cannot be stopped by a direct hit of Cyclop's beam.

For most of the first twenty issues, Cyclops is referred to as Scott Summers. But issue no. 1 reveals that he did have a nickname of sorts - the Professor refers to him as 'Slim' Summers when introducing Jean Grey.

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Since he cannot consciously shut off his optic blasts, Cyclops is constantly haunted by the fear of accidentally killing someone. He's got that fear under control these days but during the early years, this fear was defining aspect of his life, casting a heavy shadow and making Scott a gloomy, brooding introvert and very conscious of his eyes. In the panel below Mrs. Worthington, the Angel's mother, admires his 'sunglasses' and begins reaching for them, causing Scott to panic.

Two X-men tried to leave during the first twenty issues. One was the Beast who reacted to being nearly lynched by an unthinking crowd. The other was Cyclops who desperately wanted to find a 'cure' for his eyes. This happened in issue no. 20.

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Second to his concern for his eyes was Scott's growing crush on Jean. He keeps saying that he wouldn't condone it because of his eyes. But we've all been teenagers, I think this is just simple nervousness. We have three panels worth of it here.

Today, Cyclops stands as the leader of mutantkind. Here's the landmark panel from issue no. 7 when he was first made leader by Professor X.

And here's how seriously Scott takes that role - manning a lonely vigil with an early version of the mutant-detecting Cerebro.

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Dour? Gloomy? Yes he was but Cyclops did have his happy moments. The panel below shows his reaction when the Professor grants his students a vacation.

Even more surprising is when he cracks a bit of a joke at the end of issue no. 7.

And that's the Cyclops we have after the first twenty issues. His contribution to the raw power of the early team is very significant. His level of control over his optic blasts give them an amazing versatility that will only get better with the years. We also see the nascent next-generation leadership of mutantkind in the young Scott Summers. Another thing is that he is extremely depressed, but then again he has a good excuse - he's a teenager!