The Cyclops isn't just a hugely competent leader; he's also a mutant powerhouse, with his full power only having been demonstrated in one shocking moment in mutant history.
In David Hine and Yanick Paquette's X-Men: Civil War, Cyclops finds himself in conflict with Bishop, who has ed up to Iron Man's Pro-Registration forces, believing it's the best way to prevent the apocalyptic future from which he originates. The mutants come to blows and - to the shock of both heroes' teams - Scott unleashes a staggering amount of power, attempting to overload Bishop's energy absorption and kill his longtime friend. Eventually, it's revealed that Cyclops is being controlled by the mutant Johnny Dee, who is able to influence anyone with who he makes physical . However, not only did Johnny Dee instruct Cyclops to kill Bishop - he also forced him to push his powers to their previously unseen upper limits.
Cyclops' Full Power Makes Him a Mutant WMD
In X-Men: Civil War, Johnny Dee pushes Cyclops past a subconscious mental block he has that limits his powers, tapping his full potential. This power is enough to fatally overload Bishop, but it also taxes Scott's body to the extreme, threatening to cause fatal neurological damage. Rather than simply emitting energy from his eyes, Cyclops' entire body explodes with so much energy that his skeleton is visible through his skin. Iron Man calculates that Cyclops' attack on Bishop is outputting multiple gigawatts of force, and the power only grows. Cyclops is unable to shut off his powers once he reaches this state, and is only saved when the young mutant Leech nullifies his powers.
Cyclops Is Hiding His Full Mutant Power
Cyclops has long restrained his powers for fear of their upper limit. While he long believed he was unable to control his blasts due to a childhood head injury, Emma Frost later discovered he had placed a mental block stopping himself from being able to control his abilities. It turns out, Scott is adept at these blocks, as he also established another that set a false ceiling on his powers. Of course, Cyclops was right to fear his full abilities, given they so quickly blaze out of control once Johnny Dee forces him to stop holding back. However, the X-Men are all about training to hone their powers, and it turns out their leader needs this lesson more than anyone.
Cyclops Could Be a Hulk-Tier Hero, But He Refuses
Repression has been a huge theme throughout Cyclops' history, so it's fitting that there's another level to his powers that he's scared to access. It's possible Scott may actually be a mutant god, especially given the strength of his brothers: the Omega-level mutant Vulcan and little brother Havok, who has even bested the Hulk one-on-one in the past. It's tragic that a man who has spent his life helping other mutants to control their powers and love their true nature still struggles with his own potential.
Cyclops is a powerful mutant who uses his powers with immense tactical insight, constantly wowing fans with feats they never expected. However, this obsession with control is covering up a disturbing fact - Cyclops is far, far more powerful than he ever lets on, and it took being psychically controlled by a supervillain to reveal the true well of power the X-Men's leader can draw on when he's not living in fear of his own potential.
