••

Of course. That's why he always braces himself before firing his beams.

There has also been discussion that the beam, somewhat illogically, increases in strength as it gets further from Scott. That's how he can do some of the damage he does without blowing the back of his head off.

(Careful, tho! Down this path lies such questions as "How can he see if the beams are always coming out of his eyes?")

But it's important to note that Kirby's use of Gort's beams was so exact, Scott was even able to open his visor and let the power "build up" before unleashing it. It took a while for opening the visor to mean the instant release of the beams.

And, yes, as Michael notes, it used to be very much Cyclops/Scott who was the COOL one. Dark, troubled, brooding. Gee, who does THAT sound like?

Go back to that early Savage Land adventure Chris and I did. Pause for what was supposed to be a deep soul-searching moment for Scott. Except Chris went off-plot and turned it into a totally out-of-character feminist rant from Storm—and Scott became a jerk.

A scene that should have had fans weeping in sympathy with his pain, and instead, of many of them, one of Marvel’s finest, noblest characters was gutted.