Warning: Contains SPOILERS for X-Men #8! Cyclops’ immense power, there are a few characters who are basically immune to his concussive blasts, including one Marvel icon who’s been a thorn in the X-Men’s side since the start of the series.

In X-Men #8 by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman, Beast has been captured by an anti-mutant organization and is being held at Graymalkin Prison. This prison specializes in not only holding mutants, but also brainwashing them, akin to the Weapon Plus Program, turning them into the organization’s personal minions/slaves. With Beast, however, they weren’t going to brainwash him, they were simply going to kill him. That’s why it was imperative that the X-Men rescue their fellow mutant hero - and that’s exactly what they do.

During the rescue, as the X-Men are taking down the Graymalkin Prison guards with relative ease, one of the aforementioned brainwashed mutants comes out of nowhere and starts fighting the X-Men - and that mutant is the Blob. Cyclops immediately stands between Blob and the rest of his X-Men, shooting the massive mutant powerhouse with a powerful optic blast. However, Cyclops’ attack has literally no effect on Blob. Not only does it not hurt him, but the blast doesn’t even move Blob back an inch, as he absorbs every bit of its concussive force with a sinister smile on his face.

Blob is More Powerful than Many X-Men Fans Give Him Credit For

Blob is a B-List Villain at Best, but He’s Strong Enough to Be A-List

Aside from his first appearance, the Blob has never been a main villain for the X-Men. He’s always a minion of some other bad guy (like Mystique or Magneto), or a temporary X-Men ally whose role on the team is totally unremarkable and utterly forgettable (like during the X-Men's Krakoan Era). Basically, the Blob is more often than not a secondary villain, an added nuisance who the X-Men have to tangle with before getting to the actual ‘boss fight’.

Because of how he is consistently utilized in Marvel Comics, many X-Men fans don’t give Blob enough credit as a true powerhouse, and this issue is a grim reminder of how threatening the Blob really is. Cyclops’ optic beams are strong enough to punch a hole in the side of a mountain and down multiple mutant-killing Sentinels with a single shot. But, when Scott tries to use his power to defeat the Blob, it has absolutely no effect, which is an insanely impressive feat on Blob’s part.

This Isn’t the First Time Blob has Proven Immune to Cyclops’ Power

X-Men #3 “Beware of the Blob” by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

While seeing Blob unmoved by Cyclops’ beams in this latest X-Men issue was a startling reminder of the Blob’s true strength, it was just that - a reminder. In fact, in the Blob’s Marvel Comics’ debut (one of the few times he was actually the X-Men’s main villain), he challenges the entire team of mutant heroes, and when Cyclops tries to take him down, the Blob points out that his blasts have no effect on him. Cyclops even confirms that to be true before blasting the ground beneath the Blob’s feet, proving Blob has always been immune to Cyclops’ power.

Cyclops’ mutant power isn’t the only one Blob is immune to, as he’s practically untouchable when it comes to physical attacks. That fact usually falls by the wayside when considering Blob’s threat-level as a standalone villain, as he’s so often made into a mere minion during any given X-Men story. But now, with his latest appearance, Blob reminds fans that he’s not only immune to Cyclops’ power, but that he’s a true powerhouse worthy of A-List status.

X-Men #8 by Marvel Comics is available now.