Phoenix Rising
It was a crisp cold night in the cemetery and the stars were dancing in the sky. The moon was shining down on one of the headstones as if it was waiting for something to happen. Had they forgotten about her? Her lifeless corpse buried in the earth where it would reside until it was time for her to rise again. She saved the world one or twice…it was beautiful. Now, what would become of Jean Grey? She was killed in the X-men’s last encounter with Magneto and was held in her lovers arms until it was time for them to take over. She gave so much to the world but it didn’t give her anything back in return. Now was the time for Jean Grey to leave them and she didn’t understand why at the start but it all made sense didn’t it? Her decaying body glowed and lit the lonely coffin. Her rotted flesh was renewed and she was breathing again! Disorientated the Phoenix clawed her way out of the coffin, her knuckles were bleeding but she couldn’t feel anything… then the smell of death surrounded her again. She was dying ! The dirt restricting her breathing and was bringing her back where she belonged. Suddenly she was surrounded by a huge firebird and it guarded her from the insect infiltrated earth. She was being pulled from her dark dungeon and soon she was back… back in the world. The firebird dissipated into the air and Jean was left alone again. Her lungs were filled with sweet air and she could finally think again. “Scott,” she muttered.
She looked back at her grave, an echo of her former self. She was home… but why didn’t it feel like home? Wait… the mansion, it was gone, but that would mean that they were dead! No, she refused to believe it. It wasn’t their time yet. She ran towards the ruins of the mansion surprised by her own energy. She couldn’t see any bodies and she couldn’t pick up any thoughts… her eyes were filled with tears. She knew they were alive but where… Then she remembered, Cerebra! If her calculations were correct then the subasement should still be under all the debris. She cleared her thoughts and used her telekinesis to clear a path to the subasement. She saw a faint light underneath her and climbed her way down. Oh God… it was awful. So many memories were flooding through her head. Sinister, the Marauders and a baby… what was this? How could he? She travelled down the underground tunnels, every step revealed more memories. The place was filled with psychic residue everywhere. Moments later, she discovered Cerebra… it was still intact!
Professor X Remembers Jean Grey
Jean Grey? Ah, she was one of my most prized students. She had so much potential but tragically we lost her to Magneto a few years ago…I loved her so much.
I met Jean when her telepathic powers first emerged. She had just lost her childhood friend and felt her slipping away in her own mind. Jean was so utterly depressed that she refused to go outside, instead finding shelter in her own room. I helped her to suppress her telepathic powers and we both decided to work on her telekinetic abilities.
Jean eventually went on to join my X-men and even got used to using her once more available telepathic powers. She spent a while with the X-men and soon became known as the Phoenix. Whilst on a mission to space she bonded with an entity known as the Phoenix Force but this power would soon consume her and turn her into Dark Phoenix, one of the X-men’s most fiercest foes. Jean eventually chose to commit suicide on the moon, choosing her humanity over godhood.
Years later she would return to the world and form X-factor with the rest of the original X-men members. However she soon returned to the X-men along with her lover Scott Summers. I remember clearly the day she got married to him. She was so happy…we were all happy.
Jean remained pure of the Phoenix Force for several years until it slowly manifested within her, effectively restoring her lost telekinetic powers which she had exchanged with the psychic mutant Psylocke many months previous to this. When Magneto resurfaced Jean was killed in combat and even the Phoenix Force couldn’t bring her back from death this time.
Jean did return once more but she now resides in the White Hot Room, as she described it, collecting the missing pieces of the Phoenix Force.
Jean was like a daughter to me and I miss her very dearly. Sometimes I look at pictures of her and think what could have happened if we – um… sorry, anyway I hope that she will one day return to us and grace our lives with happiness once more.
Charles Francis Xavier
Jean Grey’s Return
In February 2004 Jean Grey perished at the hands of Xorn, a man who looked like and had the same powers as Magneto, the Master of Magnetism.
In June 2005 Jean Grey was resurrected in a story called Phoenix Endsong which saw her being resurrected by the Phoenix Force once more. The Phoenix Force used Jean to take on a life of its own and buried Jean within the ice in the North Pole. The malevolent entity possessed Emma Frost and attacked the X-men. Suddenly Jean Grey rose from her icy grave and her and the Phoenix became one. She became the White Phoenix of the Crown and went to the White Hot Room to collect the missing pieces of the Phoenix Force.
Since then it looks like 2010 will be the year of the Phoenix. In 2009 Rachel Grey lost her connection to the Echo of the Phoenix Force (a less powerful form of the Phoenix Force) and muttered the words, “please…not now…mom”.
On the island of Utopia the Stepford Cuckoos lost the fragments of the Phoenix Force which they had imprisoned in their diamond hearts during the Phoenix Warsong event. They are currently in a coma.
These two events suggest that Jean Grey is calling back all the fragments of the Phoenix Force in preparation for her next resurrection.
Emma Frost recently encountered a woman who resembled Jean Grey in her mind when she was attacked by Regan Wyngarde a.k.a. Lady Mastermind of the Sisterhood of Mutants. The woman freed Emma from Wyngarde’s psychic trap and disappeared.
Since the events of the Messiah Complex a girl with red hair and green eyes was born and was named the Mutant Messiah. She was taken to the future by her adoptive father Cable and is now a teenager who bares an uncanny resemblance to Jean Grey. The so called Mutant Messiah has also displayed twin phoenix raptors in her eyes.
All this evidence points to Jean Grey’s resurrection and with Second Coming (the return of the Mutant Messiah to the present) arriving in March, you have to admit that this title may be more than meets the eyes.
Conor McKenna
Jean Grey in Top 10 Female Hotness in Spandex
While I certainly agree Jean Grey should be on this list I am disappointed in a #3 ranking. Hop on over to Hot Females in Spandex to read the entire list.
Jean Grey: Quantum Physics in Leather. Movies: X-Men series. Actress: Famke Janssen
Jean Grey is limitless power and as much as I telekinesis the saint aspect of her personality is not that compelling. However when the Phoenix came into the game and suddenly Jean Grey was all red and pyrokinetic, I was ecstatic, because Jean killed around five billion people in the comic book, while in the movie she turned schizophrenic and joined Magneto. I fancy heroes turning villains and thanks to the CGI team Famke aced the transformation and did unspeakable things. For this third place is secured for her. The red leather outfit couldn’t replace the missing flames in the movies, but gave the much needed villain aura.
Jean Grey Displays Power – Deleted Scene
For those of you who don’t own the X-men 3 DVD with the deleted scenes, here is a scene that was cut. Jean (Dark Phoenix) displays her power to Magneto.
X-men Death Becomes Them
This is hilarious. Watch the entire movie to see Phoenix steal the show at the end. Excellent work Matt Gardner, the cartoon’s creator.
Top Ten X-men Villains
Thanks to Marvel for providing the basis for this list. For a full reading, please visit their page on this subject: X-men villains. Marvel classified Dark Phoenix as #4, but I moved her up to #2. I couldn’t delude myself into thinking she was their ultimate villain, I think everyone would agree that has been and always will be Magneto. But for pure power, emotion and the effect she had on the X-men I think Dark Phoenix deserves #2 status, no offense Marvel. I found a similar list of the top ten comic book villains at TopTenz.net
10. ONSLAUGHT
First Appearance: X-MEN v2 #53 (1996)
The very concept of this character hinges on the enduring, enthralling and never boring relationship between Charles Xavier and Magneto. Onslaught is big, ambitious and the kind of threat worthy of an event.
9. STRYFE
First Appearance: NEW MUTANTS v1 #87 (1990)
What makes Stryfe such a great foe for the X-Men isn’t his cool powers or rad costume, it’s his very personal connection to several of their key members and the fact that so much of his hatred towards them feels quite justified.
8. THE SHADOW KING
First Appearance: X-MEN v1 #117 (1979)
The very first mutant menace Charles Xavier ever encountered—the Shadow King—was, as Professor X has said more than once, in many ways the reason the X-Men were formed.
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