| Phoenix Force | |
|---|---|
 The Phoenix Force withJean Grey, its primary host, as seen on the variant cover ofPhoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #1. Art by Bilquis Evely. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | TheUncanny X-Men #101 (October 1976) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont Dave Cockrum[1] |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Various hosts |
| Species | Cosmic entity |
| Place of origin | White Hot Room |
| Team affiliations | X-Men Hellfire Club Galactic Guardians Phoenix Corps Avengers |
| Notable aliases | Phoenix Jean Grey White Phoenix of the Crown Star-Child The Black Angel Chaos-Bringer Black Queen Dark Phoenix Child of the M'Kraan Crystal Thunderbird |
| Abilities |
|
ThePhoenix Force is a fictional entity appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created byChris Claremont andDave Cockrum, the Phoenix Force is famous for its central role inThe Dark Phoenix Saga storyline, and is intrinsically linked toJean Grey.
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The Phoenix first appeared inUncanny X-Men #101 (October 1976), and was created byChris Claremont andDave Cockrum.
The Phoenix Force is an immortal and immutable manifestation of the universal force of life and passion. The Phoenix Force is a creation of the universe that was born of the void between states of being. It is the nexus of allpsionic energy of the past, present, and future in all realities of themultiverse, the Guardian of Creation and of theM'Kraan Crystal.
The Phoenix Force is among the most feared beings in all of existence—it can cut, re-grow, or destroy any part of the universe. It has been described as being "the embodiment of the very passion of Creation—the spark that gave life to the Universe, the flame that will ultimately consume it."[citation needed]
During its time as a sentient and formless mass of energy, it traveled the cosmos and was worshiped by several alien races, including theShi'ar, who named the entity Phal'kon, the "sister" of their other godsK'ythri andSharra.[2]
According to the alien peace-keeping robot Unit, a billion years ago the alien Demon Lords of Stasis cast a spell on their planet to stop evolution. However, five powerful beings led by a female with pyrokinetic powers wage a rebellion against the Lords of Stasis. The rebellion drew the Phoenix to the planet. Although the Demon Lords fight to prevent it, the Phoenix communes with the female and with the loyalty of her disciples that helps her to control the infinite power of the Phoenix, she breaks the spell and the Demons are swept away.[3]
The Phoenix later warred with the ancient energy creature known as le Bete Noir, and eventually trapped its enemy within Earth's still cooling molten core, creating in the process the "Burnt Place", a permanently razed clearing, where eventually the xenophobic surrounding tribes sacrificed anyone who deviated in any way from their norms. The Phoenix is drawn to Earth when Firehair, a young primitive female red-haired mutant overwhelmed with despair by her friends' deaths, contemplates turning her psychic abilities on herself to commit suicide at the "Burnt Place". Attracted to Firehair's untapped raw psychic power, the Phoenix prevents the suicide, bonds with her, and seeks to use her to fulfill its intended purpose of razing planets to ashes. Consumed by vengeful rage, Firehair nearly gives in to the firebird's bloodlust to become a Dark Phoenix, but is pacified by her wolf guardian and decides to use her powers to protect those weaker than herself. Using the alias Lady Phoenix, she joins that time period's incarnation of the Avengers. Her only known fight is with an out-of-controlCelestial called the Fallen.[4] During this time she andOdin share a romantic relationship that Odin considers the one time in his life when he truly felt alive.[5] It was later claimed that from their love,Thor was born,[6] but in truth, Phoenix left Odin due to his callousness, until millennia later, she arranged for Odin and Gaea to conceived a child. When Thor was born, his birth was felt by KingLaufey who immediately killed him. The Phoenix resurrected him, leaving him permanently imbued with some of her power.[7]
At some point, the entity ends up in Shi'ar space, where it bonds with a citizen of the Empire namedRook'shir, who controls the power of the Phoenix Force in conjunction with his blade. He is ultimately overwhelmed by the Phoenix's power and becomes the first known host to succumb to the Phoenix Force's destructive impulses, going insane from the power it embodied and becoming theDark Phoenix. Rook'shir goes on a destructive rampage through the Empire and destroys many planets in the process. He is killed by theImperial Guard, which later becomes the first line of defense of the Shi'ar Empire. The Phoenix flees, leaving a small remnant of itself in the blade, which can only be lifted by Rook'shir's descendants. Fearing the power of the Phoenix, the Shi'ar demonizes the entity and orders the deaths or sterilizations of Rook'shir's descendants.[8]
As time passes, the entity is contacted by a mage namedFeron. Feron worships the legendaryPhoenix, so his daydream-like visions prompts the Phoenix to adopt the fiery bird's form. He asks the Phoenix to help him by lending its energy to project a lighthouse-like stone pillar across themultiverse. The pillar later becomes the lighthouse base for the British superhero teamExcalibur. Afterwards,Necrom attacks Feron to steal the power of the Phoenix. Strengthened by the Phoenix Force, Feron is able to fight back, but Necrom steals a fraction of the Phoenix Force's essence, forcing it to flee back to space in agonized confusion.[9]
In the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century,Yu-Ti ofK'un-L'un has visions of the Phoenix coming to Earth and of a red-headed Iron Fist who would confront it. In one vision, she loses control and destroys the world; in another, she tames its power. When walking the streets, Yu-Ti comes across Fongji Wu, the daughter of a woman who had ventured to the outside world and lain with a man from beyond K'un-Lun.[10] After defeatingShou-Lao and becoming the Iron Fist, Fongji confronts the Phoenix Force and becomes its host.[10] The Phoenix Force attempts to overwhelm Fongji and turn her into the Dark Phoenix, but she resists the being's control. Determining that she needed to leave Earth to prevent the possibility of losing control, Fongji ventures into space, never to be seen again.[11]
Centuries later, the Phoenix Force returns to Earth without a host when it feels the mind of a human transcend the physical realm and resonate with its energy.Jean Grey telepathically linked her mind to her dying friend Annie Richardson to keep Annie's soul from moving to the afterlife. In doing so, Jean's mind is dragged along to the "other side" with Annie. The Phoenix lends its energy to break the connection, and keeps a close watch on her because it felt a kinship with the youngmutant. Years later, when Jean is dying on a space shuttle, her mind calls out for help and the Phoenix Force answers and saves her, transforming Jean into the Phoenix.[12]
The Phoenix remains with the X-Men for only a short time. She prevents the complete destruction of the universe by repairing the damaged energy matrix at the core of the M'Kraan Crystal.[13] During a skirmish withMagneto, Phoenix andBeast are separated from the other X-Men, each group believing the other to have perished.[14] In Greece, Phoenix meets a man named Nikos, later revealed to beMastermind, a mutant who canalter the perceptions of others. Mastermind plants seeds of dissent within Phoenix's psyche by comparing her to a god and insisting she could do whatever she wished.[15] She encounters Mastermind again inScotland under the guise of Jason Wyngarde, believing the latter to be both the work of the reality-warping mutantProteus and the lover of one of her ancestors.[16]
An encounter with theHellfire Club and manipulation by Mastermind andEmma Frost (the White Queen) transformed the Phoenix into theirBlack Queen.[17] She breaks free of Mastermind's control, but transforms into the Dark Phoenix. She battles the X-Men, flees to the stars, devours the energies of theD'Bari star system to satisfy her "hunger" as the Dark Phoenix, annihilates the five billion inhabitants of its fourth planet, and destroys a nearby Shi'ar observatory vessel that opens fire on her before she returns to Earth. There, the Dark Phoenix is defeated in psionic combat byProfessor X, and Jean Grey regains control. The X-Men, along with Phoenix, are teleported to space by theShi'ar and given a trial by combat. Just as victory seemed certain for the Imperial Guard, Jean becomes Dark Phoenix again. She apparently commitssuicide on Earth's moon beforeCyclops.[18]
As originally written, the Jean Grey incarnation of Phoenix is Jean herself, having attained her ultimate potential as a psi, becoming a being of pure energy and reforming herself as Phoenix,[19] only to become slowly corrupted by the manipulation of such foes as Mastermind and Emma; Jean is driven mad as she is unable to adapt to her enormous power.
To return Jean to the fold several years later, this storyline wasretconned to reveal the existence of the cosmic Phoenix Force entity, which had created a duplicate body of Jean, believed itself to be Jean, and acted in her place while the real version laid in a healing cocoon at the bottom ofJamaica Bay, where theAvengers andFantastic Four discover her.[20] It allowed Jean to be revived as a member ofX-Factor. The extent to which the duplicate and Jean are separate entities depends on who is writing the characters at the time: some instances portray them as inherently separate, while others demonstrate a shared consciousness.
After committing suicide, the Phoenix Force reaches the White Hot Room where it encounters a manifestation ofDeath and returns itself to Jean in the cocoon. Horrified by what it has done, Jean rejects it and it fuses withMadelyne Pryor (Jean's clone).[21] This portion of the Phoenix remains with Madelyne until the latter committed suicide while fighting her genetic template before joining into a merged consciousness.[22]
Another known possessor of the Phoenix Force isRachel Summers, Scott Summers and Jean Grey's daughter from theDays of Future Past alternate future.[23] The Phoenix Force bonds with Rachel, making her the next avatar of the Phoenix Force.[24] Rachel is one of the longest reigning avatars of the Phoenix, and while she eventually adopts the uniform, she never becomes Dark Phoenix.[25] Rachel has been referred by the entity as "The One True Phoenix".[26]
During an encounter withGalactus, Rachel Summers—completely overtaken by the Phoenix Force—battles Galactus to save a planet he was preparing to devour.[27] The Phoenix Force disrupts Galactus' feeding process and easily defeats him. Galactus accuses the Phoenix Force of hypocrisy and reveals to it that its existence in a corporeal state is sustained by robbing energy used to birth future generations. Realizing this to be true, the Phoenix vows to return to its prior existence of "touching all that is" while allowing an echo of its power to remain with Rachel's now-dominant consciousness.[28][29]
Returning to Earth with all her memories, Rachel manages to return to the future she had come from. While she could not change her past, she and her teammates are able to change the directives of all theSentinels of the era to preserve all life, ending the genocide that had prevailed for years.[30] On the way back to her time,Captain Britain is lost in the timestream and Rachel is forced to switch places with him, as she does not belong in the timeline she had existed in.[31] She emerges from the timestream about 1,900 years in the future and forms the Clan Askani, which is responsible for bringing her brother Nathan to their time to fightApocalypse. She later encounters Diamanda Nero, Apocalypse's High Councilor and viceroy. She tries overpowering him, but is left powerless after being shortly bonded to the Phoenix Force.[32]
As an interdimensional portal transports four villains from the 616Marvel Universe into theUltraverse dimension, the Phoenix Force is also pulled into the Ultraverse and critically damaged. Requiring a human host to recover, the Phoenix Force bonds withPrime then withAmber Hunt.[33] Amber, unable to control the Phoenix Force's power, attacks her friends and would have destroyed the planet if theX-Men and new Ultra hero Foxfire had not arrived, who after a long battle are able to separate the Phoenix from Amber and send the cosmic entity back to the616 universe.[34]
Jean Grey begins to wear the same costume the Phoenix Force had worn, manifest Phoenix firebirds, and tap into its cosmic reserves several times, worrying Scott as he feared the Phoenix had returned until Jean temporarily loses her powers as a result of the Psi-War.[35][36]
To help Psylocke after the Psi-War, Jean switches powers with her. Jean loses her telekinesis but her telepathy increases greatly. Jean begins to manifest "Phoenix raptors" that represent her telepathic powers "honed to their sharpest edge". As a result of the power switch, Jean temporarily displays a shadow astral form with a Phoenix symbol over her right eye.[37]
Jean begins manifesting the Phoenix raptor, creating a rift between her own and Scott's relationship, and the entity starts to appear as another personality within Jean, having a conversation with Professor Xavier on its role in events to come. When the X-ManXorn reveals himself to be a traitor who claimed to be Magneto, he traps Jean and Wolverine on Asteroid M, which is drifting closer to the Sun. Rather than watch Jean die a slow painful death, Wolverine tries to kill Jean, but he awakens the Phoenix Force within her. Using her incredible powers, Phoenix/Jean returns with Logan to New York City to face "Magneto". Xorn's last act is to kill Jean with an electromagnetic pulse.[38]
The Phoenix Force returns to Earth during the mini-seriesX-Men: Phoenix – Endsong, where it resurrects Jean Grey from her grave. It is not long before she remembers what she has come for—Scott Summers. She needs to feed from the energy from his optic blasts, and, confused by her own emotions, thinks she is in love with Scott. She realizes Scott is in love with Emma Frost, former White Queen of the Hellfire Club and headmistress of theXavier Institute for Higher Learning. Through a number of incidents, Jean manages to assert herself and gain control of the Phoenix Force with emotional support from the X-Men. Jean then declares that she and the Phoenix Force are truly one entity, have transcended into theWhite Phoenix of the Crown, signified by a new white and gold costume.[39]
As a result of a Shi'ar attack on the Phoenix Force, the entity is in an incomplete state and Jean must search out the remaining parts of the Phoenix Force. The consequences of this were partially addressed inX-Men: Phoenix – Warsong in which a small part of the Phoenix Force joins with theStepford Cuckoos. After nearly losing control to the Phoenix power, the Stepford Cuckoos develop a secondary mutation where their hearts turn to diamond and they are able to imprison the piece of the Phoenix Force.[40]
With the failed attack on the Phoenix Force that ended with Jean Grey escaping their suicide bomb attack and returned to the White Hot Room to restore herself, the Shi'ar still want to permanently prevent the ascension of the Phoenix Force. In hopes of eliminating the possibility of a new Omega-level psionic mutant becoming a host for the Phoenix Force, the Shi'ar sent a commando unit—the Death Commandos—with the purpose of wiping out the Grey genome and killingQuentin Quire to Earth. They arrived at Rachel's family reunion site and kill all the members of the Grey family, except Rachel, who was marked, and Cable, who was not present. Afterward, at the graves of the Grey family, Rachel vows revenge on the Shi'ar and says: "I'm not my mom. I'm not the Phoenix. I'm my own woman. And by the time I'm done... they'll wish I WERE the Phoenix."[41]
In the last issue ofKingbreaker, the Phoenix abandons Rachel and Korvus during battle withVulcan's new guard, leaving them both without its power. As it leaves Rachel mutters "Please, not now... Mom." implying that Jean is calling back the missing pieces of the Phoenix Force, and perhaps planning another resurrection. Rachel later says that it was almost like the Phoenix was never with her for she "[c]an't feel it... I can't hear it...It's like it was never there."[42]
Around the same time inSan Francisco, the Red Queen and her Sisterhood attack the X-Men; first trapping Emma in a psychic barricade byLady Mastermind. Inside what appears to be the White Hot Room, a woman resembling Jean Grey appears to Emma and helps her break free of Regan's influence with what appears to be a miniature version of the Phoenix energy raptor to let her help Logan, who has been robbed of a lock of Jean's hair that was in his possession. Madelyne uses the hair sample to locate Jean's gravesite, and then attempts to repeat a resurrection ritual with her corpse, but Cyclops had orderedDomino to substitute the body for someone else's and it causes Madelyne to either discorporate or become absorbed into the fake.[43]
During a conflict with severalPredators X (genetically engineered mutant hunters), the Stepford Cuckoos are overwhelmed and knocked unconscious as the fragment of the Phoenix they captured forcefully escape from the girls' diamond hearts.[44]
During the final confrontation withBastion,Hope Summers turns into what appears to be the Phoenix and blasts Bastion who manages to grasp Hope's neck. Hope touches the ground, goes full Phoenix Force, and blasts Bastion and the dome.[45] Later at a celebratory bonfire, Emma notices the flames around Hope take the shape of the Phoenix and Emma recalls the Sisterhood attack where the woman resembling Jean freed her from Lady Mastermind's illusion.[46]
While fighting the fifth so-called "Light", who was out of control, Hope attempts to take some of his powers only to exhaust herself and collapses. She is contacted by the Phoenix Force who refers to Hope as her "child", and that the other lights needed her. Hope regains consciousness and goes back to faceKenji Uedo.[47]
The Age of X reality is created whenLegion's mind reacted toDoctor Nemesis's attempt to restore its sanity.[48] In this reality, Jean Grey's Phoenix Force ability causes a tremendous amount of destruction and death in Albany.[49] Although she was presumed deceased when the Air Force bombs the area, a new phoenix shape emerges from the rubble.[50] Under the name of Revenant, it is not known whether she is Jean Grey (presumably dead after the Albany incident[49]) or a new incarnation. She joins Magneto and becomes part of the Force Warriors.[51]
When the truth about the Age of X is revealed, Legion apologizes to everyone before rewriting the universe and putting everything back the way it was. However, Revenant is also brought back to Utopia.[52] Later, as all mutants begin to regain their true memories, Revenant is revealed to be the mind of Rachel Summers given human form.[53]
During theFear Itself storyline, the Phoenix Force appears to Emma Frost. The Phoenix mocks her, saying that Scott Summers would never love her as he loved Jean Grey. It seems to be a side effect of when Emma invadedJuggernaut's mind and began feeding into Emma's fears. As the Phoenix convinces Emma that Hope is Jean reincarnated, it tells Emma that she knows what to do. Emma, in a trance-like state, takes her pillow and is about to smother her to death,[54] butNamor intervenes.[55]
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During theAvengers vs. X-Men storyline, the event has the Phoenix Force returning to Earth, presumably to reclaim Hope Summers, which leads to a confrontation between theAvengers and the X-Men on how to deal with its arrival. The Avengers anticipate the destruction that the Phoenix could bring while Cyclops hopes to use the Phoenix Force to restart the mutant population.[56]
As the Phoenix Force nears Earth, the Avengers fight the X-Men on theBlue Area of the Moon with Hope caught in the middle, whileIron Man andGiant-Man prepare a disruptor weapon to kill the Phoenix Force. Iron Man pilots the weapon against the Phoenix Force, but when he uses it to blast the Phoenix Force, the entity is forcefully altered and divided into five fragments that bond with Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor,Colossus, andMagik. They defeat the Avengers and head back to Earth with Hope.[57] It is theorized thatScarlet Witch's spell of "No more mutants" angered the Phoenix, and to calm the entity, a new host was needed along, with five acolytes, to succeed at bringing about evolution (the acolytes were actually revealed to be the first five new mutants that have appeared around the globe since the decimation of the mutant population), and that was the reason the Phoenix came to Earth.[3]
When the Avengers defeat Namor in an attack onWakanda, his portion of the Phoenix Force becomes divided between the other four members of the "Phoenix Five", making it harder to defeat them.[58]Spider-Man then baits Colossus and Magik into taking each other out by playing off of their fears when fighting them in a volcano, forcing their portions of the Phoenix to be divided between Emma and Cyclops.[59] When Cyclops invades the mystical city of K'un-L'un,Lei Kung defends the city on the back of Shou-Lao, and reveals it had defeated the Phoenix in a past incarnation. While Cyclops defeats the dragon, Hope is able to absorb its power and defeat Cyclops who then goes to seek the other remaining portion of the Phoenix Force possessed by Emma Frost.[60] Emma had been using the Phoenix Force to control all of Utopia, read the thoughts of everyone on the planet, take vengeance on anyone who had ever harmed a mutant, and dismantle all Sentinels.[61] Cyclops defeats Emma and elevates to the level of Dark Phoenix, killingProfessor X in the process.[62]
In the final issue, the X-Men and the Avengers battle the Dark Phoenix, but they are losing as the Dark Phoenix starts to burn the world. As a last resort,Captain America sends in Hope and Scarlet Witch, who together manage to take down the Dark Phoenix, while Jean Grey appears within Cyclops' mind and convinces him to let go of the Phoenix Force. The Phoenix escapes Cyclops' body and enters Hope Summers'. Together, Hope and the Scarlet Witch wish away the Phoenix Force and the damage it caused, in the process activating the X-gene that allows the creation of new mutants around the world.[63]
Even with the Phoenix gone, its effects remain in various ways, with four of the former Phoenix Five—Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus and Magik—suffering from various problems with their powers as well as Magneto, due to his prolonged time on Utopia. Cyclops and Magneto's control over their abilities regress back to the level of control that they had possessed in their first appearances, Emma Frost retains her diamond form but only has erratic control over her telepathy,[64] and Colossus' body fluctuates between his organic and his metal parts rather than completely transforming into one or the other.[65] While Magik's powers initially appeared to have been increased to the point where she can channel the power of Limbo on her own,[66] a confrontation with Dormammu reveals that her new power is destroying Limbo each time she used it.[67] It is later revealed that the power disruptions experienced by Cyclops, Emma, Colossus, Magik and Magneto were actually the result of nano-sentinels unleashed on them byDark Beast.[68]
Simultaneously, while spending some time in deep space, Iron Man helps defend an ancient planet from space pirates. He is later confronted by robotic police officers looking to arrest him fordeicide. Before he is able to escape the planet, Iron Man realizes that the planet's people, known as the Voldi, worship the Phoenix Force and his hand in its disappearance has angered them.[69]
At some point during theTime Runs Out storyline, Cyclops acquires a Phoenix Egg that he holds in reserve, hoping to use it to end the Incursions.[70]
During theSecret Wars storyline, Cyclops stands on top of the Phoenix Egg during the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610. Cyclops uses it to become one with the Phoenix Force again, and uses his powers to decimate the Children of Tomorrow.[71] After the realities collapse together, the Phoenix-Cyclops was one of the few survivors to come through the Incursion with a full memory of what had come before, proclaiming that resurrection was the goal of their mission.[72] He is killed byGod Emperor Doom in a subsequent confrontation.[73]
It has since been revealed that thousands of years ago, the civilization of planet Maveth was able to create a bomb that, when used, scorched the entire surface of the planet, killing all life within a generation; however, a second bomb is discovered by Gamora and Kitty Pryde to be hidden in the tomb of Maveth's king, which in turn is also being sought by theChitauri. To Kitty's surprise, the bomb is actually an artifact that contained a fragment of the Phoenix Force. To escape from the Chitauri alive, Kitty accidentally activates the bomb, which kills the Chitauri and apparently releases the fragment of the Phoenix Force into the Universe again.[74]
The deities of the Shi'ar,Sharra andK'ythri, can summon the entity at will and consider itself as their sister.[2]
Under unknown circumstances,Terrax acquires a Phoenix Egg and stores it on his warship. Thane deceives his allies (theChampion,Starfox, andNebula) into helping him invade Terrax's warship to steal the egg.[75] After being shot and killed by Nebula, Thane opens the egg and become the new host of the Phoenix. Using his new powers, Thane defeats his own father and conquers the Black Quadrant.[76] Thane finds Thanos and fights him, causing them both to fall into the entrance to the God Quarry.[77] Inside, the Coven senses the Phoenix Force inside of Thane and separates it from him so that Thane can fight his father as the man he truly is. The Phoenix Force flies off and presumably leaves the God Quarry.[78]
While on a solo mission against theWrecking Crew, teenaged Jean receives a vision that the Phoenix Force is coming back to Earth.[79] Determined to not succumb to the fate that befell her adult counterpart, Jean tries to fight the future and forge her own destiny. When the Phoenix arrives, Jean, backed by a host of former Phoenix Force wielders, tries to defy destiny and stop the Phoenix before it can take her over. While she is able to wound the Phoenix with the aid of Cable's Psi-mitar, the Phoenix seems just too strong for anyone to overcome. Jean eventually pushes the cosmic force far away from her friends and allies, where a final battle can take place. It is revealed the Phoenix wants the adult Jean, but to do that it needs the younger Jean out of the way. The force floods her body with flaming psychic energy, incinerating her from the inside out, leaving only a skeleton.[80]
Strange psychic occurrences around the world, which include a large bird flaring out from the sun and an explosion on the moon, raises red flags for the X-Men, who quickly launch an investigation on these events.[81] After a string of bizarre encounters with familiar enemies, many of them considered deceased, the X-Men come to one conclusion: the Phoenix Force is back on Earth.[82] The X-Men also discover that psychics are going missing or falling ill, which prompts the team to investigate Jean Grey's grave. They find her coffin empty, and race to locate the Phoenix Force before it can find a suitable host. With the time-displaced teen Jean Grey out of the Phoenix Force's way, the cosmic entity had resurrected the present adult Jean Grey. However, she does not recall her life as a mutant and an X-Man, and terrible visions from her previous life leave Jean unsure of the differences between reality and fiction.[83] The X-Men theorize that the strange psychic occurrences are subconscious cries for help made by Jean Grey, and they must try to stop the Phoenix Force from merging with her.[84] Old Man Logan is able to make Jean Grey remember her true life and as she learns about the fate of her family and several friends. Jean faces the Phoenix Force and is finally able to convince the cosmic entity to stop bringing her back as its avatar and to let her go. Alive once again, Jean is reunited with her friends as the Phoenix Force journeys back into space.[85]
Namor, embittered by the surface world's reckless disregard for his underwater kingdom, beckons the Phoenix Force to Earth and vows to sacrifice every part of himself to reunite with the entity once more. Namor proposes that if the Phoenix helps him destroy the Avengers, then he will help it set the galaxies ablaze.[86] The Phoenix choosesMoon Knight as its new host instead, allowing him to escapeKhonshu's sway, but also provides him with a tremendous amount of power that is problematic considering Moon Knight's mental instability. As the Fist of the Phoenix, Moon Knight rejects Khonshu as his master, uppercutting Khonshu with the full might of the Phoenix Force, sending him crashing back down to Earth and losing his hold over Thor's hammer Mjolnir as well. Moon Knight declares that the new age will now belong to him instead. Once on the ground, Black Panther and Ghost Rider get to work, calling back the Spirit of Vengeance, Iron Fist and Eye of Agamotto out of Khonshu's grasp. With that, the Avengers assemble and Khonshu's forces weaken. However, Moon Knight is still floating up in the atmosphere, reacting and dwelling on the new power that now lies within him. The voices in Moon Knight's head suggest that if he were to burn the world with the Phoenix Force, the parasite of humanity would be purged and he would be a hero that saved the world. At this point, Moon Knight understands that he has lost his mind. After he reignites the sun and Thor breaks free from his entrapment with his hammer, Moon Knight almost welcomes the beating he gets from Thor, and the Phoenix Force subsequently leaves him as its host.[87] Instead of returning to space, the Phoenix remains on Earth with Jean Grey deducing it is searching for a new avatar.[88]
Having made a nest near Avengers Mountain at theNorth Pole, Namor and the Defenders of the Deep attempt to take the entity by force, leading to a battle with the Avengers and Agents of Wakanda. However, the Phoenix decides to hold a contest to judge who would be worthy to become its next host. The entity selects Captain America andDoctor Doom as its first combatants, who are empowered by a small spark of the Phoenix's cosmic fire and transported to theSavage Land for their match. Realizing that the Phoenix refuses to let Rogers die for unknown reasons, Doom forfeits, refusing to play into the cosmic entity's game. As Doom is returned, Captain America is transported to the White Hot Room where he encounters other competitors chosen by the Phoenix being held in wait for the next match.[89] The Phoenix grants each competitor a vestige of its power and sends them to different parts of the world to fight each other. During the tournament, the essence of Lady Phoenix attempts to goad Black Panther into becoming the entity's next host, but is rebuked by him.[90] As the tournament continues, the remaining Avengers and their allies attempt to keep the Phoenix at bay.[91] During a confrontation with Thor, the Phoenix reveals that she is his biological mother, which confuses and enrages him.[92] At the tournament's conclusion,Echo is chosen as the Phoenix's new host. As Jean Grey telepathically consoles and congratulates Echo, three Phoenix chicks are seen next to the infantStarbrand's crib at Avengers Mountain.[93]
While Maya fully accepts being the Phoenix Force's host, her first outing as the Phoenix does not go according to plan. While stopping a burglary, she loses control of her temper and burns one of the perpetrators alive before starting a fire that threatens to harm countless innocent people. Even Echo's behavior along with her attitude and body language shifts dramatically when being influenced by the Phoenix Force, promptingElektra andForge to confront her over the dangers of her powers. She rejects their condescending nature and admonishments but still recognizes that she needs help reigning in her powers.[94]
Echo would eventually lost the connection to the Phoenix after using it to defend the Quarry of Creation and the Multiverse from the Council of Red.[95]
The following are the known hosts of the Phoenix Force:
Other characters were only possessed by the Phoenix Force during out-of-continuity tales, includingFranklin Richards,[131]Nightcrawler,[132]Storm,[133]Wolverine of Earth-14412 (referred to asOld Man Phoenix),[134]King Thor of Earth-14412,[135]Cosmic Ghost Rider,[136] andGabriel Summers[137] in separateWhat If... stories, as well asCyclops in the X-Men/Teen Titansinter-company crossover.[138] Quentin Quire is revealed to be a host in theHere Comes Tomorrow storyline and in the visions of Deathlok,[139] and in the timeline ofNocturne, the Phoenix Force possessesColossus' soulless body and reshapes it into a female form.[140]
The White Hot Room (or the "White-Hot Room") is the home of the Phoenix Force and where Phoenix hosts go after they die.[141] It exists outside of theMultiverse, but also within theM'Kraan Crystal.[142] It has been called "the epicenter of creation and rebirth."[143]
The White Hot Room first appeared,retroactively, in the backup story forClassic X-Men #8 byChris Claremont andJohn Bolton. It was established and named inNew X-Men #154 byGrant Morrison andMarc Silvestri.
The White Hot Room can appear as an endless white void, but it has also appeared in other forms. In the backup story forClassic X-Men #43, by Chris Claremont andMike Collins, the Room appeared as a large tower being constructed in space, with the construction worker identified byJean Grey asDeath.[144] InDefenders: Beyond #3, byAl Ewing andJavier Rodriguez, it appears the white void, the tower, a dark cave lit by a single fire, a snowy landscape, and an endless expanse of desert.[145] This desert reappears inImmortal X-Men #14, byKieron Gillen and Lucas Werneck, where it is eventually revealed to be the White Hot Room.[146]
InNew X-Men #154, it was shown to be the home of all of the hosts of the Phoenix Force, past, present, and future.[147] InJean Grey #11, by Dennis Hallum, Victor Ibanez, and Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque, the Phoenix states that is "a nexus between all Phoenix hosts and our eternal flame. A place of rest and contemplation. Home to every being with whom I've merged. Every Phoenix host leaves a piece of itself here with me."[148]
InClassic X-Men #8, Jean Grey, while dying of radiation duringX-Men #100, finds herself in a blinding white void where she first encounters the Phoenix.[149] Even though this white void remained unnamed untilNew X-Men #154, it is technically the first appearance of the White Hot Room.[150]New X-Men #154 reveals the White Hot Room to be an afterlife for the Phoenix and its hosts.[151][152]
InS.W.O.R.D. vol 2 #1, the mutant circuit known as the Six manage to break into the White Hot Room and bring back a substance they call "Mysterium."[153] This metal is harder and stronger thanAdamantium and has anti-magical properties.[154][155]
InDefenders: Beyond #3, the Defenders find themselves in the White Hot Room as Taaia is possessed by the Phoenix.[156] Much like the earlier stories by Claremont, this issue equates the White Hot Room withTiphareth of theTree of Life in Kabbalah.[157]
AfterX-Men:Hellfire Gala 2023, during theFall of X crossover, the majority ofKrakoa's population (around 250,000 mutants) were exiled through Krakoan gates into a vast and seeming endless desert; inImmortal X-Men #16, this desert is revealed to be the White Hot Room.[158][159][160] After theMister Sinister clone Mother Righteous stabs Jean in the center of the White Hot Room, both the Phoenix and the White Hot Room began to die.[161][162][163][164] At the end ofRise of the Powers of X #5, both the Phoenix and the White Hot Room were restored.[165][166][167] The finale of theKrakoan AgeX-Men #35 revealed that while many mutants were able to get back to Earth to fightOrchis, a large number of them still remained in the White Hot Room and this "New Krakoa" flourished, returning to Earth after fifteen years before going back to the White Hot Room.[163][168][169][170][171][172][173][174]
The Phoenix Force can manipulate cosmic energies and tap into the life-force reserved for future generations, which denies their existence.[175] It can wield this energy to project beams of immense destructive force. It can migrate throughout time and space by folding its energy back into itself, causing it to collapse akin to ablack hole and then reform itself upon reaching its destination. It can directly absorb offensive energy such as Cyclops' optic blasts or the energy and life-force from a foe. As it is the nexus of all psionic energy, it has mental abilities on a cosmic level, includingtelepathy andtelekinesis.
It allows its preferred host to perform cosmic pyrokinesis, as it allows Lady Phoenix from 1,000,000 BC Avengers to summon preternatural flames that can melt supernovas.[4] For Jean Grey, it allows her to perform cosmic pyrokinesis strong enough to easily defeatTerrax, as she is in complete control of her own cosmic fire that after Terrax submits to his defeat, the fire dissipates at her will leaving him charred. She also uses the cosmic fire blast to counter Galactus.[176] In some conditions, a bit of cosmic fire can easily burn anything it comes into contact, as when it possesses young Jean Grey she unconsciously melts the equipment the medics try to put on her.[177]
The extent of the Phoenix Force's abilities has not been fully clarified. Jean Grey as The White Phoenix of the Crown is able to change the future of a universe by reaching back in time and urging Cyclops to move on with his life.[178]
Another major display of the power of the Phoenix is during the Secret Wars II. Rachel Summers seeks to kill theBeyonder, who expresses both amazement and disappointment in her. With that, the Beyonder gives Rachel full access to the power of the Phoenix as well as some of his own. With such power, Rachel is able to absorb the consciousness of every sentient mortal being in the universe.[179]
The Phoenix often seeks hosts with strong inherent psionic abilities so they can withstand its power. When the Phoenix Force enters a host, a small fragment of its power is left behind when it leaves. Even a small fragment can be stronger than an inexperienced host using the Phoenix Force's powers, such as with Rachel Summers, who has full access to the Force, but her opponent Necrom threw moons at her with only a fragment.[volume & issue needed] When bonded with a host, the Phoenix Force amplifies their abilities to incalculable levels. It can manipulate matter on a sub-atomic level and transmute elements, like turning wood to gold or stone to crystal; on a smaller scale, it can alter the molecular fabrics.[176] It can teleport others across space and open interdimensionalportals to instantly access distant portions of the Universe. If an avatar of the Phoenix Force is harmed or killed, it forms an "egg" of cosmic power around them that is incubated in the White Hot Room, and hatches out completely healed. As one of the oldest cosmic beings, the Phoenix Force possesses a high level of cosmic awareness and prescience.
Tamara Jude ofSideshow stated, "The Phoenix Force holds a significant place in theMarvel Comics and stands as the most unforgettable element ofX-Men memberJean Grey’s comic book history. This character-defining arc, known as the Phoenix Saga and the Dark Phoenix Saga, has resonated with fans for decades with its compelling plot, vibrant panels and shocking ending. The legacy of the Phoenix Force stretches well beyond the pages of Marvel Comics. The Dark Phoenix Saga is regarded as one of the best comic book arcs in history and has become a fan-favorite. It is also one of the favored arcs by comic book critics around the world."[180] Tristan Benns ofScreen Rant referred to the Phoenix Force as "one of the X-Men’s most iconic concepts," writing, "As a staple of Marvel Comics’ X-Men franchise, the Phoenix Force has been a fan-favorite concept well known to both heroes and readers alike for decades. But as long-lived and mysterious as the Phoenix is, it’s hard for anybody to ever truly know its full story."[181]
Phoenix has appeared in the followingintercompany crossovers:
Two incarnations of the Phoenix Force via Jean Grey appear in theX-Men film series.[197][198][199]
