Dark Phoenix Explained: The Real Story Behind the X-Men Classic
This villain brings out the worst in Jean Grey.
Dark Phoenix Explained: The Basics
The Phoenix Force is one of the most powerful and dangerous entities in the Marvel Universe. It exists as a living embodiment of creation and passion. Its sole purpose is to burn away the old and outdated and make room for new life to grow and flourish in its place.All that raw power needs to be directed, and that's why the Phoenix Force has made a habit of bonding with flesh-and-blood lifeforms. Its favorite host will always be Jean Grey, a mutant with the potential to either save the world or destroy it utterly. It's only through this fusion of cosmic force and powerful mutant that the Dark Phoenix is born.
Dark Phoenix's Powers and Abilities
The Phoenix Force possesses nearly limitless power and is capable of absorbing even more energy from its surroundings. It can even drain the life force of beings who don't exist yet, killing them before they have a chance to live. With this power at its disposal, the Phoenix is capable of scorching planets and even entire solar systems as it travels the galaxy. Nor is it a mindless force of destruction. The Phoenix Force has an advanced intelligence and a cosmic awareness that allows it to observe events across the Marvel Universe.The Phoenix often chooses mortal hosts with which to bond, feeding on their passions and desires almost like an emotional parasite. This bonding process greatly enhances the host's powers. In the case of Jean Grey, her already impressive telepathy and telekinesis are boosted to almost limitless levels.
The Phoenix can also leave behind remnants of its power in hosts and even inanimate objects when it moves on. For example, a Shi'ar warrior named Korvus wields a blade that contains a piece of the Phoenix Force within.
Dark Phoenix: Origin and Background
The Phoenix Force was first introduced by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum in 1976's Uncanny X-Men #101. That issue features the X-Men nearly meeting their doom aboard a failing spaceship, only for Jean Grey to suddenly manifest newfound levels of power and save the team from crashing into the Hudson.This story kicked off an ongoing mystery that would play out in the pages of Uncanny X-Men for several years. Over time, the X-Men encounter Lilandra and other members of the Shi'ar Empire and learn the true nature of the Phoenix Force and its connection to Jean. At first, Jean is able to use her incredible powers for the benefit of the universe. She even saves the Shi'ar and all of existence from the destructive M'Kraan Crystal.
Unfortunately, Jean slowly finds herself becoming overwhelmed by this power and the influence of the emotion-starved Phoenix. Making matters worse is the interference of the Hellfire Club, an elite organization of mutant power players determined to use the Phoenix's power for their own ends. Thesecomic book villains wind up inadvertently unleashing Jean's full power and sparking her transformation from Phoenix to Dark Phoenix. Now completely out of control, the Dark Phoenix's first act is to devour the D'Bari star system and wipe out billions of lives in an instant.
This act of cosmic genocide attracts the wrath of the Shi'ar Empire and Queen Lilandra's Imperial Guard, The X-Men initially choose to fight the Shi'ar rather than hand over their comrade to face justice. But plagued by guilt over her actions and desperate not to lose control again, Jean sacrifices herself to spare the universe from the wrath of the Dark Phoenix. Marvel opted for this outcome over their originally planned ending, which would have featured Jean turning herself into the Shi'ar and being lobotomized.This was far from the end of the Jean Grey/Phoenix saga, however. Jean herself eventually returned to the X-Men comics, with readers learning that the Phoenix had actually copied her form and left the real Jean Grey buried in stasis in Hudson Bay. This was Marvel's way of bringing the character back while absolving her of her role in the D'Bari massacre.
Many subsequent stories have explored the continued relationship between the Phoenix Force and the Grey/Summers family, with Jean's daughter Rachel and her husband Cyclops both becoming temporary hosts for the Phoenix at different points. A recent Avengers comic revealed that the Phoenix took its first human host 1,000,000 years ago and joined Odin's prehistoric Avengers team.Even Jean herself bonded with the Phoenix and died all over again in the series New X-Men. But with her latest return in the miniseries Phoenix Resurrection, Jean has officially cut ties with the Phoenix Force for good. Her hope is that the Marvel Universe need never face the wrath of Dark Phoenix again.
Dark Phoenix: Beyond the Comics
The Dark Phoenix Saga has taken on new life outside of Marvel's comics. Each of Marvel's animated X-Men shows have featured some version of that story. Most notably, the third season of X-Men: The Animated Series adapts the classic Phoenix storylines in two five-episode arcs called "The Phoenix Saga" and "The Dark Phoenix Saga." However, this version has a happier ending, as Jean ultimately survives the battle with the Shi'ar and is able to return to active duty with the X-Men.Jean's Dark Phoenix form also appeared in subsequent animated series X-Men Evolution, Wolverine and the X-Men and X-Men Anime. Jean's Phoenix form has also appeared in a number of video game series, including X-Men: Mutant Academy, X-Men Legends, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Marvel vs. Capcom.The Dark Phoenix Saga was loosely adapted for film in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, with Famke Janssen's Jean serving as the main antagonist of the film. The Last Stand made numerous changes to the source material, however, including removing the cosmic elements and depicting the Dark Phoenix as Jean's repressed dark side rather than a separate entity. The film attracted criticism from many fans for some of these changes, including the decision to have Jean kill major characters like Cyclops and Professor X before ultimately being killed herself by Wolverine.Fortunately, with 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past effectively rebooting X-Men movie continuity from 1972 onward, the series has a second chance to tackle this beloved source material. Dark Phoenix will offer a new take on a familiar story, this time with Sophie Turner playing the role of Jean and The Last Stand writer Simon Kinberg taking over as director. The film is set in the '90s (roughly a decade after the events of X-Men: Apocalypse) and revolves around Jean battling the emergence of the Phoenix Force and the influence of a manipulative alien villain (played by Jessica Chastain).
