44 Years Later, Marvel Teases the Cosmic Fallout of the DARK PHOENIX Saga

Summary

• Marvel’s upcoming
  Phoenix
  series will explore the legacy of fear caused by Jean Grey’s actions during the “Dark Phoenix Saga.”
• The series, written by Stephanie Phillips and illustrated by Alessandro Miracolo, will take Jean Grey into space, where she will find her attempt to be a cosmic hero must first overcome the widespread negative reputation she has throughout the wider Marvel Universe.
• While Jean Grey has long-since made it clear in
  X-Men’s
  Earth-bound adventures that she is a force for good, the civilizations in the far-flung reaches of the Marvel Universe still speak her name in fear, as a result of the devastation she once caused as Dark Phoenix.

1980’s “Dark Phoenix Saga” irrevocably changed the X-Men franchise in many ways – but that said, it is only now, as Jean Grey embarks on a new solo series over four decades later, that she will have to face the greater repercussions of the storyline, as felt throughout the wider Marvel Universe.

Speaking with AIPT for X-Men Monday, Phoenix writer Stephanie Phillips teased that the complicated history of the Phoenix will be central to Jean Grey’s journey as she takes on a more prominent role as one of Marvel’s most powerful cosmic characters.

Notably, the “Dark Phoenix Saga” featured the destruction of at least one interstellar civilization by the powerful entity, in the guise of Jean Grey. While many X-Men stories have dealt with the personal fallout from this for Jean and Earth’s mutants, Phillips’ new series will explore the legacy of fear that Jean inadvertently sowed throughout the galaxy.

In Marvel’s New PHOENIX Series, Jean Grey Will Face The Sins Of The “Dark Phoenix Saga”

Phoenix #1 – Written By Stephanie Phillips; Art By Alessandro Miracolo

Marvel’s
Phoenix
series will continue to expand the frontiers of the publisher’s cosmos, while at the same time reckoning with one of the darkest chapters in
X-Men
lore.

According to Stephanie Phillips, the story of the “Dark Phoenix Saga” is as influential within the Marvel Universe as it is in the history of the X-franchise. As the author explained, when the upcoming Phoenix series takes Jean Grey off Earth and into the cosmos, she will find that she has a troublesome reputation among the stars. Beyond the confines of the solar system, the Marvel Universe is teeming with life, and there are many alien societies that view the Phoenix as an existential threat.

Regarding how her actions as Dark Phoenix will impact Jean’s upcoming journey, Phillips stated:

I would assume not every civilization is a fan. Yeah, Jean isn’t going to be immediately welcomed by everyone. What the Dark Phoenix did has a lasting impact across the entire universe. Even civilizations not directly impacted have heard the stories… like a myth that has been told over and over — changed in different ways as it has spread across the galaxy and beyond. That’s something Jean needs to deal with both literally and emotionally.

By exploring how the far-flung species of the universe have come to view Jean, Marvel’s Phoenix series will continue to expand the frontiers of the publisher’s cosmos, while at the same time reckoning with one of the darkest chapters in X-Men lore. The destruction of an entire civilization at the hands of Dark Phoenix has long generated moral debate among X-fans, and now the complex questions raised by the iconic storyline will be addressed directly by Marvel.

The scale of the destruction caused by the Phoenix in the “Dark Phoenix Saga” is a peak example of the ambitious, massive-scope storytelling that became synonymous with Marvel Comics in the 1970s – a tradition that the latest generation of Marvel writers has enthusiastically embraced. With the upcoming Phoenix solo title, Stephanie Phillips is set to offer another valuable entry in the publisher’s catalog of stories that probe the deep reaches of space, and in the process, seek answers to deep, profound questions.

Jean’s New Solo Adventure Will Confront The Phoenix’s Complex Cosmic Legacy

“Dark Phoenix Saga,” Uncanny X-Men #129-#138 – Written By Chris Claremont; Art By John Byrne

The balance between grand exterior spectacle, and resonant interior character progression, is one of the things that underlies Marvel’s most successful stories. By design,
Phoenix
seems set to excel at delivering both.

Since the Phoenix concept first appeared in Marvel canon, it has been expanded on vastly by decades’ worth of X-franchise storytelling. In some ways, the Phoenix has become inseparable from the Marvel Universe itself – yet, like any cosmic deity, it has inspired as much terror throughout the stars as worship. Marvel’s Phoenix will deal with this complicated status directly, as Jean Grey seeks to use her great power unlike ever before, seeking to quell unrest beyond the confines of Earth.

For Jean Grey to become a cosmic hero as Phoenix, however, she will have to face the harsh reality that she has a widespread reputation as a great evil, as a bringer of destruction. Writer Stephanie Phillips framed the pivotal questions for her upcoming run as:

How can she save people who, at many points, are terrified of her and see her as the villain? Can she change their minds? Does it even matter if she changes their mind? She needs to grapple with all of these questions and come to terms with how she feels about her bond with the Phoenix Force throughout it all.

As with any great cosmic Marvel adventure, the interstellar action and adventure will be grounded in a character’s emotional journey. In this case, Jean will wrestle with questions about the nature of her role as the Phoenix that are decades overdue.

The balance between grand exterior spectacle, and resonant interior character progression, is one of the things that underlies Marvel’s most successful stories. By design, Phoenix seems set to excel at delivering both. Jean Grey and the Phoenix have always been unique among Marvel’s roster of cosmic-powered characters, and author Stephanie Phillips has apparently finally identified that as a feature of the character, rather than a bug; as a result, she may be in a position to tell the definitive Phoenix story.

“Phoenix” Writer Teases “Literal Embodiment” Of The Galaxy’s Fear Of Jean Grey

An Exciting New Cosmic Character

A prominent adversary is essential to a superhero story, and it sounds as though
Phoenix
will deliver its potent questions about the legacy of its protagonist through the mechanism of a strong opponent for Jean Grey to grapple with.

Readers should also take note of something else Stephanie Phillips said in her interview with AIPT for X-Men Monday. Phillips teased that as much while Jean Grey will deal with the history of the Dark Phoenix on a thematic level, and in the plot, this legacy will be further distilled into a brand-new Marvel Comics cosmic character. As the author explained:

This is one of the central elements of the story we’re telling and the new character we’re introducing will be the literal embodiment of the fear that people have for Jean in the universe.

While there are no further details on this character yet, this significantly adds to the anticipation for the Phoenix series.

A prominent adversary is essential to a superhero story, and it sounds as though Phoenix will deliver its potent questions about the legacy of its protagonist through the mechanism of a strong opponent for Jean Grey to grapple with. From their inception, it sounds like this new character will be far from a clear-cut, unambiguous villain, but rather will immediately introduced as a complex, possibly even heroic figure. Once again, this creative decision should lead to as impactful a Phoenix story as Marvel has ever produced.

“Phoenix” Can Offer Jean Grey More Than Rebirth – It Can Be A Redemption

Forging A New Cosmic Chapter

Writer Stephanie Phillips has the opportunity to establish Jean Grey as more than just a founding member of the X-Men, but as the most exciting cosmic Marvel hero that the company has to offer.

Among the most exciting things about Phoenix and its cosmic setting is the fact that Jean Grey will get to be the unequivocal center of the book. Though in the intervals between her various deaths, Jean has remained an important character in the X-Men franchise, but she has been perennially defined by her romantic life, or paradoxically limited by the vast scope of her power, or otherwise, played a pivotal role as one of many characters in a team book.

Phoenix removes her from the familiar context of the X-Men, and that foundational creative choice is the first of many positive signs about the series. While her Phoenix powers have offered Jean Grey repeated resurrections over the years, the upcoming Phoenix series will be the first to give her the chance to rehabilitate the ancient cosmic force’s reputation among the civilizations of the Marvel Universe. Though in the eyes of X-Men fans, Jean may have long since redeemed herself for the “Dark Phoenix Saga,” Marvel can now offer the character a true shot at her own form of absolution.

With this in mind, Phoenix has become one of the most highly anticipated Marvel releases of the year, as it heralds the potential for an entirely new era for one of the X-franchise’s most beloved characters. In her new series, Jean has the potential to reshape, and definitively redefine, how the people of the Marvel Universe understand the Phoenix. Just as writer Stephanie Phillips has the opportunity to establish Jean Grey as more than just a founding member of the X-Men, but as the most exciting cosmic Marvel hero that the company has to offer.

Source: AIPT, X-Men Monday

Phoenix
#1
will be available July 17, 2024.