It’s a one-two cosmic teaser punch hinting at the return of a fan favorite mutant. Earlier today EW revealed a Jean Grey teaser image. Now Marvel revealed this teaser image for the third and final act of the Avengers vs X-Men event.
The Phoenix emblem worn by Jean Grey is blazing in cosmic fire as the hands of (X-Men?) are reaching for it with the slogan “There Can Only Be One.”
Here’s the solicitation accompanying the image:
This August, the comic book event of the year – Avengers VS. X-Men – reaches critical mass as Earth’s Mightiest make their last stand against the Phoenix Force. But when the Phoenix Force yearns for a single host, who will it choose? There can only be one! Act Three kicks off in Avengers Vs. X-Men #9.
Expect more teasers and reveals between now and Comicon International but enjoy the speculation.
Jean Grey image by Joe Quesada courtesy Entertainment Weekly
The Phoenix is back. The entity was destined to bond with Hope Summers but (due to Iron Man’s intervention) is hosted by the Phoenix Five (Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Magik and Namor.) Another famous mutant with red hair may be back.
Entertainment Weekly unveiled a tease with art by Marvel CEO Joe Quesada sure to get X-Men fans in a frenzy!
Here’s what’s accompanies the image:
To answer your questions: Yes, this is Jean Grey — as in, the Jean Grey who’s been absent from Marvel comics ever since dying for a second time back in the mid-00s. And yes, she is modeling her vintage blue-and-yellow X-Men outfit from her Marvel Girl days. Does this mean that the fan-favorite character is finally returning? We can only confirm that her presence in the Marvel universe will not be imaginary. This will not be part of the Ultimate line-up. She will not be a zombie hologram, like Shard on X-Factor. What could this all mean? Check back tomorrow, when all the secrets will be revealed. (Or some of them, anyhow.)
EW characterizes the Jean Grey news as part of “an upcoming initiative by Marvel Comics that will build off the current Avengers vs. X-Men crossover and radically alter the Marvel universe as you know it,”
Phoenix: Endsong #1 Cover by Greg Land. Marvel.com
The “return” of Jean Grey? The former host of the Phoenix Force died (a second time depending on how you look at it) in New X-Men #150. Jean ascended to a higher plane (the white hot room) and encouraged Scott to be with rival Emma Frost and rebuild the school – thus preventing a horrific future.
I’ve been speculating that the Scott/Emma era may be over and that Cyclops will be sacrificed or face a heavy loss before Avengers vs X-Men is over. Namor wants Emma. Cyclops would never commit to her – as in propose. An upcoming AvX cover image shows Scott and Emma in Phoenix forms attacking each other. Marvel may be plotting cosmic level breakup!
As I posted back in November – I love you Jean. I hope you stay dead. I may be in the minority on this issue. Let the speculation begin.
Batman amps up his arsenal to fight Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. “The Bat” is Bruce’s plane/chopper hybrid debuting in Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film. The director spoke with SFX Magazine about Batman’s crime fighting tech.
“Batman has always been the most grounded of superheroes because he is just a man whose only identifiable superpower is extraordinary wealth, really. He has resources through Morgan Freeman’s character, Lucius Fox, and his control of Wayne Enterprises, to have all kinds of technology at his disposal. In this film, we explore some interesting new gadgets – some quite startling things, I think. But, at the same time, we tried to never lose of sight of the balance between the technology he uses and his basic humanity – the drive and commitment to justice that comes from him as a man.”
The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20th. You may have noticed on the sidebar of this site that you can buy tickets early via Fandango (top of sidebar) and collector gift cards (choose from Batman, Catwoman or Bane) for your Bat-friend (bottom of sidebar.)
Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1 cover by Jae Lee courtesy DC Comics
Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1 is out this week. Len Wein was editor of the original Watchmen 12 part series. Wein is writing the new miniseries starring the “smartest man on the planet.”
In an interview with the legendary creator at Fan Expo Vancouver I asked Wein about his role as editor then versus writer now and how it relates to the new stories of Before Watchmen. Continue reading Len Wein on Before Watchmen Ozymandias
Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone (as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy) face the Lizard in Amazing Spider-Man but one monster is not enough for the comic book Spidey! If you love the cinematic webslinger then it’s a great time to start reading Amazing Spider-Man.
Dan Slott is pushing Peter Parker to the limit with not one but two monsters on the loose in this week’s Amazing Spider-Man #689. Chapter Two of No Turning Back finds Morbius the Living Vampire is on the loose. Dr. Curt Connors is cured. So who or what is the other Lizard creature on the loose?
Amazing Spider-Man #689 courtesy Marvel
“This summer we’re giving you a chiller; we’re going from wall-crawling to skin crawling,” Writer Dan Slott tells Marvel.com.
You want Daleks? The Doctor Who Season 7 premiere will contain “every Dalek ever!”
The British Film Institute kicks off the new season of Doctor Who a bit early this year at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival with Asylum of the Daleks. Show runner Steven Moffat and other undisclosed guests will be part of the Q & A session.
“The Daleks are coming back and they’re worse than ever. Just you wait until you see what they’re going to do,” Moffat teased to Screen Rant.
“This is an epic Dalek adventure that kicks off the new series in explosive style! If you think you know all there is to know about the Daleks, think again… [The episode will feature] every kind of Dalek ever faced by the Time Lord – including the legendary Special Weapons Dalek,” Caroline Skinner added on the BBC’s official Doctor Who website.
Imperial Dalek from the Doctor Who episode “Remembrance of the Daleks” in 1998 Photo: Erik Skaar
Geek Gush time: I’d like to see the Doctor, Amy and Rory travel back to Skaro. It’s been ages since we’ve seen the Dalek’s homeworld. And I’m proud to say that here in Seattle we have an Imperial Dalek! It’s part of the Icons of Science Fiction Exhibit at EMP Museum. Any Who fan in the Northwest or visiting the Emerald City should put EMP on their list!
