Long live Jean Grey. Again.
I once wrote “I love you Jean, please stay dead.” I was torn over Jean’s return. I’m no longer torn. I’m intrigued, excited and thrilled a comic book can still shock me.
PHOENIX RESURRECTION: THE RETURN OF JEAN GREY heralded the comeback of the (adult) and dead Jean. No spoilers here because Marvel has been teasing it for months. X-Fans may not be ready for what else this issue is packing.
Writer Matthew Rosenberg and artist Leinil Francis Yu craft an issue that truly captures why X-fans love these characters.
In an age of spoilers (both planned, leaked and unplanned) it’s uncanny that you can still pick up an issue and still have your mind blown by something you didn’t see coming. (I know this is ironic coming from the guy who about to give a spoiler warning below!)
Young Jean has been preparing herself for a confrontation with the Phoenix Force in her solo book since the ResurrXion lineup began. X-fans got more than expected in a powerful first issue.
Before we continue here’s a SPOILER ALERT!
If you have not read PHOENIX RESURRECTION #1 and JEAN GREY #10 (and while we’re at it ASTONISHING X-Men #6) stop reading now and get to the comic book store!
Seriously.
OK.
Here it comes.
The younger Jean was recently killed by the Phoenix Force. The entity wanted young Jean out of the way to bond with the adult Jean again. As this story begins, strange energies send three squads of X-Men to points around the globe:
Let’s start the cosmic mutant mystery tour:
Annandale-on-Hudson
The X-Men discover two children floating just off the ground and bleeding from their faces after an encounter with a hollowed eyed little girl who came back to life to say a nonsensical sentence before a different girl arrived to attack with birds.
Annandale-on-Hudson is the home of Jean Grey’s family. This is significant to Rachel who says she once had family here. The Shi’ar sent a squad to wipe out the entire Grey family in a storyline called END OF GREYS. The Shi’ar believed by killing the family they could prevent the return of the Phoenix. At the time, the deceased Jean (killed in the PLANET X finale) had ascended to The White Hot Room – think of it as a Heaven for Phoenix hosts – and welcomed her just killed relatives.
All the X-teams regroup. Beast reveals energy readings and Kitty sends three teams to the trio of locations – all connected to X-Men history.
The former Hellfire Club in Manhattan:
The Gold team investigate the headquarters of the infamous Inner Circle (Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Mastermind) who seduced Jean and unleashed Dark Phoenix in the classic DARK PHOENIX SAGA. The Gold team is attacked by old school Hellfire Club soldiers who vanish like phantoms.
Mont Saint Francis
This was the scene of a major fight in X-MEN #300 between the mutants and Magneto’s Acolytes. Rogue and the Blue team are attacked by Seamus, a monstrous mutant who was an Acolyte and is supposed to be dead. This was during the Blue and Gold team era when Jean wore the gold and blue uniform.
The North Pole
The Weapon X team goes to this place where the Phoenix Force tried to resurrect Jean in the pages of PHOENIX: ENDSONG. What Old Man Logan and the squad find looks like the original Wolverine in his classic yellow and blue costume.
The entire world then looks up to see a fiery bird image in the sky.
We see the original Jean working at a diner. Jean doesn’t appear to recognize the iconic image and goes back into the diner where one of her customers is….
Banshee? Jean calls him Mr. Cassidy. He calls her “Lass.” You can just hear his Irish accent – or is what wishful thinking? Banshee was killed by Vulcan (Scott and Alex Summer’s little brother) in DEADLY GENESIS. Banshee was resurrected by the Apocalypse Twins to be one of their Four Horsemen in UNCANNY AVENGERS but was left with death seed energy inside. Is Banshee really cured and back? Why is he hanging out in the diner? Does he know Jean or their X-Men past?
But wait there’s more.
Jean gets off work to go home to be welcomed by her (alive) parents then there’s a knock on the door from….
Scott Summers. The dead X-Man is wearing his ruby quartz glasses and holding flowers for his “sweetheart.”
Cyke was killed by M-Pox (the disease caused by the Inhuman Terrigeneses) in DEATH OF X.
What if PHOENIX RESURRECTION isn’t just the return of Jean but everyone she was connected with? You may remember Scott was one of the five hosts of the Phoenix Force in AVENGERS VS X-MEN. Scott eventually took all the fragments from the other hosts and killed Professor Xavier.
Could the Phoenix be behind Professor Xavier’s return in ASTONISHING X-MEN? The Professor’s mind was trapped in the astral plane in a battle with The Shadow King. Charles is now in the body of Fantomex. This will play out in A MAN CALLED X as ASTONISHING X-MEN continues.
Is the Phoenix behind Wolverine’s return? In MARVEL LEGACY #1 Logan is free of his adamantium cocoon prison, alive and in possession of an Infinity Gem. Logan’s story will continue in the back pages of upcoming issues – very similar to the end credits teasers in Marvel movies.
If young Jean is a victim, will other X-Men from different timelines (Rachel, the X-Men Blue cast, Cable) be next?
What does Jean’s return mean for other Phoenix hosts (Hope Summers, Stepford Cuckoos, Emma Frost, Quentin Quire) are all in the showdown in the next and final JEAN GREY issue.
What is The Phoenix Force has created this seemingly normal world where they were never X-Men as a different kind of White Hot Room for dead X-Men about to be resurrected?
The story continues in four more chapters of PHOENIX RESURRECTION then Jean will lead her own team in X-MEN RED.
The ghosts of dead X-Men and the spirit of the books is driving the future of the mutants. As they say in the comics, “hope you survive the experience!” and definitely enjoy the ride.
By Editor