The Dark Phoenix Saga

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The Dark Phoenix Saga is a limited comic book series published by Marvel comics in 1980. It is widely considered a classic, and has been declared one of the best works Marvel came up with. It concerns the story of Jean Grey, long time member of the X-men, who is influenced by the all powerful entity the Phoenix Force, and eventually kills herself as a final act of love, redemption, and sacrifice.

During a fatal space mission, Jean Grey is struck by a solar flare and briefly attains her full potential as a telepath and telekinetic. Her powers had been repressed during childhood by Xavier following a traumatic experience. She merges completely with the entity, adopts the codename of “Phoenix” and repairs the M’kraan Crystal, but struggles to keep her powers under control. Her virtually limitless potential makes her a target for the illusion casting villain Mastermind [Jason Wyngarde] who wishes to enter the inner circle of the Hellfire Club, a mutant supremacist society. With the help of the White Queen, Emma Frost, he seduces Jean with an illusion that makes her believe that her ancestor was the Black Queen of the society. He moulds her into the new Black Queen, but when her fiancé, Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops, engages Wyngarde in a psychic duel and is killed, she breaks free of her illusion and turns upon him. She lashes out at him, saying, “You did all this for power, didn’t you? I will give you power, Jason Wyngarde; power that no mortal has experienced before.” She uses a telepathic illusion to make him experience godhood, driving him insane. Embracing her malefic destiny as Phoenix, she vanquishes the X- Men and soars towards another galaxy. Meanwhile, her presence is detected by hypersensitive heroes across the galaxy, such as Spiderman, Dr Strange, the Silver Surfer, etc.

Her power is not as limitless as she thought; the intergalactic trip leaves her exhausted. To recharge, she casually consumes a star, causing a supernova that kills the population of the surrounding planets. Enraged at this genocide, the empress of the Shi’ar[ an alien race], Lilandra, threatens to destroy the entire galaxy if the X-Men do not stop Phoenix. Xavier engages Jean in a vicious psychic duel and manages to bring her under control, but not for long. Xavier demands Lilandra duel with him. After conferring with the other alien races, the Kree and the Skrull, she agrees. The two move into the Shi’ar arena to fight. Meanwhile, Cyclops is revealed to be alive; only his psychic self was killed. Jean’s strong emotions override Xavier’s psychic restraints. Intending to kill herself as she knows she cannot control herself, she activates a Kree weapon after an emotional farewell to Cyclops.

The story ends with a narration by an alien,” Jean Grey could have lived to become a god. But it was more important to her that she die... a human.”

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