Jean Grey

Jean Grey, is a fictional superhero who lives in the . Using the codenames Marvel Girl and later Phoenix, Jean Grey is best known as a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, she first appears in X-Men #1 (September 1963).

Jean Grey is a mutant born with vast telepathic and telekinetic powers. She is a caring, nurturing figure, but she also must deal with being an Omega-level mutant and frequent host of the cosmic Phoenix Force. She dies several times in the history of the series, first in the classic "Dark Phoenix Saga," but due to her connection with the Phoenix Force, she, as her namesake implies, rises from death.

Jean is an important figure in the lives of Professor X, Wolverine, and husband Cyclops. She has is present for much of the X-Men's history, and she is featured in both X-Men animated series and several video games. Famke Janssen portrays Jean Grey in the X-Men films.

Character history

Origin

Jean Grey is born to Dr. John Grey and Elaine Grey. She has an older sister named Sara Grey, and they live in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, where Dr. Grey works as a history professor at Bard College. Her father, mother, and sister are all humans but Jean is a mutant. Jean's powers first manifest at the age of ten, prematurely triggered when her best friend is hit by a car. As her friend lies dying, Jean instinctively links to her mind and the trauma of experiencing her friend's death nearly kills Jean as well, but instead leaves her in a coma.

Jean's parents seek the expertise of specialists to rouse her out of her catatonic state but only Professor Charles Xavier is able to help. Xavier realizes that Jean's young mind cannot yet cope with her abilities, so he telepathically blocks her access to them, allowing her powers to evolve at a more natural pace. Jean develops her telekinetic powers at the age of 13. As a teenager, Jean leaves her parents to attend Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and, using the codename "Marvel Girl", becomes the first female X-Man. X-Men (Vol. 1) #1, 1963

Romance

Jean and Scott have a mutual crush, but neither is aware of the other's feelings and both are too shy to make a move. Jean once has a date with Angel, but insists on taking Scott along, which confuses and frustrates both men. When Jean leaves to pursue tertiary education at Metro College, it further widens the gap between Scott and Jean; however, Jean and Scott later admit they are in love with each other and date openly. Professor X and Jean Grey seem to have some romantic feelings for each other in the beginning of the X-Men series. However, she does not think he could care for her because she is only a young girl, and he believes that she could not care for him because he is a paraplegic. This storyline is soon abandoned when Jean develops feelings for Scott.

Jean is also drawn to Logan, who falls in love with her. Most of the time Logan respects Jean's relationship, and the two share a deep friendship which, despite emotional and physical attraction, doesn't affect her feelings toward her husband. In Grant Morrison's New X-Men stories, Jean increasingly talks to Logan about her marital problems, and Logan tries to help the married couple reconcile, even convincing Jean to return to Scott when Scott has an affair with Emma Frost.

Phoenix

After Xavier recruits a new team of X-Men to help save the others from KrakoaGiant-Size X-Men #1, 1975, most senior members leave, including Jean. Scott feels that he belongs with the X-Men, and this upsets Jean. She remains in contact with the X-Men and becomes good friends with Ororo Munroe (Storm).

While Jean and Scott are having a romantic evening in Manhattan,Uncanny X-Men #98, 1992 they, Wolverine, and Banshee, are abducted by Sentinels. They are taken to an abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. orbital platform under the command of the anti-mutant activist Steven Lang, who is plotting to unleash a new generation of Sentinels. The other X-Men rescue them. During the space station's destruction,Uncanny X-Men #100, 1992 the X-Men find that their shuttle has been damaged in an earlier fight with the Sentinels. The X-Men decide that someone must stay at the controls and pilot the ship, while everyone else remains in the shuttle's heavily-shielded life cell. Knowing no one else could survive long enough to pilot the shuttle to safety, Jean uses her telepathy to learn how to pilot the shuttle and her telekinesis to block the radiation as she pilots the ship back to Earth. Her telekinetic shields give way under the onslaught of the intense radiation. The strain of holding the solar radiation at bay with her powers destroys the psychic shields Xavier placed in her mind as a child. The shuttle crashes, and Jean emerged from the water, imbued with cosmic powers. As Phoenix, Jean's psi-powers become stronger, and she manifests a fiery bird-shaped energy aura whenever she used her powers to their fullest extent.Uncanny X-Men #101-108

In the "Dark Phoenix Saga", Mastermind tampers with Jean's mind, and she loses control of her powers and becomes the Dark Phoenix, attacking her friends and teammates and destroying a populated solar system's star. Jean regains her sanity long enough to commit suicide rather than risk becoming the Dark Phoenix again and killing anyone else.Uncanny X-Men #129-138

In the original plot, Jean Grey survives, but editorial concerns led to a re-write of the ending of Uncanny X-Men issue #137. The original ending, as well as an explanation for the changes, was published in the one-shot Phoenix: The Untold Story. In the original ending, instead of turning into Phoenix again during the X-Men's battle with the Shi'ar Imperial Guard, Jean is overpowered and captured. Lilandra has Jean subjected to what amounts to a psychic lobotomy, leaving Jean without any of her telepathic or telekinetic powers. In the end, Jean is allowed to return to Earth with the rest of the X-Men, "cured" of the power and madness of Dark Phoenix. The one-shot also reveals the original splash page drawn for Uncanny X-Men #138, which shows Jean and Scott in a happier time, contrasted with the splash page actually published in issue #138 that shows Jean's funeral.

John Byrne, penciller on Uncanny X-Men, had strong feelings against how powerful Phoenix had become and worked with writer Chris Claremont to effectively remove Phoenix from the storyline, initially by removing her powers; however, Byrne's decision to have Dark Phoenix destroy an inhabited solar system in Uncanny X-Men #135 caused some consternation with the editors, who felt that since Jean had now become a mass murderer on a global scale, her "punishment" at the end of issue #137 was too light. As a result, the last chapter of issue #137 was completely rewritten with Phoenix's powers returning and escalating out of control, forcing her to end her own life rather than risk destroying any more worlds.

Return

The Avengers find a strange pod lying on the bottom of a bay, which they send to Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. The pod cracks open and Jean emerges. Jean has no memories from the time she flew the shuttle until she hatched from the cocoon. Due to the Richards' technology, Jean is now without her telepathy, but her telekinesis is much more pwerful. The former X-Men are contacted and she reunites with them.Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #286

During the time in which Jean is thought dead, Scott met a pilot named Madelyne Pryor. They marry and produce a son, Nathan Christopher Charles Summers. When Scott hears Jean is alive, he leaves Pryor. Shortly afterward, he joins Jean and the other founding X-Men to create X-FactorX-Factor (Vol. 1) #1. He calls Madelyne to try to persuade her to come to New York. When he receives no answer, he assumes that his wife had left him. In truth, Mr. Sinister kidnapped Madelyne and Nathan. Mr. Sinister had created Madelyne from Jean Grey's DNA, believing the offspring of Jean Grey and Scott Summers would be a genetically superior mutant who possessed incredible powers.

With her purpose fulfilled, Sinister turns Madelyne over to the Marauders. The X-Men rescue her and she joins them. Wanting to rescue her son from Mr. Sinister, Madelyne makes a pact with demons, and using her despair, the goblins make her their queen, driving her insane. Madelyne attempts to sacrifice Nathan in a ritual that will bring the demons of Limbo into the world. Madelyne dies in a climactic battle with Jean after she links their minds and wills herself to die -- hoping the link will kill Jean as well. It does not work, and Jean gains all the memories of both Madelyne and the Dark Phoenix.The X-Men: Inferno crossover, 1983

Jean becomes a member of the X-Men's "Gold Team" led by Storm when X-Factor joins with Xavier.Uncanny X-Men #281, 1992 Jean is instrumental in saving Wolverine's life when Magneto rips the adamantium from his skeleton."Fatal Attractions": X-Men (Vol. 2) #25, Wolverine (Vol. 2) #75, 1994 Using her telekinesis, Jean holds Logan's body together and supports his healing factor. When her physical body dies in a Sentinel attack,Jean survives by transferring her psyche into the body of the comatose Emma Frost. While in Emma's body, Jean uses telekinesis, an ability that Emma never used. Jean is later restored to her original body with the help of Xavier and Forge.

Marriage

Jean proposes to Scott and they marry.X-Men (Vol. 2) #30, 1994 During their honeymoon, they are taken into the future to raise Scott's son Nathan. The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1-4, 1994 After returning, Jeans resumes using the name Phoenix as an attempt to redeem both the entity and herself and to honour her time-traveling future daughter Rachel, who had been announced dead. During a battle with Apocalypse, Scott merges with the villain. Jean and Psylocke switch powers, and Jean adds Psylocke's shadowy pychokinetic powers to her own telepathy. Jean begins to manifest fiery raptor effects as the physical manifestation of her powers. Jean learns that Cyclops is alive, and searches for him with her step-son Cable (Nathan). Jean uses her increased telepathic powers to separate Cyclops' and Apocalypse's spirits. Having her husband back helps Jean accept her role as host of the Phoenix Force and the telekinetic powers it recreates for her.

A combination of Jean's duties as headmistress of the Xavier Institute, her re-emerging Phoenix powers, and Scott's temporary merger with Apocalypse drives a wedge between the couple. Jean had attempts to rebuild the relationship, but Scott remains distant, refusing to sleep with her. Scott turns to Emma Frost, who takes advantage of Scott's emotional problems, which leads to a telepathic extra-marital affair."Riot at Xavier's": New X-Men #138, 2003 When confronted by Jean, Scott claims that they shared "only thoughts" and that he had done nothing wrong; Jean, however, disagrees and demands that Emma explain herself, but Emma only jeers and insults her. Enraged, Jean unleashes the Phoenix power on Emma, rifling through her memories and forcing her to confront the truth about herself."Murder at the Mansion": New X-Men #139, 2003

Later, Wolverine and Phoenix are propelled towards the sun while on Asteroid M. About to die, Wolverine reluctantly stabs Phoenix so she will not have to die an agonizing death in the intense solar heat. Seconds before they collide with the sun, the Phoenix Force manifests within Jean, and she saves them both. She tells him that by killing her, he helped her release the "Phoenix Consciousness." Arriving on Earth, they encounter Magneto, who mortally injures Phoenix by transferring a large amount of electro-magnetic energy to her brain, inducing a "planetary-scale stroke." As Jean dies in Scott's arms, she tells him to live."Planet X": New X-Men #150, 2004

Here Comes Tomorrow

When Scott Summers refusal of Emma Frost's offer to re-open Xavier's Institute creates a future timeline in which Hank McCoy re-opens the school. Under the pressure, he takes the drug "Kick", which is revealed to be the aerosol form of the villain John Sublime, who possesses Hank McCoy and drives him insane. 150 years later, the near-immortal Beast tries to resurrect Phoenix and use her to destroy the world, only to be defeated by Jean. Phoenix then carries out her disinfection and absorbs the future universe into the "White Hot Room", a higher plane of reality with other Phoenix hosts. She wears a white variation of her Dark Phoenix outfit and is revealed to be the "White Phoenix of the Crown". Jean reaches back in time and tells Scott to live. Instead of refusing Emma and leaving the institute, Scott chooses to be with Emma and keep the Xavier Institute alive."Here Comes Tomorrow": New X-Men #151-154, 2004

Endsong

In the 2005 X-Men: Phoenix – Endsong limited series, the Shi'ar resurrect the Phoenix Force prematurely in hopes of destroying it while it is relatively weak. The Shi'ar reference Jean Grey as the Phoenix's Heart and hope to be rid of the Phoenix for good. The Phoenix manages to escape and flee to Earth where it needs a host to sustain itself. The entity resurrects Jean and bonds with her once more. Jean knows she should not be alive and that her resurrection is terribly wrong.

The Phoenix Force is mentally unbalanced from being brought out prematurely. Jean has a confrontation with Wolverine before the Shi'ar shoot a miniature black hole at the two, trying to dismiss the Phoenix forever. The Phoenix Force teleports Jean and Wolverine to the North Pole where Jean has regained some control over the Phoenix Force. She has Wolverine stab her several times, leaving the Phoenix Force weakened. Wolverine asks her whether she is Jean or the Phoenix, Jean responds "I am always Jean and always the Phoenix." Jean then plunges herself through the ice, freezing instantly.

The X-Men arrive at the North Pole in the Blackbird, where Wolverine tells them that "Jean is dead. Or as close as she can get." The Phoenix Force manifests independent of Jean's body and tries to seduce Cyclops into firing his optic blasts at it, to feed off of the raw solar energy. Cyclops is able to resist the Phoenix's seductions with the help of Emma Frost. Emma convinces the Phoenix Force to possess her to get Cyclops' optic blasts. Consumed by the Phoenix Force, Emma loses control and Cyclops is forced to free Jean from her icy entombment with an optic blast.

The revived Jean telepathically assaults the Phoenix Force and rips it from Emma. Jean confronts the Phoenix Force and the Force recognizes what it has been longing for has always been within Jean. The Force consumes Jean and the Phoenix begins to "burn away all that doesn't work ... kill them all." With the help of Cerebra, Emma and the Stepford Cuckoos contact all of the X-Men around the world to focus their love into Jean. Jean's costume turns white as she tearfully exclaims "my friends." As White Phoenix, she saves the team from a black hole event horizon created by the exploding Shi’ar ship. Before returning to the White Hot Room, Scott tells her to remember who she is. She asks Scott to remove his visor because she wants to see his eyes. Enveloped in his optic blast, she departs, giving Scott one last goodbye.X-Men: Phoenix Endsong #1-5, 2005

Warsong

At the conclusion of Endsong, one of the Stepford Cuckoos (Emma Frost's telepathic students) is shown to be in communion with a small "firefly" of the Phoenix Force. Recently it was announced that this cliffhanger will be addressed in the sequel: X-Men : Phoenix - Warsong. Available in September 2006, Greg Pak is returning as writer. He has said that Warsong "is not another Jean Grey resurrection story. It's an essential Phoenix story, and therefore ultimately an essential tale for understanding Jean Grey." ^* Pak also stated that Warsong will lay the groundwork for the future of both Jean and the Phoenix.

Powers and abilities

Jean Grey is an Omega-level mutant, one of the first five most powerful mutants in the universe, and the physical avatar of the vastly powerful Phoenix Force. Jean Grey's dual psionic potential gives her nearly limitless mutant telepathy and telekinesis.

Phoenix is considered to be one of the Earth's most powerful telepathic minds, rivalling Professor X. Jean's telepathy allows her to communicate with others telepathically, read the thoughts of others, influence decisions, control minds, manipulate memories, cast her mind into the astral plane, or fire stunning "mental bolts" capable of knocking out or turning someone brain-dead. Jean is one of the few telepaths skilled enough to communicate with animals (animals with high intelligence, such as dolphins Classic X-Men # 13, 1987,dogs X-men Unlimited # 44, 2003, and ravens Uncanny X-Men # 357, 1998). She also has telekinesis of an unparalleled level, capable of grasping objects in Earth orbit and manipulating hundreds of components in mid-air in complex patterns. She can use her telekinesis to levitate objects, other people, or herself and project a telekinetic shield capable of withstanding missile blasts. She can also release devastating force blasts.

When Jean absorbs Psylocke's specialized telepathic powers, her own telepathy is increased so that she can physically manifest her telepathy as a psionic firebird whose claws can inflict both physical and mental damage. Jean can use this amplified telepathy to increase temporarily the speed of neural signals in brains and mutant's powers to incredible levels. She briefly develops a psychic shadow form like Psylocke's, a gold Phoenix emblem over her eye.

The Phoenix can revive, absorb, rechannel, and preserve any kind of lifeform, since the Phoenix is the sum of all lifeforce. The Phoenix powers boost Jean's psi-powers, allowing her to rearrange matter at a subatomic level, fly unaided through space, and create intense heat blasts by stimulating molecular activity. She manifests a "telekinetic sensitivity" that lets her feel the texture of objects on which she has a telekinetic hold, feel when other objects come into contact with them, and probe them at a molecular level. When she engages her Phoenix powers, Jean is surrounded in a flame-like energy corona that takes the form of a large bird of fire. As the Phoenix, Jean can resurrect herself after death.

Jean learns that she is the "White Phoenix of the Crown" and as such has the power to manipulate limitless amounts and forms of energy at magnitudes limited only by her imagination, to control and repair entire timelines, and to travel to other dimensions and timelines by creating portals between realities. In What If? The X-Men Xavier reveals that Phoenix's mind resonates across the multiverse and may be a nexus of realities, similar to the M'Kraan Crystal.

Namesake ancestor

Jean Grey has an ancestor that lived during the time of the American Revolution, and was herself also a member of the Hellfire Club.

Alternate Versions

Age of Apocalypse

In the "Age of Apocalypse" storyline, Jean is a student of Magneto who falls in love with fellow student Weapon X. Weapon X rescues her after Mr. Sinister kidnaps her and combines her extracted DNA with that of Cyclops) to clone the perfect mutant. Weapon X and Jean live happily together until Jean learns of a plan to drop nuclear bombs on the United States to kill Apocalypse. Jean tries to stop the attack with the aid of Cyclops and holds back the nuclear bombs with her telekinesis. She dies at the hands of Cyclops' brother Prelate Havok.

In a tenth-anniversary limited series, Sinister, who had also been killed in the "Age of Apocalypse" event, finds that Jean's DNA contains special properties and that she should have access to the powers of "Mutant Alpha", the legendary "first mutant". He resurrects her, and she displays the powers of "Mutant Alpha", which look like Phoenix Force powers. Jean turns on Sinister and incinerates him. Jean becomes leader of the X-Men at Magneto's behest.

Ultimate Jean Grey/Marvel Girl

In the Ultimate Marvel continuity, Jean Grey is a responsible but extroverted teenage girl. She has a sexual affair with Wolverine but soon drops him for Cyclops after Wolverine admits to her that he joined the X-Men to assassinate Professor X for Magneto. Xavier found Jean Grey while she was in a mental hospital, having problems controlling her telepathy and having troublesome visions of a Phoenix raptor.

Marvel Mangaverse Jean Grey

In the original Marvel Mangaverse X-Men and X-Men Ronin stories, Jean is a powerful telepath and telekinetic and calls herself Marvel Girl, but she also has access to the Phoenix Force. The three-issue X-Men: Phoenix - Legacy of Fire limited series, involves a separate character based on Jean Grey named "Jena Pyre". Jena and her sister Madelyne are the guardians of the "Phoenix Sword", whose power Jena absorbs. The miniseries infamously depicts the lead characters in near-nudity. The series' rating was raised from PG to PG+ before issue #1 was released, and the series was moved to the MAX mature readers imprint for issues #2 and #3.

Appearances in other media

Television

Jean Grey is a character in the X-Men animated television series of the mid-1990s, voiced by Catherine Disher. She also appears a flashback in an episode, "The Origin of Iceman" of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends in the early 1980s.

In the animated TV series Evolution, Jean, voiced by Venus Terzo, is beautiful and popular. Her powers are similar to those in the early comic books; she possesses telepathy and telekinesis, only able to move objects telekinetically that she could move by hand. By the third season, she can levitate objects as heavy as a helicopter without difficulty. When her powers surge, Jean finds herself losing control, overhearing thoughts without effort. The X-Men help her to regain control, leading her to form a psychic rapport with her teammate Scott Summers. The series ends with glimpses of the future for various characters, and Jean is shown transforming into Dark Phoenix. Had the show been renewed for a fifth season, this subplot would have been further developed.

Film

In the feature films X-Men, X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, Famke Janssen portrays Jean Grey.

In X-Men, Jean is introduced as the team’s medical doctor and is involved in a long-term relationship with Cyclops. A love triangle develops between her, Cyclops, and Wolverine. Jean's powers are tame compared to her teammates, and her telepathy is not as powerful as that of Professor X, who is teaching her to develop it. In X2, Jean exhibits Phoenix-like powers when she tries to deflect missiles fired at the X-Men. Her eyes turn fiery and she destroys one missile, and again when she fights Cyclops, who is under William Stryker's control. At the end of X2, Jean sacrifices herself to save her teammates from a ruptured dam. Just before the waters crash into her and drown her, Jean is engulfed in fire. At the end of X2, a phoenix apparition is seen under the lake where Jean died.

In X-Men: The Last Stand, Jean appears in a form similar to Dark Phoenix. When using her Phoenix powers, Jean's appearance changes considerably: Her skin darkens to an almost dead appearance and her eyes turn black. In the movie, Callisto tells Magneto that Jean is a "Class 5" mutant with unlimited potential, saying Grey is even more powerful than him. As a child, Jean developed a split personality, she called "Phoenix". Fearing that Jean could not control her vast powers, Xavier put psychic blocks around her subconscious mind to keep Jean's immense powers at bay.

Phoenix emerges from the lake where Jean had died and kills Scott Summers. She joins Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants after destroying Xavier at her childhood home. During an attack on a pharmaceutical company, Phoenix destroys much of Alcatraz Island and kills mutants and humans alike. Wolverine gets Jean Grey to re-surface, and she begs him to kill her. He tells her he loves her and then stabs her with his claws, killing her.

Video Games

Jean Grey appears as Marvel Girl, a playable character in 1990's The Fall of the Mutants for the PC. Jean is a supporting character in X-Men for the Sega Genesis. She appears as Phoenix in her blue-and-gold uniform in Gamemaster's Legacy for the Sega Game Gear.

Jean also appears as Phoenix in the Mutant Academy games for the Sony PlayStation and as Phoenix and Dark Phoenix in Next Dimension for the PS2, Xbox, and Nintendo Gamecube. She appears as "Ultimate Jean Grey" in X-Men Legends and its sequel Rise of Apocalypse as a playable character.

References

External links

MDP:Jean Grey - Marvel Database Project
Wikitree: Jean Grey
Jean Grey at X-Girls4 Central
UncannyXmen.net, Spotlight feature on Jean Grey/Phoenix
Greg Pak on 'Phoenix Warsong'
Profile at Mutanthigh.com

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