Warning: Potential spoilers for Dark Web #1The powerful X-Men leader Jean Grey is infamous for her cosmic connection to the primordial entity known as the Phoenix, and a new variant cover for the upcoming Dark Web #1 may have revealed that Jean is finally tapping into the Phoenix Force once again.
Although the Phoenix Force has often been intrinsically tied to Jean Grey, particularly because of the beloved Dark Phoenix Saga that saw Phoenix/Jean turn evil and genocide an entire planet, it has had many hosts throughout the millennia, like the recently revealed Theodora Szardos from the 11th century, or the current host Maya Lopez. However, the Phoenix has explicitly said that Jean is its perfect host, so Marvel almost always finds a way to return the Phoenix Force power to Jean in some shape or form, confirming she is the one and only “White Phoenix of the Crown.”
The upcoming Dark Web event will be a major crossover between the X-Men and Spider-Man, and will see the heroes attempt to thwart Madelyne Pryor’s plans to take over of New York City. Madelyne will seek to accomplish this with a horde of demons from Limbo as well as the now-evil Ben Reilly, operating as the new Spider-Man villain Chasm. Now, in a recently revealed variant cover for Dark Web #1, illustrated and shared by artist David Baldeón, it appears as though Jean may be tapping into the power of the Phoenix Force once again.With Dark Web evoking the beloved crossover event Inferno from 1989, which also saw Pryor attacking NYC with demons from Limbo, it makes perfect sense that Jean Grey may return to using a part of the Phoenix Force since the Dark Phoenix Saga occurred in the early 1980s. Jean’s connection to the Phoenix has been an extremely hot topic lately, as the Progenitor’s judgment of Jean during the recent Judgment Day event saw the Celestial deem Jean unworthy because of her genocide of the D’Bari people when she was the Dark Phoenix.
Phoenix Force Jean Grey May Finally Be Returning
It was later retconned that the Dark Phoenix was never Jean, but the Phoenix taking her form, but many writers have ignored that detail. Instead, they’ve embraced the concept that, regardless of the Phoenix taking on other temporary hosts, Jean is the Phoenix and the Phoenix is Jean. Fans of the X-Men and Jean Grey in particular have a lot of opinions and big feelings about the Phoenix Force and Jean’s natural connection to “the power of life incarnate,” so there is no doubt that a potential return of Phoenix Jean will excite many readers. One interesting aspect to a return of Phoenix Jean is how it would impact her relationship with her husband and partner Scott Summers, who has always harbored deep-seated fear of the Phoenix Force.
Jean May Finally Be Able To Control The Phoenix
However, there have been times throughout Jean’s history where she has drawn on the power of the Phoenix Force without directly playing host to the Phoenix. She’s also been shown to be the only person capable of controlling, and even tricking, the Phoenix entity into letting her use its power or even resurrecting her from the dead. At the conclusion of the recent Judgment Day event Jean Grey announced “The Phoenix Foundation,” which will be a non-profit program that selects specific humans, particularly those who are marginalized and oppressed, to be resurrected using Krakoa’s Resurrection Protocols. Clearly Jean Grey is now fully embracing her connection to the Phoenix Force, and publicly attempting to atone for the horrors she caused during the Dark Phoenix Saga by not only taking accountability, but also helping people in dire need.
Of course, the Phoenix raptor manifesting behind Jean in Baldeón’s cover for Dark Web #1 could just be an artistic choice to emphasize the incredible power the X-Men’s Jean has regardless of her active connection to the Phoenix Force, but it would be truly iconic if Jean Grey were able to fully manifest the Phoenix again and be able to control it, especially after her recent judgment by the Progenitor.
Dark Web #1 debuts in stores on December 7th, 2022.
