Jean Grey
|
|
Jean Grey is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She has used the code names Marvel Girl and Phoenix during her career, and is a member of the X-Men. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, she first appeared in X-Men #1 (1963).
Jean Grey is a mutant, born with the abilities of telepathy and telekinesis.
| Contents |
|
|
Character history
Family
Jean Grey was born to Dr. John and Elaine Grey. Her father was employed as a professor by the History Department of Bard College in Annandale-on Hudson, New York. She had an older sister named Sara Grey who would later marry Paul Bailey. Sara was eventually absorbed by the Phalanx. She has been survived by her son Joey Bailey and daughter Gailyn Bailey. They have shared the codename "Shatterbox" as members of the team "Lost Boys and Girls" but were last seen living with their maternal grandparents.
Childhood
Jean's powers first manifested at the age of ten when her telepathy was prematurely triggered when her best friend Annie Richardson was hit by a car. As Annie lay dying, Jean instinctively linked to her mind and the trauma of experiencing her friend's death nearly killed Jean as well. The incident left Jean in a coma.
For three years her parents sought the expertise of specialists to rouse Jean out of her catatonic state, but only one, Professor Charles Xavier, was able to help. He realised that Jean's young mind could not cope with her telepathy yet so he decided to mentally block her access to this ability, allowing it to evolve at the natural pace it would have save for Annie's tragic death. Even though Jean continued living with her parents until she was a teenager, she had many training sessions with Xavier.
The first X-Woman
When she became a teenager, she left her parents and began attending Xavier's "school for gifted youngsters" and joined the X-Men under the name of Marvel Girl. She was the first female member of the team.
Uncanny X-Men #2 (November, 1963) reported that Jean could only use her telekinesis to lift solid matter that her body could also lift, otherwise she would strain herself and faint. However the issue incorrectly termed this power to be "teleportation". Uncanny X-Men #3 (January, 1964) revealed that both Cyclops and Professor X were in love with Jean but feared acting on the impulse. Cyclops feared his powers would go out of control and harm her. The Professor felt bound by his duties as a leader and his confinement to a wheelchair.
Uncanny X-Men #4 (March, 1964) had Jean facing her first female opponent in the Scarlet Witch of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. She did not enjoy the competition as she reported that the Witch was "too attractive ".
Uncanny X-Men #7 (September, 1964) hinted that Jean herself was attracted to Cyclops. This was understood by her teammate Angel but not Cyclops himself. Uncanny X-Men #11 (May, 1965) had Jean comparing Cyclops' appearance to that of actor Richard Chamberlain.
Jean was the only member of her team to survive their first encounter with the Juggernaut with minimal injuries. The finale of Uncanny X-Men #13 (September, 1965) had her nursing Angel, Beast, Cyclops and Iceman back to health. Uncanny X-Men #14 (November, 1965) revealed that Cyclops felt unable to compete with Angel for Jean's affection.
Uncanny X-Men #20 (May, 1966) had Professor X narrating to Jean the story of his fist encounter with Lucifer in "the shadow of the Himalayas" and the loss of his mobility. Apparently Jean was his closest confidant among the X-Men. The Himalaya mountain range stretches across the states of Bhutan, the People's Republic of China, India, Nepal and Pakistan. However Chris Claremont later placed this encounter in Afghanistan and revealed that Professor X had left out his first encounters with Sebastian Shaw and Sage occurring on the same day.
Uncanny X-Men #22 (July, 1966) further established Jean being part of a love triangle with Angel and Cyclops. Roy Thomas established this by having Jean dating the Angel but insisting on taking Cyclops along, resulting in the apparent confusion and frustration of both men.
College student
Uncanny X-Men #24 (September, 1966) had Jean leaving the school to enlist in Metro College where Johnny Storm, the Human Torch also attended. She would continue to assist the X-Men on a regular basis but not co-habiting with them. The theme of her seeking tertiary education would provide a number of later X-Men subplots. Jean also gained a supporting cast of fellow college students. The most prominent among them Ted Roberts who was clearly attracted to his new female friend and was revealed to be the brother of supervillain Cobalt Man.
Uncanny X-Men #27 (December, 1966) found the X-Men understaffed with Jean preoccupied with college lessons and unable to find time for the X-Men, Angel injured and Cyclops resigning as a field leader and contemplating leaving the team. Professor X attempted to recruit Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Spider-Man as their replacements. All three declined the offer. In the same issue Jean designed new uniforms for the team.
Uncanny X-Men #31 (April, 1967) found Jean being visited in college by Cyclops who delivered a number of books by Professor X. The Professor actually intended for the would-be lovers to come into contact again. The Angel decided that Jean was not actually interested in him and started a relationship with his old friend Candace Southern who would later serve alongside him in the Defenders. Jean and Cyclops finally admitted to loving each other behind-the-scenes in Uncanny X-Men #32 (May, 1967), thus resoving a long-running sub-plot. They since started acting as a couple.
Uncanny X-Men #33 (June, 1967) had Jean and Cyclops paired up in a mission. They were teleported to the Temple of Cyttorak in North Korea by Doctor Strange. The X-Men were actually attempting to gain the assistance of the Ancient One but contacted Strange instead. The issue ended with Professor X abducted by supervillain group Factor Three (Blob, Changeling, Mastermind, Mutant-Master, Unus the Untouchable and the Vanisher).
Uncanny X-Men #34 (July, 1967) confirmed that Ted Roberts was aware of her secret identity and her connection to the X-Men. Roberts convinced her to lead the X-Men in defeating his brother. Uncanny X-Men #35 (August, 1967) had Jean locating Factor Three in Central Europe by contacting their former member and current enemy Banshee. Uncanny X-Men #36 (September, 1967) hinted that Jean's telekinesis was increasing in power, making her more effective in combat. Jean assisted the X-Men in defeating Factor Three and recovering Professor X by Uncanny X-Men #39 (December, 1967).
Conspirator
XMEN42.jpg
Uncanny X-Men #41 (February, 1968) had both Professor X and Marvel Girl acting suspiciously and hinted at them keeping secrets from the other X-Men. The Professor X was seemingly killed by Grotesk in Uncanny X-Men #42 (March, 1968). Later issues would reveal that this "Professor X" was actually the Changeling in disguise while the Professor was secretly preparing for a mission of his own. Jean was confirmed as the only X-Man aware of the replacement and assisting her two fellow conspirators. She kept the Professor's survival secret from her fellow X-Men.
Uncanny X-Men #46 (July, 1968) featured the apparent "End of the X-Men". Fred Duncan, their Federal Bureau of Investigation liaison, considered the united team to present an easy target for "the ever-growing population of evil mutants" and considered that the X-Men would be more effective when acting as individuals and spread across the United States. At the same time, Professor X's will confirmed that his estate would serve as a charitable trust with each of the five active X-Men a trustee. Ensuring that they would need to stay in contact with each other. Jean and Cyclops remained in New York while Beast and Iceman relocated to California. Warren remained mobile across the United States.
Uncanny X-Men #48 (September, 1968) revealed that Jean had completed her college education and found employement as a model. Her first assignments were swimsuit presentations. Uncanny X-Men #49 (October, 1968) had the X-Men regrouping to face Mesmero. Jean was at the time introduced to new female associate Polaris. They would soon become friends. In Uncanny X-Men #54 , Jean was also introduced to a family member of Cyclops, his younger brother Alexander Summers who was just graduating from college. He would soon serve with the X-Men as Havok.
Uncanny X-Men #65 (February, 1970) finally revealed that Professor X was still alive and hiding in a secret chamber below his school with the assistance of Jean. He was preparing all this time to face an alien invasion by the Z'Nox. Uncanny X-Men #66 (March, 1970) was however the last issue to feature the original version of the X-Men.
Reorganized X-Men
In Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May, 1975), a flashback revealed that a very powerful mutant had been located in the Pacific island of Krakoa. Jean was sent to investigate along with Angel, Cyclops , Havok, Iceman and Polaris. Only an unconscious Cyclops returned however. Professor had to relocate his lost X-Men. But Beast had left the team and Cyclops was unlikely to complete the mission alone. So the Professor set to recruit a new team of X-Men to save the veterans.
In order of recruitment the new recruits were:
- Nightcrawler, located in Winzeldorf, West Germany.
- Wolverine, located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
- Banshee, located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.
- Storm, located in Kenya.
- Sunfire, located in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Kansai, Honshu, Japan.
- Colossus, located in the Ust-Ordynski Collective farm, near Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union.
- Thunderbird, located in Camp Verde, Arizona, United States.
The new team located their predecessors and found out that Krakoa was actually a mutant ecosystem attempting to feed from human mutants. Jean observed as the combined powers of Cyclops, Havok, Polaris and Storm managed to send the island to outer space. Professor X was however left with the problem of organizing an unprecedent number of 13 X-Men (Angel, Banshee, Colossus, Cyclops, Havok, Iceman, Marvel Girl, Nightcrawler, Polaris, Storm, Sunfire, Thunderbird and Wolverine).
The problem resolved itself by Uncanny X-Men #94 (August, 1975). Jean decided to leave the team along with Angel, Havok, Iceman, Polaris and Sunfire. Beast was unavailable due to having recentlty joined the Avengers. Professor X was left with 7 X-Men (Banshee, Colossus, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Storm, Thunderbird and Wolverine).
Jean next appeared in Uncanny X-Men #97 (February, 1976) to wish farewell to Professor X who was leaving from the John F. Kennedy International Airport of New York City for a vacation in the Bahamas. Also there were Colossus, Cyclops, Nightcrawler and Storm. As soon as the Professor left, the remaining five X-Men were attacked by Havok and Polaris under the mind control of Erik the Red. Jean was knocked out by Polaris but saved by Storm. A fight ensued over the fate of the unconscious Jean. Storm prevailed and Jean was rescued.
Uncanny X-Men #98 (April, 1976) found the X-Men celebrating Christmas. Jean and Cyclops met for dinner at the Rockefeller Center. Their date was interrupted by an attack by the Sentinels of Dr. Steven Lang. Jean was aducted by the Sentinels along with Banshee and Wolverine. Lang attempted to question the three captives. He was enraged when Jean called him a Nazi. Lang slapped her and thus managed to enrage Wolverine who was clearly attracted to her. Wolverine managed to escape his manacles and also freed Jean and Banshee. They were trapped however up on a space station in orbit arround Earth. Their fellow X-Men attempted to save them in Uncanny X-Men #99 (June, 1976) and succeeded in Uncanny X-Men #100 (July, 1976).
Phoenix
UncannyXMen101.jpg
Returning from space, Grey attempted to pilot a shuttle back to Earth during one of the worst solar storms in history. The shuttle was unshielded and Grey would have died were it not for the intervention of the cosmic entity known as the Phoenix force. The shuttle crashed into Jamaica Bay. Jean seemingly emerged from its remnants, imbued with vast cosmic powers. These were the events of Uncanny X-Men #101 (October, 1976). However it was later retconned that Jean was actually placed into a coma in a cocoon in the depths of Jamaica Bay and the Phoenix adopted her identity as a heroine who claimed to be Jean and was so convincing an imposter that not even Professor X could detect the difference.
Phoenix believed herself to be Grey, and she and Cyclops continued their relationship, until Phoenix lost control of her powers, and eventually committed suicide. The Dark Phoenix Saga, the lengthy story of the decline and fall of Phoenix, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, is regarded as one of the best comics stories of the 1970s.
Resurrection
Grey's survival was revealed when the original X-Men formed X-Factor, which she joined when she emerged from her coma. Cyclops, in the meantime, had married her double (later revealed as her clone), Madelyne Pryor. When Scott left Pryor for Jean she felt distraught and betrayed. Goblins used her despair to make her the Goblin Queen. She died in battle with Jean after she (becoming suicidal upon the discovery of her being a clone) linked their minds together and killed herself, hoping the link would kill Jean as well (it did not.)
1456_1.jpg
As a result, Cyclops and Grey were able to resume their relationship, and eventually married. Shortly thereafter, she resumed using the name Phoenix as an attempt to redeem both the entity and herself in her mind, and also to honor her "daughter" from a future parallel world, Rachel Summers, who at the time was believed to be dead. Later, she assumed the role of the Headmistress of the Xavier Institute.
A combination of Jean's new duties as headmistress, her re-emerging Phoenix powers, and Scott's temporary merger with the evil mutant Apocalypse drove a wedge between the couple. Emma Frost took advantage of this, initiating an affair with Cyclops and falling in love with him. When Jean walked in on the two in bed, a psychic battle erupted between the two telepaths when Jean demanded to know what was going on. This led to Cyclops briefly walking out on both Jean and the X-Men. Upon his return, Xorn in the guise of Magneto attacked the X-Men, and killed Jean Grey. As she died in Scott's arms, she told him she forgave him.
Somehow knowing her fate before she died, she made a holempathic imprint of her full essence, and everything that she was, for her daughter, Rachel "Grey" Summers. She did this so that no matter what happened to her body, her soul would always be with Rachel.
Recently, the Shi'ar resurrected the Phoenix entity in hopes of destroying it while it was relatively weak. The entity managed to escape and fled to Earth, where it needed a host to sustain itself. After possessing a firefly and running into Wolverine, the entity resurrected Jean and bonded with her once more.
Jean realized that the Phoenix was resurrected too early and as a result was mentally unbalanced. She had a confrontation with the X-Men before teleporting Wolverine to the North Pole, where she had him stab her several times, leaving the Phoenix enity weakened and allowing her to once again gain control. Jean then plunged herself through the ice, freezing instantly.
When the X-Men arrived, Wolverine told them that Jean was "dead. Or as close as she can get."
When the Phoenix entity returned from the ice she possessed Emma Frost as the new love to Scott Summer's life. As Emma struggled against the force a hopeless Scott prayed for Jean's return. With no other choice Scott freed Jean from the ice. After Jean once again bonded with the Phoenix entity the Xmen discovered the true reason for her return. Emma called out telepathically to her Stepford Cuckoos and focused the empathic impressions of all Jean's dearest friends. She felt their love for her. This allowed both Jean and the Phoenix to return to the cosmos. Parting from Scott she asked one last request before leaving, to see his eyes.
In the "Age of Apocalypse" timeline, the epilogue featured Jean's return. It was later revealed that Jean herself possesed the power of the Mutant Alpha, the first mutant. This power was passed down to her through generations.
Lady Jean Grey
In Uncanny X-Men #125 (September, 1979), Mastermind introduced Phoenix to the illusion of living in the body of a namesake and look-alike ancestor. This ancestor was Lady Jean Grey, an 18th century member of the Hellfire Club. This was his method of turning her to the Black Queen of the modern Hellfire Club. Whether this ancestor was a real person or a creation of Mastermind was left uncertain.
However the question was answered in X-Men: Hellfire Club #2 (February, 2000), part of a mini-series on the Marvel Universe history of the Club. This particular issue was scripted by Ben Raab and drawn by Charlie Adlard. Lady Jean Grey was revealed to have been an influential member of a branch of the Club operating in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783).
The issue beggins with a flashback to 1780. Specifically, it was at the moment this upper class redhead noticed a fifteen-year-old blonde girl stealing an apple and managing to escape the pursuit of an angry male. Jean approached the girl to find more about her. The girl was named Elizabeth Shaw. She had immigrated from England in 1778, hoping to find a better life in the colonies. She had instead fallen to living in poverty and stealing in order to eat. She was surprised to be confronted by Jean, but delighted to be invited to her courtairs in the local Hellfire Club.
In private Jean had some explanations for Elizabeth. Others may have entered the club in pursuit of mere hedonism. Jean and others had entered with the ambition to gain influence on the local, national and global scene. But people of such privilege would have to recruit a protege from time to time. Not depending of their current situation but on them being able to share the dreams, ambitions and passions driving their mentors. Individuals with "fire" in their own hearts. She asked Elizabeth what was her own dream. Elizabeth answered "freedom". Which was good enough for Jean to recruit her.
Six months later, Grey was one of several members to turn her attention to a Major General Wallace Worthington who had managed to replace the defector Benedict Arnold in command of his forces. The man was reputed to be particularly fierce in his patriotism. The Club members were searching for weaknesses to exploit in order to place Worthington under their control. Grey had the idea to play match-maker by introducing him to her young protege. Providing Elizabeth Shaw managed to marry him , Grey would have her agent in his own household. Worthington was instantly smitten.
Within months Wallace Worthington and Elizabeth Shaw were married. Jean sense the event as a personal victory. Elizabeth was to seduce her husband into confiding military secrets to her. Military intelligence which the Hellfire Club would use to end the "pitiful" American Revolution and assure the victory of the Kingdom of Great Britain. However Worthington continue to establish a reputation for loyalty to the cause and succesfull administration with the aid of his fellows Captain Steven Rogers (an ancestor of Captain America) and Ulysses Bloodstone (an immortal born in the late Hyborian Age).
Lady Jean finally contacted Elizabeth in December, 1781 to enquire on what was the reason of the delay. The reason being that Elizabeth had actualy fallen in love with her husband and could not betray him. Jean warned her that betrayal to the Club would result in her strings to be cut. Elizabeth was still confused and let her go. Apparently Jean decided Shaw was a lost cause. Within hours Wallace Worthington was murdered and his house burned. Leaving behind only his widow and her lost dreams of freedom.
What ever happened to Jean and Elizabeth after the murder was not revealed. But Elizabeth was possibly pregnant. She was implied to be an ancestor to Warren Kenneth Worthington III, Archangel of the X-Men. Elizabeth was also implied to be a distant relation to Sebastian Shaw, Black King of the modern Hellfire Club.
Appearances in other media
Marvel Girl was a character in the mid-1990s X-Men animated television series, and guest starred on at least one episode of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends in the early 1980s.
In the X-Men film and its sequel X2, Grey was portrayed by Famke Janssen.
In the animated TV series X-Men: Evolution, Jean was voiced by Venus Terzo.
In the other X-men animated series Jean Grey was also known as the Phoenix (comics) and voiced by Catherine Disher.
External links
- UncannyXmen.net, Spotlight feature on Jean Grey/Phoenix (http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/spotlight/showquestion.asp?faq=10&fldAuto=61)
- Jean Grey Fanlisting (http://www.bluecherrydoughnut.com/jean)it:Jean Grey