Jean Grey is the Only True X-Men Resurrection

CBR

Phoenix Resurrection Has Debunked a Major Jean Grey/X-Men Theory

By Kieran Shiach

Published Jan 10, 2018

Phoenix Resurrection has resulted in the return of adult Jean Grey, but has she really come back with her deceased friends in tow?

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #3 by Matthew Rosenberg, Joe Bennett, Lorenzo Ruggiero, Rachelle Rosenberg and Travis Lanham, on sale now.

The mystery at the heart of Phoenix Resurrection has been one of the most interesting comics of the new year, with Twin Peaks style twists and turns in a small town where everything isn't quite as it seems.

As the returned Jean Grey was surrounded by mutants currently thought dead, the initial theory was that the Phoenix may be responsible for some sort of mass rebirth of the many fallen mutants. However, the latest issue appears to put a pin in that theory by introducing alternate versions of X-Men that we know to be alive, including a familiar looking mechanic who just happens to be sporting an eye-patch.

Previous issues of Phoenix Resurrection have featured deceased characters like Cyclops, Multiple Man and Thunderbird, but this issue goes all-in on populating Jean Grey's hometown with alternate versions of X-Men. While it's hard to place every one, the manager of the supermarket in which Jean has an accident is definitely the dimension hopping Gateway, while the pale man who checks on her in the parking lot is likely the mutant-detecting Caliban. However, the issue also features an alternate version of Psylocke whom we know isn't only not dead, but part of the search for Jean.

The biggest reveal in the issue is that Jean has a run-in with Mr. Patch, whom readers will recognise instantly as Wolverine. We already know that as of Marvel Legacy #1, Wolverine is alive again. Armed with that information, it seems obvious that whatever is happening here is something more than the Phoenix resurrecting all the dead mutants along with Jean Grey.

The issue ends with the X-Men discovering a portal in the Arizona desert, suggesting that Jean may be in some sort of pocket dimension created by the Phoenix, if not herself. To what end, we'll have to wait for the next issue to find out, but strange things are afoot in Phoenix Resurrection and they're likely to get even stranger from here.