WARNING: This article contains spoilers for X-Men Red #1 by Tom Taylor and Mahmud Asrar, in stores now.
For a while now, Marvel fans have known that the adult Jean Grey was coming back to life, and for real this time -- no more teases or false starts. Having been missing from the core cast of X-Men for a decade and a half, the character came back from the grave in the pages of writer Matt Rosenberg's Phoenix Resurrection just a few short weeks ago. But while Resurrection was concerned with how Jean returned, it largely ignored the why. For five issues, we saw the circumstances that would shepherd Jean back to the land of the living, but we never really got to see what her return meant for the X-Men, for herself, or for the world as a whole.
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Instead, the fallout from Jean's return is being explored in her new headlining series, X-Men Red by Tom Taylor and Mahmud Asrar. The first issue of the series hit only two weeks after the conclusion of Phoenix Resurrection, and the difference between the two titles is night and day. X-Men Red is much quieter than Resurrection, its cast is much smaller, and its exploration is more introspective. Jean Grey has only been back as an X-Man for a single issue, but it's clear that her return is no accident. Already, we can tell that Jean Grey is becoming something else; she is becoming a voice, a beacon for change in our socially-conscious times.
Ever since their first appearance in 1963, the X-Men have been advocates for a better world. Charles Xavier's dream was for mutants and humans to co-exist peacefully. It's a mission that they have strived for, to this very day. The comics were always a metaphor for the current state of society, whatever that state may be at any given moment, promoting a message of inclusion and acceptance in a world filled with hate and prejudice. Yet here we are more than 65 years later, and the more things change, the more they stay the same. Racial tensions are at an all-time high, fear and bigotry are running rampant, and some groups are more concerned with conserving their way of life than to move forward, evolve and change for the better.
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While the modern X-Men titles have continued the franchise's long and storied trend -- to be a metaphor for the real world -- X-Men Red takes it even further, and it's all because of Jean Grey. In the series' first issue, we see that there is a clear sense of purpose in having the character returning in the here and now. Instantly, we realize Jean is the perfect window character to take us, as well as the X-Men, into the present. When Jean left, she departed a much different era, and a very different world. As she returns, we see through her eyes that the fabric of society, its rules and the state of affairs, are no longer the same. We are reminded that although some things were left in the past, the division is still stronger than ever, and that fear and hate are much, much louder than love and acceptance.
In the face of this new world, Jean seeks not to make the mistakes of the past. Instead, she opts for a different approach, one she hopes can truly effect change throughout the world -- and it's an approach that transcends the page, and reaches out to us, the readers. Using her vast powers and network, Jean reaches out to scientists, artists, teachers and activists and condenses all their minds into hers, in order to find a solution to the world's problems -- in order to find peace for all. She's telling us that we already possess the capacity to change the world for the better, that all we need is to pool our resources together, to believe and trust in ourselves to achieve greatness.
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But that's not the way the world works, unfortunately, which is why she takes it all upon herself. We don't know what Jean's goal is yet, but it's clear that it's ambitious. Without telling us what it is, she telepathically shows it to Kurt Wagner, the X-Man known as Nightcrawler. After seeing her new dream, Kurt says it's a beautiful idea... but she will upset a lot of people along the way, and endanger not only herself but many others. This is something that sounds all too real, especially in this day and age. The road to political change is one paved with roadblocks and detractors. Monumental, everlasting change is difficult to obtain, almost impossible. It sounds like something that you can't engineer by yourself -- something that requires a union. A team.
This is the idea at the core of X-Men Red, that a union of like-minded people can change the world. No matter what stands in their way, and no matter how unlikely their goal is. The comic series is reflecting the modern times we live in, and Jean Grey has returned as a herald for change. With her team, she is setting out to create a new and better world. She knows the dangers she will face, and she is ready to take them on, because that is the only way to make a real difference.
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X-Men Red sees the hate in the world, but also its capacity for change. It's a book about hope in the face of despair. Jean Grey briefly returned to life before, but never before has her return been so grand. She has returned with a peace of mind, an insight that she wishes to share with the world. She recognizes that her world, our world is broken. But there is a way to fix it, if only we can listen. She brings with her inspiration and determination. In the comic book, it starts with Jean. It starts with one person -- just like it does in the real world.