One of the most powerful entities in the Marvel universe is the Phoenix Force. An interstellar bird made of living fire that seeks powerful beings to possess and use as hosts for its destructive powers. Traditionally it is a bad sign when the Phoenix shows up in the Marvel universe and it almost always causes chaos and destruction.
Many characters have dealt with its fiery fury and few come out of the experience without being burnt. Most commonly associated with the X-Men, the Phoenix has wrecked the lives of Marvel heroes many times over and will continue to do so until something stronger than the Phoenix stops it.
10 Quentin Quire Sacrificed The Force To Save The X-Men
Quentin Quire aka Kid Omega is an extremely powerful telepath and can conjure psychic weapons that make him as dangerous as Psylocke and Jean Grey. Naturally, the Phoenix Force would find him to be a suitable candidate. When ancient gods unleashed the Phoenix on Earth, Quentin attacked the Phoenix and convinced it to allow him to wield its power in order to stop the gods and save Earth. He then sacrificed his Phoenix powers in order to save a fellow X-Man.
9 Black Panther Wanted The Phoenix Force To Do Good
In the most recent arc of The Avengers, the Phoenix comes back to Earth in order to have heroes and villains compete in deadly combat over who should be the next person to be possessed with the Phoenix Force. Naturally, Black Panther is one of the top picks by the cosmic bird and he is willing to take on the responsibility. He only wants the Phoenix Force for the noble purpose of keeping it out of the hands of those who wish to use it to do harm to the rest of the world.
8 Wolverine Rampaged Across The Universe
Wolverine has possessed the Phoenix Force a few different times. Most recently in The Avengers during the contest for the Phoenix Force and it is revealed in Thor that far in the future after the Earth is dead and gone, the Phoenix uses Logan as its host sending him across the galaxy to spread its destruction throughout a dying universe. It is a sad ending to the story of Wolverine as he fought against this nature of destruction his whole life.
7 Stepford Cuckoos Used The Force To bring Back Their Dead Sisters
The Stepford Cuckoos are a group of sisters who all share a telepathic link and are overall very strong telepaths. They are clones of Emma Frost and there were originally 5 of them but that number has been cut down to the 3. In the Phoenix Warsong miniseries, the sisters gained the power of the Phoenix which they used to resurrect their dead sisters. This was immediately undone by the end of the series and fans were once again left with the original 3 sisters.
6 Iron Fist Was One Of The First Hosts
Danny Rand is not the first Iron Fist, one of those that came before was named Fongji and she is the one who possessed the power of the Phoenix.
Fongji was a person of prophecy in the world of the Iron Fist. She lived centuries before Danny Rand and was prophesied to save the world from the Phoenix. Her red hair has led some fans to speculate that she is an ancestor to Jean Grey, the most famous person to wield the Phoenix.
5 Namor Used The Phoenix Force To Fuel His Anger
Namor and the Phoenix have a storied past. He has used the power of the Phoenix a few times throughout his history and never for a good reason. During the Avengers vs X-Men storyline, Namor got possession of a piece of the Phoenix Force and immediately attacked Wakanda. Then in the recent Avengers storyline, Namor admits he wants the Phoenix Force in order to use its power against the surface world. Namor is an angry and vengeful character and the Phoenix Force only fuels that anger.
4 Cyclops Gained Terrible Powers
Cyclops and the Phoenix is one of the worst combinations. Scott Summers took possession of the Phoenix Force during Avengers Vs X-Men and it went from bad to worst. Scott used these powers for evil and even used them to kill Professor X. The use of the Phoenix powers was the foundation for the whole conflict and Cyclops just proved all his doubters right in the end. The absolute power of the Phoenix, even a piece of it, corrupts even the best heroes.
3 Echo Is The Latest Host
The newest host of the Phoenix is Echo. She won the contest in Avengers and the Phoenix united with her to give Earth its newest force of nature. It is yet to be seen what kind of Phoenix she will be, but Echo has a good history in comics for being a just hero. She is a top-notch martial artist, being able to copy anyone's movements and she has always tried to do the right thing. Hopefully, she can begin to change the legacy of the Phoenix Force.
2 Colossus Fought His Own Sister
During Avengers vs X-Men Colossus got a piece of the Phoenix Force and started to do good works using his newfound power. It did not take long however for corruption to take root and for him to turn on his sister, Magik, who also had the Phoenix Force. They ended up fighting each other for power and, in the end, both lost it.
1 Emma Frost Has A Long History With The Phoenix Force
Emma Frost's history with the Phoenix is long and painful. She helped corrupt its original host Jean Grey, turning her into the Dark Phoenix, she then on several occasions took the power for herself and used her powers only to further her own ambitions. She desired its power but never understood that it would always be what destroyed her.