The Phoenix has spawned one of the better X-men stories and two different attempts at bringing it to life on the big screen. Both times failed miserably though at least Last Stand managed to give us a good scene with Jean and Wolverine along the way. The newest film just felt devoid of effort, Fox just giving up on the property.
It's a shame since when done well, The Phoenix can be incredibly compelling. Missed opportunities at story aside, the entity, along with its many wielders, are wildly popular in the X-men fandom. Its power is unfathomable, and the outfit is iconic in the mythos of the team, right up there with Wolverine's yellow spandex.
10 In Your Head
Charles Xavier is the most notable telepath in the X-men, one who's powers are as powerful or as weak as the story calls for. Jean is right on or sometimes above his level, depending on the comic.
Amandapanda1816 above is trying to tap into some of those powers. If only it were that easy. That aside, her costume is ridiculously glossy, almost looking like her head was plopped onto a piece of fan art. Reminds you a bit of that cell-shaded looking that Borderlands cosplayers manage to pull off somehow.
9 Bright New Day
Backdrop or background is such an underrated facet of these professional photos, and Datura nailed it here. It seems like she's standing on a rock face overlooking the water, though it's hard to tell since she's not close to the edge.
The brightness of the sun helps play into a bit of the rebirth aspect the mythological Phoenix has as well as cosmic energies the comic version can control. The natural red hair is always going to be a plus as well.
8 Hooked On Phoenix
Hooked on Phoenix may be one of the better Instagram names for a cosplayer, sounding like something a fantasy football owner would come up for his team. Amazingness of the name aside, she did a fabulous job with the cosplay, making it have a gloss to it, but not overbearingly so.
The gold of both the Phoenix on her chest and her gloves really pops as well, light reflecting off of it extremely well. Its shine with the more matte red is a really good mix.
7 Ball Of Fire
The flames funneling around her like she's standing in a furnace is such a cool looking background. While using photoshop to enhance your photo is very overdone in cosplay nowadays, some of them not even looking real any longer, this isn't one of those cases.
The Phoenix, more than any other character, does need some sort of animation behind it, giving the viewer the sheer scope of their power. That's done very well here, Rebecca Rose holding a ball of what looks like cosmic energy in her hand. Judging from the look on her face, she doesn't have good intentions.
6 Ready To Rumble
The blotted out white eyes is a look you seldom see with the Phoenix, reserved more for Storm or Byakuya users in the world of Naruto. While it's unconventional, it looks cool, giving her a more unique look from the others.
With a character like the Dark Phoenix, there aren't many ways you can manage to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack. The rest of the outfit follows many of the same formulas the prior ones did, shiny gold gloves with the red being less so.
5 Strike A Pose
Amanda is one of the first on the list to forego the gloss look, entire outfit looking more subdued as a result. That's far from a bad thing when it looks like it does on her.
More than anyone else on this list, she has the look of a young Jean Grey or Hope Summers (more so Hope than Jean). It's rare to get a cosplayer who genuinely looks so much like the character as she does here. The little Phoenix clip on her sash is a cute little touch as well.
4 Coming Apart
The movie may have been a lazy attempt at the story, but this cosplay by Keyuri is far from that. Everything about this fits into the cinematic universe of X-men perfectly. From the dilapidated building, she seems to be standing in, to the flames that are springing off of her body like she's Johnny Storm.
The way her skin is cracking from under the pressure of the Phoenix force is beautifully rendered. The cosplay itself seems simple enough, but they did a good job of looking as close to Sophie Turner as she could.
3 Power Cosmic
While there was already an earlier image of Rebecca Rose on this list, this image was too good to not make its way here as well. That background is beyond beautiful, the cosmic energy both funneling around her as well as emitting outward.
It's a perfect example of the pure power the character holds. Having it appear like she's hovering in the air, looking down on those below like they are meaningless is the only real way to represent the character. Having the literal physical Phoenix shining through in the background is just icing on the cake.
2 Sundered
This feels like it'd fit in perfectly with The Last Stand take on the character, world ripping apart around her while she stood among the chaos, slowly beginning to enjoy the destruction the power brought. It's difficult to see, but it looks like buildings and structures are burning among the flames.
What's even cooler is it looks like the flames are being sucked back towards her like she has her own gravitation pull. The wings sprawling out of her back help symbolize Jean dying, and the Phoenix rising in her steed.
1 At Peace
With all of the edited backgrounds we've seen, Gyarmati Sandor is the first to add a glow to the eyes. It's a small thing, but it helps drive home who is the one controlling the energy that fills the image.
This time it's all flames, Jean looking like she's walking through a burning building that she had set ablaze. The way she's holding her arms outward, fire dancing along her fingertips, only solidifies that fact. They did a good job not having the background overpower the cosplay as well.