Marvel welcomed back the return of Jean Grey last December with a batch of Phoenix variant covers. While Jean was freeing herself from Phoenix's influence in Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey (Vol. 1), the Phoenix was possessing a variety of Marvel characters on a series of variant covers. The fun gimmick gave fans a chance to see the Phoenix unite with the most unlikely of characters, as well as those who seem destined to host the cosmic force in the future. The Phoenix has also been getting around more frequently in continuity. With all of new Phoenix avatars from recent years, we've decided to take a look at twenty-five characters taken over by one of Marvel's most devastating entities.
For the first couple of decades of its existence, the Phoenix Force was primarily associated with Jean Grey. Jean was considered to be the ideal host by the cosmic entity due to her boundless potential. After a series of ends and beginnings, Jean's been out of the picture for most of the past 15 years. Without Jean, the Phoenix has sought other hosts. Most notably, the return of Phoenix was the inciting incident for Avengers vs. X-Men. Over the course of the series, the Phoenix found numerous new hosts -- Cyclops, Namor, Magik, Hope, etc. After wreaking havoc on Earth, the Phoenix left for outer space once again, where it would find even more hosts. Now, with the addition of last December's variant covers, we've seen more Phoenix avatars than ever before. Here are 25 characters taken over by the Phoenix.
25 DAREDEVIL
A variant cover for Daredevil (Vol. 1) #596 featured a Phoenix-possessed Daredevil drawn by David Lopez. Seeing the man without fear hosting the all-powerful Phoenix is definitely a trip for Marvel fans.
Since his introduction during the '60s, Daredevil has primarily dealt with street-level threats and events, plus the occasional mix-up with the immortal Hand. He very rarely participates in large-scale Marvel events or teams up with the X-Men. We're glad David Lopex took a shot at illuminating Daredevil with the Phoenix Force for this variant.
24 FALCON
What if the Phoenix Force chose Sam Wilson as its host? It would look something like the variant cover for Falcon (Vol. 2) #3. Artist David Nakayama rendered a Phoenix-possessed Falcon to a dazzling effect. Who knew the Phoenix would mesh so well with the Falcon, both conceptually and on the page?
In a world where Namor, the Sub-Mariner has hosted the Phoenix, it's more than possible that will see Wilson fueled by this all-powerful cosmic energy sometime in the future.
23 SPIDER-MAN
For the variant for Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #792, Ryan Stegman drew Spider-Man imbued with the power of the Phoenix. Fans may be surprised that this wasn't the first time we've seen a Spider-Phoenix. In fact, Spider-Man once seemingly hosted the Phoenix Force during an in-continuity story.
Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #25 featured a brief appearance of Spider-Phoenix, although it was subsequently revealed that it wasn't the real Phoenix that Spidey hosted. Regardless, the cover of Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #25 did give us an early look a Spider-Phoenix.
22 OLD MAN LOGAN
Who would've thought that we'd ever get to see Wolverine's dystopian future-self possessed by the Phoenix? Chris Burnham delivered us just that in a variant cover for Old Man Logan (Vol. 1) #32. In this breathtaking piece of art, we catch a glimpse of the type of power that a Phoenix Force Wolverine could unleash.
More recently, we've caught a glimpse of a Phoenix Wolverine in way more than a one-off cover. In Thor (Vol. 5) #1, we see an even older version of Wolverine introduced as the Final Phoenix.
21 VENOM
Artist Tyler Crook showed us what Phoenix-possessed Venom might look like on the variant for Venom (Vol. 3) #159. Seeing Eddie Brock and his favorite Symbiote aflame with the Phoenix Force is probably not a desire that most fans have.
But now that we've seen it, we want more. Whether it's in a crazy in-continuity story or in a What If? capacity, we're intrigued by the idea of a Phoenix Force Venom and want to see it play out in a story.
20 DEADPOOL
Why a Phoenix-possessed Deadpool? The better question is, why not a Phoenix-possessed Deadpool? This is a character without limits. Deadpool's beaten Thanos, slew the Marvel Universe, and regularly breaks the fourth wall; merging with the Phoenix is just something Deadpool has yet to check off.
Artist R.B. Silva whet our appetites for the inevitable when drew Phoenix Force Deadpool for the variant cover for Despicable Deadpool (Vol. 1) #290. Unlike the other characters, the Phoenix ends up fueling Deadpool's goofiness. Rather than using the power to wreak havoc, Deadpool is deciding to rock out.
19 IRON FIST
What does Danny Rand plus the Phoenix look like? Dangerous. For the variant cover for Iron Fist (Vol. 5) #75, Dave Johnson delivered an awe-inspiring look at Phoenix Force Iron Fist. As if the Iron Fist Punch weren't impactful enough, Johnson depicts the Phoenix soaring our of Rand's glowing hand.
While many of the Phoenix variants feature characters you'd never expect to host the Phoenix, the probability for Rand doing so seems quite high. That's because the precedent for a Phoenix-possessed Iron Fist has already been set by Fonji Wu.
18 MAGNETO
Avengers Vs. X-Men could've turned out much differently, and What if? AvX (Vol. 1) explored one alternate timeline, which ended with Magneto hosting the Phoenix instead of Cyclops. Most of the series features a Dark Phoenix version of Hope Summers working together with Magneto against nearly any Marvel hero you can think of.
In the final act, the Phoenix is transferred to Magneto and catastrophe ensues. Magneto unleashes his power upon the X-Men and Avengers, wiping out most of them. Had it not been for Professor X catching him off guard, Magneto would've eliminated every last hero standing.
17 WASP
The Wasp was selected to receive the Phoenix treatment for the variant cover of Avengers (Vol. 1) #674. Artist Brent Shoonover showed us our first look at a shrinking Phoenix host (though we're not sure why she'd still need to shrink), and we can't take our eyes away from it.
The Wasp may be one of the more unlikely heroes to be chosen by the host, but should the Phoenix Force ever happen upon her, she'll certainly nail the look.
16 PUNISHER
There's no more frightening a prospect on this list than the possibility of the Phoenix choosing Frank Castle. Castle is deadly enough without superpowers. Were he to ever get his hands on the Phoenix Force, we're sure it'd spell the end of the MU.
Artist Sanford Greene depicted this potential nightmare for the variant cover for Punisher (Vol. 1) #219. With the Phoenix's cosmic energy flooding through both Castle's actual eye sockets and those of his skull emblem, our fears of a Phoenix Force Punisher have been more than confirmed.
15 HULK
A variant cover for Incredible Hulk (Vol. 1) #711 shows the green goliath imbued with the Phoenix Force. Illustrated by Dan Mora, Amadeus Cho's Hulk looks more intimidating than ever. Unlike Bruce Banner, Cho showed an incredible amount of control over the Hulk persona from the start.
Save for a few instances of rage winning out, Cho's Hulk has typically shown an astonishing degree of restraint. Of course, if the Phoenix were to choose Cho as the host, all of that self-discipline would collapse under the combined burden of the Hulk and the Phoenix.
14 BLACK PANTHER
What if the King of Wakanda merged with the Phoenix Force? A variant cover for Black Panther (Vol. 1) #168 showed us just that. Artist Ken Lashley provided us with a gorgeous look Phoenix Force Black Panther.
With the cosmic energy beaming from T'Challa's eyes and flowing from his claws, all we can think about is when we'll see this mighty combination again. Actually, we nearly got this during Avengers Vs X-Men, but the Phoenix ended up going to Namor instead.
13 GHOST RIDER
What's more horrifying than a Ghost Rider fueled by hellfire? A Ghost Rider fueled by Phoenix fire. Artist Francesco Mattina drew a Phoenix-empowered Ghost Rider for the variant cover of Spirits of Vengeance (Vol. 1) #3. Johnny Blaze is no stranger to being possessed by alien powers.
Hosting the Phoenix Force would probably be a nice change of pace for the brimstone biker. Ghost Rider, who can already travel at mind-boggling speeds on his magical motorcycles, could be king of the cosmos were he to unite with the Phoenix.
12 X-23
Old Man Logan wasn't the only Wolverine to receive a variant cover. Laura Kinney, aka X-23, hosted the Phoenix on the variant cover for All New Wolverine (Vol. 1) #28. Artist Jen Bartel's vision of Phoenix Force X-23 is everything we could've ever asked for -- namely, flaming claws.
It's a shame that the idea of Phoenix-empowered X-23 didn't enter into the comic. But who knows? With Logan appearing as the Final Phoenix in the pages of Thor (Vol. 5) #1, it seems like anything's possible for Marvel's family of Wolverines.
11 EMMA FROST
Emma Frost has hosted the Phoenix Force on a couple of occasions. The first instance happened during X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong when Frost took it on in a desperate ploy to protect her fellow X-Men. Her union with the Phoenix didn't last long though with Jean Grey returning from the grave to reunite with the cosmic power.
The second time Frost was joined with the Phoenix occurred midway through Avengers Vs X-Men when Frost, along with four other X-Men, each received a fragment of the Phoenix, transforming them into the Phoenix Five.
10 CYCLOPS
After the Phoenix is withdrawn from Hope Summers in Avengers Vs. X-Men (Vol. 1) #5, it's separated into Cyclops, Magik, Emma Frost, Namor, and Colossus. Cyclops comes to the conclusion that the Avengers have been encouraging anti-mutant sentiment, and decides to declare war on the Avengers.
Under the influence of the Phoenix, Cyclops grows increasingly unstable. When the other Phoenix Five members fall in battle, their portion of the Phoenix goes to Cyclops, strengthening him and driving him madder. Ultimately, after laying waste to most of the heroes, Cyclops is brought down by Hope and Scarlet Witch.
9 IRON FIST (FONGJI WU)
Centuries before Danny Rand earned the title of the Iron Fist, it belonged to a warrior named Fongji Wu. Fongji, as was revealed in New Avengers (Vol. 2) #25, had been a young girl destined to protect Earth from the Phoenix Force.
After defeating Shou-Lao the Undying and acquiring the power of the Iron Fist, Fongji prepared herself for the incoming Phoenix. When the Phoenix arrived, Fongji willingly absorbed it, saving Earth by becoming the masterful host of the Phoenix Force.
8 VULCAN
Gabriel Summers, aka Vulcan, received the power of the Phoenix in What If? Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire (Vol. 1) #1. Vulcan, already considered to be a "way past" Omega Level Mutant by Rachel Summers, becomes one of the most powerful beings in the universe when he acquires the Phoenix.
In this alternate reality, he gains the Phoenix Force after taking out its various avatars, and then proceeds to obliterate galaxy after galaxy. Cyclops, Rachel, Cable, and Havok find him and convince him to stop his rampage by giving him the sense of belonging that he always wanted.
7 MS. MARVEL
Artist David Nakayama chose Ms. Marvel to embody the Phoenix on the variant cover for Champions (Vol. 2) #15. The image of a Phoenix avatar using the power to rescue a cat stuck in a tree may strike some fans as odd.
But the idea couldn't be more in line with Kamala Khan's character, who, since her debut in 2013, has shown a purity of heart rare even by superhero standards. Besides, it's nice to see a Phoenix avatar do something different than rampaging for a change.
6 THANE
Thane, son of Thanos, recently acquired the power of the Phoenix Force in the pages of Thanos (Vol. 2). While in prison, Thane was visited by Lady Death, who asked for Thane's help in taking out Thanos. Thane agreed to the job and then set his plan in motion.
After stealing a Phoenix Egg, Thane was empowered with the Phoenix Force. Instead of immediately sending Thane after Thanos, she used him to inflict destruction across the universe. By the time Thane had confronted Thanos, the latter had gained the God Quarry, allowing him to defeat Phoenix Force Thane.