WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Chris Claremont Anniversary Special #1 by Chris Claremont, Bill Sienkiewicz, Sean Chen, Diego Olortegui, Brett Booth, Marc Deering, Roberto Poggi, Adelso Corona, Chris Sotomayor, Rachelle Rosenberg, Erick Arciniega, Guru-eFX & Tom Orzechowski, on sale now
The Marvel Universe is full of elemental forces that are even more powerful than the various pantheons of gods that fill the galaxy. Many of them are beyond concepts such as morality, but there are still opposites that stand naturally opposed to one another. One of the most prevalent forces that appear in the modern Marvel Universe has always had one, but the Chris Claremont Anniversary Special cements what force stands opposed to it.
While Hela confronts Dani Moonstar, the Phoenix Force and Lady Death and Hela are quietly positioned as opposites, proving that the avatar of Death is a perfect nemesis for the Phoenix.
Dani Moonstar is one of the original New Mutants and has been a heroic member of the X-Men for years. But she's become connected with the corner of the Marvel Universe populated by the likes of Thor and Loki. While briefly stranded in Asgard and separated from her teammates, Dani ended up forming a bond with a horse. Naming it Brightwind, Dani inadvertently found herself inducted into the ranks of the Valkyrie, which gave her the ability to perceive when people are about to die. Although she returned to Earth with the rest of the New Mutants, her mystical connection to Hela persisted. This plays a major factor during the events of the Chris Claremont Special, which sees Hela approach Dani Moonstar in the middle of the night when the New Mutants lived at the Xavier Institute.
Hela speaks with Dani, telling her that the time has come to embrace their connection. With her appear avatars of two other major Marvel forces, each connected to the cycle of life and death -- Lady Death and an incarnation of the Phoenix Force. Taking the form of the Jean Grey version of the Dark Phoenix, the Phoenix Force explains that it represents the chaotic power of life, "the passion of creation." While the Dark Phoenix is also the cold flame that can snuff it out, she compares herself as one side of the same coin as avatars of death, such as Lady Death, Hela and by extension Dani herself. All of them call on Dani to accept her place in the universe, with Moonstar eventually relenting and accepting that after she dies she shall live in spirit as an eternal champion in opposition of the Shadow King.
While the story primarily focuses on Dani Moonstar and her place in the greater Marvel cosmology, it's worth noting what this says about the Phoenix Force. A primordial force of chaotic life, the Phoenix Force is one of the most powerful things in the entire Marvel Universe. It exists as a personification of creation in the universe, not as a well-intentioned god but a wild force of nature that can easily become destructive and overwhelming. An immortal and all-but-indestructible being, the Phoenix Force is always seeking to burn away what doesn't work in the universe and help fuel the creation of something new. While this doesn't necessarily make it a heroic being -- as entire corners of the galaxy are burned to ash to do away with life's stagnation -- it has always positioned it as an opposite to death.
It's extremely fitting that the Phoenix Force is described as one pure half of the universe, and the beings who represent death are the other, specifically Death. As representations of life and death, these two primordial forces make perfect sense as opposites. It even translates well to their relationships with mortals: the Phoenix Force has bonded to numerous telepaths over the years, and even shared a romance with Odin in the universe's youth. Meanwhile, Death has been a cold mistress to her most dedicated champions, like Thanos. If the Phoenix is the spark of life that keeps the universe growing and changing, then Death and her agents like Hela is the entropy always on her heels.
It makes the two fascinating counters within the cosmology of the Marvel Universe, and it hints at the importance of figures like Jean Grey, Rachel Summers and Quinten Quire, who've bonded with the Force and used that fire for good.