Arguably, "The Dark Phoenix Saga" is the most famous X-Men storyline. Written by Chris Claremont with art and additional plotting by John Byrne, the arc, which details Jean Grey's sacrifice to save her teammates and her connection to the cosmic Phoenix Force, is a culmination of a storyline that began years earlier during Claremont's X-Men stint with artist Dave Cockrum. While the corruption influence of the Hellfire Club was the trigger that turned Phoenix into Dark Phoenix in that epic, Charles Xavier, the X-Men's founder and Jean's long-time mentor, almost played a bigger role in her corruption too.

The initial story that introduced the Phoenix Force concept covers X-Men #101-108, which details Jean Grey's heroic piloting of a shuttle back to Earth in the midst of a cosmic storm. Initially, the idea was that the same cosmic radiation that created the Fantastic Four also endowed Jean with extraordinary new powers. As this proved to be an insufficient explanation for the new speech pattern Jean would adopt when using her abilities and just not that particularly creatively satisfying, the creators developed a more complex origin for Jean's Phoenix identity. The Phoenix was soon revealed as a cosmic entity, one perhaps too powerful for any mortal to yield.

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The subsequent "Dark Phoenix Saga," taking place in 1980's X-Men #129-138, chronicles Jean's corruption at the hands of the Hellfire Club and eventual fall. The shorthand that's developed is that Jean's green Phoenix costume symbolizes her as the hero -- the one willing to sacrifice her life to repair the mythic M'Kraan Crystal and save all existence -- and the dark red version represents Jean as the villainous Dark Phoenix.

Claremont's tendency to make Phoenix stronger and stronger with each issue, aside from reportedly irritating new artist John Byrne, had made her a dominating element of the series. Steven Grant, a friend of Byrne's and writer of a few Marvel titles at the time, suggested they should make her a villain to resolve the issue. It was a daring idea with dramatic potential. Claremont has stated Byrne was losing interest in penciling Uncanny X-Men but was drawn back in by this story.

Jean Grey beside a pink silhouette of the phoenix

One intriguing element of the ongoing arc is the role of the X-Men's founder and mentor, Professor Charles Xavier. For much of Jean's tenure as the Phoenix, Xavier had chosen to abandon the X-Men's home and travel the world with his alien love, Lilandra Neramani, initially believing the X-Men to be dead following a battle with their nemesis Magneto. However, Uncanny X-Men #129 saw Xavier return to the team, although he kept his reasons to himself.

Future issues established Xavier had sensed the potential danger growing within Jean, which prompted his return to the X-Men. Subsequent chapters of "Dark Phoenix Saga" prove Xavier right. Following the Hellfire Club's attempt to entice Jean's darker instincts, and the visceral violation she felt at having her emotions manipulated by Club member Mastermind, the Dark Phoenix was released.  The arc's finale is legendary, not just for the actual comic, but the story behind it, too.

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The behind-the-scenes disagreements between Claremont, Byrne and Marvel's editor-in-chief Jim Shooter are now well-documented. Claremont and Byrne's intended conclusion had Jean's powers removed by the alien Shi'ar and the threat of the Phoenix eliminated. Following the heinous actions of Dark Phoenix, Shooter felt this was too easy an ending, one that allowed Jean "off the hook." Byrne has reported that Shooter suggested Jean be sent to a prison planet to be tortured for all eternity, a resolution the creators instantly rejected.

The exact story of how the published ending was reached is in conflict, but it sent shockwaves through fandom, regardless. X-Men #137 ends with Jean sacrificing her life to ensure Dark Phoenix never rises again. The decision was made after the initial version of X-Men #137 had been submitted. In fact, Byrne had begun work on Issue #138, and would later release images from the aborted issue.

 

Writer Chris Claremont wasn't pleased with the decision to kill off Jean, but came to the conclusion this was the best ending for that story. (Ironically, it would be Jim Shooter who, years later, dictated Jean must return for the launch of X-Factora 1985 series that reunited the original X-Men.)

Many fans first became aware of these backstage conflicts in the pages of Fantagraphics' The X-Men Companion, an interview book from comics historian Peter Sanderson. Assembled in 1981, these interviews were conducted close to the actual events, leading credence to the stories told. Chris Claremont's interview is interesting, as the discussion turns to the X-Men's reactions to Jean's death. Claremont reveals that Shooter intended the ending of "Dark Phoenix Saga" as a victory, not a tragedy, for the team.

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Xavier Dark Phoenix

As Claremont says, "Another element that Shooter threw into this was that he did not want Xavier to feel that he had failed whereas I very specifically wanted Xavier to feel that." He later adds, "To me the guilt for Xavier is awesome. He awakened Jean's telepathic ability, he brought her into the X-Men. If anybody should feel a sense of responsibility for what's happened it's him because he was off screwing with Lilandra when he could have prevented this."

A sequence from X-Men #136 is also presented in a new context, thanks to the interview. The scene had Cyclops approaching the Dark Phoenix after she'd managed to capture the rest of the team. He appeals to her humanity, using their bond to convince Jean to stop fighting her friends. He's almost won her over when Professor X arrives and ambushes her with a surprise telepathic attack. This causes Phoenix's evil persona to reassert itself.

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Though Claremont acknowledges Byrne didn't agree with this, he states, "My feeling was from the very beginning that if Scott had calmed her down, if Scott had reached out and touched her, she would have reasserted control, she would conceivably have become (the heroic) Phoenix again." He adds, "What I wanted to set up was Xavier overreacting: 'Good! She's not looking! BOOM!' He does the wrong thing. And it's his mistake that precipitates all these events. John (Byrne) felt that Xavier shouldn't do that, and so did Jim (Shooter.) I think my problem is that I have found increasingly in the last couple of years that I am less and less interested in dealing with the traditional two-dimensional archetypal heroes."

It's an aspect of the story that, theoretically, should add a memorable layer to the tragedy. It's the X-Men's mentor, Jean's surrogate father, who inadvertently causes Dark Phoenix's fatal resurrection.  An act that was utterly unnecessary, given that Cyclops had already utilized their love and shared bond to end the threat of Dark Phoenix. Had Shooter and Byrne been more receptive to the concept, this would've had major repercussions for the X-Men. Most likely, the rift between Cyclops and Xavier could never be healed.

Perhaps attaching the guilt over Dark Phoenix's reemergence would've been too much of a burden to place on the character, but in the years that followed, other creators would give Xavier a more complicated role in the X-mythos. And while this specific confrontation between Xavier and Phoenix from the original story might have been forgotten over the years, it's interesting to know one of Dark Phoenix's key creators had significant thoughts behind it. The initial film adaptation of the story arc, X-Men: The Last Stand, touches on Xavier's guilt but sadly executes the idea poorly, as it did so many other elements of "The Dark Phoenix Saga."

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