It's safe to argue that most of the X-Men probably hate the Phoenix Force, given all the pain and tragedy it has brought to their surrogate family. But Wolverine has built up more resentment for the cosmic deity than maybe any other member besides Jean Grey, and this grudge has been demonstrated throughout the ongoing Avengers story arc "Enter the Phoenix."

Since the beginning of "Enter the Phoenix", Logan has been hell-bent on destroying the Phoenix Force for good. His desire to do so is rooted in the X-Men's long history with the entity, throughout which Logan himself has often become responsible for taking drastic, painful measures to protect his friends and family, not to mention the rest of the universe, from the Phoenix's wrath.

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Dark Phoenix Saga Original Ending

 

Jean's sacrifice may have been what saved the world in the original Dark Phoenix Saga but even in this early encounter Logan showed that he understood extreme tactics had to be used to neutralize the threat the Phoenix posed. During the X-Men's battle with Dark Phoenix, Logan tackled her, with his claws out and his internal monologue showed him thinking to himself, "I got no choice. I gotta end this -- now! Permanently!!" However, when Jean briefly wrestled control of her body from the Phoenix, Logan was overcome with emotion and hesitated. Dark Phoenix took advantage of this after she reasserted control and blasted him away. Still, Logan came closer to ending the threat than any of his teammates.

Later, when Rachel Summers possessed the power of the Phoenix and was going to use it kill Selene, Logan also stood in her way. When Rachel declared that the only way to stop her was to kill her, Logan impaled her with his claws. Strangely, he attributed his decision to his belief that killing Selene while she was helpless was murder and different from other instances in which he and Rachel had killed, which made his actions seem somewhat hypocritical.

In New X-Men #148 by Grant Morrison, Phil Jimenez, Andy Lanning, Chris Chuckry and Rus Wooton Logan actually found himself in need of the Phoenix, although he ultimately still had to use brutal tactics to unleash it. Logan and Jean were stranded on Asteroid M, which Magneto had sent hurtling towards the sun. With their time running out, Logan suggested Jean use the Phoenix's power to fly them both to safety but, while she exerted much greater control over it than ever before, Jean knew she was still not capable of doing so. Eventually, with Jean dying of dehydration and heat Logan stabbed her and exposed her to the burning rays of the sun. As their bodies began to burn, the Phoenix Force activated and returned them to Earth. Although it was Magneto who was responsible for placing Jean in peril, Logan still felt tremendous guilt over his actions, although they ultimately saved many lives.

Related: Avengers: Marvel's First Phoenix Basically Lived Through the Jungle Book

x-men the last stand logan and jean

Hugh Jackman's live-action version of Logan from the X-Men film franchise also had a violent history with the Phoenix. Throughout X-Men: The Last Stand, he argued that Jean could still be returned to her old self, but during the X-Men's battle with the Brotherhood on Alcatraz Island, the Phoenix began disintegrating everyone and everything in sight. Knowing that his healing factor would allow him to get close to Jean, Logan told Storm to evacuate the island and confronted her. Jean briefly took control and told him to save her, after which Logan told her he loved her before killing her with his claws. Logan was shown to be deeply traumatized by this throughout both The Wolverine and X-Men: Days of Future Past and the incident was even alluded to in Logan, despite that film possibly taking place in an alternate timeline.

Logan's rivalry with the Phoenix has continued in more recent comics. During Avengers vs. X-Men he sided with the Avengers, believing Hope Summers needed to be taken captive to prevent the Phoenix from bonding with her. Hope eventually asked Logan to kill her should she prove unable to control the Phoenix but Cyclops stopped him. When he first sensed the young Jean Grey during All-New X-Men Logan's first instinct was to attack her, likely fearing that her appearance was part of a new Phoenix attack. Unfortunately, it's unlikely Logan's latest attempt to stop the Phoenix will succeed, as several characters have already received pieces of its power, with many others, including Logan himself, being eyed as potential hosts.

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