7.25.2008

The Phoenix Should Rise Again Now Please

by Liana

I have been patient. Really. I have put up with that manipulative bimbo being treated like she matters for long enough. But the time has come. Jean Grey must return. From the dead. From the future. From the hell that is writers who cannot handle her awesomeness. From wherever. Just put her back where she belongs. And I do not mean with her dick husband.

Jean Grey is the heart of the X-Men. She is what makes them a family and without her, the team has all the dysfunctional bitterness and little of the love. You know why? Because she treats her teammates with respect. She doesn’t manipulate them. She doesn’t scan their thoughts without their permission. She does what needs to be done for the greater good, even when it means giving her dick husband permission to hook up with his bimbo girlfriend with her dying breath in order to save all humanity.

So maybe Jean Grey is already back and hanging out in the future as an infant being raised by the stepson she herself raised in the future. There’s a sweet paradox in that, isn’t there? Anyway, as much as I’m enjoying Cable, I would kiss it goodbye in a heartbeat to have my Jeannie back.

It wouldn’t even be hard to bring her back. If Marvel decided to finally admit that it is indeed baby Jean hiding out in the future being raised by DaddySon Cable and hunted by Psycho Bishop, just jump her around a little more and age her. Whatever. It’s time travel. It doesn’t make sense to begin with, so no one has to try hard to explain it. And if Marvel decided to wuss out and make the baby just some random mutant and Jean is still dead, well come on, she’s the friggin’ Phoenix. The whole point of the Phoenix is come back from the dead.

And speaking of things that wouldn’t be hard (insert your own impotent Cyclops joke here), I’ve never understood why so many writers relegate Jean to being an emotional buffoon, torn between a short, hairy animal and a tall, arrogant jerk. There are so many men in the Marvel Universe who would be great for Jean, and none of them are living at the X-Mansion (yeah, yeah, I know the X-Men aren’t living there now either, but that’s hardly the point). She’s like the most powerful mutant on the planet. If she isn’t using her wisdom and compassion to teach the next generation of X-Men how to be good and responsible mutants and people (as opposed to the bimbo just teaching them how to be dead), she could be fighting the big threats by the sides of heroes like the Sentry and Thor. Think of how awesome a book with godlike heroes fighting godlike threats could be, especially with our Jeannie batting clean up.

So come on, Marvel. Stop doing this to me. To us. We’re ready for Jean Grey to take her rightful place alive and well in the current Marvel Universe. I promise to even stop calling that lonely fanboy’s wet dream “bimbo” every chance I get.

10 comments:

Brandon said...

Keep. Jean. Grey. Dead.

Her death would be meaningless otherwise. If she is brought back again, she would be killed off... again! The stories have more impact if the death has meaning. Keep her dead.

Yas said...

Disagree Brandon. Only because I feel that should have happened with the FIRST death of Phoenix which was an infinitely better story than Morrison's attempt.

However, seeing as she was brought back fpr X-Factor I would rather have Jeannie back now. She's a great character, the heart and sould of the X-men (in my opinion) and I think she was perfect for Cyke.

Brandon said...

I don't know. I hear what you're saying, and I do agree with it to some degree. I always found Jean to be a bit boring. I always found her to either a) being used a plot devise as a damsel in distress or b) in the process of getting killed. There's a bit of tongue-in-cheek hyperbole involved there, but it isn't an outlandish statement of how many writers treated terribly tortured Jean. Before her last death, she had gotten into a rut of "well, when am I going to die next?" That's more of a function of writers turning her into a one-dimensional plot device. In terms of powers and personally, I think Emma is a far more interesting character to read (and probably write) than Jean.

Keep her six feet below for good.

Devin said...

I always read Morrison's Jean Death as a post-modern commentary on Jean deaths. It's the ultimate and yet most pathetic Jean death. Like, he kills her knowing that it's a comic book death. She says to Scott, "All I've ever done is die on you." If there isn't some tongue firmly planted into some cheek (and I don't just meet Emma's in Scott's) I'd be shocked. However, because he's calling so much attention to how often Jean dies (he does it twice in three issues), hopefully he can get a reaction from everyone of "JUST KEEP HER DEAD ALREADY!"

Also, I would hardly say that Jean is the heart of the X-Men. Look at the Classic X-Men stories. She's dead/out of action (there's about 10 issues or so in Clairemont/Byrne where she thinks the team is dead and vice versa)/evil for almost all of them.

Personally, I'm a fan of Emma/Scott. I mean, we live in a world where people break up, fight, get divorced and cheat on each other all the time. It's a bit silly to have all these "one great loves" running around in comics. Scott and Emma is an interesting shake-up.

Matt said...

I think Emma should die and Jean come back. And then Jean should hook up with Wolverine so that Cyclops dork would be all by himself.

Dan said...

Jean is the PHOENIX. The whole point is to die and come back.

Brandon said...

But at what point does that shtick become tired and meaningless?

I'd say about fifteen deaths ago.

The General said...

Excellently put, Devin. Agreed!

Dan said...

But at what point does that shtick become tired and meaningless?

I'd say about fifteen deaths ago.


Exactly. The last two deaths (in a three issue span) had zero meaning. If there's any character that can have a reasonable rebirth, it's Phoenix. Regardless of the number of times we've been down this road, it is the inevitable result of the Phoenix dying. Then it's up to future writers to avoid the tired story of killing her.

The entire X-line would be better for it.

Chris T said...

I just saw this post and thought I'd add my 5¢ as a long-time, lapsed X-Men fan.

Liana is totally right about Jean being the heart of the X-Men. I picked up a couple of those X-Men: First Class trades and they really bring that aspect out (I also dug the Coleen Coover shorts where she hung out with the Scarlet Witch).

And I agree, if she comes back Scott stays dumped. One of the things that ruined the early X-Factor books was the endless worrying about Madeleine Pryor and all the sad story arcs that generated.. Maybe Scott and Jean are one of those high school sweet-heart romances that look good on paper but never quite work out once everyone graduates and life gets more complicated.

Maybe she can hook up with Wolverine and help him out with some of his pent up emotions :)