Jean Grey’s Real Enemy Was Always Herself

Videos by ComicBook.com

The Phoenix Force leaves Jean Grey for Legion during Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1, and Jean is forced to deal with her actions as the Dark Phoenix and the way those actions have affected her friends in the X-Men. This leads to Ms. Marvel having to talk some sense into Jean, helping her realize just how important she is to the team. Jean’s struggles with herself has always been her biggest problem, and looking at her history reveals just how much harder she’s made things on herself.

Jean Grey’s Doubts Have Always Held Her Back

Jean Grey’s powers manifested before puberty, which is pretty rare for mutants. Jean was watching her friend Annie play when the other girl got hit by a car. This moment of trauma made Jean’s powers awaken. She ended up going into Annie’s mind, and was there when she died. Jean was put into a coma, and only Professor X could save her. So, right from the beginning, Jean didn’t learn that her powers were a good thing; her powers damaged her, and she would be scared of them for years. Jean’s first lesson as a mutant was that her powers were scary, and this caused her to fear herself more than anything. Later, she would learn that Xavier limited her powers because even he was scared of her powers at their highest level. The effect that this fear had on Jean defined who she was for years. Jean allowed everyone else to lead her, from Xavier on down, all because of what she could do if she made her own decisions. Even her relationship with Cyclops could be looked at from this perspective. She thought that she was supposed to fall in love with the leader of the team, so she did. The Phoenix situation would increase her fear of herself, and that fear would hold her back until the months before her death at the hands of Xorn. Jean finally learned to trust herself and her power, which is why she’s been able to become the perfect host for the Phoenix Force.

For most of her time as a superhero, Jean feared herself. She didn’t trust herself. This is why the Dark Phoenix was born. Mastermind was able to strip Jean’s mind of her fear of herself and her actions, and this led to the Phoenix taking control of Jean. In the years to come, this fear of losing control would define Jean Grey. In the mid ’90s, Jean would take up the Phoenix name again, all in an effort to beat her fear of her own power. This fear caused her to always listen to what the people around her told her do, because she was afraid of what she would do if she was responsible for her own actions. It took years for Jean to see that she had nothing to be afraid of, and that she was able to control her darker impulses.

Ms. Marvel Is Able to Show Jean Grey the Confidence She Would Gain in the Future

In Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1, Legion is able to entice the Phoenix Force into bonding with him, leaving Jean with the guilt over the Dark Phoenix’s actions. She walks on in Beast and Storm questioning whether she was responsible for the destruction of the D’Bari star system, and this brings her fear — that she’s a monster — to the forefront. Ms. Marvel goes to reassure her, and Jean questions everything about herself. She’s always suspected that she was some kind of terrible thing, ever since she couldn’t save her friend Annie as a child. Ms. Marvel is able to help Jean Grey look past her failures, by telling her the truth — that she’s always been the heart of the X-Men.

It took years for Jean Grey to believe in herself as a person. She always felt that there was something inside of her that should be feared, and the only way she’s been able to get past it is by believing in herself. Ms. Marvel was able to help her, showing her the strength that has always been a part of her. Jean’s always been the biggest enemy Jean has had, but in the end, she’s always proven that she’s better than her fear.

Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1 is on sale now.