Uncanny X-Men #137

[iamrman]

JEEEAAANN!!

I would have included the fight with the Imperial Guard, but it would just be the X-Men fighting characters I hate. I decided to concentrate on the important moment instead.

Comments

[zylly]

I've always been amazed at the editorial goings on with this particular story. A major change like that, at the very last minute... it's a miracle it turned out even remotely okay, let alone one of the most memorable X-Men stories.

I'm not 100% sure I agree with Shooter's declaration that Jean had to die, since it was a case of "went mad with power" rather than "coldly and deliberately and willfully murdered people", but destroying an entire planet is pretty hard to come back from. (And then Claremont and Byrne would start getting into it with each other with the Trial of Galactus and its lead up).

But the one thing I do know is, as much as I liked X-Factor, and as much as Scott and Jean are my big X-ship... she should have stayed dead. The stark finality of this shouldn't have been broken.

[mindsweeper]

I agree that she should have stayed dead. And I say that as someone who loved Phoenix-Jean when I read this and was heartbroken when they killed her. X-Factor wasn't worth the retcon, IMO. They could've used Maddie (all the Nathan stuff would have been more meaningful) or Rachel or another character for that O5 vibe.

I will also say that I wish the Phoenix had never returned. Rachel could have just been a powerful telepath / telekinetic / chronokinetic with that as her power signature, like Psylocke used that pink butterfly. She didn't need to be "THE Phoenix". I can't think of another great use of it and most are terrible.

[zylly]

Claremont offered them several different options from bringing Jean back, all of which would have worked to some degree or another, but they were just so freaking adamant. (Though I admit, Busiek's suggested way to absolve her of the guilt worked well).

But yeah, they just keep going back to that well, to this day.

[scorntx]

Ehhh...
Speaking as one who's usually more for characters staying dead after they get a good departure, gonna have to disagree on Jean death.
I just wish that she hadn't become so inextricably tied to the Phoenix.
(Or that every damn adaptation since has tried to adapt it and utterly blorked it up.
'97 came so damn close...)
If all a writer's going to do with Jean is yet another rehash of Phoenix, then yeah, let her stay dead.