Originally Posted by
Harpsikord
The Phoenix really shouldn't be hard to fix. It can even keep its own sentience and place in the Marvel universe as an omnipotent force, but it doesn't need to be any different than those other vague forces.
I've said for a long, long time that the Phoenix is one of Marvel's most lucrative properties and they need to simplify it. Start by permanently tying it to Jean Grey and no one else - let it make her the X-Men's biggest actual powerhouse in the same capacity that Thor or Captain Marvel or what have you is for the Avengers, have her own abilities limited to that of incredible and intense psychic powers as opposed to adding in reality manipulation, teleportation, and such as that with the added benefit of the Force being able to resurrect Jean or other characters as necessary... so long as Phoenix is primarily Jean Grey. If Phoenix is Phoenix in control, as in the force, it'd be a bit different.
But most importantly, the Phoenix needs some kind of limiting factor so that Jean can maintain her humanity (because writers seem to be very tempted with the fact that the Phoenix itself is a god and, thus, whoever wields it becomes akin to a god whether that's a benevolent or malevolent one, of which Jean has been both) and could still, potentially, live.
I think that the Phoenix should be like the Avatar state from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Something that exists within Jean Grey, that can amplify her power at times of great strife that are necessary. The Green Phoenix would be the basic template and that would just be... Jean with her own omega level psychic powers, Jean at her base, still capable, still among if not the strongest X-Man, in complete control. Effectively, for a comparison, this would be Jean as of X-Men Red, X-Force, and etc. Green represents Jean at her best; balance and life.
The Red Phoenix is the Dark Phoenix. This is what happens when the Phoenix has total and complete control - when Jean isn't a house that she lives in so much as a house that she takes over. It's chaotic, mostly malevolent; this is the Phoenix that has one purpose and one purpose alone, to burn away what doesn't work and start over again. This Phoenix has hellfire, flames that can't be put out, and is just overall one of the most destructive forces in the universe. Jean isn't dumb enough or weak enough to relinquish control - but that's not to say that it would never happen... There would, of course, be protocols in place if Jean were to ever have to go Dark.
The White Phoenix of the Crown is the Phoenix and Jean Grey in true balance with one another. This is the Phoenix and Jean when they make a deal with one another, when they realize that they are both needed to accomplish a means to an end; this is the Phoenix that we saw at the end of Phoenix Endsong who was healing universes and destroying that which didn't work all within the same motion. This is the same Jean that we saw take a Shi'Ar Fission Bomb entirely into herself in order to save the Planet Earth and her friends. This is, for all intents and purposes, the Phoenix that we saw healing the M'Kraan Crystal back when Shi'Ar space was first introduced (despite her wearing green then). This is the Phoenix that can go toe to with Scarlet Witch wielding the Life Force, Thanos with a full Infinity Gauntlet, and etc and still very possible come out on top. This is the Jean that is effectively the strongest character in the Marvel Universe bar none. This is the rarest 'version' of Phoenix because she only ever appears when the universe is in dire straits.
Mostly, stories would just be told with Jean as her green Phoenix self, but the one true Phoenix would at all times be Jean Grey. But for some reason Marvel is afraid of the Jean Grey/Phoenix combination.