X-Men Monday #218 – Louise Simonson Talks ‘Jean Grey’ - Preview Pages of #2

[JB]

https://aiptcomics.com/2023/09/04/x-...n-jean-grey-2/

AIPT: Our first X-Fan question comes from Dusklight, who said your work with Jean Grey is seminal and you’ve been very open about her being your favorite character in the past. What do you think it is that leads her fans — yourself included — to love her so intensely?

Louise: Jean is very complex, in some ways, a study in contrasts. She’s kind and loving, intent on doing the right thing… but, as the heart of the Phoenix, she destroyed a world. She’s arrogant, in a way — well aware of her own power. And yet she questions her choices. She has a strong moral code… and has had to make some difficult choices. She’s very intelligent. But she’s, basically, a creature of emotion. She’s impulsive. She acts as her heart tells her. And, in a character as strong as she is, even positive emotions can become negatives, if pushed too far.

Toss in the Phoenix, who feeds on emotion, and you have a combustible situation.

AIPT: Well, speaking of that cosmic firebird, X-Fan @Jean_RED_Grey was wondering if you consider the Phoenix an extension of Jean’s abilities and a symbol of her self-empowerment in the same way Chris Claremont does.

Louise: Hmmmm. I think, if Jean is powerful enough to have created the Phoenix, we’ve only begun to tap into her immense abilities. If so, the question is, has she created a separate entity, apart from herself, with its own agenda? Or, when the Phoenix enters and empowers other characters, is she manifesting her own will, telepathically, across the Marvel Universe? I dunno. Only time will tell.

eXclusive preview pages of Jean Grey #2:

[JB]

"But wait — there’s one more eXclusive reveal: This gorgeous Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo page from Jean Grey #3, on sale October 25, 2023."

[Mercury]

This interview was so f'ing good. Weezie fed me beyond measure.

She really gets Jean! ::teary eyes with a smile::



Also, Simonson’s answer to my question exceeded my expectations! It brings to mind Amy Reeder’s brilliant cover for Jean Grey #4, which itself is inspired by Michelangelo’s famous fresco painting, “The Creation of Adam,” with Jean in God’s place and Phoenix in Adam’s.

[Mercury]

And I absolutely love that Weezie doubled down on Jean being "a nexus of probabilities," especially since she was the first writer to classify a character as a nexus.

[Soulsword323]

Great interview. Thanks for posting!

[Uncanny X-Man]

Weezie has an excellent understanding of Jean as per this interview.

I'm really curious about her answer on Jean possibly having created the Phoenix... I've felt that's the direction they should be going for a long time now, to reestablish once and for all the primal and inextricable connection between the two and to honour Claremont/Cockrum's original vision for the character as much as possible. Simonson certainly seems to hint at it in her answer and it felt like Gillen was going in that same direction on the Judgment Day one-shot. And the ball is in his court next...

[Mercury]

Weezie has an excellent understanding of Jean as per this interview.

I'm really curious about her answer on Jean possibly having created the Phoenix... I've felt that's the direction they should be going for a long time now, to reestablish once and for all the primal and inextricable connection between the two and to honour Claremont/Cockrum's original vision for the character as much as possible. Simonson certainly seems to hint at it in her answer and it felt like Gillen was going in that same direction on the Judgment Day one-shot. And the ball is in his court next...

I concur! And Weezie’s allusion plays right off of Claremont lore for Jean:

[MechaJeanix]

Excellent interview! Louise definitely understands Jean's complexity and duality. She came up with several good ideas - ones that some of us have thought about over the years - involving the D'Bari, etc. I love that this story is a character study on Jean, it looks into the past, but is still set very much in the present. I can't wait to see where it leads.

This series serves to remind us of some of Jean's most classic stories/moments, but still propels the character forward with what other writers have been doing with her (reckoning with her past especially where Phoenix is concerned).

I like the idea of Jean creating the Phoenix, so many of us have had similar thoughts. Since she talked about it, it may not happen exactly that way so always temper expectations (they usually don't give story away), but I think they will certainly tie Jean and Phoenix together (their intimate connections, maybe as an extension of her telepathy - who knows). Gillen and Duggan have set it up for Jean to come to terms with Phoenix. We'll see if it sticks or if it will just be for a specific story reason.

It's great to have a writer like Simonson writing Jean again. She gets the nuance of the character, and I look forward to the rest of the series... and then to Immortal where Jean shows up next.

[Jackraow21]

So… if Jean created the Phoenix… and she’s a nexus being… is it possible that her creation of it sent it back billions of years so that it existed in the past? As we have seen that the Phoenix force did exist before Jean, even back in prehistory (as did another redhead who wielded its power in the Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C.E.). Perhaps once she created it, in the recent past, it simultaneously existed across time too? Just thinking out loud here…

[Mercury]

Excellent interview! Louise definitely understands Jean's complexity and duality. She came up with several good ideas - ones that some of us have thought about over the years - involving the D'Bari, etc. I love that this story is a character study on Jean, it looks into the past, but is still set very much in the present. I can't wait to see where it leads.

This series serves to remind us of some of Jean's most classic stories/moments, but still propels the character forward with what other writers have been doing with her (reckoning with her past especially where Phoenix is concerned).

I like the idea of Jean creating the Phoenix, so many of us have had similar thoughts. Since she talked about it, it may not happen exactly that way so always temper expectations (they usually don't give story away), but I think they will certainly tie Jean and Phoenix together (their intimate connections, maybe as an extension of her telepathy - who knows). Gillen and Duggan have set it up for Jean to come to terms with Phoenix. We'll see if it sticks or if it will just be for a specific story reason.

It's great to have a writer like Simonson writing Jean again. She gets the nuance of the character, and I look forward to the rest of the series... and then to Immortal where Jean shows up next.

Yes to all of this.

So… if Jean created the Phoenix… and she’s a nexus being… is it possible that her creation of it sent it back billions of years so that it existed in the past? As we have seen that the Phoenix force did exist before Jean, even back in prehistory (as did another redhead who wielded its power in the Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C.E.). Perhaps once she created it, in the recent past, it simultaneously existed across time too? Just thinking out loud here…

Several people on here have posed this very idea, most notably Bobby World, from my recollection.

I always figured Jean went back in time as White Phoenix after “Here Comes Tomorrow” and Phoenix Endsong and manifested as Firehair to right various potential wrongs. And I've always thought she unconsciously or super-consciously (see superego) imbued others (i.e., hosts with fragments of her essence) for the same reasons.

Also, I bet you're tickled about the focus on Logan’s internal life in the preview for JG #2. 🥹

[Jackraow21]

Several people on here have posed this very idea, most notably Bobby World, from my recollection.

I always figured Jean went back in time as White Phoenix after “Here Comes Tomorrow” and Phoenix Endsong and manifested as Firehair to right various potential wrongs. And I've always thought she unconsciously or super-consciously (see superego) imbued others (i.e., hosts with fragments of her essence) for the same reasons.

Very cool. Had not seen these theories posted by others, but makes sense. Apparently great minds think alike.

Also, I bet you're tickled about the focus on Logan’s internal life in the preview for JG #2. ��

Yes, very cool. I find it interesting that she can see into his memories even beyond Weapon X, because at that point he himself could not remember that stuff… and yet she still hits a wall once she gets back to the World Wars he served in and tries to push beyond that… makes you wonder why?

The trauma of his mutant powers manifesting, his killing of his biological father, and later Rose… all that was wiped away by his healing ability actually. The events of Origin were so traumatic for him that his own mutant power protected him from them. Until House of M, that is, and him being granted all of his memories back. So perhaps this is the wall that Jean hits? Or it could be something else… because if you go back in Logan’s life and get to that point just before he enlisted in the military and served in all the wars, someone else entered his life. Someone wildly unpopular, but who Daniel Ways ‘Wolverine: Origins’ series spent a lot of time fleshing out, showing how he’d shaped Logan’s entire adult life. That person being Romulus, who I’ve always thought should’ve been shown to be an emissary of Apocalypse with En Sabah Nur himself being behind Weapon X as Claremont originally intended.

In fact, I posted this just a few moments ago in the Wolverine thread, as I found this article online that I thought was really thought provoking and perhaps a way to salvage all of the nonsense Jeph Loeb made up re: Romulus and the “Lupine sapiens” and actually tie it into the First Mutant Age and Arakko… or Okkara, as it was before it split. Either way…

While many of us would just as soon forget Jeph Loeb’s whole story re: the Lupine sapiens and Romulus, this would be a pretty decent twist on it that might make it A) relevant and B) workable…

Wolverine's Father Wasn't from Earth - Major Theory Redefines Logan's Powers
https://screenrant.com/wolverines-fa...-branch-x-men/

Marvel could potentially introduce the idea that Romulus can trace his own lineage back to Arakko – and further, clarify once and for all that Thomas Logan was a powerful member of this branch of mutants. Logan's recent confrontation with his father, during a Dante-esque journey through the depths of Hell, featured Thomas Logan attempting to become ruler of the underworld; a wildly ambitious goal, especially in death, for your average 19th-century groundskeeper. Establishing Thomas as a Lupine, and establishing the Lupines as an Arakkii branch of the mutant genetic line, would be a way to strengthen the mythology of the X-franchise introduced in recent years.

It would also be a way of clarifying some of the outstanding loose ends in Wolverine's backstory. For a character who spent the first several decades of his history alienated from his own backstory, driven by the question of what his lost memories contained, the answers provided in recent years have contained their share of uncertainties, contradictions, and retcons. Connecting Wolverine, as well as Sabertooth, Wild Child, Romulus, and the other Lupines of Earth with their Arakkii cousins would open many new, exciting avenues for storytelling. Now that Logan has left Krakoa behind, perhaps Arakko will be Wolverine's next destination.

Now this could be cool on many levels as it would kind of explain Logan’s importance in the X-mythos, as being descended from this ancient Arakki line, and it could help clean up a lot of the mess that’s been left by other writers. Furthermore, who better to clean it all up than Al Ewing, an incredible writer who knows how to embrace continuity and make it work for the story instead of saddling the story with it like unwanted baggage? Just imagine an ‘Immortal Wolverine’ story set on Arakko, which sees him interacting with Storm, Roberto and all the rich Arakki lore that has been established by Al in X-men Red. I’m kind of salivating at the thought personally…

Oh, and if they established that Apocalypse was somehow behind Weapon X (as was Claremont’s original intention), this also makes perfect sense there too. Naturally Apocalypse would want to enhance a descendant of this ancient Arakki line to be a weapon against Annihilation’s Amenthi demon hordes upon their return to this plane one day!

Not to derail the thread, but just thought this could be a highly interesting twist. And, if so, would explain why Jean hits a wall at that particular part of Logan’s life… as that’s when Romulus entered it, and perhaps with Apocalypse’s help he was able to wipe any psychic residue of his involvement. Leaving no psychic fingerprints, so to speak…

[Kitty&Piotr<3]

It looks like this series, at least at issue 2, is going for the possession angle. [‐_‐]

Neat interview.

[Mercury]

Very cool. Had not seen these theories posted by others, but makes sense. Apparently great minds think alike.

Yes, very cool. I find it interesting that she can see into his memories even beyond Weapon X, because at that point he himself could not remember that stuff… and yet she still hits a wall once she gets back to the World Wars he served in and tries to push beyond that… makes you wonder why?

The trauma of his mutant powers manifesting, his killing of his biological father, and later Rose… all that was wiped away by his healing ability actually. The events of Origin were so traumatic for him that his own mutant power protected him from them. Until House of M, that is, and him being granted all of his memories back. So perhaps this is the wall that Jean hits? Or it could be something else… because if you go back in Logan’s life and get to that point just before he enlisted in the military and served in all the wars, someone else entered his life. Someone wildly unpopular, but who Daniel Ways ‘Wolverine: Origins’ series spent a lot of time fleshing out, showing how he’d shaped Logan’s entire adult life. That person being Romulus, who I’ve always thought should’ve been shown to be an emissary of Apocalypse with En Sabah Nur himself being behind Weapon X as Claremont originally intended.

In fact, I posted this just a few moments ago in the Wolverine thread, as I found this article online that I thought was really thought provoking and perhaps a way to salvage all of the nonsense Jeph Loeb made up re: Romulus and the “Lupine sapiens” and actually tie it into the First Mutant Age and Arakko… or Okkara, as it was before it split. Either way…

Not to derail the thread, but just thought this could be a highly interesting twist. And, if so, would explain why Jean hits a wall at that particular part of Logan’s life… as that’s when Romulus entered it, and perhaps with Apocalypse’s help he was able to wipe any psychic residue of his involvement. Leaving no psychic fingerprints, so to speak…

I knew it get your gears going! You put a lot of thought into this. I'll have to I'll it over.

It looks like this series, at least at issue 2, is going for the possession angle. [‐_‐]

Aw! ::teary eyes with a smile:: For discussion’s sake, maybe that’s simply what Jean is telling herself, as she inches closer to accepting the truth about her nature. I mean, she went from complete denial about her turn asDark Phoenix to holding herself accountable for the destruction wreaked by her “clone” to admitting that, all along, she was Phoenix and Dark Phoenix. Her journey toward accepting the latter has touched on nearly all of Kübler-Ross‘s stages of grief (i.e., denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance), which aren't sequential. Who’s to say she still isn't exhibiting some denial. After all, Weezie’s interview pretty much reveals how she views Jean and Phoenix—her take aligns closely with Claremont’s—although we'll have to wait and see what Gillen does. Based on what he did with Jean during Judgment Day, though, it's reasonable to think his view of Jean aligns with Simonson’s and Claremont’s views.

Neat interview.

I knew you’d like it!

[The Thunderbird]

Great interview. I wonder if one of the reasons why Jean chose to go back to her time in the shuttle was because she wants to try and save D'Bari as Lousie hinted here.

[Frontier]

"Pulled rank on the irritating new guy" "You don't have to be a jerk about it, but...okay, yeah. Good idea." I dunno why, just the about face amused the heck out of me. Even Jean seems like she's just going "screw it, go ahead mr. annoying" .

I feel like on top of the "what if Wolverine was the Phoenix" this will be the one issue addressing the love triangle.

Can't wait to see what they do with the Maddie issue.