I've always found this excerpt from the 1979 The Comics Journal interview with Chris Claremont (first image) maddening. Claremont and Cockrum always intended for Jean to be the "first female cosmic hero" (Phoenix: The Untold Story, second image) but were essentially forced to "cut her back to roughly where Storm is" due to an explicit or implicit editorial mandate that conveyed a female character could not be cosmic or, to quote Claremont, "a cosmic force." I don't think enough attention and focus is paid to the impetus behind this decision. (Kitty<3Piotr does bring it up often, though.)
What are your thoughts on this decision, the impetus behind it, and its overall implications for super-powered female characters? Also, what are your thoughts about male characters, such as Franklin Richards, being allowed to retain and even continuously increase their power levels while characters like Jean—"a primal force second only to that of the Creator"—and Ororo—"a Goddess"—are continuously reined in? Lastly, is there a space for transcendentally powerful characters on superhero teams?