The
Shi'ar resurrect the dormant
Phoenix Force prematurely and without a host, in hopes of destroying it. The Phoenix escapes to Earth where it resurrects
Jean Grey and forcefully bonds with her again, despite Jean's pleas that it is "too early."
Wolverine finds Jean standing completely naked in a field, before the Shi'ar fire a miniature
black hole at the two. The Phoenix Force teleports Jean and Wolverine to the
North Pole. Seeing an injured Logan, Jean is able to resurface and gain control. She asks him to stop the Phoenix. Wolverine stabs her with his claws many times, but she will not remain dead. He does however manage to weaken the Phoenix greatly, and Jean embeds herself in the ice in the hopes of subduing them both. The Phoenix breaks away from Jean while she is within the ice. The X-Men arrive at the North Pole in the
Blackbird, and in the ensuing battle, the Phoenix attempts to force herself onto Scott and use him to strengthen her powers. She uses his memories of Jean to provoke Scott, but realizes that he now loves
Emma Frost and possesses her. Emma, who is unable to contain the Phoenix Force, is manipulated by
Quentin Quire, who hopes to use the Phoenix to resurrect Sophie of the
Stepford Cuckoos. His actions results in the Phoenix growing more enraged and uncontrollable.
Cyclops realizes that Jean is the only hope of containing the Phoenix. He frees her from the ice, and Jean is able to rip the Phoenix Force out of Emma Frost. The Phoenix is shocked, but Jean merely replies, "Don't you remember? I am you." The Phoenix taunts Jean about losing Cyclops' love; distressed, Jean begins to lose control. Cyclops realizes that Jean needs to feel the love he and her teammates have for her, and has Emma and the Stepford Cuckoos contact all of the current and former X-Men around the world to focus their love into Jean. Jean regains control and transcends into the White Phoenix of the Crown in time to save the team from another black hole created by the Shi’ar. Before she departs, Jean asks Scott to remove his visor because she wants to see his eyes. Enveloped in his optic blast, she leaves for the
White Hot Room to gather the missing pieces of herself, giving Scott one last goodbye. ==Reception==