Summary
- The iconic Jean Grey faces off against the Dark God Perrikus, who once defeated Thor and destroyed Mjölnir.
- Perrikus escapes an intergalactic prison as the black hole collapses, setting off a chain of vengeful events.
- Jean Grey must deal with the consequences of allowing Perrikus to escape, facing an old villain and a vengeful young girl.
Warning: contains spoilers for Phoenix #1As Jean Grey enters her newest era, patrolling the cosmos as the celestially-empowered Phoenix, the iconic X-Men hero has already been forced to make a terrible decision, one that releases a Dark God into the universe. Responding to an emergency beacon from Nova in Phoenix #1, Jean Grey must decide between saving a prison of inmates and preventing one of Thor's villains - the monstrous Perrikus - from escaping.
The end of the Krakoan Era saw Hope Summers sacrificing her life to reignite the Phoenix Force, bringing Jean Grey back to life and permanently canonizing the idea that Jean Grey is the Phoenix now and forever.
Phoenix #1, from writer Stephanie Phillips, sees Perrikus - who once defeated Thor and destroyed Mjölnir - escape from prison and almost immediately kill the leader of a religious sect, setting the man's daughter Adani on a journey of vengeance and hatred aimed directly at Jean Grey.
Perrikus Once Easily Defeated The Mighty Thor
The Dark God was even able to destroy Mjolnir
Perrikus is one of the Dark Gods - described as the "evil opposites" to the Asgardians - who comes from the planet Narcisson, with superhuman strength, energy blasts, and an unbelievably powerful scythe. Introduced in Thor (1998) #1, Perrikus and the Dark Gods became major antagonists to Thor, after attacking Asgard and capturing Odin for a millennia-earlier assault on Narcisson. Thor, angry over the attack on his home and people, attempts to defeat Perrikus, only for the Dark God to use his scythe to cleave Mjölnir in half and striking Thor violently, shocking the god and forcibly reverting him into his human form.
Perrikus and Thor's brutal battle took place in Thor (1998) #10 Dan Jurgens and John Romita Jr.
The prison that Perrikus escapes from is Kyln-2, an intergalactic prison holding the universe's most dangerous criminals within a black hole... and the black hole is collapsing. As Nova attempts to save the inmates and guards, after having just woken up from a coma caused by the Genesis War on Arakko, he is forced to call Jean Grey for . During this, Perrikus escapes his cell and murders a fellow inmate, before stealing an emergency ship for himself. As Phoenix arrives and attempts to stabilize the black hole, she is forced to choose between stopping Perrikus' escape or rescuing the prison, and Jean chooses to let Perrikus go.
Phoenix's Choices Always Have Dire Consequences
Jean Grey now has a vengeful new villain to deal with
Adani, the narrator of Phoenix, is a young alien girl whose planet was saved from a dying sun by Jean Grey. Sadly, after Perrikus escapes Kyln-2, he crash lands on Adani's planet and murders her father, setting Adani on a collision course with Phoenix. Jean Grey has dealt with the consequences of the Dark Phoenix Saga for years, and now she must face another. Although Jean surely made the right choice by saving dozens of people in the prison, her decision to allow Perrikus to escape is going to have major repercussions on her future.
Perrikus is a terribly difficult villain to beat - just ask Thor - and now Jean Grey must also contend with a righteously angry young woman whose father's death was facilitated by Phoenix in her eyes. Phoenix will need to deal with the consequences of her actions as she continues to atone for her past and forge a path forward for her heroic place in the universe.
Phoenix #1 from Marvel Comics is available now in stores.
