Editing Phoenix Force (section)

===Jean Grey===
Centuries later, the Phoenix Force returns to Earth without a host when it feels the mind of a human transcend the physical realm and resonate with its energy. [[Jean Grey]] telepathically linked her mind to her dying friend Annie Richardson to keep Annie's soul from moving to the afterlife. In doing so, Jean's mind is dragged along to the "other side" with Annie. The Phoenix lends its energy to break the connection, and keeps a close watch on her because it felt a kinship with the young [[Mutant (Marvel Comics)|mutant]]. Years later, when Jean is dying on a space shuttle, her mind calls out for help and the Phoenix Force answers and saves her, transforming Jean into the Phoenix.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #101</ref>

The Phoenix remains with the X-Men for only a short time. She prevents the complete destruction of the universe by repairing the damaged energy matrix at the core of the M'Kraan Crystal.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #108</ref> During a skirmish with [[Magneto (Marvel Comics)|Magneto]], Phoenix and [[Beast (Marvel Comics)|Beast]] are separated from the other X-Men, each group believing the other to have perished.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #113</ref> In Greece, Phoenix meets a man named Nikos, later revealed to be [[Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde)|Mastermind]], a mutant who can [[Illusion|alter the perceptions of others]]. Mastermind plants seeds of dissent within Phoenix's fragile psyche by comparing her to a god and insisting she could do whatever she wished.<ref>''Classic X-Men'' #24</ref> She encounters Mastermind again in [[Scotland]] under the guise of Jason Wyngarde, believing the latter to be both the work of the reality-warping mutant [[Proteus (Marvel Comics)|Proteus]] and the lover of one of her ancestors.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #122</ref>

An encounter with the [[Hellfire Club (comics)|Hellfire Club]] and manipulation by Mastermind and [[Emma Frost]] (the White Queen) transformed the Phoenix into their [[Black Queen (comics)|Black Queen]].<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #132</ref> She breaks free of Mastermind's control, but transforms into the Dark Phoenix. She battles the X-Men, flees to the stars, devours the energies of the [[D'Bari]] star system to satisfy her "hunger" as the Dark Phoenix, annihilates the five billion inhabitants of its fourth planet, and destroys a nearby Shi'ar observatory vessel that opens fire on her before she returns to Earth. There, the Dark Phoenix is defeated in psionic combat by [[Professor X]], and Jean Grey regains control. The X-Men, along with Phoenix, are teleported to space by the [[Shi'ar]] and given a trial by combat. Just as victory seemed certain for the Imperial Guard, Jean becomes Dark Phoenix again. She apparently commits [[suicide]] on Earth's moon before [[Cyclops (Marvel Comics)|Cyclops]].<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #134-137</ref>

As originally written, the Jean Grey incarnation of Phoenix is Jean herself, having attained her ultimate potential as a psi, becoming a being of pure energy and reforming herself as Phoenix,<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' #125</ref> only to become slowly corrupted by the manipulation of such foes as Mastermind and Emma; Jean is driven mad as she is unable to adapt to her enormous power.

To return Jean to the fold several years later, this storyline was [[retcon]]ned to reveal the existence of the cosmic Phoenix Force entity, which had created a duplicate body of Jean, believed itself to be Jean and acted in her place while the real version laid in a healing cocoon at the bottom of [[Jamaica Bay]], where the [[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]] and [[Fantastic Four]] discover her.<ref>''The Avengers'' #263; ''Fantastic Four'' #286; ''Classic X-Men'' #8</ref> It allowed Jean to be revived as a member of [[X-Factor (comics)|X-Factor]]. The extent to which the duplicate and Jean are separate entities depends on who is writing the characters at the time: some instances portray them as inherently separate, while others demonstrate a shared consciousness.

After committing suicide, the Phoenix Force reaches the White Hot Room where it encounters a manifestation of [[Death (Marvel Comics)|Death]] and returns itself to Jean in the cocoon. Horrified by what it has done, Jean rejects it and it fuses with [[Madelyne Pryor]] (Jean's clone).<ref>''Classic X-Men'' #43; ''X-Factor'' #38</ref> This portion of the Phoenix remains with Madelyne until the latter committed suicide while fighting her genetic template before joining into a merged consciousness.<ref>''X-Factor'' #38</ref>