Jean Grey is famous for her multiple deaths, which are in fact not as numerous as one would think. Jean Grey is one of the X-Men’s most important heroes. She’s a founding member, a pillar of the mutant dream, and one of the most powerful telepaths and telekinetics in the Marvel Universe. Through her connection to the Phoenix Force, Jean has transcended life and death and become both a symbol of evolution and a moral compass for her team.
Jean is also one of Marvel’s most tragic heroines. Her life has been marked by an eternal cycle of sacrifice, loss, and rebirth. But contrary to popular belief, Jean hasn’t died as many times as her reputation suggests. What makes Jean’s multiple deaths so memorable is the narrative and emotional impact of each of them.
7
The Phoenix Force Resurrects Jean Grey After A Shuttle Crash
Uncanny X-Men #100; Written by Chris Claremont; Art by Dave Cockrum & Bonnie Wilford
In 1976’s Uncanny X-Men #100, Jean Grey sacrifices herself to pilot a damaged space shuttle back to Earth after it’s bombarded by deadly cosmic radiation. The shuttle’s shielding can’t protect her, but Jean insists on staying behind the controls while the rest of the X-Men remain in stasis. When the craft crashes into Jamaica Bay, she’s pulled from the wreckage alive, reborn with immense power and declaring herself the Phoenix.
Jean Grey’s death in the shuttle wasn’t initially framed as a death, but in retrospect, it became the start of Jean’s tragic cycle of sacrifice and rebirth. The Phoenix Force’s intervention marked the first of multiple resurrections and symbolized Jean’s evolution from a regular mutant to a cosmic entity. This death was partly adapted in X2: X-Men United, where Jean dies protecting the Blackbird from a flash flood and the Phoenix Force finds her.
6
Jean Grey Sacrifices Herself To Defeat The Dark Phoenix
Uncanny X-Men #137; Written by Chris Claremont & John Byrne; Art by John Byrne, Terry Austin, and Glynis Wein
In Marvel’s iconic Dark Phoenix Saga, Jean Grey’s transformation into the Dark Phoenix reaches its tragic climax. Consumed by the cosmic power of the Phoenix Force, Jean becomes a universal threat after annihilating an entire solar system. The X-Men fight her on the Moon, where Jean briefly regains control of herself. Realizing she can’t contain the Phoenix’s destructive potential, Jean activates an ancient weapon and ends her own life.
Almost fifty years later Jean’s sacrifice is still one of Marvel’s most iconic deaths. It cemented Jean as both a victim and master of her own destiny, torn between heroism and raw cosmic power. Jean’s death shaped Cyclops’s future and redefined the tone of the X-Men’s subsequent stories for years. Though later retcons explained Jean was replaced by the Phoenix Force, the impact of her sacrifice remains a key part of her comic book history.
5
Xorn Kills Jean Grey With A Telepathic Attack
New X-Men #150; Written by Grant Morrison; Art by Phil Jimenez, Andy Lanning, Simon Coleby, and Chris Eliopoulos
Grant Morrison delivered one of the most unexpected moments in Jean Grey’s long history in 2004’s New X-Men #150. During the climactic battle between the X-Men and Xorn, Jean confronts the villain at the ruins of Genosha. Overwhelmed by his rage and instability, Xorn uses Magneto’s godlike telepathic and electromagnetic powers to send Jean’s body and mind into overdrive, killing her.
This death marked the end of Morrison’s era and symbolized Jean’s destructive cycle of rebirth. This time, Jean doesn’t die due to her connection to the Phoenix Force, but simply through a devastating attack her body simply can’t withstand. Though her connection to the Phoenix all but guaranteed her return, Jean Grey’s death at the hands of a new version of a classic enemy closed one of the most clearly defined chapters in Jean’s story.
4
Cyclops Ends Jean Grey With An Optic Blast At Her Request
Phoenix: Endsong #5; Written by Greg Pak; Art by Greg Land, Matt Ryan, and Justin Ponsor
In 2005’s Phoenix: Endsong #5, Jean Grey faces the Phoenix Force one final time after it forcibly resurrects her before she gets a chance to recover in the White Hot Room, desperate for a host. Torn between her love for Cyclops and the uncontrollable hunger of the cosmic entity, Jean begs Scott to end her suffering before the Phoenix consumes her again. In an agonizing climax, Cyclops delivers an optic blast that kills Jean, releasing her from the Phoenix’s hold and allowing her to finally rest.
Jean’s death in Endsong is less specatular than the rest, but it’s particularly tragic. Rather than a grand cosmic sacrifice for the sake of the world or the universe, Jean only wants to rest. Cyclops is the ideal hero to pull the trigger, as the decision is all about mercy for his loved one. While Jean eventually returns in Marvel canon, this death could easily be read as the perfect ending to Jean’s curse.
3
Jean Grey Dies While Taking Down Mother Mold
House of X #4; Written by Jonathan Hickman; Art by Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia
In 2019’s House of X #4, Jean Grey and a select strike team of X-Men embark on a suicide mission to destroy Mother Mold, Orchis’ Sentinel-producing station orbiting the sun. As their ship is destroyed and teammates fall one by one, Jean remains telepathically connected to Cyclops and the rest, guiding them until the very end. When the station collapses, every single member of the team is murdered in cold blood by the Sentinels.
Jean’s death in House of X is a unique one, as it isn’t caused, directly or indirectly, by the Phoenix Force, which doesn’t play any role in the mission or in Jean’s subsequent return. Jean and her fellow X-Men are soon brought back to life through the Krakoan Resurrection Protocols. Since this is the first official test of the Protocols, Jean’s death and resurrection are depicted as a triumph for mutantkind.
2
A Cyborg Moira MacTaggert Mortally Wounds Jean Grey At The Hellfire Gala
X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1; Written by Gerry Duggan; Art by Kris Anka, Russell Dauterman, Matteo Lolli, Carlos Villa, Rain Beredo, Frank Martin, Matt Milla, and Matthew Wilson
Jean Grey’s most recent death takes place in 2023’s X-Men: Hellfire Gala. During the titular event, chaos erupts as Orchis infiltrates the celebration meant to symbolize mutant unity. Amidst the chaos, an Orchis-influenced, cyborg Moira MacTaggert stabs Jean Grey in the back. Despite her immense telekinetic power, Jean is overwhelmed, and she telepathically protects the mutants as she bleeds out.
Jean Grey’s Hellfire Gala demise underscores Krakoa’s failure and mutants’ crumbling illusion of peace. Though Jean returns even more powerful than before, the wound of Moira’s betrayal lingers. After all, the Krakoan Age started from a shared idea by Moira and Charles Xavier. To see Moira turn on mutantkind as mutant paradise collapses is possibly even more tragic than each one of Jean’s previous deaths.
1
Jean Grey Sacrifices Herself To Stop The X-Virus
Binary #2; Written by Stephanie Phillips; Art by Giada Belviso and Rachelle Rosenberg
Jean Grey’s latest death comes in Binary #2, where Jean sacrifices her life and transfers the Phoenix Force to Captain Marvel in a desperate attempt to stop the X-Virus. This death is unexpected not only because it happens in the form of a flashback, but also because it takes place off-screen some time between Marvel’s present-day and the Age of Revelation’s dystopian near-future, with little context about Jean’s personal story.
Having just found peace sharing the Phoenix Force with her sister Sara Grey, Jean Grey’s most recent death feels rather hollow. It’s clear that Jean’s story is far from over, as she’s expected to return once the Age of Revelation concludes. Once Shadows of Tomorrow arrives, Carol Danvers will likely return the Dark Phoenix to Jean as well.
- Movie(s)
-
X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
- TV Show(s)
-
X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men ’97 (2024)
- First Film
-
X-Men (2000)
- Character(s)
-
Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
- Video Game(s)
-
X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine’s Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
- Comic Release Date
-
213035,212968
