With the Avengers vs. X-Men vs. Eternals event set to launch on July 13, everyone’s favorite mutants prepare to go to war. Among the main team, Synch, Cyclops, and Jean Gray will certainly take a stand against the Eternal threat. Jean Grey, of all the other X-Men, definitely has the best chance of doing major damage. As the Phoenix, she proved as powerful as any of the Celestials who saw fit to judge the mutant kind, and she will certainly be able to fend off the Eternals.
Still, just as Jean will surely prove capable of defeating the Eternals, fans have certainly proven their ability to shed some light on the character. No matter how powerful an X-Man is, fans will always be able to poke fun at them, and some of their memes are central to who Jean is.
Sometimes forgets his powers
As this meme lightly does, while her telekinesis is certainly a force to be reckoned with, Jean doesn’t use it as much as she should. As an Omega-level telepath, she often prefers mind tricks to physical strength in flight. Mostly using telekinesis just to get airborne and dodge projectiles, she really underutilizes it.
Given the strength of his telekinesis, it’s disappointing that the Krakoan Jean rarely takes advantage of his talents. She faces some of the worst villains Orchis has to offer and spends most of her time at an active disadvantage caused by her own misuse of her powers.
A power-up
In the comics, after being possessed by the Phoenix, Jean has become an indescribably powerful figure. Still, alternate versions of the character have inconsistent portrayals.
In the 90s animated series, Jean is most often presented as a character who wouldn’t use her powers for even a second without losing control and passing out. Still, Jean from X-Men Evolution was exceptionally powerful and could destroy anything and everything in its path. It’s a strange inconsistency, made even stranger by the inconsistency that exists in live-action movies as well.
The best Phoenix
While many X-Men have claimed the Phoenix over the years, only two have become synonymous with it: Jean Gray and Rachel Summers. The latter, by the way, happens to be Jean’s alternate reality daughter. But their bond with the Phoenix together had a significant impact on both characters.
Although she recently rejected the Phoenix completely, she still proved to be one of the few people who could handle its power. Although it regularly gets her into trouble, Jean still managed to struggle with the entity, even driving it out for good when she finally decided it was necessary.
Don’t die so often
Like a phoenix, Jean Gray died and was reborn several times. While that’s less than most fans assume, she certainly had her moments. Some of the puzzling variables that lead fans to assume she dies more than she did is that she dies at key moments, like the Dark Phoenix Saga, and often stays dead for years to come.
His death and subsequent resurrections left an exceptional impact on the franchise and were even depicted in several live-action movies. Really, while Jean doesn’t die as often as they say, it would be more surprising if she wasn’t remembered for it.
morally ambivalent
It’s not easy for telepaths to deal with the moral ambiguity of their powers, which is part of why Jean, as one of Marvel’s top telepaths, struggles to deal with the ethical limits of her abilities. .
Although she is often entirely unaware of the ethical restrictions on telepathic intrusion, there are times when she has learned that it is wrong to intrude on people’s mental states. Jean often means well, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s using her powers properly.
Dealing with telepathy
Telepathy is not a fun power. While MCU heroes tend to have great powers, the X-Men side of the universe isn’t often so lucky. Uncontrollable eye beams, agonizing healing powers, and grueling teleportation can be somewhat unachievable. In John’s case, that means having to see every moment of someone else’s mind.
It means having to bear witness to each subject’s happiest times, darkest hurts, and weirdest, weirdest thoughts. And Jean must see him constantly. It’s no wonder Jean is often one of the most compassionate of the X-Men, as she has to see every moment of anyone’s life, but it must also be tiring.
I can’t hold on
Jean Gray and Cyclops have always had a strange relationship. Having met during their time on the original X-Men, they often prove to be invaluable soldiers in Xavier’s army. However, that doesn’t always mean they get along. While Jean is considerably more powerful than fans of the animated series would have you believe, it’s not entirely impossible for this swap to happen.
After all, having met as teenagers, Jean and Scott sometimes like to play with each other, and it’s possible Jean might try a joke like this. Given how harsh Cyclops can be at times, it’s a pretty fun insight into an aspect of a relationship that’s usually more serious than anything else.
Not well respected
While only comic book fans know just how strong Jean is, the anime series even manages to make it harder for them to appreciate her power in a fight. After all, given that one episode saw Jean lose a fight to a computer cord that manages to trip her, it’s hard to appreciate her strength.
This is a problem Jean has had in every adaptation: any really strong portrayal of the character would immediately render her totally unviable. After all, how are writers supposed to work with a virtually omnipotent character? Still, if comic book writers can handle it, so should adaptation writers.
Cyclops over everything
Despite Logan’s attempts, Jean rarely chooses a partner who isn’t named Scott Summers. Cyclops, one of the original X-Men, was practically Jean’s girlfriend in high school. Through all the conflict they have faced – mostly inflicted by Cyclops or the Phoenix – they have remained resilient.
It doesn’t matter how much Wolverine loves Jean. As long as Scott is around, Jean will always flock to his side and vice versa. Given that Cyclops ditched his wife for Jean, it’s certainly true that the feeling goes both ways, no matter how disappointed Logan is to see him.
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