Nearly twenty years later, the mastermind behind one of the X-Men The most brutal muscles of the franchise is confirmed – Making canon what readers have suspected for decades, that Shire Imperial Guard leader Gladiator ordered the death of Jean Grey’s entire family. More than just a direct confirmation of the details behind the deadly storyline, this sets up a confrontation between Phoenix and Gladiator in the near future.
Phoenix #4 – Written by Stephanie Phillips, with art by Alessandro Miracolo – continues to explore the impact of Jean Grey’s newfound role as one of the wider Marvel Universe’s cosmic heroes.
This put her back in the crosshairs of Gladiator, who is depicted in the issue meeting with the Galactic Council in order to decide what to do about the Phoenix. In the scene, it was confirmed that the Imperial Guard Commander was directly responsible for “Terminating the entire human bloodline of the Phoenix“, offering new context to the devastating story first released in 2005.
Gladiator Confirmed to Be Behind the Gray Family Massacre in ‘Uncanny X-Men’
Phoenix #4 – Written by Stephanie Phillips; Art by Alessandro Miracolo; Color by David Curiel; Available now from Marvel Comics
Phoenix #4 contains two threads; As Jean Gray faces off against Gorr the God Butcher, the ruling powers of the galaxy meet to discuss how to deal with the Phoenix. Leading the anti-Phoenix charge is Gladiator, long overdue X-Men Character who has been both an ally and an antagonist to the mutants of Earth over the years. The revelation in Phoenix #4 That it was Gladiator who ordered the death of Jean Grey’s entire family feels like a missing piece of the puzzle When it comes to the Shear’s place in X-Men Canon.
Now that Phoenix #4 Udai assigned the blame to Gladiator, the Shi’ar Imperial Guardsman catapulted the ranks of the X-Franchise’s most infamous arch-villains.
Although Gladiator was among the most obvious suspects for ordering the “hit” on the Gray family, the original 2005 storyline, which ran in Invisible X-MenNever explicitly confirmed this, but rather left it ambiguous. Now that Phoenix #4 Udai assigned the blame to Gladiator, the Shi’ar Imperial Guardsman catapulted the ranks of the X-Franchise’s most infamous arch-villains. In addition, Gladiator’s role in this issue suggests a brewing confrontation between him and Jean – And this new context makes it even more personal.
The Shi’ar elimination of the Gray family and its impact on the X-franchise, explained
Invisible X-Men #467 – Written by Chris Claremont; Art by Chris Bachalo; Ink by Sandu Florea, Jamie Mendoza, & more; Lettering by Joe Caramagna
The massacre of the Gray family took place in Invisible X-Men #467, which remains one of the most heartbreaking issues in the series’ history; X-Men Stories often move quickly, but in this issue, legendary author Chris Clarement slows the action down to a crawl, using the majority of the issue to depict a chaotic burst of action that occupies only the space of about twenty seconds. The issue is uncompromising and emotionally draining – But surprisingly, the death of the Grays did not have the long-term impact on the franchise one might expect it to.
In her new solo Phoenix series, Jean Gray has the opportunity to really face the loss of her family, really bringing closure to the storyline nearly twenty years after the fact.
Although Jean was then dead in Marvel continuity, the issue is narrated by her daughter and fellow Phoenix-Avatar Rachel, who painfully describes each of her family members in detail as they were mercilessly murdered by the Shi’ar. In the later stories, these characters recognized, and to a certain extent coped with this immeasurable tragedy. Now, however, in her new solo Phoenix Jean Gray has the opportunity to truly face the loss of her family, truly bringing closure to the storyline nearly twenty years after the fact.
Overcoming her greatest tragedy can help Jean Gray truly embrace her role as a cosmic hero
Phoenix #5 – Written by Stephanie Phillips; Art by Alessandro Miracolo; Available November 20 from Marvel Comics
in Phoenix #4, naming Gladiator as the man who ordered the Gray family massacre adds a specific face to the horrific story, one that Jean Gray is already intimately familiar with. Almost as long as Jean has been the Phoenix, she’s had trouble with Gladiator, and The creative team behind Phoenix would be well served by using him as a long-term antagonist for the series. Phoenix #4 knowingly reminds readers of the violent elimination of Jean’s family, suggesting that this is not the last readers will hear of it.
Related
The purpose of the solo title was to elevate Jean above the earthly concerns of the X-franchise and make you a cosmic hero. The first few issues did this effectively by having her face enemies like the children of Thanos and Gorr the God Butcher – But Gladiator is more than just incredibly powerful, he represents one of the main power structures of the galaxy. If original X-Men Hero Jean Gray really wants to make an impact in the Marvel Universe, and the Phoenix Creative team wants to tell an emotionally resonant story, Gladiator is the perfect villain.