Almost twenty years later, the mastermind of one of the X-Men franchise’s worst massacre confirmed – making canon what readers have suspected for decades: the leader of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard, Gladiator, ordered the murder of Jean Grey’s entire family.. More than just directly confirming details of the death storyline, it sets up a confrontation between Phoenix and Gladiator in the near future.
Phoenix #4 – written by Stephanie Phillips, drawn by Alessandro Miracolo, continues to explore the impact of Jean Gray’s newfound role as one of the cosmic heroes of the Marvel Universe.
This once again put her in the crosshairs of the Gladiator, who is shown having a troubled meeting with the Galactic Council to decide what to do with the Phoenix. It is confirmed at the scene that the commander of the Imperial Guard was directly responsible for “ending the entire human Phoenix bloodline“, offering new context to the devastating story first published 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 in Marvel Comics
Phoenix #4 contains two threads; While Jean Gray confronts Gorr, the Butcher of the Gods, the ruling powers of the galaxy meet to discuss how to combat the Phoenix. Leading the charge against Phoenix is ​​Gladiator, a longtime X-Men a character who has been both an ally and an antagonist to Earth’s mutants for many years. Revelation in Phoenix #4, that it was Gladiator who ordered the murder of Jean Gray’s entire family, fills in the missing piece of the puzzle. when it comes to the Shi’ar’s place X-Men canon.
Now that Phoenix #4 clearly placed the blame on the Gladiator, the Shi’ar Imperial Guard rose sharply in the ranks X-the franchise’s most infamous villains.
Although Gladiator was one of the most obvious suspects for ordering the “attack” on the Gray family, the original 2005 storyline that continued Uncanny X-Mennever directly confirmed this, but rather left it ambiguous. Now that Phoenix #4 clearly placed the blame on the Gladiator, the Shi’ar Imperial Guard rose sharply in the ranks X-the franchise’s most infamous villains. Moreover, Gladiator’s role in this matter suggests a brewing confrontation between him and Jean. – and this new context makes it even more personal.
The Shi’ar Extermination of the Gray Family and its Impact on the X Franchise Explained
Uncanny X-Men #467 – Written by Chris Claremont; Art by Chris Bachalo; Inks by Sandu Florea, Jamie Mendoza and others; Lettering by Joe Caramagna
The Gray family massacre occurred in Uncanny 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 writer Chris Clerment slows the action down to a crawl, using most of the issue to depict a chaotic burst of action in only about twenty seconds. The problem is uncompromising and emotionally draining. – but surprisingly, the death of the Grays didn’t have the long-term impact on the franchise that one might have expected.
In his new solo Phoenix In the series, Jean Gray has the opportunity to truly grieve the loss of her family, truly ending the storyline almost twenty years after the fact.
Although Jean was dead at the time in the Marvel sequel, this is narrated by her daughter and fellow Phoenix Avatar Rachel, who painfully describes each of her family members in detail as they are mercilessly killed by the Shi’ar. In subsequent stories, these characters acknowledged and, to a certain extent, dealt with this immeasurable tragedy. However, now in his new solo Phoenix In the series, Jean Gray has the opportunity to truly grieve the loss of her family, truly ending the storyline almost twenty years after the fact.
Overcoming her greatest tragedy could help Jean Gray truly embrace her role as a cosmic hero
Phoenix #5 – Written by Stephanie Phillips; Art by Alessandro Miracolo; Available November 20th from Marvel Comics.
IN Phoenix #4, by naming Gladiator as the man who ordered the massacre of the Gray family, gives this horrific act a special face that Jean Gray is already very familiar with. Almost since Jean has been the Phoenix, she has had conflicts with Gladiator, and the creative team behind it Phoenix it would have been beneficial to use him as a recurring antagonist for the series.. Phoenix #4 deliberately reminds readers of the violent extermination of the Jean family, suggesting that this will not be the last time readers hear about it.
Connected
The goal of this solo game was to lift Jean above the earthly concerns of humanity. X-franchise and make her a space hero. The first few issues did this effectively, pitting her against foes like the Children of Thanos and Gorr, Butcher of the Gods. – but the Gladiator is not only incredibly strong, he represents one of the main power structures of the galaxy. If the original X-Men the hero Jean Gray sincerely wants to make an impact on the Marvel universe, and Phoenix the creative team wants to tell an emotionally resonant story, Gladiator is the perfect villain.