MARVEL DAY

Writer(s)

Mary Jo Duffy

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Penciler(s)

Jerry Bingham

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Inker(s)

John Stuart

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Colorist(s)

Carl Gafford

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Cover

Frank Miller

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Publisher

Marvel Comics

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Publication Date

April 7, 1981

IN SHORT STORIES

‘WHAT IF THE PHOENIX HAD NOT DIED’ ?

In our short-story of love, passion, destruction and extinction, we begin with Uatu in the Earth-616 universe. 

To begin,the Watcher ponders the Phoenix's journey with the X-Men. In his musings, he contemplates an alternate reality...

Here, Phoenix did not die! Instead, the X-Men lost their battle against the Shi'ar and the Phoenix Force was psychically lobotomized from Jean Grey. But in reality, this was further from the truth.

On a fateful day, the X-Men were called into battle by Lilandra. On the alien planet Arama, our children of the atom were to face Galactus trying to consume the planet... and his herald Terrax! A fierce battle followed during which Terrax struck down the X-Men, even threatening Cyclops.

At that moment, we realized that the Phoenix had been laying dormant. Violently, she emerged and removed the Power Cosmic from Terrax. Then, she valiantly engaged Galactus in combat. Soon, she defeated him and repelled his invasion. However, Jean is overwhelmed by the fury and the passion of the Phoenix. A cosmic fiery bird of death and rebirth, Phoenix destroyed asteroids and consumed a star.

Eventually, the X-Men returned to Earth. When Shadowcat berated Jean for losing control, the telepath killed her. Soon, Dark Phoenix destroyed the X-Men one by one. Finally, the death of her lover, Cyclops, was the last straw.

In a fit of rage, folly and cosmic madness, the fiery bird consumed Earth, then the galaxy, and finally, the universe and beyond.

Here ends the story of the Phoenix which should serve as a cautionary tale to not let this fiery cosmic bird to reign unimpeded in the cosmos.

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