Jean Grey

"We come into this world alone and we leave the same way. The time we spent in between - time spent alive, sharing, learning together... is all that makes life worth living."

- Jean Grey

Jean Grey, sometimes known as Phoenix, is a member of the X-Men and wife of Scott Summers - she is one of Charles Xavier's first students and thus often acts as a mentor to younger mutants on what it means to be an X-Man and all the responsibilities that come with being a hero.

The heart and soul of the X-Men from the very beginning, Jean Grey took a piece of every one of her teammates with her when she died. A formidable telepath with telekinetic skills as well, Jean always struggled to contain the cosmic power of the Phoenix Force, a battle she endured until the day she died.

History
Although Jean Grey was the fifth of Xavier's recruits into the X-Men, she was actually the first of his mutant students. Originally code named Marvel Girl and now known as Phoenix Jean possesses both telepathic powers enabling her to read minds and communicate mentally and telekinetic powers allowing her to levitate and manipulate objects by mental force. Jean's story is inseparable from that of her teammate Scott Summers alias Cyclops who is now her husband: the love between these two spans the entire history of the X-Men.

When Jean was ten years old her best friend Annie Richardson was struck by an automobile. It was then that Jean's mutant powers first awoke and she psychically felt Annie's own emotions as she died. The experience left Jean deeply depressed and the following years Jean's parents sought out Charles Xavier for help. Xavier tutored her for years and finally inducted her into the newly formed X-Men, giving her the code name Marvel Girl.

"Death" and Rebirth
Jean and Scott quickly fell in love with each other, although years passed before the two shy teenagers admitted their feelings. Later Jean encountered a cosmic entity of pure energy called the Phoenix Force, which gave itself a human form identical to hers, even incorporating a portion of consciousness. This being, calling herself Phoenix, then took Jean's place in the X-Men, While Jean's original body lay in suspended animation.

When Phoenix went insane, Jean's personality reasserted itself long enough to make Phoenix commit suicide. The other X-Men, including anguished Scott, believed Jean to be dead. But the part of Jean's consciousness that Phoenix had taken returned to Jean's original body, which awoke from its comalike state. Thus Jean was reunited with Scott, first in X-Factor and then back in the X-Men. She has since adopted the name of Phoenix. Best of all, Jean and Scott are at long last married. Now, as at the beginning, their relationship is at the very heart of the X-Men.

Powers and abilities
Jean Grey is a very powerful telepath and telekinetic - capable of matching Xavier himself in power, making her one of the most powerful mutant heroes on the planet.