Dark Phoenix Saga (X-Men episode)
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| “Dark Phoenix Saga” | |
|---|---|
| 'X-Men: The Animated Series' episode | |
 Dark Phoenix |
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| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 37-40 |
| Written by | Part 1: Jan Strnad Part 2: Steven Levi Part 3: Larry Parr Part 4: Brooks Wachtel |
| Production no. | Part 1: 314 Part 2: 315 Part 3: 316 Part 4: 317 |
| Original airdate | Parts 1 & 2: November 12, 1994 Part 3: November 19, 1994 Part 4: November 26, 1994 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Obsession" | "Cold Comfort" |
| List of X-Men 1992 TV Series Episodes | |
Dark Phoenix Saga is a series of 4 episodes (Season 3 episodes 37 to 40) in X-Men: The Animated Series, based on the Dark Phoenix Saga in the comics.
Contents |
[edit] Dark Phoenix Saga Part 1: Dazzled
Professor Xavier and Moira MacTaggert are at Muir Island trying to make Jean Grey remember what happened to her after the Phoenix took the M'Kraan Crystal inside the sun, and wants to know why the Phoenix hasn't left her yet. Suddenly the Phoenix takes over Jean's body. Xavier tells Phoenix that, "Why do you still inhabit Jean's body? You only do her harm by remaining!" Then the Phoenix creates a flash of light which destroys the lab, which also punches a hole in the wall. Then Moira MacTaggert tells Xavier that she has done everything she knew to help Jean, but her therapy only calms her down for a while, and adds that it's time to take her home. Then Jean says, "Help me, Scott."
Gambit and Cyclops are at a club in New York City, when Cyclops hears Jean's plea for help with his telepathic connection with Jean. Cyclops tells Gambit that Jean needs his help, so he goes to call Muir Island. Gambit says that it's all in your head and you're worrying to hard. Cyclops tells him that he needs to make sure. and goes outside. When he gets outside, he sees Donald Pierce and two of his men who are affiliated with the Inner Circle Club (In X-Men animated series the Hellfire Club's name was changed to Inner Circle Club to avoid controversy) trying to kidnap a woman, Dazzler. So Cyclops starts blasting them. Then Pierce rips out a car engine and throws it a Cyclops, so he blasts it, but the debris fall on him and he falls down. Then Pierce grabs a pole and attacks, but Dazzler creates and intense light and Pierce runs away saying, "I'm blind!" Then Dazzler thanks Cyclops for saving her, then Cyclops asks her if he can talk to her about her mutant powers. So Dazzler fixes a date for the next night.
Back at the X-Mansion Wolverine is searching for food when Cyclops comes. Cyclops is about to tell his about the new mutant he met, when he sees that Jean is back. He goes to talk to her, but the Professor says that it was a long journey and she is tired, so Storm takes her to her room. Cyclops tells the Professor that Jean seems so distant, and says after all those weeks of therapy, she still isn't any better. Xavier says that the Phoenix is still inside her and that's the problem.
At the Inner Circle Club base, Pierce tells the other members that Dazzler was not right for us and only the most gifted have gotten in the Inner Circle Club. But the other members think he's just trying to hide his failure. So Pierce starts arguing with them. The argument breaks, when Emma Frost and Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde) comes in. Mastermind says "Forget Dazzler, we have found something better." Emma says that they have found a creature with more power than you can imagine, and says they call her the Phoenix. Then she tells them the story of Phoenix. She says, "The Phoenix was the guardian of the M'Kraan Crystal, to protect the Crystal, the Phoenix inhabited the body of Jean Grey. With her energy focused by Jean's empathic ability the Phoenix took the crystal to the heart of the sun. After depositing the crystal, the Phoenix flew back to earth, where the still possessed Jean Grey was found by Professor Charles Xavier." Then Harry Leland asks Emma Frost how she knows this. Emma tells him she hacked into Xavier's computer. The other members says that's impossible because Xavier's psychic powers are stronger than Emma's. Emma says that Jean's condition put him under great pressure, and he has been distracted, so she was able to get in. Emma says the Phoenix contains too much power and they should be the ones wielding it. Sebastian Shaw asks how will they control her. Mastermind says that she is only as strong as the mind that controls her, so the mind is the place to attack.
Back at the X-Mansion, Xavier asks Jean to tell him about the Phoenix, and why it hasn't left her yet, and what does she want. Then Phoenix takes control of Jean's body and says "I hunger", before falling unconscious. Later the Professor tells Beast that Phoenix's mind is becoming dominant and says the Phoenix probably felt sensations that she was never able to feel before and that may be the reason why she hasn't left Jean's body. Meanwhile Cyclops tells Jean that the mutant Dazzler might be attacked again and that's why he must go back to the club. But the Phoenix takes over Jean's body and says "You would leave me for another woman!" Cyclops tells Jean that there is nothing to be jealous of, then Jean - back to normal - says it wasn't her, it was the Phoenix. Then Cyclops leaves for the club.
Back at the Inner Circle base, Emma Frost uses her telepathic ability and senses that Jean's now asleep, and her defenses are down. Emma uses her power to get Mastermind inside Jean's mind. Mastermind says, "Once I'm in her mind, I can use my ability of illusions and make her see whatever reality I want." Then Mastermind makes her see a vision. In it Jean is sinking in the ocean, and Mastermind jumps in and saves her. Then Jean says that this is all wrong and she doesn't belong here, and says this isn't her time or world. Then he tells her it is, and she had fallen aboard. He asks Jean whether she remembers anything. Jean tells him that she remembers another life with strange people, who were her friends. Mastermind tells her that it was all a dream. Then Jean wakes up, then Storm comes and says are you all right. Jean says that she had a dream, but it felt so real, then she asks her to get a glass of water. Once Storm bring the water, she finds that Jean is gone.
Phoenix had taken over Jean's body and taken her to the club. There she sees Dazzler and Cyclops. There Mastermind also comes and creates another illusion. There he kisses her in front of Cyclops and then they leave. Cyclops goes after her, but Jean and Mastermind already leave in a car. Dazzler says that those were the same people that were trying to kidnap her. Then the X-Men go to the Inner Circle base. Cyclops says that even Professor X wasn't able to find Jean quickly, and wonders if her mind is altered beyond recognition. Wolverine suggests breaking the door and attacking, but Cyclops fears that innocent bystanders might get hurt, so he sends Rogue on the rooftop to see who's inside. Rogue sees Mastermind and Jean getting married. Jean is still in Mastermind's illusion, and thinks that is her real life. Then Rogue breaks in through the roof, and Storm lifts all the X-Men onto the rooftop with her powers. Rogue hits Sebastian Shaw, but has no effect since Shaw absorbs Rogue's Kinetic Energy and becomes stronger. He throws Rogue into the wall, which makes a hole in the wall. Then the rest of the X-Men also come inside. Wolverine cuts Donald Pierce's robotic arm, but Harry Leland increases Wolverine's mass with his power and Wolverine drops down through the floors and into the sewers. Pierce then knocks out Beast. Then Cyclops shoots Shaw, but Shaw absorbs the beam and knocks out Cyclops, then Storm freezes Shaw with her arctic winds. But Jean attacks Storm and Storm falls unconscious; before she does, Storm asks, "What are you doing, Jean?" Then Jean replies "Not Jean, I am Phoenix!", and right here part 1 ends.
[edit] Dark Phoenix Saga Part 2: The Inner Circle
Part two begins at the X-Mansion, where Professor Xavier is trying to communicate with the X-Men, but receives no answer. Then he uses his psychic powers to find Cyclops, but someone blocks his psychic probe. Xavier uses Cerebro to break through. Meanwhile Emma Frost uses her psychic powers to scramble Cerebro. Then Xavier asks Cerebro, "Why can't we contact the X-Men?" Then Cerebro says that there are two barriers, one electronic and one human, and adds that together they are impenetrable.
Back at the Inner Circle HQ, the X-Men are apprehended, except for Wolverine, since he had fallen through all the floors and into the sewers, in last part. Harry Leland wants to dispose of the X-Men, but Sebastian Shaw says that he wants to use them as lab rats. Then Emma Frost comes and says that she has blocked Xavier's probe, but doesn't know how long it will hold. Mastermind comes with Jean and says to the X-Men, "Meet the newest member of the Inner Circle." Meanwhile the Inner Circle's guards go down to the sewers to look for Wolverine's body. Wolverine had survived, and he battles the guards. Then he makes it back inside and grabs a guard, and tells him about the whereabouts of the other X-Men. Meanwhile Emma Frost tells the other Inner Circle members that they can't control the Phoenix forever,and sooner or later she will find out the truth, and then turn on the Inner Circle. But Mastermind says that the Phoenix hungers for new sensations, and he had introduced her to the darkest sensation which she had never experienced before, and now hungers for more, and says so it will be easy to control her. Shaw says to bring the Phoenix back in the room. Meanwhile Wolverine makes his way up battling the Inner Circle guards. Then Shaw asks the Phoenix to kill Cyclops to see whether Mastermind has completely controlled the Phoenix. As the Phoenix goes to kill Cyclops, Wolverine breaks through the door. Phoenix uses her power and knocks down Wolverine. Then Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde) says that the Phoenix is stronger than all of the Inner Circle combined, so he tells Shaw to step down from his leadership. The rest of the Inner Circle agree with Mastermind. Meanwhile Mastermind loses control over Jean as she starts remembering everything, then she flies out, breaking through the roof. The X-Men get free, fight the Inner Circle and defeat them, but the Inner Circle manages to escape. Mastermind tries to use his illusions to control the Phoenix again, but the Phoenix says that your tricks won't work now. Phoenix says to Mastermind that "Your attempt to control her mind has opened my eyes.... You made me do evil and now I thirst for more." Then she takes away all of Mastermind's powers. Cyclops comes and the Phoenix says that "I am Jean Grey no more, I am Dark Phoenix." Right here part 2 ends.
[edit] Dark Phoenix Saga Part 3: The Dark Phoenix
The Dark Phoenix blazes brightly, as she declares to the regrouped X-Men that she refuses to leave Jean Grey's body to return to the cold emptiness of space. The Dark Phoenix takes flight, soaring directly up, exiting the planet, and soon, once past Saturn, warps outside of the solar system. Meantime, in another galaxy, a Shi'ar spacecraft floats through the stars, mapping the D'Bari star system, which is devoid of life. Suddenly, all sensors go wild, as the Dark Phoenix warps into the D'Bari system. She dives directly into the sun, and begins to feed upon its power and destroys it. The spacecraft takes off just in time to avoid being consumed by the sun. All planets nearby explode with volcanic eruptions, are the heat of the expanding star destroys the D'Bari system instantly. The Shi'ar Captain orders a return to destroy the creature, because had there been any lifeforms there, it'd have murdered them all by its actions. The ship fires upon the Dark Phoenix, but she rips into the ship's wing, and leaves it out of control. The Captain contacts Empress Lilandra. Lilandra has the ship return to base, and not pursue Dark Phoenix. She tells Gladiator to assemble the Imperial Guard and ready her Imperial Starcruiser.
At the X-Mansion, Beast, recalling the Inner Circle's mental control over Jean's body, comes up with a plan to place a mnemonic scrambling device to temporarily make Jean's thoughts incoherent, with the hopes that the Phoenix will depart her body. Cyclops senses Jean's arrival to a place connected to her past on Earth. Dark Phoenix arrives at the home of the Grey family. She seeks out her mother and father, immersed in the emotions of nostalgia, but finds nobody home. They're actually there, but in hiding, as Professor Xavier uses his powers to hide them. The family car pulls up, making her believe her father is arriving home from work outside. She rushes down to greet him, giving Gambit the chance to use his thieving prowess to sneak up on her and plant the mnemonic device on her head. The Dark Phoenix reassumes control of Jean's body, and flings Gambit aside, where he's caught by Rogue, the other X-Men awaiting. Beast monitors the device, but finds his plan useless, as the cosmic being's mind power overloads the circuits before it can jumble Jean's brainwaves. Left with no other option, Wolverine tackles her, and readies his claws to finish her off. But he hesitates, giving the Dark Phoenix the chance to blast him away, melt the device, and levitate the team in the air. Before she can harm them, the driver of the family car in the ruse to get her outside, Cyclops, steps in, repeatedly bringing up their love for each other and the fact that the X-Men are her friends. He gets through to her, bringing out Jean once more, and allows Xavier to attack her mind while she's distracted. He frees the team, then tells them to destroy the Phoenix before she can recover. But the Dark Phoenix blasts away the X-Men, and destroys the Professor's hoverchair. He gets into her mind, despite her resistance, and engages her on the astral plane. His willpower makes him a match for her in this world of thought, though her intense power is as strong there as in the physical realm. Losing to the Phoenix, Xavier reaches out to Jean, begging for her to help him. She does, creating an inner struggle in the alien creature that allows the Professor to bind the Phoenix with his psychic energies, backed up by Jean's very own mental form.
With the Dark Phoenix trapped in the depths of Jean's mind, the astral battle ceases, as she and Xavier return to their own bodies. As Rogue picks up the Professor, he informs them of his success, noting it is only temporary, but without Jean's assistance, he'd have been unable to do that much. Jean reawakens in Scott's arms, and the two share a kiss. Suddenly, the Shi'ar Imperial Starcruiser appears overhead. The Empress Lilandra teleports down, along with her Imperial Guardsmen. Xavier is surprised to see his soulmate again so soon, wondering why she didn't contact him telepathically. Lilandra is all business this time around, proclaiming that the decision of the high council of the Shi'ar Empire has decreed that for the sake of all that live, the being known both as the Phoenix and Jean Grey must be destroyed!
[edit] Dark Phoenix Saga Part 4: The Fate Of The Phoenix
As the Shi'ar Imperial Guard prepare to capture the sentenced for death Jean Grey in front of her family's home, the X-Men rally around their teammate in defense. Professor Xavier probes the Empress Lilandra's mind, and invokes the rite of Arin'nn Haelar. It's an ancient Shi'ar law, and he makes the challenge in their names for Jean's life. Lilandra teleports them all aboard her Imperial Starcruiser, where they stand amid an arena of aliens from all sorts of races. Cyclops questions Lilandra's kidnapping of them, and though she considers them her friends and owes them her life, the Phoenix is far too powerful to be left in their hands. Cyclops assures her that Xavier cured Jean of the Phoenix, though Jean reminds him she may be under control, but she's still a threat.
Looking out over the planet Earth, Cyclops wonders aloud to Rogue if Lilandra has a point, if the psychic circuit breakers Xavier placed in Jean's mind fail, an entire universe of innocent life would be wiped out by the Dark Phoenix. Soon, Lilandra lays out the details of the challenge to the X-Men: it'll take place on the uncharted Blue Area of the Earth's Moon, and if the mutants win, those who survive will be set free. If the Imperial Guard win, the Phoenix will be disposed of as the Shi'ar see fit. The X-Men are teleported to the Moon's Blue Area, a strange location filled with ruins of an ancient civilization, fully breathable atmosphere, and normal gravity. The battle begins, the X-Men splitting up into teams, running and hitting their enemies until they're whittled down. Jean & Cyclops stick together, while Rogue flies about, punching into Starbolt as he fires upon them. Cyclops blasts Smasher, Jean struggles to contain the Phoenix while letting loose mentally against Oracle. Gambit, Beast, Storm, and Wolverine head into what appears to be a highly advanced sewer tunnel. As Logan and Beast take on Warstar, Gladiator rips out the floor from under Gambit. Storm catches him before he can fall to his jagged death, and letting him down outside, the ground gets shattered from under them by Quake! Storm wind-blasts the rocks back at him, but Hussar strikes her down with her electric whip. Quake makes another ground-quake, and Gambit falls beside her. Nearby, Starbolt chases after Rogue through the air, and gets tricked into slamming into a wall. Back in the tunnels, Beast and Wolverine do damage to the robotic Warstar, but Gladiator tosses Logan away, and he's soon taken out by Manta. Outside, Oracle manages to drop Rogue from her flight, putting her in a position for a rematch with Gladiator. The two physically-equaled enemies duke it out, destroying vast amounts of stone ruins all throughout the Blue Area. In the end, Rogue is overpowered.
Back on the Starcruiser, Professor Xavier is saddened by his students' failure. Araki asks Lilandra why she doesn't go to him, and though she admits she wishes to comfort the man she loves, her role as Empress forbids being anything but stern and emotionless. Down on the moon, Jean & Cyclops are the only two X-Men still conscious, as the telepath can tell by the lack of mental contact with their teammates. Hiding out for a breather, Scott utters that there's not much time, but so much that he feels, so much they haven't done and so much he wants to say to her. She tells him that to her, it's the thought that counts, and his thoughts, like him, are beautiful. Scott & Jean kiss for a moment, before rushing back out into the battlefield. They make one last attempt to defeat the Imperial Guard, facing several members at once, and appear to be stemming the tide. But Gladiator and Starbolt blast Cyclops, knocking him off his feet. Before he loses consciousness, Scott tells Jean that he let her down. Infuriated by his defeat, Jean unleashes the Dark Phoenix from the bonds in her mind! In a full scale blast from her flaming wings, all of the Imperial Guard is defeated, the blast nearly destroying the Starcruiser above. Lilandra orders all weapons to be fired upon the Phoenix, forcing Xavier to contact the X-Men telepathically, urging them to awaken and stop the Phoenix themselves while she's still not at full power. Storm unleashes a powefust gust of wind against her, catching the Phoenix-possesed Jean Grey off-guard. Grey manages to regain her balance, firing a blast at Storm. Unable to counter the blast with lightning, the blast throws Storm against a wall of metal bars. Wolverine pops his claws, but still can't bring himself to harm Jeannie, giving her the chance to knock him away with a power bolt.
Cyclops shouts orders, and the X-Men obey, working in succession to wear her down. He begs Jean's forgiveness, as he fires the final shot, causing the rumble of ruins to collapse upon her. Cyclops thinks it's over, when the Dark Phoenix frees herself from the debris. Jean's back in control of her body, and weakly begs for Scott to help her, to stop the Phoenix, whose power is growing within her uncontrollably. Cyclops holds her, urging her to fight it, but she's at wit's end, declaring that there's no way she can fight the Phoenix every second of every day for the rest of her life. Unable to finish her off, Jean knocks him away with the Phoenix's power, and releases the fiery bird-form again, but just for a moment. This reactivates the weapons system on the Starcruiser, allowing Lilandra to fire. Jean races away from Scott, telling him she'll always love him, and will always be with him, as the laserbeam crashes upon her, and consumes her intensely. Xavier senses when it happens... Jean is gone. Lilandra is brought to tears, despite her "winning." The X-Men regroup around the hole in the ground where their teammate once stood, Xavier and Lilandra teleporting down beside them. Cyclops is angry at the Shi'ar Empress for getting justice for the universe at the cost of an innocent life. Suddenly, the flaming bird-form of the Phoenix appears behind them... freed of Jean's body, back to her own cosmic entity self. She explains that to preserve all life, she became one with Jean Grey, and together they did so. But upon discovering the ability to feel, she lost her way, and is now again the guardian of all creation. The Phoenix, with Jean's body floating within her and noting that Jean's "flame has been extinguished", states that it can only be reignited by someone else giving up theirs. Cyclops offers, and Wolverine argues that it should be himself. The Phoenix settles their rivalry by informing them that the flame need not come from one person, but a little from each of them, though doing so might diminish their own flames. The risk is acceptable to the X-Men, and joining hands around Jean's floating and glowing body, the Phoenix sends a ball of light through each of them, finally coming to a stop within Jean. She's reborn with a cry of pain, opening her eyes and softly calling for Scott. Cyclops takes her in his arms, and they kiss. The Phoenix, stating her time there is ended, departs. In doing so, she engulfs the team, and returns them to the control room of the X-Mansion. They're bewildered, but Storm is glad to be home at last.
Soon, as the Shi'ar ship returns to its own galaxy, Lilandra mentally bids farewell to Xavier. He hears her, and asks why she's blocking part of her mind to him, having never denied him prior. She reminds him that as Empress, there will forever be part of her that must be alone. Elsewhere in the Mansion, Cyclops tucks the slumbering Jean into her bed, and kisses her on her forehead. He remains sitting at her bedside, watching over her through the night.
