Rising dramatically from the water within the pages of X-Males #101, Jean Gray (-ish) proclaimed “Now and endlessly, I’m Phoenix!”
She was half proper, anyway. The Phoenix Pressure, the Marvel universe’s all-consuming embodiment of life incarnate, has spent the higher a part of the final 50 years leaping from host to host like a cosmic ringworm on the rebound after ending a protracted relationship. Emma Frost was a Phoenix host. So had been the Stepford Cuckoos. Cyclops, Colossus – heck, Namor bought to host a bit of the Phoenix Pressure. Not even the cool Namor from the MCU, the comedian ebook one who seems to be like a Hugo Weaving character that combs his hair with a glue stick. The Phoenix Pressure isn’t precisely discerning about the place it hangs its hat.
And that would, probably, be an ideal factor. The MCU is inching nearer to bringing mutants into the highlight, and Marvel’s favourite actively-on-fire area chook can’t be far behind. Which acquainted faces might it cozy on as much as? The choices are limitless. Let’s speculate wildly.
Peter Parker
Each every so often, Spider-Man writers prefer to take the entire “with nice energy” idea and see how far they will push it. The pleasant neighborhood mental property has had Hulk powers, Ghost Rider powers, symbiote powers, Captain Universe powers, and the unbelievable capability to have approach too many arms.
So it wouldn’t be out of the realm of chance for that masked menace to wind up with a pile of Phoenix Pressure in his lap. There’s an alright story to be informed there – the hero whose entire deal is centered across the deaths of the individuals he loves, abruptly given energy over life and demise. A lot energy. A lot duty. Talking of:
Aunt Could
There are a number of ineffable and unavoidable truths within the universe, and one is that Peter Parker should undergo. It’s why the MCU picked Tom Holland as its wall crawler – he’s a person who is aware of tips on how to weep. When these huge, British, Bratz doll eyes begin welling up, you understand for danged certain that issues are severe, and in addition that it’s roughly the tip of the film’s second act.
And in a post-No Manner House world, there’s not a lot that will dampen these chestnut browns sooner than seeing Aunt Could once more. Bringing individuals again from dramatic deaths is type of the Phoenix’s oeuvre, and you understand Could would spend her tenure as an undead area god chastising her nephew for his half within the proceedings. With the remainder of the world having forgotten who he’s, Pete’s dangerously low on individuals who chew him out, one other cornerstone of the Spider-Man mythos.
Tony Stark
Okay, however that is significantly the final instance picked particularly to make Peter Parker cry lots.
If the MCU needs to make the Phoenix’s debut into an occasion on the identical scale as Infinity Warfare, they’re going to want to take some huge swings, and so they don’t come a lot greater than bringing again Iron Man. The Phoenix Pressure needs to resurrect a bunch? Perhaps a bunch that’s already had cosmic energy pumped by way of his physique a couple of times? Perhaps even a bunch that’s gotten a contact extra amenable to contract negotiations ever since Dolittle hit the pavement face-first, and who won’t say no to a really restricted sequence return in alternate for an EP credit score?
Simply saying. It’s a stretch, however we will dream.
Wanda Maximoff
If the MCU is in search of a Jean Gray stand-in, they’d have a tough time discovering a greater match than Wanda Maximoff. Borderline omnipotent, telekinetic, reality-rending, and with deep roots in mutant historical past, she’s a shoo-in for the a part of hero turned monster. Add to that an excuse to resurrect the character following Multiverse of Insanity and one other shot at controlling life and demise, and the entire thing appears like a pure match.
Guys, Wanda might deliver her children again. She might hearken to that ice cream track once more. What we’re saying is, she might lastly pay for her crimes.
Carol Danvers
Carol Danvers has a protracted and storied comedian ebook historical past of getting her life kicked in by X-Males characters. She had her powers completely siphoned by Rogue, solely to get newer, weirder ones after a sequence of horrible experiments carried out by the Brood. A replica of her persona was killed by Magneto. She joined Alpha Flight. The indignities wouldn’t cease. It solely is sensible for the MCU to maintain that ball rolling.
In earnest, a narrative about Captain Marvel taking over the Phoenix Pressure is a narrative price telling. The universe is a giant place, and it needs to be irritating that she will’t repair all the pieces. What would occur if she might? What would the universe seem like if she had powers that made her present skills seem like Nerf darts? What, we ask you, if her yellow CGI glowy bits grew to become orange CGI glowy bits? It makes you assume.
Physician Unusual
There aren’t lots of MCU characters who futz with powers with which man was not meant to meddle on the similar degree as Physician Unusual. In his protection, the results of his hubris so far embrace proudly owning a very nice home, controlling actuality, and infrequently rising a spare eyeball. “Discover a stone that harnesses the very essence of time? Put on it as a necklace,” that’s Unusual’s motto.
So it’s laborious to think about that the sometimes-Sorcerer Supreme would see the fiery winged manifestation of life within the universe headed towards Earth and never, for instance, attempt to maintain it in a terrarium and feed it bugs. Positive, there’d be a monologue concerning the risks of what he’s making an attempt to manage, however these speeches occur on a regular basis. They’ve by no means stopped the nice Physician but.
Namor
“Why would a water man need to flip into a hearth chook man?” Why would a water man have little wings on his ft? In relation to Namor, you’re both on board with the dumbness otherwise you’re not.
It was 2012 when the Namor of the comedian books first bought a style of the Phoenix Pressure. It wasn’t a wild journey – he misplaced his new powers inside of 4 points – however you understand what it was? Precedent-setting. There’s precedent for Namor getting the Phoenix Pressure, and that’s motive sufficient to present the character the identical remedy within the MCU. If nothing else, it’d give him one thing to do moreover having unrequited creep crushes and complaining about all of the superior free plastic that we maintain donating to his individuals.
Deadpool
This isn’t a good suggestion.
That stated, Marvel has constructed an entire wing of its enterprise on ensuring that Deadpool will get to put in writing his title on each nook of their universe. In the previous few years, he’s worn the Venom, Phage, Lasher, Riot, and Agony symbiotes, joined each main tremendous group, shared a physique with Howard the Duck, wielded the facility of Captain Universe to defeat Thanos, and killed Tom Sawyer. That’s all simply off the highest of my head.
So statistically, if somebody says “will Deadpool do blah blah blah,” the sensible cash is all the time on “yeah, most likely.” No matter, Ryan Reynolds will make it work.
Jean Gray
There’s nothing fallacious with admitting that you just bought one thing proper the primary time, and Jean Gray is a narrative that Marvel bought proper. The unique Phoenix comics are a basic of comedian ebook storytelling. That’s not information. It in some way managed to weave a story that stretches from street-level crime to planetary genocide and by no means really feel bizarre. Nicely, not “by no means.” There have been lots of corsets.
The Darkish Phoenix Saga is royalty inside the medium, and it’s a narrative that will be price placing within the universe-building leg work for. Introducing a brand new Jean Gray and telling her story the appropriate approach could be a gradual burner, however it’d be one which the studio would do effectively to pursue. Simply image it: It’d be just like the previous days, when MCU phases constructed to a crescendo as a substitute of a shrug. A galaxy-spanning epic with its roots in human drama. It’s the very best possibility, save one.
Blissful Hogan
May it occur? Sure. Ought to it occur? Sure. Will it occur? Not if we don’t begin bombarding Kevin Feige’s private inbox it received’t.
The factor is, Blissful Hogan is an unextraordinary everyman in a world constructed on making the everyman extraordinary. Torturing guys like that by giving them godlike skills is a time-honored custom in science fiction. It’s what Star Trek followers name “most of what occurred to Miles O’Brien,” and it’s simply undeniably watchable.
Greater than that, although, isn’t it Blissful’s flip? The man was Stark-adjacent because it was nonetheless okay to indicate up for work dressed like Vincent Vega, and he by no means as soon as bought to fireplace off a repulsor or take Could Parker out for an evening in town within the Hulkbuster armor. In spite of everything these years, doesn’t Jon Favreau deserve a day or two hanging from a harness in entrance of a inexperienced display screen with CGI glow sticks for eyes?