After 17 Years, X-Men Officially Solves Its Biggest Modern Mystery

Summary Hope Summers' true lineage as the daughter of the Phoenix is finally revealed in a cosmic revelation.

Jean Grey is confirmed as the eternal Phoenix, cementing her connection to the powerful entity.

The X-Men mythos delves into the complex cycle of life, death, and renewal through the Phoenix Force.

Warning: contains major spoilers for X-Men: Forever #4

"Yes, mother-me. This is where I end, begin and end, begin and end."

Nearly 17 years after Hope Summers was introduced into the X-Men mythos, the grand mystery of Marvel's Mutant Messiah was finally revealed in Kieron Gillen's magnum X-opus X-Men: Forever #4. Since Hope's debut in X-Men #205, the young hero's connection to the cosmic Phoenix Force has been well established, but her recent sacrifice to resurrect the Phoenix has unveiled that Hope is actually the Phoenix's child.

Hope Summers has played a major role in X-Men comics since her mysterious birth, which marked her as the first mutant child to be born after the disastrous Decimation which depowered 99% of mutants on Earth.

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X-Men: Forever #4, from visionary X-Men mastermind Kieron Gillen with art by Luca Maresca, is a breathtaking birth story, detailing the perpetual cycle of life, death, and renewal that is the Phoenix Force, finally formally establishing that Jean Grey is the Phoenix, and Hope is her child.

Hope Summers Was Always Born Of The Phoenix

And to the Phoenix, she has returned

Hope was born the mutant messiah and raised as a warrior throughout a desperate future by her adopted father Cable, before returning to the present time as the main focus of Avengers vs. X-Men. Hope finally harnesses the power of the Phoenix, with the help of the Scarlet Witch, to reverse the Decimation and allow mutant births to begin anew. Yet, her connection to the Phoenix and Jean Grey was always unclear, and left unanswered, at least until the Krakoan Age. Since becoming leader of the Five and embracing her messianic potential, it has been clear that Gillen's X-Men: Forever would end with Hope's true history revealed.

As Krakoa falls and the Dominion Enigma arises, the fate of Earth is left in the hands of the Phoenix, who "died" in the White Hot Room alongside Jean Grey. As Hope, with the power of Legion, is about to kill the Phoenix once again so it can be fully rebirthed, Jean notices Enigma has infected her. Jean travels into the past to confront Enigma, who is trying to convince Hope's mother Louise to abandon her future as Hope's mother. Thankfully, Louise sides with Jean, agreeing to birth Hope even if it means she knows she and her daughter will die. Jean Grey uses her power, the Phoenix Force, to place a small spark of the Phoenix within Louise, making Louise and Jean the true mothers of Hope Summers.

Jean Grey Is The Phoenix, Now And Forever

Kieron Gillen permanently settles a decades-old question

In a fascinating twist, it is revealed that Hope Summers herself birthed the Phoenix, by sacrificing her life to "kill" the previous iteration of the Phoenix, thus creating a paradoxical loop of birth and death. As Phoenix says, "Hope is the last and first fire in the dark," proving that while Hope's physical form has been destroyed, she will always exist within the Phoenix, confirmed by Exodus saying, "The word made flesh, the flesh made immortal." While the Phoenix Force is a primordial cosmic entity, X-Men: Forever #4 establishes that Jean Grey is the Phoenix, something that has long been questioned in Marvel canon and is now forever cemented as fact.

Jean Grey Finally Embraces Her Terrifying Cosmic Potential In New Phoenix Series

Phoenix Force lore is incredibly convoluted, and while it is exciting to see the answer to Hope's birth finally revealed - and Jean Grey's connection to the Phoenix canonized - hopefully, readers will get even more answers in the upcoming Phoenix series by Stephanie Phillips. Hope will always be known as the mutant messiah, and the savior of the X-Men, with Jean Grey making sure her sacrifice was not in vain.

X-Men The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.

X-Men: Forever #4 from Marvel Comics is available now in stores.