Marvel Teases A Major X-Men Villain Harnessing The Phoenix Force

Marvel's 'Immortal X-Men' #15 reveals that a major X-Men villain has harnassed the power of the Phoenix Force.

By Kofi Outlaw

Marvel is teasing that a major X-Men villain has harnassed The Phoenix Force – quite possibly the last person that anyone in the X-Men Universe wanted to see with the godly power! 

Immortal X-Men #15 continues the "Fall of X" storyline in X-Men (and other Marvel) comics. The Anti-Mutant organization Orchis ambushed the X-Men and the Mutant nation of Krakoa during the annual Hellfire Gala event. Not only to Orchis murder the new X-Men team and dozens of humans (including world leaders), they forced Charles Xavier to psychically remove nearly every mutant from Earth, using Krakoa's warp gates. Most of Krakoa's citizens who went through the gates ended up in a mysterious desert wasteland. 

Immortal X-Men #15 spends a large portion of its story following what's been going on with the Krakoan mutants in the wasteland. Exodus has gone full believer in the idea that the mutants are in the midst of a religious test, but under the leadership of Hope Summers and Exodus, mutantkind has adapted to survive in the desert, as they trek their way out. 

After weeks of traveling the desert, the group gets a big break when they discover Mr. Sinister's female clone creation Mother Righteous in the desert, being attacked by a pack of feral Wolverine clones. After Exodus saves Mother Righteous, she rewards them with a new oasis home: the part of Atlantic pat Krakoa that was lost. 

The final panel of Immortal X-Men #15 reveals that Exodus is indeed correct: mutants are being tested. And the one person administering that test, and controlling the pack of Wolverines, is none other than Apocalypse! 

X-Men Before The Fall: The Heralds of Apocalypse #1 saw Apocalypse and his wife Genesis come to blows over their divided views on mutant ascension. The marital spat saw Genesis (now under the influence of the Annihilation staff) take a portal to join her former people on the Mars Mutant colony Arrako, to start a war with Arrako's new queen, Storm. Genesis deemed that her husband had gotten during his time on Earth, and needed to prove he was still fit to survive and lead mutants.

Apparently, Apocalypse took that challenge seriously because he's been out in this mysterious wasteland and conquering it like he did in ancient times. In addition to having a Logan/Wolverine clone leashed to him, Apocalypse also has Jean Grey/Phoenix on a leash, with the Phoenix Force flames surrounding him with its aura. If Apocalypse was there to prove he is a master of mutants, this is pretty compelling evidence. 

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(Photo: Marvel Comics)

Over two dozen X-Men and/or Marvel characters have possessed the Phoenix Force at different times – but although he's tried to obtain it, Apocalypse has never harnassed it... until now. However, unlike previous hosts, who could lose control of the power or be taken over by it, Apocalypse seems to be using the Phoenix Force as his personal weapon/power source, without risk to himself – or reliance on any power besides his own. 

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Jean Grey apparently died during the Hellfire Gala – although her current solo series has revealed that Jean is somewhere in a different realm or reality, like the mutants that were transported to the wasteland. Fall of X has raised big questions that need answering, and Phoenix-Apocalypse is one of them. 

Immortal X-Men is on sale from Marvel Comics. 

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