Dark Phoenix Saga

"Hear me, X-Men. No longer am I the woman you knew! I am Fire! And Life Incarnate! Now and Forever, I am Phoenix!"

Chapter 1, Uncanny X-Men 129 -
God Spare the Child
Returning home from battling the mutant menace Proteus, the X-Men (Cyclops, Colossus, Storm, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and Phoenix) say good-bye to Havok, Polaris, Jamie Madrox, Banshee, and Dr. Mactaggert, leaving them on the island. On the Blackbird, Phoenix gets another disturbing vision of what she believes to be an image of her ancestor's past. However, Jason Wyngarde, the evil Mastermind, is truly the cause of her troubles. The X-Men arrive at home, finding an intruder. But in the mansion, they find the intruder to be only their mentor, Professor X. The X-Men train in the Danger Room, but it appears the Professor is pushing them to hard. Back in New York City, Mastermind is confronted by his superiors, the Hellfire Club. Meanwhile, in Dearborn, Illinois, the young girl named Katherine "Kitty" Pryde is experiencing yet anther migraine headache. When she arrives home, she finds there Emma Frost, headmistress of a presitgous school and secretly the White Queen of the Hellfire Club. She goes to her home, and lays on her bed, and suddenly, the headache's gone. But when she opens her eyes, she finds herself back downstairs. When Ms. Frost leaves, another group arrives from another school, this time from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. While the Professor talks to Kitty's parents, the X-Men take Kitty to a malt shoppe. However, while they are there, the X-Men are attacked by three powerful mandroirds. Kitty's knocked through a wall, her powers protecting her from the battle. However, the White Queen enters the fight, and mind-bolts the X-Men into unconsciousness. Kitty follows the X-Men to the Hellfire Club's base.

Chapter 2, Uncanny X-Men 130 -
Dazzler
The other three X-Men, Cyclops, Phoenix, and Nightcrawler, travel to New York in search of new mutant. Arriving at a disco club, Nightcrawler remains outside, while Cyclops and Phoenix go in. However, inside, Phoenix is confronted by Mastermind again, this time in person. When the past vision is over, she ends up kissing him in front of Cyclops. Shocked, Cyclops has no time to think, because Cerebro finds their new mutant: the performer on stage, Dazzler! In Chicago, Kitty Pryde finds the captive X-Men and gets a phone number to call from Storm. However, she is seen, and must ran away before she can free the X-Men. She calls the number, and Nightcrawler answers from the car outside the club. However, before Kitty can tell him all the details, he is attacked by mandroids equipped to specifically to stop their powers. Inside the club, two more mandroids attack Cyclops and Phoenix. Dazzler however interferes, taking out the mandroids with her powers. Nightcrawler is reunited with the others, The quartet leave immediate to travel to Chicago, hoping to rescue their missing teammates and the young girl Kitty Pryde.

Chapter 3, Uncanny X-Men 131 -
Run for Your Life!
Kitty Pryde, still running from the Hellfire Club, finds herself in a darkened ally when she falls. Within moments, the Club's mercenaries will have her. But Phoenix appears, destroying the club's car. Nightcrawler teleports Kitty to safety, but his demonic appearance scares her. The four meet on the roof, and Phoenix changes her appearance with her powers, and finds Kitty below. Relieved to find these people are X-Men, Kitty agrees to help them. Scanning the minds of the captured mercenaries, Phoenix learns where the X-Men are being kept. Setting a trap, the X-Men "allow" themselves to be captured. Meanwhile, Storm's mind is being pulled apart by the hearltess White Queen, while Kitty Pryde sneaks into the complex to free Wolverine and Colossus. But Kitty is hurt in the process. Outside, the trap is sprung, and the X-Men storm the plant. Phoenix quickly goes to rescue Storm, and confronts the White Queen in a mental battle. The X-Men, including Kitty and Dazzler, regroup, and head to find Storm and Phoenix. The battle leaves the building crushed, with Phoenix and Storm as the appearant only survivors. The X-Men return to Kitty's home, and Dazzler takes her leave. But when Kitty's parents arrive, Phoenix immediately changes their memories. Storm and Cyclops sense something is wrong with Phoenix, but they can not decide what.

Chapter 4, Uncanny X-Men 132 -
And Hellfire is Their Name!
The X-Men travel to New Mexico, to the home of the Angel, a former X-Man himself. There, they meet Candy Southern, Angel's lover. Angel and Cyclops go off for a talk, and Cyclops reveals that there's a leak in the X-Men securities, which is why they came here and not to the mansion. Phoenix arrives, and Angel leaves, leaving the two lovers to talk. Cyclops is worried over Phoenix's current manifestations of her powers, but she pushes his worries away. The X-Men decide to attack the mansion, using Angel's association with them to get into a party. Meanwhile, Angel and the Professor watch moniters not far away. Storm, Colossus, Phoenix, and Cyclops, while Wolverine and Nightcrawler make their way into the basement through the sewers. The Inner Circle, the part of the Club that has been toying with the X-Men, stands revealed as Sebastion Shaw, Harry Leland, Donald Pierce, and Mastermind. Mastermind again confronts Phoenix, this time taking her away from Cyclops. When Cyclops follows, Mastermind turns the tables on him, pushing Phoenix to attack her lover. Storm and Colossus hear the battle and follow, only to be stopped by Shaw, whose a mutant himself. Down below, Wolverine and Nightcrawler face Pierce and Leland, and Wolverine discovers that Pierce is a cyborg! Leland's mutant powers cause Wolverine to fall into the sewers below, away from the fight. Meanwhile, Shaw defeats both Storm and Colossus, and thus, the X-Men, save Wolverine, are captured.

Chapter 5, Uncanny X-Men 133 -
Wolverine: Alone!
Wolverine, alone in the Hellfire Club's basement, fights off the mercenaries, gravely injuring each one on his way to rescue his friends. Meanwhile, The Inner Circle, with Phoenix on their side, watch as the X-Men look in horror as Phoenix embraces Mastermind and hits Storm across the face. On Muir Island, Moria reveals that Phoenix has slowly been letting loose, unleashing the full might of her power. And in New Mexico, Professor X worries that perhaps, he has led his X-Men to certain deaths. In New York, Wolverine fights through the party, while some more mercenaries attack. And Cyclops, reaching into Phoenix's mind through their psychic rapport, battles Mastermind on the astral plane. And the X-Men's best hopes are diminished as Cyclops's astral form is slain and Wolverine is defeated!

Chapter 6, Uncanny X-Men 134 -
Too Late, the Heroes!
Cyclops rises after being defeated by Mastermind, and Mastermind himself claims that Phoenix now belongs to the Hellfire Club, battle and soul! Wolverine finally reaches the Inner Circle's hideout, but Phoenix apparently stops him. At the same time, however, she frees Cyclops, allowing him to attack. He takes out Pierce and Leland, and frees the other X-Men. The group battles, with Wolverine finishing what he started with Leland, and Colossus attacking Pierce. Leland is badly injured, and Pierce escapes, while Storm and Nightcrawler force Shaw to retreat. Mastermind tries to escape, but Phoenix puts out the club's lights, and faces him alone, using her power to melt away his mind. Meanwhile, at the Avengers Mansion, Beast gets an emergency summon that the X-Men are attacking, but deletes the message to go and join his old friends. The X-Men, including Phoenix, escape, but find themselves over Central Park when Phoenix finally loses control, and becomes Dark Phoenix!

Chapter 7, Uncanny X-Men 135 -
Dark Phoenix
Dark Phoenix destroys the tiny ship, sending the X-Men plummeting towards the ground. All save Cyclops are safe, and as Dark Phoenix heads towards him, Storm puts a gale between them. The X-Men relunctantly attack her. Colossus tries to use a large tree, but Dark Phoenix simply transforms the tree into pure gold. The other X-Men try to attack, but Dark Phoenix easily stops them. Her power explodes, creating the bird of flame that can even be seen by Shaw as he exits the Hellfire Club. The Dark Phoenix takes to the stars. Meanwhile, on Muir Island, Moria relates to Professor X and Angel that the Phoenix's power levels are out of control. Back in Central Park, the Beast arrives to help his former teammates, and the group heads back to the mansion. In space, the Dark Phoenix literally devours a solar system, wiping out all life that existed there. On the way back, she encounters a Shi'ar spaceship, and quickly destroys it, alerting Lilandra, the Shi'ar empress, to her presence. At the mansion, Cyclops, through his and Phoenix's rapport, finds out that the Dark Phoenix is returning to Earth!

Chapter 8, Uncanny X-Men 136 -
Child of Light and Darkness!
On Chandliar, Lilandra is confronted by the leaders of other alien races. And Lilandra is forced to decide whether to go after the Dark Phoenix or not. At the mansion, the X-Men prepare themselves for the Dark Phoenix's return, with the Beast creating a psychic inhibitor, hoping to stop her powers. Dark Phoenix returns to her home. There, she meets with her parents and her sister, but finds that they are afraid of her. She lashes out, and but leaves before she can hurt her family. However, on the outside, she finds that a fog has covered much of the area, and suddenly, Nightcrawler appears with the inhibitor. The X-Men attack, hoping the inhibitor will stop, or at least slow, her. However, Dark Phoenix destroys the inhibitor, and the Professor is forced to use the full scope of his power to trap the Phoenix's power within her. Dark Phoenix is contained with Jean Grey once more, but before the X-Men can celebrate, they are mysteriously teleported away.

Chapter 9, Uncanny X-Men 137 -
The Fate of the Phoenix!
The X-Men, including Angel and Beast, find themselves on Lilandra's starship. Lilandra herself appears, and decrees that Phoenix must die! The Shi'ar move in take Jean Grey, but Professor X stops them, using a Shi'ar custom that calls for a decision by combat. The ploy works, and the X-Men go to rest for the coming battle with the Imperial Guard. The X-Men and the Guard are teleported to the Blue Area of the Moon, where the air is breathable. The X-Men split up, hoping to overtake the Guard quickly and with no casualities. However, Storm and Wolverine are seperated from their group, and Storm is the first to fall. Wolverine is accidently thrown into the home of the Watcher, and is promptly thrown out. Angel, Beast, Nightcrawler, and Colossus all fall, and Wolverine is nearly defeated. On the starship, both Lilanrda and Professor X hope and pray for the X-Men's safety. Cyclops and Jean continue to fight, but when Cyclops is hit, Phoenix is reborn! She attacks the starship, and the Imperial Guard rallies to destroy her. Professor X awakens the X-Men, hoping that they can save Jean from herself. They battle, but in the end, Jean runs. Phoenix gives way to Dark Phoenix, as Jean desperately tries to maintain control. She kisses Cyclops good-bye, and a blaster she had readied before the battle goes off, killing her. Jean Grey sacrifices her life for all the universe.

Creators -
Writers: Chris Claremont, John Byrne
Artist: John Byrne
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorists: Bob Sharen, Glynis Wein
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editors: Jim Salicrup, Roger Stern
Editor-in-chief: Jim Shooter

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Mastermind