There comes a time, however, in which a real life scenario is not nearly enough. Every sci-fi writer knows this… and the same can be said about a number of film directors or comic book authors. Real life can be a great starting point, but some stories need more, in fact, deserve more. When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced the world-devouring Galactus in the pages of Fantastic Four they were answering the three basic questions: Not only New York city -or even the United States for that matter- was at stake… the fate of the world rested on the shoulders of Marvel’s premiere superhero family. The scope of the story was huge, it involved the whole planet and the survival of millions of humans. Galactus was the ultimate obstacle. No force on Earth could defeat him. And thus, the coming of Galactus became an instant classic.
Many years later, Chris Claremont and John Byrne answered the same three questions in “The Dark Phoenix Saga”. Although this time everything was at stake. Not just our planet or our solar system, but entire galaxies… the universe. I’ve rarely seen anything so ambitious in a comic book storyline, but Claremont and Byrne successfully conferred in their narrative a sense of a greater-than-life menace, a cosmic danger beyond anything we could possibly imagine. The scope was huge, it involved everything. The Dark Phoenix redefined the concept of obstacle. Against this primal, cosmic force, no power on Earth or in the universe could possibly pose a threat to it. And that’s what’s so fascinating about the Dark Phoenix Saga. The X-Men, the mutant heroes, would fight against an undefeatable rival. They know they can’t win, and even so they soldier on. That’s the stuff heroes are made off. They never surrender, they never stop fighting.
Once Dark Phoenix possesses the body and soul of Jean Grey in “Child of Light and Darkness”, this creature of fire and life incarnate consumes a sun and in the process destroys a complete solar system, a feat that not even Galactus could achieve in such short time. One of the planets she annihilates is inhabited by sentient aliens and so the Shi’ar Empire decides to intervene. Soon, the X-Men are summoned to the empire’s flagship. It is there that the Empress Lilandra accepts their challenge to a duel. There will be a battle between the X-Men and the Imperial Guard in the dark side of the moon.
They are granted a day to rest before what could be their final showdown. Once the X-Men find out that Jean Grey -as Phoenix- is responsible for the death of millions, they do not know how to react. This is genocide on a level that surpasses any scale. Can they forgive their comrade and even sacrifice their lives for her? It is not an easy question, and many of them feel regret or remorse. Angel cares for Jean, but he is aware that one way or another she will be punished. As a religious man, Nightcrawler harbors doubts about the absolute power of the Phoenix. Beast, on the other hand, understands that ‘might doesn’t make right’, not everything can be reduced to who wields the greater power; he’s also in denial, he can’t believe that someone as gentle and tender as Jean could destroy a planet and every living creature in it. Wolverine loves Jean Grey, and he knows that even if she is the greatest murderer in the history of humanity, he will stand by her, no matter the cost. Meanwhile, Storm and Colossus ponder on the nature of good versus evil, they both cherish Jean as their best friend, but they also abhor the destructive nature of the Dark Phoenix.
Professor X is worried about his students, and follows Kantian ethics, universalizability: if your action could be universalized (id est, if everyone could do it) then it is morally acceptable (killing humans, for instance, cannot be universalized as it would mean the extinction of the human race). Charles Xavier must save all of his pupils because every life matters, and no one should die for the ‘greater good’. Lilandra, more pragmatic, conforms to utilitarian ethics. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, if the life of Jean Grey -or even the X-Men- must be sacrificed in order to save the universe so be it. And amidst all of it, Cyclops, the man who loves Jean more than life itself decides to do everything he can to save her.
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| Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange & Silver Surfer |
Everyone reacts differently, and that’s to be expected in such a heterogeneous group as the one formed by the X-Men. The moral dilemma is complex, the stakes are higher than ever, and the scope of the story is huge, monumental. But for all their cunning and bravery, the X-Men are no match against the Imperial Guard. At the end of the day, they lose. In the heat of the battle, Jean Grey reverts to Dark Phoenix once again, but in the last minute of consciousness, of sanity, she concludes that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few and so she commits suicide in front of the man she loves. Very rarely have I seen such a touching death, it’s a very emotive moment that shatters the love and hope of Scott Summers. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is one of the best X-Men epics ever. In 30 years I’ve found only two runs that could compete -but not necessarily win- with it: Grant Morrison’s New X-Men in which the Scottish author re-elaborates some of the classic elements of the X-Men mythos, chief amongst them the power of the Phoenix and the death of Jean Grey; and Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men, here the author -during the preambles of an interplanetary war- develops the relationship and personalities of the X-Men unlike any other writer in the past three decades.
In “The Fate of the Phoenix” we have the honor to see John Byrne at his best. A true master in storytelling, his art is an example of sequential proficiency. His iconoclast approach allows him to strip bare Marvel’s characters to their most intimate essence. We immediately recognize the attitude and personalities of the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange or Silver Surfer as they realize that Phoenix is reborn. The ferocity and sheer power of Dark Phoenix is also made evident in the magnificent splash page of X-Men # 136; and the double page spread in # 137 is what I personally consider one of the most unforgettable images of the mutant team. Today it’s typical to find many double page spreads that add nothing significant to the narrative; here, on the contrary, everything that needs to be said and seen is right there for us to read and look at. Byrne also conveys the eagerness and preoccupation that the X-Men feel as they prepare for their clash against the Imperial Guard, Logan takes a shower and then meditates as a samurai warrior would, Beast also takes a bath and receives a massage, Colossus falls deeply asleep and wakes up the next morning while Storm -naked- reminisces the African dawns of her childhood. Of course, the fighting scenes between the X-Men and the Imperial Guard are one of a kind. Action, movement, dynamism, everything that turned Byrne into the greatest comic book artist of the 80s is right here. Originally published in Uncanny X-Men # 135, 136 & 137 (July-September 1980) this amazing work is an indisputable classic of the superhero genre.
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| Phoenix devouring a sun / Fénix devorando un sol |
¿Qué está en riesgo? ¿Qué tan ambiciosa es la historia? ¿Qué obstáculos deben enfrentar los personajes? Estas son sólo algunas de las preguntas que uno debe preguntarse a sí mismo antes de planificar una novela, un cómic o un guión de cine. Para la mayoría de escritores, lo más fácil suele ser reflexionar sobre sus experiencias personales y diagramar una ruta a través de sus propias vidas y memorias, imitando los eventos de la vida 'real' o los aspectos verdaderos de la personalidad de gente que conocen.
Llega un momento, no obstante, en el que un escenario de la vida real se queda corto. Todos los escritores de ciencia ficción lo saben... al igual que muchos cineastas o autores de cómics. La vida real puede ser un grandioso primer capítulo, pero algunas historias necesitan algo más, de hecho, merecen más. Cuando Stan Lee y Jack Kirby presentaron a Galactus, el devorador de mundos, en las páginas de los Cuatro Fantásticos respondieron las tres preguntas básicas: No sólo la ciudad de New York -o los Estados Unidos- estaba en riesgo... el destino del mundo descansaba en los hombros de la primera familia heroica de Marvel. La historia era tremendamente ambiciosa, involucraba a todo el planeta y la sobrevivencia de millones de humanos. Galactus era el obstáculo definitivo. Ninguna fuerza en la Tierra podía vencerlo. Y por lo tanto, el advenimiento de Galactus se convirtió al instante en un clásico.
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| The X-Men in Lilandra's space ship / Los X-Men en la nave espacial de Lilandra |
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| Wolverine & Beast |
Cuando Fénix Oscura posee el cuerpo y el alma de Jean Grey en "Hija de la luz y la oscuridad" esta criatura de fuego y vida encarnada consume un sol y en el proceso destruye un sistema solar completo, una hazaña que ni siquiera Galactus podría lograr con tal velocidad. Uno de los planetas aniquilados es habitado por seres pensantes y por ello el Imperio Shi'ar decide intervenir. Pronto, los X-Men son convocados por el bajel insignia del imperio. Es allí que la emperatriz Lilandra acepta el reto de un duelo. Habrá una batalla entre los X-Men y la Guardia Imperial en el lado oscuro de la luna.
Se les concede un día para descansar antes de la confrontación final. Una vez que los X-Men descubren que Jean Grey -como Fénix- es responsable de la muerte de millones, no saben cómo reaccionar. Esto es un genocidio que supera cualquier escala. ¿Pueden perdonar a su camarada e incluso sacrificar sus vidas por ella? No es una pregunta fácil, y muchos de ellos sienten rechazo o remordimiento. Angel se preocupa por Jean, pero es consciente que de un modo u otro será castigada. Al ser un hombre religioso, Nightcrawler alberga dudas sobre el poder absoluto de Fénix. Beast, por otro lado, entiende que el poder nunca es una justificación, no todo se reduce a la autoridad que confiere el poder, pero él se niega a creer que alguien tan gentil y tierno como Jean pueda destruir un planeta y a todos los seres vivos en él. Wolverine ama a Jean Grey, y sabe que aunque ella sea la mayor asesina de la historia de la humanidad, la apoyará a toda costa. Mientras tanto, Storm y Colossus meditan sobre la naturaleza del bien y del mal, ambos quieran a Jean como su mejor amiga, pero también aborrecen la naturaleza destructiva de Fénix Oscura.
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| Colossus & Storm |
Todos reaccionan de modo distinto, y eso es lo que podemos esperar de un grupo tan heterogéneo como los X-Men. El dilema moral es complejo, hay más riesgos que nunca y la historia es monumentalmente ambiciosa. Pero a pesar de toda su astucia y valentía, los X-Men no son rivales para la Guardia Imperial. Al final, pierden. En el calor de la batalla, Jean Grey revierte a Fénix Oscura nuevamente, pero en un último minuto de consciencia, de sanidad, concluye que las necesidades de la mayoría deben anteponerse a las necesidades de la minoría y se suicida frente al hombre que tanto ama. Rara vez he visto una muerte tan conmovedora, es un momento muy emotivo que destruye el amor y la esperanza de Scott Summers. Sin la menor duda, este es uno de los mejores relatos épicos de los X-Men. En 30 años he encontrado sólo dos etapas que podrían hacerle competencia -pero no necesariamente ganar: "New X-Men" de Grant Morrison, allí, el autor escocés reelabora algunos de los elementos clásicos de la mitología mutante, principalmente el poder de Fénix y la muerte de Jean Grey; y "Astonishing X-Men" de Joss Whedon y John Cassaday, aquí el autor -durante los preámbulos de una guerra interplanetaria- desarrolla la relación y las personalidades de los X-Men mejor que nadie en las últimas tres décadas.
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| The X-Men against the Imperial Guard / los X-Men contra la Guardia Imperial |
