Warning! Spoilers ahead for X-Men #2
In the latest issue of Marvel Comics' X-Men, the team's resident psychic Jean Grey reveals an equally amazing and hilarious use for her telepathic powers during a large-scale alien invasion. The galactic casino of Cordyceps Jones has been holding a contest by placing bets on Earth's destruction, seeing its alien patrons gambling over the various ways Earth will end and when. However, the X-Men have been repelling their attempts to speed things along by sending various threats to the planet. The fight continues on and this latest issue features a hilarious moment where Jean uses her powers to make sure everyone's in the loop on a pop culture reference made by the team's leader and tactician Cyclops.
In previous issues of X-Men from Gerry Duggan and Pepe Larraz, the X-Men have returned to New York, existing as a brand new team elected by the mutants of Krakoa to serve as their ideal representatives. Operating out of a brand new base near Central Park known as the Treehouse, the X-Men have so far been welcomed back by other teams such as the Avengers and Fantastic Four, especially after they repelled the attacks of the massive alien robot known as the Mind Reaver. Now, the X-Men are facing the alien casino's next trick: The Annihilation Wave.
Despite the threat, X-Men #2 also features a hilarious moment with Jean Grey and her abilities as a telepath right in the midst of the epic battle. As soon as the Annihilation Wave touched down on the planet and started consuming everything in its path, the X-Men sprang into action. The team quickly got to work keeping the Wave contained while Jean Grey and Polaris entered the mass of insect-like monsters to try and glean any information they could about where it came from. When they first got there, Cyclops compared the Annihilation Wave to the titular monster seen in The Blob starring Steve McQueen. However, because Luara Kinney's Wolverine had never seen the film, Jean Grey stepped in to hilariously provide the context needed.
While the clarification about the film and Krakoa's bartending mutant Blob is rather humorous on its own, the fact that Jean Grey is able to implant the entire referenced film into Laura's head is amazing and super funny. While this ability is perfectly logical and in line with her telepathic powers, it's no less fun and quite handy for this exact scenario. One has to wonder how Summers Family movie marathons go down. Does Jean do what she just did here and they've all "watched" the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy in a matter of mere moments? That level of efficiency is a movie lover's dream.
In any case, it's a pretty fun use of Jean Grey's powers, and it turns out to be quite helpful for Laura, who gets a better understanding of what the X-Men were up against with the Annihilation Wave. Regardless, after the X-Men save the day and Jean Grey got the information she wanted about where the alien threats keep coming from, the team of mutants might be looking to take a more proactive stance and go after the alien casino directly in future issues.