The first preview of Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #1, the upcoming Marvel Comics miniseries which will bring back the original Jean Grey, suggests it will unite the X-Men with more than just one old friend. It also shows an encounter between Wolverine and the Weapon X team!
Marvel went to great lengths to kill the Canucklehead back in 2014's Death of Wolverine miniseries. They stripped him of his healing factor, and then trapped him in solid adamantium. That said, a resurrection was inevitable. Speaking at Fan Expo Canada 2014, writer Charles Soule — who penned the fatal miniseries — openly admitted he wouldn't be off the table for long. We finally saw Wolverine return in this year's Marvel Legacy one-shot. Fans have long been wondering when he'd cross paths with his old teammates, and we finally seem to have an answer.
CBR published an exclusive preview of the first Phoenix Resurrection issue and one page of the preview showcases the Weapon X team (plus Psylocke) come face-to-face with Wolverine. He's dressed in his old duds, and the encounter doesn't go well. No doubt more than a little angered by the presence of Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike, Logan pops his claws. Domino goes for a head-shot, and the preview ends with Wolverine scrambling back to his feet. We can safely assume that's setup for an entertaining scrap!
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This particular encounter promises to be an exciting one, especially since Weapon X includes Laura Kinney (X-23), the All-New Wolverine. It's going to be beautiful to see Laura's reaction to Wolverine's resurrection. Meanwhile, another team-member is none other than Old Man Logan. A time-lost Wolverine from a dystopian future, Old Man Logan has essentially been a Wolverine substitute since 2015's Secret Wars. Is the world really big enough for two Logans?
It's clear this latest event is intended to involve the entire X-Men range. Another of the preview pages shows Kitty Pryde, now leader of the X-Men, assembling a massive number of mutants in what seems to be an auditorium. She's accompanied by Beast, who we can assume intends to tell the X-Men about the Phoenix's arrival. The last time he detected the Phoenix Force, Beast wound up allying with the Avengers against the X-Men. It's good to see that, this time around, the X-Men seem to be united which fits the goals of Marvel Legacy, an initiative to refocus attention on the classic Marvel core characters.
Right now, the plot of Phoenix Resurrection remains a mystery. The current Jean Grey miniseries is clearly building up to the event. It's seen the All-New X-Men version of the character facing the threat of the Phoenix's approach. We know that Phoenix Resurrection will lead to the return of Jean Grey, but why has the Phoenix come to Earth now? And how does Wolverine factor into this resurrection?
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Marvel will begin to answer these questions in Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #1, releasing on December 27th, 2017.