Who is Dark Phoenix and what is the Phoenix Force?

Dark Phoenix

When it comes to stories about Marvel Comics’ Phoenix Force, the first one that usually comes to mind is the classic 1980s Dark Phoenix saga (Uncanny X-Men (vol.1) #129-#137) by (arguably) the finest X-Men creative team of Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin. Epic, cataclysmic or brilliance personified – however you choose to describe it, Phoenix’s raison d’être will forever be summed up by this storyline, which also makes it a reference point for any X-Men movie.

Next month’s Dark Phoenix movie will mark the second attempt to adapt that classic storyline, the first one was with 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.