Ultimate X-Men #71

Issue Details

Synopsis

"Phoenix? (Part III)" The Blob is the last man of The Brotherhood standing against The X-Men after Toad and Multiple Man are knocked out cold. Elliot Boggs tries to take down The Blob on his own, creating a pitfall beneath him and trying to seal him up below the earth. Things become more hectic as the media arrives at The Academy of Tomorrow, making the X-Men more cautious with their attacks. The ground does not hold the Blob as he breaks out of his concrete hold, ready to take down the X-Men.  At the Xavier Institute, Jean is possessed by the Phoenix once again, creeping up on Lilandra, telling her everything she wants to do to Lilandra's internal organs. Lilandra is confused, not understanding why the god she had supported wants to do her harm. As Jean holds Lilandra by the neck, Xavier enters the room, commanding Jean to put Lilandra down. The possessed Jean continues to threaten Lilandra, knowing Xavier can do nothing to stop her.   Rogue uses her new powers against Blob, trying to distract him from the fight. Blob calls Rogue a traitor, easily grabbing her and tossing her away as everyone does their best to take their opponent out. Elliot changes tactics, walking up to Blob, realizing his powers rely on gravity. To his advantage, Elliot decreases the gravity around Blob, throwing a swift punch to knock him into the air. Blob floats between the X-Men like a volleyball, hitting him higher and higher. Elliot returns Blob's gravity, bringing him back down to earth, knocking him out. The more Xavier tries to calm Jean, the more Jean's flames grow, threatening to melt Xavier's brain. As Xavier struggles, he resorts to admitting his love for Jean, causing a confused Jean to regain control of her body in order to shut down her mind. Both Jean and Xavier pass out, releasing a struggling Lilandra. Lilandra helps Xavier regain consciousness as Gerald enters the chamber asking if everyone is okay.   S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives at the Academy of Tomorrow along with the media. The X-Men still wonder what the Brotherhood were doing at the school, curious if it had to do with stopping Magneto's breakout. The media find a focus on Elliot, who has already adapted to the Xavier philosophy on mutants. Scott Summers (Earth-1610) makes his way to Angel, speaking to him for the first time since Angel left the Xavier Institute. While Angel misses everyone, he does not believe he would feel comfortable there without Alison. When Emma Frost arrives, things start to die down, the X-Men make their exit, Scott acknowledging his brother and Colossus says goodbye to his date.   Jean wakes back up, causing Lilandra to call out to Xavier, scared of the power Jean possesses. Xavier comforts Lilandra, saying Jean is his student and he knows how to handle this situation. Jean feels a little ill, not really certain of what events occurred. Lilandra is still amazed at all the things the Phoenix said through Jean, quite concerned about the future of the Church of Shi'ar. Gerald interrupts Lilandra's panic, letting her know that the blood work contains none of the properties they would prove to be the Phoenix. Gerald reveals to Jean and everyone else that Jean's parents were part of the Church of Shi'ar, possibly having told Jean of the Phoenix when she was young. It would seem that during Jean's mental break-down, this split personality based on the Phoenix was created to help her cope with the manifestation of her powers. Jean gets angry at the accusation of her loss of sanity.   Everyone arrives back home, Kitty greeting the team, having seen everything on television. Kurt enters the mansion after everyone else but teleports when Colossus greets him. Scott is stopped by Xavier, who explains everything that happened to Jean. Immediately Scott visits his girlfriend, who only wants to be alone at the moment. As Scott walks away, Jean is seen covered in small green beings that can only be seen by her.   Gerald and Lilandra say their goodnights after returning to the Church of Shi'ar Enlightenment before Gerald uses his phone to call a contact. Gerald reveals that Jean is indeed the Phoenix and with this knowledge, they will be able to return the Hellfire Club to its former glory.