Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga (2025) #1 (Giant-Size X-Men

by Jackson Lanzing, Rod Reis (Artist), Lucas Werneck (Artist)

The past isn't set in stone. Kamala Khan is locked in a battle through time against an unstable and unleashed Legion - and she's gone from the frying pan into the Phoenix fire. As the history we know is destroyed in front of her eyes, the new mutant must team up with Jean Grey in her darkest hour...and master her dangerous new mutant power! X-Hivemind LANZING and KELLY team with superstar ROD REIS for a cosmic, emotional story that turns history upside down. A Revelations backup story that reveals the hidden secret that binds Scott Summer and Jean Grey together, as written by Steve Foxe! THE SECOND OF FIVE GIANT-SIZE ONE-SHOTS!

Genres: Comics, Marvel

Kindle Edition

Published June 11, 2025

Reviews

[Craig Schorling · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are fun reads that connect the present to the past. As fun as they are, they aren't too original and feel more like fan service than anything. That isn't a bad thing but I don't see these doing much for readers that do not have some prior knowledge of the past stories that these are connecting to. I really enjoyed the art and the watercolor style this had. The little story at the end was also really nice.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Scratch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ms. Marvel is still on her time-traveling adventure. Last issue, she observed the X-Men when they first recruited the second-gen X-Men to rescue the first-gen X-Men from Krakoa. Now she is time-jumped to when Jean Grey was possessed by the Phoenix.

1) Obligatory complaint about the love-fest for Kamala Khan. I have no problem with her race or her religion. I take issue with Marvel telling me that she is supposed to be my favorite. She does not deserve to have this miniseries dedicated to her, as the viewpoint character and one true hero who outlives and outshines everyone else.

2) Related to that, no, there is no way that her "hard light" powers could contain Legion, with or without the Phoenix Force. (But especially not with.) Legion is vastly powerful, and in every incarnation he has had access to telepathy. Realistically, there is no reason why he couldn't just wave his arms and make everyone dead. At a minimum, he could have easily deactivated anyone's powers.

3) The chronology here doesn't quite make sense.

In this issue, Jean says she has already killed the five billion people on a planet she blew up as the Phoenix. But, the conflict in this issue is that Legion is attempting to steal the Phoenix Force from Jean Grey, resulting in him being possessed, and Jean Grey falling limp to the ground. Later, Jean and Kamala then have conversations about their insecurities.

But, this doesn't make any sense-- Jean Grey's actual body is in a cocoon on the ocean floor at this point in X-Men history. The version of the Phoenix who arranged to shoot herself with a laser on the moon was a duplicate body of Jean that the Phoenix constructed. Marvel editorial insisted on this, so that if Jean Grey were to be resurrected, she wouldn't be fully to blame for the genocide.

Yes, Jean Grey has been possessed by the Phoenix Force many times. Other characters have been possessed by it as well. But during THIS particular time period, this is the ONE TIME that the Phoenix generated a duplicate body. So, the intimate conversations Kamala had about Jean Grey's insecurities were actually with the Phoenix Force, masquerading as Jean. ... Which takes away from the sincerity of their emotional vulnerability.

It is clear the writer just didn't know the story of the Phoenix Saga very well, so just wrote this assuming that Jean's body really was present and possessed at this point. Which is moronic. At least admit this is an alternate reality, or something.

[Sam Ramirez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fuckin terrible honestly. Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing are some of my least favorite dialogue writers working for Marvel today. The only reason I didn’t give it 1 star is that Rod Reis’ art is so good. Steve Foxe and Lucas Werneck’s 5 page Scott x Jean love letter at the end was wonderful but can’t redeem the crap that came before it. I don’t even care about Kamala activating her mutant powers finally as long as she gets to keep her Inhuman powers too. It was inevitable that she’d get them eventually once they revealed her dual identity. What I’m mad about is that conversation between Kamala and Jean where Kamala tries to comfort her is so poorly written I laughed out loud. “Like a caged tiger that also had a gun.” ? C’mon, that’s not in character for Jean at all, I know she’s a teenager here still but she’s supposed to be smart.

[Yasser Maniram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, this has really well done art. The focus on three characters in particular Legion, Ms. Marvel and Phoenix / Jean are the highlights of this read. Storywise it has an epic scale tying into Giant-Size Age of Apocalypse but the powers of Phoenix inevitably become a get out of jail free-card since there seems to be nothing greater than the Phoenix force.

[Nick Callebaut · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so tired of this story being revisited again and again. What's the point? Those who know it have been through it time and time again and those who don't wouldn't gain anything from superficial reinterpretations such as this.

It's almost a shame this is so beautifully illustrated.

Also, I don't see the point of Kamala Khan being the protagonist here.

[Nightwing’s Thiccness · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kamala sticks out like a sore thumb that makes you think “oh I should really amputate this thumb and get a really good prosthetic”.

Issue was alright otherwise. Just would’ve been better if Kamala was written smoother in rather than being shoehorned.

[Raymond Paquette · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice trip through the X-Men's greatest hits, but at the same time, Ms. Marvel doesn't fit there very well. We'll see how it ends.

[Uchuu · Rating 3 out of 5]

las ultimas paginas mi todo y la portada alternativa d es perfecta

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

five stars just for the art tee bee aech