10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Jean Grey’s 7 X-Men Movie Appearances
Summary- Jean Grey's movie appearances are lackluster compared to her comic counterpart due to weak writing and character development.
- Fox's X-Men movies failed to fully explore Jean's powers and her iconic Dark Phoenix storyline, resulting in missed opportunities.
- Sophie Turner's portrayal of Jean Grey had potential but was ultimately wasted, lacking depth and agency in the films.
Unfortunately, Fox's portrayal of Jean Grey has several noticeable flaws that become alarmingly obvious on a revisit. Most of these are the fault of the Fox films' writing, known for being far from perfect in their treatment of many important X-Men, not just Jean. Considering how integral Jean Grey is as a character in many of the greatest X-Men comics, it's a shame that there are so many glaring flaws in the blockbuster franchise's treatment of her.
10 Jean Grey Is More Of A Plot Device Than A Character In The X-Men Movies Jean Grey should be more than the sum of her powers
By her very nature as an incredibly powerful mutant, it makes sense why so many X-Men stories focus on Jean Grey so heavily. The live-action movies were no exception, with both the original trilogy and the prequel series following X-Men: First Class with the new cast both frequently putting her front and center. Yet in all that screen time, Jean Grey's personality isn't given much time to develop outside of her status as a plot device. Other adaptations, such as X-Men: The Animated Series, show off what Jean Grey's personality should be like. She's kind, but short-tempered, and has a fierce sisterly bond with fellow female mutants like Rogue and Storm. In the Fox movies, this personality is hard to find, given only the briefest moments to flourish amid the action of the stacked cast. When it is time for Jean to show up, it's typically to unleash her staggering power, to be the center of a love triangle, or to succumb to the Phoenix within.
9 The X-Men Movies Never Got Very Creative With Jean's Powers Jean Grey was often a glorified force-user
Jean Grey's most well-known powers are her telekinesis and telepathy, having demonstrated staggering feats such as pulling apart individual molecules or generating energy constructs from thin air. In the live-action movies, however, her powerset feels far more limited, usually showing up as a neutered version of Star Wars's force powers. Obviously, the budgetary constraints of live action are at play here, but as the films increased in profile, they could've expanded on Jean's abilities. Typically, Jean is able to move objects around, not even getting much use out of her signature telepathy until far later in the original trilogy. Sophie Turner's Jean gets to use her telepathy far more, but she doesn't establish the trademark psychic links the character is known for, often only revealing she had used her mind-reading after the fact. In fairness, Dark Phoenix goes a little further in demonstrating what Jean Grey is capable of beyond these simple parlor tricks, but it's all too late in the franchise's life span.
8 Fox's X-Men Movies Botched Jean's Most Famous Storyline Twice One of the X-Men's most important arcs has yet to be done justice in live action
The Dark Phoenix Saga is one of the most iconic storylines in X-Men comic history, putting Jean Grey front and center. The narrative revolves around Jean's connection to the Phoenix Force, a cosmic being of immense power that weaponizes her mutant ability and psyche against the planet itself. The story had lasting ramifications on the entire Marvel universe, and forever cemented Jean Grey as one of the most powerful mutants bar none. Marvel adapted The Dark Phoenix Saga four times, twice in live action and twice in animation. Sadly, both live-action iterations of the story fell short, with the original trilogy simplifying the epic into a sub-plot squeezed alongside the cure storyline of X-Men: The Last Stand and the prequel movies rushing the adaptation without giving Jean enough development in previous movies beforehand. While Dark Phoenix had the right idea, allowing the concept to breathe as the main focus of the film, it couldn't do the comic storyline justice.
7 Jean Never Got To Use Her Superhero Name Or Costume In The X-Men Movies Marvel Girl was nowhere to be seen in the Fox movies
Image via Disney+ The Fox X-Men movies have become infamous for their wardrobe choices. Rather than allow the X-Men to revel in the glory of their bright blue-and-yellow original suits, the franchise outfitted the mutants with drab uniform black leather costumes -- A boring, utilitarian look that would leave no favorable legacy. Jean Grey was not outside the scope of this travesty, being stuck wearing what looked like motorcycle gear rather than her classic green and yellow outfit, pointy mask and all. Even more strangely, Jean in particular wasn't even allowed to be called her superhero nickname, Marvel Girl. Whereas other X-Men like Storm and Wolverine were referred to by their hero names at least once, even if it was more in the vein of a call sign, Jean Grey simply remained Jean Grey through and through, causing the name Marvel Girl to fall out of popularity even in other X-Men properties. Admittedly, Fox may have faced legal repercussions from using the title, having to stay away from exclusively Marvel Studios-owned properties.
6 Jean Was Incredibly Weak In The First X-Men Movie You'd never guess Jean Grey was the strongest X-Man from the first film alone
2000's X-Men really was quite revolutionary for the superhero genre, being the first big-budget live action film to truly do justice to the concept of a superhero team. However, among the first iteration of the X-Men on the big screen, Jean Grey stands out for just how weak she is. This is demonstrated as early as her first battle, in which she gets outdone by Toad, of all people. Even without the Phoenix Force, Jean Grey should be an intensely powerful telepath and telekinetic capable of taking on multiple mutants at once. Yet the first film had her struggle to hold a single person still in midair, making her without a doubt among the weakest mutants in 2000's X-Men. Luckily, the later films would undo this mistake, but on a re-watch, Jean's lack of control or power is very out of place in the first film.
5 Jean's Love Triangle With Cyclops And Wolverine Was Poorly Adapted The sub-plot quickly became one of the most groan-inducing aspects of the movies
Sadly, one of the things Jean Grey is most famous for is being on point on the love triangle between herself, Cyclops, and Wolverine. The first three X-Men movies spent a lot of time on this dynamic, turning it into a painful will-they-won't-they scenario that had Cyclops oddly excluded. Suffice it to say, the sub-plot quickly grew tiresome, with Scott and Logan's embarrassingly petty squabbles being forced on the audience in a terse show of masculinity hoping to impress Jean. In the comics, Jean and Wolverine's relationship is more one of fantasy, with Cyclops being the clearly more stable romantic partner. The Fox movies understand this to a degree, but end up giving Jean and Wolverine far more screen time than necessary, with Logan even being the one to be there for her final moments. If the dialogue and dynamics of the love triangle scenes weren't so groan-worthy, this may have been forgivable, but as it stands, the romantic elements of the films featuring Jean were one of their weakest aspects.
4 Sophie Turner As Jean Was Wasted Potential The Game of Thrones star could've done more with the character
When it came time to cast the new generation of the classic X-Men lineup going into the prequel movies, Fox opted for a young actress with a significant amount of star power. Enter Game of Thrones veteran Sophie Turner, a promising English performer who turned out to have a passable American accent. Sadly, Sophie Turner didn't get much of a chance to prove herself as a superhero star in her two X-Men appearances. Sophie Turner is not a bad actress by any means, knocking it out of the park in Game of Thrones and proving her success wasn't a fluke with modest roles in projects like 2022's The Staircase. Unfortunately, her personality isn't given much of a chance to shine through in her appearances, spending most of her screentime as a victim to her powers. Considering how much time she already spent being victimized as Sansa Stark, it's a shame Sophie Turner wasn't given more agency to show off her acting chops as Jean Grey.
3 The Original Trilogy Chickened Out On Phoenix's Cosmic Origin From alien super power to alternate personality
Jean Grey's power isn't solely the result of her mutation, however strong her telekinesis and telepathy may be by default. It's the mysterious spacefaring Phoenix Force entity that acts as a sort of amplifier for Jean Grey's abilities, inexorably linking her to Marvel's cosmic mythology in addition to the world of mutants. But the original Fox X-Men trilogy dismissed the Phoenix Force's actual origin as too outlandish, instead explaining the alternate presence as a sort of dormant personality locked deep away in Jean's mind. This approach was faulty on multiple fronts. For one, it disrespected the source material, erasing some of the mystique of the X-Men characters, who frequently come into contact with supernatural or alien forces. But more importantly, the idea stigmatized mental health, making a literal villain out of Jean Grey's trauma. Thankfully, the reboot series went back on this decision, making the Phoenix Force an alien invader in earnest.
2 Jean Grey Calls Into Question Professor X's Leadership Xavier's treatment of Jean is disturbing on a second watch
Much of the tragedy that befalls Jean Grey in the Fox X-Men movies largely isn't her fault, which somewhat contradicts her complicity in the Phoenix' Forces actions in The Dark Phoenix Saga of the comics, giving her less agency in the story. But one character who can absorb blame for Jean Grey's treatment is none other than Professor X, who seals away Jean Grey's telepathic powers, causing them to fester and eventually manifest in the form of the devastatingly powerful Phoenix. The Fox series doubles down on this idea in the new continuity with Dark Phoenix, in which Professor X installs similar mental blocks in Jean's mind in regard to her childhood trauma. The dangerous consequences of Charles' unwanted meddling with Jean's fragile mind paint him out to be a terrible leader, a harsh reality of Professor X's own movie appearances. By proxy, this decision on behalf of Professor X hurts Jean's own character as well, turning her even more into a helpless victim.
1 Jean's Final Death In The Last Stand Is Riddled With Plot Holes Famke Janssen's final appearance was an unearned sacrifice
In X-Men: The Last Stand, the Dark Phoenix storyline is overlaid along the race to stop the mutant cure from spreading, ending in a climactic four-way final battle between the Brotherhood of Mutants, the X-Men, the cure's creators, and Jean Grey herself. After generating a telekinetic whirlwind so strong only Wolverine is able to withstand it, Wolverine kills her, ending the threat of the Phoenix once and for all. There are several issues with this resolution that make the death feel unearned. For one, the Phoenix could've used her telepathy rather than her telekinesis to easily keep Wolverine at bay, should she have had enough control over Jean Grey's waning consciousness to do so. Secondly, Wolverine could've just as easily picked up one of the hundreds of mutant cures lying around and given her an injection of that rather than his adamantium claws, ending the threat of the Phoenix non-lethally. This same tactic is even done to Magneto moments earlier, giving Jean Grey one of the most needless deaths of any live-action X-Men character.
Upcoming Marvel Movies Release Date Deadpool & Wolverine July 26, 2024 Captain America: Brave New World February 14, 2025 Thunderbolts* May 2, 2025 The Fantastic Four July 25, 2025 Blade November 7, 2025 Avengers: The Kang Dynasty May 1, 2026 Avengers: Secret Wars May 7, 2027
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