This landmark issue opens with the Watcher promising
that some monumental events are about to go down and that Jean Grey will be put
through the ultimate test! We then find the X-Men, after suddenly disappearing
at the end of last issue, have been beamed aboard the flagship of the Shi’ar
Imperial Fleet! Lilandra declares that Jean Grey must answer for her crimes as
Dark Phoenix and recounts how she ignited a star, destroying an entire planet
and its 5 billion inhabitants in the process. Jean despairs at the memory of
what she did, while the other X-Men can hardly believe it. Just as Lilandra’s
forces are about to take Jean, Professor X issues the “Arin’nn Haelar”, a
challenge to a duel of honor for Jean’s fate, with the X-Men against the
Imperial Guard. Lilandra consults with the leaders of both the Kree and the
Skrulls and they okay the duel, with a Kree and Skrull soldier each appointed
to observe the proceedings.
Each of the X-Men use the night to prepare and mull
things over as best they can, with the duel set to begin at dawn the following
morning. Jean regrets her actions and prays for strength, while having a
replica of her old Marvel Girl costume delivered to her. Nightcrawler works out
in a gym area while wrestling with how to feel about Jean, and whether or not
he can forgive the horrible atrocities she’s committed. He’s joined by Angel
who admits his own doubts about Jean and if he can fight for her, and that
feeling pains him. Wolverine, meanwhile, reflects on everything, knowing that
he’s not afraid to die if need be and confirming that he’ll stand with Jean no
matter what. Beast washes himself in a tub, his main concern being that Jean at
least receives something equivalent to a fair trial, regardless of what she’s
done.
Dawn breaks, and Colossus and Storm each wake from a
deep sleep, determined to defend Jean to the death. Finally, Cyclops reflects
on everything, having been up the whole night. While he can understand
Lilandra’s point of view and what she feels she has to do, he still curses the
unfairness of it all. He’s joined by Jean, surprised to see her in her Marvel
Girl costume and Scott reaffirms his love for her, determined to stand by her.
The X-Men gather on the transporter deck of Lilandra’s ship, and they all confirm
to Cyclops that they’re all willing to fight on Jean’s behalf, while Lilandra
admits to herself that she wishes there were any other way. The X-Men are
beamed down to the blue area of the moon, the venue for the duel, littered with
ruins of an old, long-extinct civilization. The Imperial Guard are soon beamed
down on the other side of the ruins and the X-Men split into two teams in order
to throw the Imperial Guard off-balance.
The first group, consisting of Cyclops, Jean,
Nightcrawler, and Angel are soon ambushed by a group of Imperial Guard members,
beginning the fateful battle in earnest! The other group soon encounter their
own troubles when Gladiator surprises them, knocking Wolverine and Storm down a
large pit and separating them from Colossus and Beast! Wolverine and Storm
happen upon a crystal structure that looks much more modern than the
surrounding architecture. The two are then encountered by another of the
Imperial Guard and Wolverine is knocked into the structure, straight through
the wall, disappearing from view! Storm whips up an impressive wind to deal
with her foe, but she’s ambushed from behind by another enemy and is
overwhelmed, the first to go down. Meanwhile, the other group is managing to
hold their own, but only just. Angel is soon overwhelmed by a psychic attack
and thrown into a large pit, prompting Nightcrawler to jump down to rescue him.
Nightcrawler teleports, in order to reappear underneath Angel, and then there
is silence.
Back with Wolverine, he found himself in the domain of
the Watcher before he is forcibly ejected, where he seemingly is joined by
Storm once more. Realizing something is wrong, Wolverine retaliates, revealing
that “Storm” was actually the Skrull warrior, meant only to observe. Wolverine
is taken out by the Kree soldier and the Skrull warrior attacks, insulted that
he was saved by his enemy. At the bottom of the pit, Nightcrawler encounters
another of the Imperial Guard but soon falls as well, joining the defeated
Angel. Beast soon follows, leaving Colossus to contend with Gladiator. The two
engage in an epic fight, going blow for blow, toppling the entire building
around them! When the dust clears, and the rubble shifts, only Gladiator is
left standing. Back on the ship, Xavier despairs as his students quickly fall,
one by one, not wanting things to end like this. Jean realizes via her
telepathy that she and Scott are the only ones left and they duck into an
alcove to get a breather. They muster their resolve and head back out, getting
swarmed by more and more of the Imperial Guard.
Suddenly, the sensors go crazy, the energy readings
off the charts as Jean loses control again, signaling the return of Phoenix!
Xavier wills his students awake to fight, to stop Jean before she gains too
much power! While Storm distracts Jean with a tornado, Wolverine pulls a
reverse Fastball Special, the moon’s lower gravity allowing him to throw
Colossus, telling him that he has to finish off Jean, once and for all.
Colossus finds that he can’t do it, however, though his punch does knock Jean
back to her senses momentarily. She pleads with them to kill her, fleeing as
she feels herself losing control more and more. She telekinetically freezes the
pursuing Cyclops, desperate and scared, hanging on by a thread. She activates
one of the old weapons buried in the place, and has one last, tearful farewell
with Scott, while he pleads that she not do this. The weapon fires,
disintegrating her, putting the danger of Phoenix to rest while Cyclops
collapses into despair, realizing that this was Jean’s plan all along. Finally,
a recorder robot for the Watcher finishes recording the event, unable to
understand Jean’s actions. The Watcher waxes poetic about the nature of humans,
stating that Jean displayed the ultimate example of self-sacrifice, deciding
that she’d rather die as a human, than live as a god.