Jean Grey is a great many things. She is one of the original five X-men. She’s a mutant possessing Omega-level psychic abilities. She’s contains the power of the Phoenix Force within her. She’s smoking hot and she’s dead. Being one of the original X-men, Jean went along with the team to Krakoa, the Living Island. When they were captured, Professor Xavier put together a second team comprised of mutants from across the world to rescue his students. Following their return from Krakoa, Jean left the team for a time. She was abducted by sentinels along with several other X-men and taken to an abandoned SHIELD space station. The X-men were able to escape but their ship was damaged in the process. Jean uses her telekinetic abilities to safely pilot the ship back to Earth. Her psychic shields began to wane under the strain of solar radiation forcing Jean to tap into an inner power. This power connected her to the Phoenix Force, a manifestation of the primal forces in the universe and Guardian of the M’Kraan Crystal. She wore a new uniform and took on the superhero identity of the Phoenix. As the new host of the Phoenix Force, Jean became one of the most powerful beings in the universe.

This eventually led to the Dark Phoenix Saga, which became one of the biggest and most influential story arcs in Marvel Comics history. Jason Wyngarde, a mutant named Mastermind and a member of the Hellfire Club used his powers of illusion to fool Jean into believing she was a member of Victorian-era Aristocracy and convinced her to join the Hellfire Club as the Black Queen and his husband. Jean eventually lost control of her powers and transformed into the Dark Phoenix. The arc culminated with Jean destroying a star that resulted in the death of billions. She regained her sanity long enough to commit suicide on the moon. While in the afterlife, Jean is greeted by Death who helps send fragments of her soul back to Earth. When Jean was resurrected some time later, her telepathy was gone but she maintained her telekinesis which had become more powerful. Together with the original five X-men, she helped found a second mutant hero team known as X-Factor. During her time here, she learns that she has a daughter from an alternate timeline named Rachel Summers who had bonded with the Phoenix Force. When X-Factor later joins Xavier’s institute, the full roster of X-men are divided into 2 teams, Blue and Gold. Jean had joined the Gold team. She would remain with the X-men throughout most of the group’s reformations over the next few years. Once more she would sacrifice herself to save her teammates. With Jean Grey still dead, the first mutant child was born following the events of M-Day. This girl shares the same physical features as Jean including crimson red hair and green eyes.

As a mutant psychic, Jean possessed the powers of telekinesis and telepathy. She is an Omega-level mutant and considered one of the most powerful psychics in the world. Her telepathy allows her to communicate, control and read the minds of anyone on the planet. She is also capable of the same feats with higher intelligence animals such as dogs and dolphins. Her telekinesis allows her to lift and manipulate objects weighing in the tons. She can control hundreds of different objects simultaneously as well as lift her own body in order to fly. When Jean bonds with the Phoenix Force, she gains god-like abilities that put her amongst the most powerful beings in existence. She is capable of manipulating matter at the subatomic level, control nearly unlimited cosmic and psychic energies, and channel and rechannel the life-force of any kind of life-form allowing her to go so far as to even resurrect the dead.

Jean’s inclusion in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is a little puzzling to me since the game is centered around the Civil War, an event that occurred while Jean was dead. Realistically no X-man should be included in the playable roster given the neutral stance taken by Cyclops and Emma Frost on behalf of the Xavier Institute. I suppose the inclusion of characters such as Jean or even Wolverine are more for the fans than anything else. I am glad to see that she is a playable character again since she was a character I used quite often during the first two X-men Legends games. Her telekinesis is always a useful power when properly levelled up, and she’s had a couple of strong radial attacks as well. In the role of a ranged character designed to support the more brawler-style teammates charging in ahead, you’d be hard pressed to find a better character.