Jean Grey is the first lady of the X-Men. Her life has never been easy but she’s always persevered, becoming the team’s paragon, a shining example to every member who came after her. Jean Grey’s powers and experience have made her one of the team’s most clutch members, even though she basically started as the team’s token love interest. She’s taken her place in the team’s pantheon of greats.
However, for everything great she brings to the team, there seems to be a drawback. As important as she can be to the group, there have been times when she’s been a disruptive presence at best and at worst put everyone in danger.
10 Is Integral To The Team: Her Powers Are Amazing
Jean Grey is one of the most powerful X-Men of them all. Her telepathic and telekinetic abilities have allowed her to make a difference in just about every battle she’s been in, causing her to excel in either a support role or on the front lines of any battle. This utility has made her one of the team’s most trusted hands.
She’s honed her mental powers to an insane degree; while Professor X is her superior, she can easily take over for him if he’s incapacitated and her telekinetic abilities give her an offensive punch that the team’s other telepaths just don’t have.
9 Is Not Integral To The Team: The X-Men Have Too Many Telepaths
Jean Grey has had a lot of adventures with the X-Men and has proven herself many times but when it comes right down to it, her powers aren’t exactly revolutionary for the team. The X-Men have more telepaths per capita than any other team in the Marvel Universe and one more isn’t going to make a huge difference either way.
Jean’s telepathy is quite formidable but on a team that boasts telepaths like Professor X, Emma Frost, Psylocke, and others, her powers can be bit redundant. Her telekinesis is unique as an ability but it’s not so important that it’s enough to make an argument for her being there at all times.
8 Is Integral To The Team: She’s Mastered The Phoenix Force
The Phoenix Force is one of the most powerful forces in the Marvel Universe and this makes it extremely dangerous. The first time it came to Earth, it impersonated Jean Grey and almost spelled doom for the universe. Later, the Phoenix Force would return and empower Jean, something all of her teammates were understandably disturbed by.
However, Jean was able to do something that few mortals gifted with the Phoenix Force have ever been able to do- control it. This mastery became integral against the Magneto impersonating Xorn and with all the times the Phoenix comes to the X-Men, having someone around who can master it is very important.
7 Is Not Integral To The Team: The Phoenix Force Is Drawn To Her
Even though she’s mastered the power, that doesn’t mean that anyone wants the Phoenix Force around. It’s proven to be very dangerous to the X-Men and the world and it’s led to some very bad moments in Jean Grey’s life. Having someone on the X-Men who is a magnet for the Phoenix Force isn’t always a good thing.
While Jean has mastered it, that doesn’t mean that it’s always going to choose her and even though it’s often been drawn to her, it’s found other hosts besides her, even when she’s right there. This has led to bad news for the team more than once.
6 Is Integral To The Team: She’s One Of The Team’s Most Experienced Members
Jean Grey was Xavier’s first student— he was able to heal her of a coma she was in when her powers awakened because of the traumatic death of her best friend. She was with him before he founded the team, learning how to use her powers from the best. When the X-Men formed, Jean Grey was one of the first members.
Jean Grey has been an X-Man since the beginning and that experience makes her one of the team’s senior members. Experience like hers has made a huge difference for the team, allowing them to win when the chips were down.
5 Is Not Integral To The Team: Her Relationships Can Lead To Problems On The Team
One of the X-Men’s most enduring couples is Cyclops and Jean Grey. This relationship has been in play since the beginning of the team and has informed many classic X-Men tales. However, it’s also led to one of the team’s biggest love triangles, with Wolverine being in love with her as well. While the three of them have made a polyamorous peace, that doesn’t mean it will always hold.
Jean Grey’s hand and the disposition thereof has been a source of drama since the beginnings of the team, when Angel tried to take her from Cyclops. It’s always led to problems of some kind and this hasn’t been good for the X-Men.
4 Is Integral To The Team: Everyone Trusts Her
Trust is an integral part of a team and it’s especially important on a team like the X-Men, which is like a family for many of its members. Jean Grey is probably the most trusted member of the team and this means a lot to the rest of the team. Everyone in the X-Men knows they can go to her with her problems and that she’ll do everything she can for them.
Beyond her place with the team outside of battle, the team knows they can depend on her in a fight as well, as she’ll do anything to save her friends and keep them safe from harm. There are few X-Men as trusted as her.
3 Is Not Integral To The Team: They’ve Gotten By Just Fine Without Her
Jean Grey’s been with the team for a long time but she’s also spent a lot of time away from the team. Whether it be because she was put in suspended animation so the Phoenix could taker her place, or when she became a founding member of X-Factor, or because, well, she was dead, there have been long stretches that Jean has been away from the team.
While it was hard for the team, they were able to function without her almost as well as they had with her. Jean is very important to the team but her absence isn’t going to doom them.
2 Is Integral To The Team: She’s The Team’s Patron Saint
Jean Grey’s place in the X-Men is about more than just being a powerful mutant with years of experience. It’s what Jean represents that is so important to the team. In a lot of ways, Jean is emblematic of mutantkind: She always survives, no matter what’s thrown at her, coming back from even death to fight for what’s right.
Jean Grey is a symbol for the team, their patron saint, and while her example works whether she’s there or otherwise, having her on the team is better than otherwise, as she’s a living reminder of just how tough mutants can be.
1 Isn’t Integral To The Team: She Dies A Lot
Jean Grey dying is a cliché in the X-Men mythos that’s a bit overplayed, but not much. She’s just as well known for dying as she is for anything else and that’s not always the best look. She’s always ready to sacrifice herself for her friends and she comes back to life with the best of them, but having someone on the team who dies so much isn’t always good.
Jean’s deaths have caused a lot of trauma to the team. While they’re a bit used to it by now, that doesn’t mean it’s ideal and the fact that Jean dies so much is a major drawback to having her on the team.
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