Nell2ThaIzzay
Avenger
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I've seen some discussion over the matter of "why would Jean tag along with Magneto" and such... but the decision to have Jean side with Magneto makes perfect sense.
First of all, it's comic canon. Sure, she didn't side with the Brotherhood in the comics, but it was the Hellfire Club, who manipulated her Dark Phoenix state to their advantage, am I correct?
But it's simple. First, we have to look at the explanation of Jean and her powers.
As Xavier explained to Wolverine, Jean's powers are seeded in the subconcious part of her mind. Her potential was limitless, but here, where she couldn't control it, it could cause major destruction. So he put the psychic blocks in her mind to isolate the full potential of her powers. This created the Phoenix alter ego.
In X-Men, we seemingly have these psychic barriers destroyed by Magneto's machine. This gives Jean full access to her powers, which we see in X2, but because she's been "in control" for so long, the Phoenix personality doesn't come out. But we see that her powers are growing, and at times, beyond her control (the museum, the Blackbird).
She leaves the jet to save the X-Men from the flooding water. For all intents and purposes, this eliminates Jean Grey. Now, her subconcious powers emerge... they create the telekinetic cocoon around her... but because these powers are subconcious, and her conciousness is now gone, the Phoenix personality takes over. A personality that, as Xavier put it, is full of rage. It's also, to put in simply, on a power trip.
Jean rises, and she sees Cyclops. They have a romantic moment, and she uses her powers to control his optic blasts so that she can see his eyes... but her concious mind is fragile, and this use of power unleashes the Phoenix, which, full of rage, destroys Cyclops.
This display of power might not have been as great as what she did at the end of X2, by turning on the jet, lifting the jet, locking the ramp, parting the water, stopping Nightcrawler from teleporting to get her, and talking to her loved ones through Xavier. But at the end of X2, she was still in control, because of the psychic barriers. She had access to the power because the barriers were destroyed, but she was still in control.
After "dying", she lost control, because the subconcious took over. And this use of power unleashed her Phoenix alter ego, and it took over.
Cue the mansion. Phoenix wakes up to see Wolverine. She knows what Wolverine wants, and the Phoenix, full of desire and rage, gives in. This is NOT a sign that Jean truly wants Logan deep down inside. It's Phoenix toying with the mind of Wolverine, because, well, she can do that.
Wolverine realizes something is off after he's felt her up a bit. And when he mentions Scott, we have a brief instance of the Jean personality coming back. It isn't until Wolverine mentions the Professor "fixing" her, i.e. putting the blocks back in, that she goes Phoenix again. The mention of Scott brings out Jean. The mention of controlling her power brings out Phoenix.
Obviously, the entire psychic battle at Jean's house is Phoenix. Xavier mentions Scott, yes, but not in an emotional way. He doesn't use Scott to try to appeal to Jean. He mentions Scott as evidence that Phoenix needs to be controlled. And obviously, Phoenix doesn't like that. And she kills him.
Cue Magneto, and the whole point of this thread.
Check this line: "Charles did more for mutants than you'll ever know. My single greatest regret is that he had to die for our dream to live."
I.E.: Magneto respects Xavier, and is a dear friend, yes. But, in Magneto's eyes, Xavier's loss is a neccesary one for the better of all mutant kind. I.E.: The needs of the many (mutantkind) outweight the needs of the few (Xavier). Xavier's death was neccesary for mutantkind to prevail, as now Magneto can go on with his plans, unopposed. He may not like the situation, but it's neccesary. It's why he simply tells Jean "Come with me"
And why would Jean go with Magneto? Because unlike Xavier, who wanted to control her powers, Magneto wants to stop this cure, and he wants Jean to be who she is. He wants her to be what she is. He doesn't want to control her. In the eyes of Phoenix, this is totally the opposite of Xavier, who tried to contain her... this is someone who encourages her to be unleashed.
Unfortunatley for Magneto, and anyone on Alcatraz, he DOESN'T know what he's dealing with. Hence the "what have I done?" line. He encouraged her to be herself, to unleash and tap that full potential, not understanding that it'd be too extreme even for his viewpoint.
And when does Phoenix go "biblical" as so many reviews have put it? When her power is once again threatened by the bombardment of cure darts fired in her direction. This ultimate threat to her power is what sets her off once and for all. And it's not until the love of the X-Men, someone willing to fight and die for her, is shown to her that Jean Grey finally comes back.
Phoenix might be all powerful, and able to handle her own without the help of Magneto. But the fact is, her mind is still fragile. And she still needs direction / support. And Magneto gives this to her, while allowing her to tap into her full power. That's why she doesn't just blow up Xavier, and then go off on her own. That's why she's standing around with Magneto during his invasion on Alcatraz, instead of blowing **** up with the blink of an eye. Yes, she COULD, but she's still emotionally and mentally fragile. And it isn't until she feels directly threatened, through words or actions towards controlling her powers, that she unleashes her fury.
This might not be the Phoenix Saga that we're used to. It might not even be the one we wanted to see. But in it's own right, it's still a pretty good one, and works. It makes sense. Jean joining Magneto makes total sense. And I don't even see Wolverine's heroic killing of her to be as anti-Cyclops as it comes across at first glance. I see it as, the love that Jean has for those that she is close to conquering the corruption. Wolverine doesn't say "I love you" until AFTER she's regained control, and asks him to save her. And let's face it... Scott and Jean might be destined to be together, but Wolverine still does love her.
After 6 viewings that I'm up to now, the changes are bugging me a bit less and less. It's still not the way I wanted to see it, and having the savior be Wolverine and not Cyclops is not ideal, but it works. And Jean joining the Brotherhood makes total sense. Especially since there was some stuff going on with the Hellfire Club in the comics... there's a precedence for Jean siding with the side against the X-Men.
HOW COULD YOU RE-WATCH THOSE MOVIES, THEY ARE SO LONG!!!
