Okay, so the Phoenxi Force is actually the immune system for the universe. Don't try to understand the whole pain receptors are this and white blood cells are that -the universe is a vastly different kind of "thing", and the Phoenix "gland" exists to heal it when wacky and time-warping/reality-warping things happen and nothing else is around to heal it. Keep in mind that the Phoenix "gland" exists OUTSIDE OF TIME, and can "look down" into the entire timestream of the universe -DON'T try to rationalize infintie Earths yet. The Phoenix "gland" knows when superheroes are going to solve the problem on their own and doesn't interact unless there's a specific need. Which is the case with Jean Grey.
Plus, the Phoenix can only interact with sentient individuals who are evolved enough to handle the interaction. Think of all minds as poles holding up a huge tent that covers the planet. The poles themselves get higher and higher as individuals evolve until they reach a point where the Phoenix can reach "down" and touch the "pole". Jean was one such pole/mind. The Phoenix tapped her for a reason. She was necessary to reset the M'Kraan Crystal at a specific timepoint in the universe, so the gland had to tap her prior to get her ready to use it.
Jean Grey mutated into a telepath/telekinetic and became an X-Man. As her powers grew, she evolved further, pushing her mind further and further "up" toward becoming a potential access point for the Phoenix. However, when that interaction came, she subcoinsciously leapt out wildly with her powers. She imagined that the Phoenix Force was another individual "mind", and thus generated an entire "mind" and persona using the Phoenix Force-amplified powers. Using herslef as a template, she subconsciously fashioned her own guardian angel -the entity we know as the Pheonix entity(the one that died on the moon). Irregardless of the fact that the "original" Jean Grey body was healing under Jamiaca Bay, the mind of Jean Grey, present in the duplicate, was able to fulfill her mission with the MKraan Crystal.
Now, after the death of the Phoenix entity, it lived on as a "ghost", albeit a ghost with complete access to the Phoenix Force-amplified powers of Jean Grey. After triggering the rebirth of "Jean" in the form of Maddie Pryor, the "ghost" discovered an astral form similar to her own floating above NYC. That was Rachel Summers, a daughter of Jean Grey in another timeline. The Phoenix ghost merged with Rachel and followed her back to her timeline, where it arranged for Rachel to be transported back to its original universe. Over time and several adventures, the ghost manifested to first the Excalibur team to relate its own "imagined" history, and then to Rachel, to say goodbye and merge back into the Phoenix "gland".
After Jean Grey's original body finally woke up, she was informed that she was a separate entity of the Pheonix and thus was fooled from the Phoenix "gland"'s intent for her. After Jean's secondary mutation, Jean evolved to the point where her fears and self-limitations weren't enough to keep her from accessing the amplification of the Phoenix Force. When Xavier hypnotised Jean and "spoke" to the Pheonix Consciousness, he was speaking through Jean's subconscious filter.
I think this clears up the confusion between the Pheonix Force/Consciousness, the Phoenix entity, Jean Grey, Rachel Summers, Feron, Giraud, Quentin Quire, and countless others in the universe who've worn the Phoenix. |
