Who WIll Be Marvel’s Next Phoenix?

Welcome back! I’m Steve Gustafson and if you enjoy discussing anything comic book related, you’ve come to the right place. Each week we cover something in the industry and I always enjoy your input in the comment section below.

Previously on…

  
 
Last week was the 2020 411mania Comic Book Awards Here’s what some of you had to say:

Galactic Breakdown: “Nice picks! Ewing is great, check out We Only Find Them When They’re Dead by him from Boom! His best work along with Hulk. Looking forward to his Guardians getting a big push in May”

Ken Wood: “Dark Nights Metal and Empyre have been on my radar for a bit now, I’ll definitely have to check them out at some point. I’ll also try checking out some of the other ones, like Stealth.

That Spiderman costume isn’t really that bad, but maybe it’s just because I can imagine using it in a Spiderman game if it comes with cool enough bonuses. The best costumes weren’t the best looking ones in the game. It was a struggle. This one wouldn’t be that bad to wear, in my opinion.”

Richard H1S: “Honestly, I get it. Every writer/artist who gets a big run on Spider-Man wants to tweak the suit. Or they want a new suit like the future foundation or the iron spider.

I cannot fathom what the hell they were thinking with the look of that suit. It’s just not a good Spider-Man design.”

So many great comments! Big thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts!

This week we ask…

Who WIll Be the Next Marvel’s Phoenix?

The Phoenix in Marvel comic history has attained a certain level of power and respect. You can’t think of Jean Grey without thinking of the Phoenix Force and that’s thanks to being one of the all time classic stories in comic book history.

Now Marvel is using that reputation to draw attention to its finale for the current ‘Enter the Phoenix’ Avengers arc in April’s Avengers #44, which will introduce a new host for the Phoenix Force, the legendary entity of death and rebirth that has been a part of Marvel Comics history since the ’80s, when it claimed its first host, Jean Grey.

The rumors have been circulating that a known Marvel character will assume the role of the Phoenix and Marvel is doubling down, with a revised solicitation text for Avengers #44 to put the spotlight on the new debut in the issue.

See for yourself as the original solicitation text for Avengers #44, initially released with Marvel’s April 2021 solicitations makes Thor the focus of the issue:

“ENTER THE PHOENIX: THE FIERY FINALE! As the greatest heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe are trapped within the battle to decide the all-new Phoenix – a bloody battle that has narrowed to a handful of desperate combatants. Thor leads the rest of the Avengers in the fight to contain the Phoenix Force on Earth, in a quest complicated by the Thunder God’s own mysterious connection to the cosmic firebird.”

Now check out the revised solicitation text, which highlights the new Phoenix Force host:

“ENTER THE PHOENIX: THE FIERY FINALE! It all comes down to this. The final battle to decide who will wield the awesome cosmic power of the Phoenix Force. You don’t want to miss… the debut of the all-new Phoenix!”

Avengers writer Jason Aaron has stated the new Phoenix won’t be someone who’s hosted the cosmic entity before. “[This is] about doing something new with the Phoenix. Not having it go back to Jean Grey or one of the characters we’ve seen become the Phoenix host in the past, but something new,” Aaron told Newsarama.

“The idea is it’ll be an ongoing thing – it’s not just one arc and done,” he continues. “Coming out of this arc, we’ll have a new status quo for the Phoenix, and for the character that becomes the host.”

The ‘Enter the Phoenix’ will lead to Jason Aaron and artist Ed McGuiness’s ‘Heroes Reborn’ limited series, in which the power of the Phoenix remakes Earth as a world where the Avengers never formed, so we can assume that the new host of the Phoenix Force will be someone with history with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Who’s your pick on who will assume the role?

That’s all the time I have. See you next week!