Marvel Legends Dark Phoenix

Hear me, X-Men! No longer am I the woman you knew!
I am Fire and Life incarnate! Now and forever - I am PHOENIX!

The latest Marvel Legends incarnation of the Dark Pheonix is definitely Fire and Life Incarnate.

We're just hot off Jean Grey #6 which is hinting at the return of the original "older" Jean Grey via her ghost - assuming younger time-displaced Jean Grey is just not insane given that Dr. Strange can't seem to see the entity.

Anyway, this isn't technically Jean Grey, this is the Phoenix in her form.

For the Marvel Legend non-cosmic destroyer of worlds Phoenix version, click here. 

MORE AFTER THE JUMP


The Marvel Legends Dark Phoenix Action figure comes from a recently released two-pack that include Cyclops in his "boy-wonder" gold shorts uniform (Sorry we really don't like Cyclops, but you can check out our review of the Marvel Legends Wolverine series Cyclops here.)

The blister pack reads "Though Scott Summers and Jean Grey shared a psychic link, Cyclops was no match for the Dark Phoenix. As Grey came to posses the power of the Phoenix Force, the Dark Phoenix rose, mastering Telekinesis to overthrow her opposition and ascend to Cosmic Dominance." As mentioned though, this was not really Jean Grey.

The Marvel Legends Dark Phoenix is built from the body of the Phoenix that was released last year as a part of the first wave of the Marvel Legends X-Men series - we're making that bold claim despite the claim of a reader who said that Polaris was not made out of spare parts (He has since deleted his comment).

BUT the Dark Phoenix comes with three spare heads - a very, very beautiful Jean Grey Head which is a drastic improvement over the head that came with the X-Men Phoenix; a head showing just how much the Phoenix enjoyed the use of her powers, and; the Cosmic destroyer girls gone mad version.

She also comes with a flaming baby-Phoenix raptor which is a manifestation of her power.

Note the difference not just in terms of the color, but also with the size of the Phoenix raptor on her chest.

"Don't get up or I'll make you dance!"

WHAT'S TO LIKE ABOUT THE MARVEL LEGENDS DARK PHOENIX ACTION FIGURE?

FIRST: The paint job. We're not quite sure how to describe it and we weren't quite able to catch it with our photography, but the limbs of the Dark Phoenix look like they're glowing with power from within. It's almost like she's on fire from the inside.

The "glow" actually messes with the auto-functions of Photoshop.

But damn she's a hot subject to choose.

TWO: The three new heads. We criticized the 2016 Marvel Legends X-Men series Jean Grey for having one of the ugliest dead-pan faces in the new series - she was right up there with the Marvel Legends Gamora figure. But now? These are some of the prettiest and most expressive faces we've ever seen.

Here's the 2016 Jean Grey next to the "normal" Dark Phoenix head:



Here's the Dark Phoenix enjoying her powers.



And here's the fully revealed Chaos Bringer, the Dark Phoenix. Note how now her hair is semi-translucent - appearing to be almost on fire like the rest of her body - and the flaming yellow irises and pupils:

Have you not been paying attention, little me? What do you think will happen when you meet the bird?
The Phoenix is equal parts good and evil. Pleasure and pain. Both sides. The whole coin.

THREE:  Because you can't use all three heads at the same time, you might as well give the pretty one to Jean Grey:

Fools! You dare to trifle with the Phoenix?

FOUR:  As with the X-Men's Jean Grey action figure, the Dark Phoenix is a joy to pose.



Yes she can kneel:

 I choose to believe. That's what makes me Phoenix!

Of course the Dark Phoenix looks best with a stand:

Fools! You dare to trifle with the Phoenix?

Oh the Dark Pheonix also comes with Cyclops - meh.

Scott, am I worth it?
I destroyed a world–in my mind, I can still hear the screams of the dying–and it felt good!
I don’t want that feeling ever again. And yet–I do!

You... You have a baby, too? A little girl..?

WHAT'S  NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THE MARVEL LEGENDS DARK PHOENIX ACTION FIGURE?

FIRST: Nothing. It's one of the best action figures in our collection and we're really, really, REALLY happy with the three alternate heads.

If there was ever something we'd like to gripe about it would be the Raptor power manifestation.

It's... puny... and difficult to mount on her. Better we suppose than the Raptor stand that came with the original Phoenix back in the day, but.... not our thing.

As of this writing, the Marvel Legends Dark Phoenix and Cyclops action figures are not available in Amazon. We picked this up from a private distributor for PhP 4,100 (Roughly US$ 78.85).

Worth it. Cyclops not so much. But the Dark Phoenix is worth it.

We come into the world alone -- and we leave the same way...
 the time we spend in-between... time spent alive, sharing, learning... together...
 is all that makes life worth living