Marvel: Is The New Phoenix More Powerful Than Jean Grey?
In the most recent issue of the Marvel Comics’ Avengers, it is hinted that the new host of the Phoenix, Maya Lopez, can become more powerful than Jean Grey. As Maya Lopez is chosen y the Phoenix itself, she is still trying to grow in the new role. However, the appearance of a Dark Phoenix from another reality becomes an important trial by fire, due to which Maya begins to embrace her new powers like never before. Maya’s current abilities may be the reason what may lead her to become the most powerful Phoenix host in the Marvel Universe.
After Maya Lopez’s character Echo was killed by Namor during the storyline of Avengers’ Phoenix Tournament, she became the choice to be the next Phoenix. Emerging from the disgrace of defeat, Maya is now counted among the most powerful heroes of the Avengers (while also being their most volatile). The phoenix is host to an incredible power, one that is corruptive and dangerous, causing the destruction of the host’s ability to create. Maya is shown using her original abilities in line with her new abilities, as she encounters a trio f alternate reality antagonists on Asgard alongside Iron Man and Thor.
In the new issue, Iron Man and Thor are attacked on by a deranged Wolverine and a version of Killmonger who is wearing an Asgardian Destroyer armor. They are led by a Dark Phoenix whom Maya aims to stop. At the beginning it seems that the much experienced Phoenix is too much for Echo to handle, but later Echo is seen to sync her fierce new powers with her photographic reflexed, which results in Echo replication the abilities of Wolverine and Thor. As such, the combination of Maya’s old and new power sets lead her to become a more unpredictable and intimidating Phoenix. Anyhow, she, for sure, catches the Dark Phoenix by surprise.
Revealed in an earlier part of the issue, Maya had started to look into the database of Avengers on all the cosmic beings who had the potential to kill the Phoenix, enabling her to study and replicate their abilities. This action does make Maya stronger, but her true intentions are to make herself a power strong enough to fight the Dark Phoenix if she needs to. Anyway, it definitely helps now that she’s fighting against a Phoenix from an alternate reality.
The clash between Maya and the multiversal enemies with Iron Man and Thor is very far from over by the end of the issue, it certainly looks like she has helped even the playing field. As such, The enemies from the alternate realities are only few of the much greater Multiversal Masters of Evil who have joined hands to achieve their goal of destroying countless Earths and their Avengers along with them. While Maya Lopez’s Phoenix has just begun to scratch the surface of what she can do, it will be interesting to see how she evolves to potentially become more powerful than Jean Grey herself.
