10 Must-Read X-Men Storylines
1. The Dark Phoenix Saga
Written by Chris ClaremontArt by John ByrneWhen you've got a team with the likes of Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm and Professor X, it's easy to forget about Jean Grey. She was cool, but she wasn't clawing people into little pieces or blasting them to smithereens with optic blasts, which is exactly why The Dark Phoenix Saga is the best X-Men storyline to date.
After being exposed to a radioactive solar flare, Jean finally reaches her ultimate potential as a telekinetic and telepath and becomes the Phoenix. All is well and good until Mastermind attempts to use her newfound power to help him become a member of the infamous Hellfire Club.
However, it doesn't quite go to plan as the psychic barriers Jean places on herself are broken, her personality is changed and she becomes The Dark Phoenix an all powerful being with the ability to destroy worlds around her. To put her power into perspective, she'd probably make Galactus sweat a little bit in fear.
What originally seemed like a stereotypical evil ploy by Mastermind, turns into an intergalactic battle with the Shi'ar Empire. It's a wonderful, yet heartbreaking read as readers see the personification of the phrase 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'.