10 Best Times Superheroes Became Villains

8. Jean Grey - The Dark Phoenix Saga

Jean Grey Dark Phoenix
Marvel Comics

Jean Grey is one of the noblest X-Men in Marvel history, which is why her turn as Dark Phoenix was such a sight to behold when it first happened.

Although fudged in no less than two separate live action adaptations, the Dark Phoenix Saga is one of the most lauded story-arcs to come from Chris Claremont and John Byrne's run on Uncanny X-Men, and given how it has been fudged so regularly, it stands to reason that not everyone is aware of what actually goes down in the story itself. Here's a brief synopsis:

During a mission in space, the cosmic entity known as the Phoenix finds its way to Jean Grey. Aware that Phoenix is now on Earth, the villainous and conspiratorial Hellfire Club mentally manipulate Jean to join their side, and they prove successful. Jean becomes their new Black Queen, but when she realises she's being mentally controlled, the Phoenix lashes out and takes Jean into space... where she then decimates a life-sustaining star to satiate her appetite.

Countless billions inhabiting a nearby planet perish as a result, and this brings Jean to the attention of the Shi'ar. Grey eventually sacrifices herself to spare the X-Men, but even when she returns the threat of the Dark Phoenix lingers, making this particular turn one of Marvel's most successful.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.