10 Best X-Men: The Animated Series Episodes
3. The Dark Phoenix, Part 4: The Fate Of The Phoenix
The Phoenix Saga was fun, but if there's one comic book event that deserves a spot in The Animated Series after Days of Future Past, it's the Dark Phoenix Saga.
Although it contains one less episode, the Dark Phoenix saga was arguably better than its predecessor, mainly for one reason: would lose Jean for good this time?
After surviving flying into the sun, it's discovered that the Phoenix is still within Jean, seeking to control her once again. With the Inner Circle (aka Hellfire Club) hoping to manipulate her and the Shi'ar hoping to destroy her, the X-Men are placed in the difficult position of having to save Jean and fight the Phoenix simultaneously.
In Part 4, a battle rages for the fate of the Phoenix. In the climax, Jean sacrifices herself to save the X-Men and the X-Men give up part of their own life force to bring her back to life.
Kudos to the writers for crafting a compelling recreation of the Dark Phoenix saga for the small screen... a feat that millions of dollars and state-of-the-art CGI couldn't accomplish on the big screen.