When Jean Grey was 10 years old, she watched as her best friend was hit by a car. The emotions she felt as she held the dying girl awakened her latent telepathic powers, and Grey experienced her friend's feelings as she passed. The traumatic occurrence left her in a withdrawn and deeply depressed state. Moreover, she discovered she could not control her newly awakened powers and was forced to isolate herself from other people to keep hold of her sanity. Her parents were referred to Professor Charles Xavier, secretly a mutant with similar powers. Xavier explained to Grey, but not to her parents, that she was a mutant. He treated her for several years. During this period, he erected psychic shields in her mind so she would not be able to use her powers until she achieved the maturity necessary to handle them. When Grey had reached a certain level of mastery, Xavier recommended to her parents that she enroll in his newly established School for Gifted Youngsters. Grey became the fifth member of the X-Men, taking the codename Marvel Girl.
For a time Grey was replaced by a powerful intergalactic entity know as the Phoenix Force. After millennia of exile the Phoenix was drawn to Marvel Girl. Attempting to save her fellow X-Men aboard a damaged space shuttle plunging to Earth, Grey was gravely injured. Desiring to know the pleasures of humanity Phoenix merged with and physically replaced Grey, hiding her injured and dying body away in suspended animation in a cocoon at the bottom of the ocean. Overcome with power the Phoenix became corrupt and abusive, an act which left billions dead in the D'Bari star system. Returning to Earth the Dark Phoenix was pursued by the Shi'ar Empire. Dark Phoenix was able to defeat the Shi'ar, but realizing she was succumbing to temptation chose to commit suicide on the Moon. Shedding the form of Jean Grey the Phoenix force sought to revive Grey to life, but was distracted by the astral form of her future daughter Rachael Summers. Following her astral form back to the future Phoenix merged with the young mutant.
Jean Grey was discovered at the bottom of the ocean by the Avengers. Revived she once again joined her teammates under the new name of X-Factor. For a time she operated without a codename, but eventually like the bird risen from fiery ashes, she once again took the namesake of Phoenix.
Current Form:
Jean Grey (Quiet Council of Krakoa)
Former Versions:
Marvel Girl (Original Form)
Phoenix
Marvel Girl (X-Factor)
Jean Grey
Phoenix (Telepathy)
Jean Grey (Red Team)
