After Avengers: Secret Wars next year, the MCU is set to dive deep into the X-Men universe. The mutants will be central to Marvel’s upcoming saga, and an exciting cast has been announced: Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Obsession’s Inde Navarrette as Rogue, among others. Additionally, one of the most significant X-Men has already been introduced — she stands out as the most promising new character in the MCU in years.

Earlier this summer, Spider-Man: Brand New Day emerged as a major box office hit. Not only was it the first live-action Spider-Man film in five years; it was hailed as the best Spider-Man movie since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, which premiered over two decades ago, leading audiences to flock to theaters. They came for Spidey but stayed for another character. Brand New Day not only marked Tom Holland’s long-awaited return as Peter Parker after a half-decade hiatus; it also introduced an original X-Man to the MCU.

After months of speculation, Brand New Day’s midpoint twist confirmed that the redheaded telepath portrayed by Sadie Sink was indeed Jean Grey. This revelation might have been one of the worst-kept secrets since No Way Home’s additional Spider-Men, but regardless, Sink’s debut as Jean proved to be a resounding success. Not only does she embody the character perfectly; the MCU is already steering clear of her most clichéd comic storyline.

Jean Grey’s MCU Debut Makes Another Dark Phoenix Storyline Redundant

Brand New Day is the first Spider-Man film where the main antagonist isn’t a traditional Spider-Man villain. While there are numerous lesser-known Spidey villains in supporting roles, such as Tombstone and the Scorpion, the primary antagonist of this film isn’t from Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery or even a villain in the conventional sense. Jean serves as the antagonistic force in the film, but she ultimately reveals herself to be an angry, grieving child searching for answers about her missing sister and yearning for maternal affection.

As usual, Peter manages to confront his latest adversary with kindness. When he finally allows Jean into his mind, she shares a heartfelt moment with his emotional projection of Aunt May, which profoundly impacts this lonely child who craves love and care. The third act of Brand New Day presents a touching and poignant redemption arc for Jean. However, prior to her redemption, she commits some despicable acts, including kissing Peter while disguised as M.J. and throwing an elderly man in front of a speeding car.

She evolves into more of an antihero but initially plays a significant villain role in the first half of Brand New Day, which bodes well for Marvel’s X-Men future. The fact that we’ve already seen Jean portrayed as a villain — manipulating others and using her powers against them — suggests that the MCU likely won’t revisit “The Dark Phoenix Saga” anytime soon.

Why Marvel Movies Could Never Get Dark Phoenix Right

The 20th Century Fox franchise had an X-Men cinematic universe for nearly two decades before merging with Disney and returning rights to Marvel Studios. During that time, they failed to properly adapt “The Dark Phoenix Saga” — one of the most iconic story arcs in X-Men history — on two separate occasions. Even more concerning is that they entrusted it to the same director both times.

Simon Kinberg co-wrote X-Men: The Last Stand, a flawed adaptation of “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” and then wrote and directed Dark Phoenix, another unsuccessful attempt at adapting “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” marking his directorial debut. Kinberg misinterpreted the story initially by focusing on other characters’ perspectives (especially Logan’s) rather than Jean’s own narrative, then he mismanaged it again by failing to adequately develop Jean’s villainous transformation, resulting in an emotional disconnect during that pivotal moment.

If we truly are living in a nightmare scenario, Kinberg might receive a third chance to mishandle Dark Phoenix on screen. However, Kevin Feige has emphasized that MCU’s upcoming X-Men films will explore numerous classic comics that have yet to be adapted into movies, indicating that Dark Phoenix has been overdone.