X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong is an American five-issue comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

 limited series

Limited series

A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....

 published by Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

 in 2005. It was written by Greg Pak

Greg Pak

Greg Pak is an American New York-based film director/comic book writer, known for his work on such books featuring the Hulk.-Early life:Pak is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of the Purple Crayon improv group, and studied history at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and film at...

 with art by Greg Land

Greg Land

Greg Land is an American comic book artist, best known for his work on characters such as X-Men, Birds of Prey, and Fantastic Four.-Career:Greg Land first got a job with an independent publisher as the artist for StormQuest after advertising himself at a Mid-Ohio Con comic convention...

.

Greg Pak said "The biggest new character is actually the Phoenix Force it/herself, whom we're exploring as a thinking, learning sentient creature with a big and terrifying and moving emotional arc of her own."

Plot

The Shi'ar

Shi'ar

The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...

 resurrect the dormant Phoenix Force prematurely and without a host, in hopes of destroying it. The Phoenix escapes to Earth where it resurrects Jean Grey

Jean Grey

Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...

 and forcefully bonds with her again, despite Jean's pleas that it is "too early."

Wolverine

Wolverine (comics)

Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...

 finds Jean standing completely naked in a field, before the Shi'ar fire a miniature black hole

Black hole

A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...

 at the two. The Phoenix Force teleports Jean and Wolverine to the North Pole

North Pole

The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...

. Seeing an injured Logan, Jean is able to resurface and gain control. She asks him to stop the Phoenix. Wolverine stabs her with his claws many times, but she will not remain dead. He does however manage to weaken the Phoenix greatly, and Jean embeds herself in the ice in the hopes of subduing them both. The Phoenix however breaks away from Jean while she is within the ice.

The X-Men arrive at the North Pole in the Blackbird

Blackbird (comics)

The Blackbird is the aircraft used by the fictional superhero team the X-Men. There have been several incarnations of this craft over the years, with Cyclops and Storm as the main pilots.-History:...

, and in the ensuing battle, the Phoenix attempts to force herself onto Scott and use him to strengthen her powers. She uses his memories of Jean to provoke Scott, but realizes that he now loves Emma Frost

Emma Frost

Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....

 and possesses her. Emma, who is unable to contain the Phoenix Force, is manipulated by Quentin Quire

Quentin Quire

Quentin Quire, also known as Kid Omega, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in New X-Men #122 , although he went unnamed until New X-Men #134...

, who hopes to use the Phoenix to resurrect Sophie of the Stepford Cuckoos

Stepford Cuckoos

The Stepford Cuckoos are a set of fictional mutant psychically linked quintuplets . They are students at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning and appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics...

. His actions results in the Phoenix growing more enraged and uncontrollable. Cyclops

Cyclops (comics)

Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...

 realizes that Jean is the only hope of containing the Phoenix. He frees her from the ice, and Jean is able to rip the Phoenix Force out of Emma Frost. The Phoenix is shocked, but Jean merely replies, "Don't you remember? I am you." The Phoenix taunts Jean about losing Cyclops' love; distressed, Jean begins to lose control. Cyclops realizes that Jean needs to feel the love he and her teammates have for her, and has Emma and the Stepford Cuckoos contact all of the current and former X-Men around the world to focus their love into Jean.

Jean regains control and transcends into the White Phoenix of the Crown in time to save the team from another black hole created by the Shi’ar. Before she departs, Jean asks Scott to remove his visor because she wants to see his eyes. Enveloped in his optic blast, she leaves for the White Hot Room to gather the missing pieces of herself, giving Scott one last goodbye.

Reception

The series was very popular, and "surprised many readers with its nuance and depth." The success led to a sequel featuring the continuing story of the Phoenix Force, X-Men: Phoenix - Warsong

X-Men: Phoenix - Warsong

X-Men: Phoenix – Warsong is an American five-issue comic book limited series released in 2006, beginning in September. The series is a sequel to X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong...

.

Timeline

X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong takes place during Uncanny X-Men

Uncanny X-Men

Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...

 #460.

Collected editions

The mini-series was collected into a hardcover

Hardcover

A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...

 volume, published in July 2005 (ISBN 0-7851-1641-9).

A trade paperback

Trade paperback (comics)

In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...

containing the five issues was published in February 2006 (ISBN 0-7851-1924-8).