After 46 Years, the X-Men Deliver Their Ultimate "What If?" Story

Warning: contains potential spoilers for X-Men: Elsewhen Volume One!

After 46 years, the X-Men are returning to their greatest story, courtesy of one of the franchise’s biggest creators. The Dark Phoenix Saga ranks as not only a high watermark of a creatively fertile period for the X-Men, but of American superhero comics in general. Writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne forever rewired a generation of creators with The Dark Phoenix Saga, ensuring its place as a classic.

At the time the saga arrived, the X-Men were experiencing a rebirth unlike any other seen in comics at that time. After being nearly written off just a few years prior, the X-Men bounced back to become Marvel’s flagship title, and The Dark Phoenix Saga helped cement this status. The Phoenix, after becoming corrupted by the Hellfire Club, becomes more and more powerful, until she can no longer contain her power. She then destroys herself to save the universe. The Dark Phoenix Saga was infused with a pathos missing from American comics.

The behind-the-scenes drama of The Dark Phoenix Saga has been well documented. Jim Shooter, then Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief, felt Phoenix was getting off too easy in Claremont and Byrne’s original version. A back and forth between Shooter, Claremont, Byrne and editor Jim Salicrup was resolved by having Phoenix commit suicide, as seen in The Dark Phoenix Saga. This was not the original plan, and now Byrne is coming back to show what would have happened had the Phoenix survived in X-Men: Elsewhen.

X-Men: Elsewhen is a Three-Volume "What If?" Story

X-Men: Elsewhen is written and drawn by John Byrne, and published by Abrams Comic Arts, in association with Marvel Comics. In a press release, Abrams/Marvel revealed Byrne will present a complete, alternate history of the X-Men, starting with the end of The Dark Phoenix Saga. Jean survived, but is drastically different. Abrams and Marvel have promised this will have ripples across the timeline, with vastly different stories. Other beloved Marvel icons, such as Spider-Man and the Avengers, will make appearances as well.

X-Men: Elsewhen will comprise three volumes, and Marvel/Abrams has provided ScreenRant with an excerpt, as well as the cover to Volume One. In the preview pages, Byrne effortlessly transports readers back to the X-Men’s early-1980s heyday. Nightcrawler and Wolverine trade banter, hearkening back to the intense interpersonal dynamics that were a hallmark of Byrne and Claremont’s tenure on the X-Men. Kitty Pryde, perhaps the breakout character of the duo’s run, makes an appearance, as do the Sentinels.

John Byrne is Returning to the X-Men, 46 Years After He Left

John Byrne is Showing X-Men Fans "The Road Not Taken."

Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s collaboration on the X-Men is one of the greatest pairings in comic history. The two creators played well off each other, each pushing the other to new creative heights, and The Dark Phoenix Saga, with its mixture of high-stakes cosmic action and genuine emotional drama, was the climax of this partnership. The two went their separate ways after: Claremont would stay on X-Men for another 11 years, while Byrne would go onto revamp The Fantastic Four soon after, and Superman later in the decade.

The Dark Phoenix Saga helped steer the course of the X-Men franchise for many years to come, and now John Byrne is revisiting this vital flashpoint in Marvel history, showing what might have happened had Jean not sacrificed herself. Like any good What If story, X-Men: Elsewhen opens up new possibilities for Marvel’s mutants. It will also allow one of the greatest artists in the X-Men’s storied history to return for one last go-through.

X-Men: Elsewhen Volume One is on sale now from Marvel and Abrams ComicArts!