Summary
This October,Gorr the God Butcherwill return to Marvel Comics with a new hellbent mission to slay, or potentially absorb,Jean Grey, aka the Phoenix. How the maddened god slayer returned is currently a mystery, but what is certain is that if he gets his hands on the power of the Phoenix Force, it won’t just be gods trembling in fear this time.
The advanced solicitation forPhoenix#4 reveals that Jean Grey, in her new role as a cosmic, spacefaring Marvel hero,will soon have to face the wrath of Gorr the God Butcher, who makes his epic return to Marvel Comics.
Variant Covers:
To Be Announced
Beware… the God Butcher! His call has gone out across the universe: He will have his retribution. He will bring his awful vengeance to bear. Gorr the God Butcher is going to kill the Phoenix. Plus: Captain Marvel comes to call…
With Jeanmerged with the Phoenix Forceonce again, she has exiled herself into space to try to use the destructive power for good. In order to do so, however, she will have to overcome the threat posed by Gorr.
“My Job Isn’t to ‘Fix’ Earlier Stories”: No Plans to Address Plot Hole of Jean Grey Cheating on Cyclops, Confirms X-Men’s Senior Editor
According to Senior X-Office Editor Tom Brevoort, he has no intention of using valuable page-space to “fix” past stories, even ones he isn’t a fan of.
MCU Antagonist GORR THE GOD-BUTCHER Returns With A New Cosmic Target: THE PHOENIX
Phoenix#4 –Written By Stephanie Phillips; With Art By Alessandro Miracolo
Unfortunately for Jean, her path to redemption as the Phoenix will be faced with strong resistance along the way.
Following theevents ofFall of X, Jean died and her spirit transcended to the White Hot Room, a semi-afterlife realm where the Phoenix Force and its previous avatars return after an avatar’s death. After Enigma and Mother Righteous were finally defeated, thousands of deceased mutants, including Jean, were returned to Earth-616 thus beginning the X-Men’s current line of comics. Now, in Jean Grey’s freshPhoenixcomic series, she has fled to the stars in an attempt to find redemption for her past sins bonded with the Phoenix.
In the farthest reaches of space where the Phoenix is considered a legend of destruction, Jean will have to embrace a new title that most of the primitive universe sees her as: “God.” Unfortunately for Jean, her path to redemption as the Phoenix will be faced with strong resistance along the way. Not only is the open universe home to avariety of intergalactic threats, but many planets and their people have a distant antagonizing relationship with beings they perceive to be gods. One mortal in particular, Gorr whose hate for the gods is overwhelming,has already proven himself capable of exacting time-spanning deicide.
Jean Grey’s Role As A Cosmic Hero Faces An Early Threat From Gorr
The God Killer Sets His Sights On The Phoenix
To Gorr, no matter how heroic Jean Grey may be, the Phoenix is a god, and therefore his enemy.
The last readers saw of Gorr the God Butcher, his plan to ignite a god-killing bomb that could transcend the limits of time had been thwarted by Thor. After the final battle, Gorr’s consciousness was transferred into All-Black,Knull’s personal Necrosword, where Gorr should have been able to exist in a void without gods. YetPhoenix#4 will findthe time-traveling god killer still free to travel the universe in his timeless fight against the divine, as he becomesan enemy of the Phoenix.
To Gorr, no matter how heroic Jean Grey may be, the Phoenix is a god, and therefore his enemy. He won’t be able to acknowledge her heroic acts but will only see her for the paths of destruction the Phoenix tends to leave behind. While it would be easy to say that the infinite cosmic powers of thePhoenix could stop Gorr with ease, he is already well-known by fans to bea ruthless and relentless force of death untethered by the idea of mortal limitations.Jean Greyand the Phoenix Force will have to give it everything they have when they faceGorr the God Butcher.
Phoenix#4will be available August 14, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
Thor
Associated with the mythical realm of Asgard, Thor is a Marvel Comics hero who channels the power of thunder to slay their foes. Though the name is chiefly tied to Thor Odinson, several other characters also take on the role of God of Thunder, including Odinson’s love interest, Jane Foster. Odin is portrayed as a physically imposing hero with incredible strength and typically wields the dwarven forged hammer, Mjolnir.
