Marvel: 5 things we must see from the X-Men’s Dark Phoenix Saga in the MCU
By Mark Lynch
The Hellfire Club
The Hellfire Club was key in the Dark Phoenix Saga. They managed to capture the X-Men and control Jean Grey’s mind. It took a lot of planning and work, but they made it happen.
With this kind of power, they could control the world. Obviously, the X-Men defeated them, but the story was imperceptive to the story of the Phoenix and the X-Men. For example, it was part of Wolverine’s coming out party. He was left for dead by the Hellfire Club. After recovering, Logan ran through the Hellfire Club guards with ease. The story of the battle with the Hellfire Club is a movie within itself. Marvel Studios would use this story to give Wolverine his big moment and possibly introduce Kitty Pryde.
It was a big mistake not mentioning the Phoenix back in X-Men: First Class. The Hellfire Club wasn’t what they were in the comics, but they did at least exist. Sebastian Shaw could have mentioned the Phoenix Force or something like it – especially considering that he wanted power to destroy humanity. Maybe he could have been studying ancient history and dropped a line about discovering a fire bird? The mention of the Phoenix could have been a constant throughout the reboot saga. Later, Dark Phoenix could have been more about the Hellfire Club versus the X-Men instead of the X-Men fighting fake Skrulls.