"The Dark Phoenix Saga" is an extended X-Men comic-book storyline published by Marvel Comics, focusing on Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force. It was written by Chris Claremont with art by John Byrne. The Dark Phoenix Saga commonly refers to the story in Uncanny X-Men #129–138 (January - October 1980) of Jean Grey's corruption by the power of the Phoenix and the Hellfire Club, the destruction she causes, and ultimately her death. Sometimes included is Jean Grey's assumption of the Phoenix power and the repair of the M'Kraan Crystal in Uncanny X-Men #101–108 (October 1976 - December 1977). It is one of the most well-known and heavily referenced stories in mainstream American superhero comics, and widely considered a classic. It was adapted for the X-Men animated series, and alluded to in the live-action film X2: X-Men United. A third live-action film, X-Men: The Last Stand, released in 2006, contains some elements from the saga. The animated series Wolverine and the X-Men adapted the "Dark Phoenix" saga at the end of its first season, though it changed many elements of the story. Had there been a fifth season of the animated series X-Men: Evolution, its own version of the four-part Dark Phoenix would have been adapted. The 2019 live-action X-Men film Dark Phoenix is an adaptation of the Hellfire arc of the story. Summary Returning from a mission in space, Jean Grey is exposed to the deadly radiation of a solar flare, and briefly attains her ultimate potential as a telepath and telekinetic. Jean becomes a being of pure thought, and then re-forms herself upon return to Earth with the new costume, identity and power of "Phoenix". It is with this incredible power that Jean repairs the fractured M'Kraan Crystal, but voluntarily restrains her powers afterward in order to keep them under control. Her vast potential makes her a target for Mastermind, who is attempting to prove himself in order to join the prestigious Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club. Under the identity of Jason Wyngarde, he begins to seduce Jean. With the help of a mind-tap device created by the Club's White Queen, Emma Frost, Mastermind projects his illusions directly into Phoenix's mind. These illusions cause her to believe that she is reliving the memories of an ancestor, Lady Grey, who in Mastermind's illusions was the Hellfire Club's Black Queen and the lover of one of Wyngarde's ancestors. Phoenix eventually