With Marvel teasing the next big Avengers story 'Enter the Phoenix' this week, the publisher is also celebrating the legacy of the Phoenix Force – the cosmic entity of rebirth and destruction that has a long history with Jean Grey of the X-Men – with a series of variant covers depicting popular Marvel heroes as new hosts of the Phoenix Force.
"'I am Phoenix!' Those immortal words will take on new life this December when Jason Aaron and Javier Garron’s next great Avengers epic, 'Enter the Phoenix,' begins," reads Marvel's description of the variant covers. "To anticipate the return of the cosmic chaos-bringer, your favorite Marvel characters will be reborn as Phoenix hosts this November in astonishing variant covers by some of the industry’s top artists."
The announcement seems to also include more details of the plot of 'Enter the Phoenix,' stating "Captain America, Black Panther, and She-Hulk are no longer the heroes you knew as they bond with the Phoenix Force to spread rebirth—or destruction—throughout the Marvel Universe."
"In the end, only one will be chosen to wield this terrifying and great power when the Phoenix Force chooses a new host."
Though Jean Grey is the best known host of the Phoenix, many other characters have bonded with the Phoenix Force at least temporarily over the years, including Rachel Summers, Spider-Man, a future version of Wolverine, and even a group of five X-Men - Cyclops, Colossus, Magik, Namor, and Emma Frost - who collectively shared the Phoenix Force's power and took on the Avengers.
'Enter the Phoenix' kicks off in December, while these Phoenix variant covers are due out in November.
The line of variants, seen in the gallery below, includes the following covers, featuring the noted characters:
- Avengers #38 (Black Panther) – Aaron Kuder and Matthew Wilson
- Captain America #25 (Captain America) – Salvador Larroca and Frank D'Armata
- Doctor Doom #9 (Doctor Doom) – Declan Shalvey
- Immortal Hulk #40 (She-Hulk) – Taurin Clarke
- Fantastic Four #26 (Namor) – Kris Anka
