The secret origin of Lady Phoenix rises in Avengers #39

(Image credit: In-Hyuk Lee (Marvel Comics))

There have been numerous hosts to the malevolent cosmic power known as the Phoenix Force, but after years of secrecy, Marvel will be telling the origin of the first Earth being to be its host in December 9's Avengers #39.

In this prelude to the upcoming 'Enter the Phoenix' arc, the Stone Age here known only as Lady Phoenix will get her story told from co-creator/writer Jason Aaron and guest artist Dale Keown.

"In the harsh, primordial world of One Million B.C.E., early humans who are different are left in the Burnt Place to die," reads Marvel's synopsis for the issue, revealed in their December 2020 solicitations. "But one young girl whose only crime was being born with red hair finds something else entirely in the place of bones and ash – something that will change human history forever."

It's not clear if this origin story will include Feron, the alt-Earth magician who came to our universe early in history and helped the Phoenix Force adopt the fiery bird imagery it's become known for. In that Excalibur story, Feron became a host to the Phoenix and used its powers to create a unifying tower existing in every universe that would network them together. In our universe, that tower became Excalibur's lighthouse base.

Lady Phoenix was introduced in 2017's Marvel Legacy #1 as part of a so-called 'Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C." In the stories told since in Aaron's Avengers run, she and the team defeated an out-of-control Celestial and the subsequently-arriving First Host. Lady Phoenix is known to have outlived most of her teammates, forging a (sometimes romantic) bond with fellow Stone Age Avenger Odin.

As stated, this is a precursor to the upcoming 'Enter the Phoenix' arc to begin in full with the previously-announced Avengers #40.

Lady Phoenix is the first-known Phoenix Force host from Earth, but how does she rank against everyone else? Check out our list of the best Phoenix Force hosts of all time.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)