From: bgrubb@dante.nmsu.edu (GRUBB)
Subject: Re: FAQ: X-Men Characters
Organization: New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 21:06:21 GMT

The first posting of this got mangled a little so here it is again:
In your FAQ: X-Men Characters article you wrote:
>Rachel Summers: FA: UX #141 (in the present) NM #18                    
>                Rachel is "Jean Grey"'s daughter from an alternate  
>      future in which "Jean Grey" didn't die.  See also Phoenix.     
No No NO.  Martin Phipps you are failing to "1) To bring new readers up to 
date" as this origin WAS valid in Excalibur #25 but was RETCONED away in 
Excalubur #52. "Jean Grey" (in quotes) has become a 'de facto' way of saying 
'Phoenix is pretending to be Jean Grey'.  Here is the LATEST on Rachel Summers 
past as I posted about 2 weeks ago:                                            
Version 3:  This version, to date, has been told in only Excalubur #52. It is 
now established that it was Mastermind blowing up Pittsburgh with a nuclear 
device that triggered the Anti-Mutant movement (pg 18) that lead to Rachel's 
world.  It was also stated that the timeline that Rachel came from NEVER had a 
Phoenix and Jean Grey was killed trying to stop Mastermind. Charles Xavier is 
killed by the US army as in Version 2 and that Rachel's memory had been 
scrambled or altered by the Phoenix Force which had joined with her right 
before she entered the past.  The alteration of Rachel's memory by the Phoenix 
Force throws out everything Rachel remembered about her world as 'tainted' and 
so unreliable. {Yep, it is a retcon of Rachel.  It still does not explain the 
discrepancy between Rachel's world and what Kate Pryde told us about their 
world in UX# 141-142 which is stated to be the world Rachel came from in 
Excalubur #26.}
So as of Excalubur #52 things changed (again); your summery should read:
Rachel Summers: FA: UX #141 (in the present) NM #18
                Rachel is Jean Grey's daughter from an alternate
                future in that never knew Phoenix.  See also Phoenix.

You also write:
>Anti-Phoenix: FA: Excalibur #48
>              LA: Excalibur #50
>              The Anti-Phoenix is an entity identical to Pheonix but
>      male.  Speculation: as the Phoenix exists only in one timeline
>      (this despite seven What If ... stories to the contrary), it
>      is natural to assume that the same is true of the Anti-Phoenix.
>      The name "Anti"-Phoenix suggests that their existance is
>      co-dependent (i.e. if your reality has the Phoenix then it has
>      the Anti-Phoenix as well and vice-versa).
Your summery and speculation are in error on two points.  First, the Guardians 
of the Galaxy timeline has been clearly stated as diverging between Dark 
Phoenix and Rachel Phoenix and has a MALE Phoenix.  This timeline just 
finished a trip back into the main Marvel timeline so it DOES count.  Second, 
making Phoenix exist in only one timeline has the problem of explaining why 
and how Phoenix is disappearing from alternate timelines whose ONLY difference 
is the position of an atomic or subatomic particle or the death of some 
unknown person in China {Not all alternate worlds have to have historical 
differences at the major event level.}  For accuracy and logic your summery 
should read:
Anti-Phoenix: FA: Excalibur #48           
              LA: Excalibur #50          
       The Anti-Phoenix is a portion of the Phoenix 'torn out' by Necrom
       and placed in a clone of his body. Phoenix absorbed this 'torn out'
       portion of its own essence in Excalibur #50 which made the Phoenix
       'whole'. Speculation:  as this portion of the Phoenix force was 'torn 
       out' (and therefore identical to the Phoenix Force) very early in Earth 
       616's history and its 'refusion' is dependent on Rachel Summers it is 
       natural to assume that for each Earth 616 timeline that Phoenix 
       manifests itself in there is an Anti-Phoenix in that timeline as well. 
       See also Necrom.

Necrom: FA: Excalibur #42?
        LA: Excalibur #50
       Necrom was a villain from Otherworld (The HQ of the Captain Britain 
       Corp)  who long ago tried to use the Phoenix Force to gain absolute 
	 power by collapsing the Multiverse into one universe.  Failing
       this he 'ripped' out a portion of the Phoenix Force's energy and 
	 created an Anti-Phoenix using this energy and a clone of his own 
	 body.  This 'Anti-Phoenix' was kept separated from the Phoenix and 
       was a slave essence of Necrom.   

Now THAT is current and reasonable accurate {Given retcon happy Marvel.}
Keep up the good work.
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