The Scott and Jean Archives
All the X-Men are busy preparing for the wedding of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, “a day that to many seems inevitable -- an occurrence that simply had to happen”. The Watcher watches on and contemplates the alternate realities, firmly establishing the fact that Scott Summers and Jean Grey were truly meant to be.
What If Scott Summers and Jean Grey Had Married Earlier?
Just after graduating from the Institute, Hank McCoy (Beast) leaves his superhero live behind to pursue a job in the real world. Before Hank’s departure, Scott and Jean take the opportunity to announce their engagement. The couple expressed their wishes to lead a normal life after their marriage. Scott resumes his old job at the radio station and Jean in the advertising field, as well as spreading awareness of mutancy though their book “America’s Opening Heart: The Growing Acceptance of Mutants in Society”. The happy couple also had a son whom they named Charles, after their mentor.
Meanwhile, Xavier begins training a new group of X-Men to replace his former team which had disbanded. The mutant they were supposed to retrieve on the island of Krakoa turned out to be the island itself. The X-Men were overwhelmed by the creature who had the ability to resist the mental powers of Xavier who was also taken prisoner. The Avengers arrived only to find the entire team had perished. Standing on the gravesite of his mentor, Scott wonders “what would have happened if [they]’d stayed”?
What If Scott Summers and Jean Grey Had Never Fallen In Love At All?
In this reality, Jean falls for the dashing Warren Worthington III (Angel) because she hadn’t taken notice of Scott who always hid in a corner. A heartbroken Scott realises that the X-Men is all he’ll ever have. He throws himself into his work and pushes the team to their limits, taking everything too seriously. Scott was even greatly angered when Xavier risked the lives of the team to put them to a test. “Obsession” and “bitterness” forced Scott to become more withdrawn, and when Xavier found him incompetent to lead anymore, Scott left the Institute where he was eventually recruited by Magneto and the Brotherhood of Mutants.
What If Phoenix Had Fallen for Wolverine?
When Jean became Phoenix, she found herself “wilder” and “freer”, and falling for Wolverine as she felt that Scott had “been holding [her] back”. The Phoenix henceforth becomes more aggressive and uncontrollable, and during the battle with the Hellfire Club, Mastermind’s efforts in turning Jean into the Black Queen backfires as Phoenix breaks Mastermind’s control snapped free by the distraction of battling Wolverine. Seeking revenge, she transforms into Dark Phoenix. While Xavier could barely contain the Dark Phoenix, the Sh’iar appears and Lilandra decrees that the Dark Phoenix must be destroyed before anymore harm can come to the universe. Xavier challenges Lilandra to a “Duel of Honour”, but the fight was too much for Jean to handle, and she eventually transforms back into the Dark Phoenix.
Wolverine tries to reach out to her, but while the bond she shared with Scott was strong enough, hers with Wolverine was too weak to live up to that task, “and a Wolverine is anything but a calming influence”. The Phoenix Force spirals out of control, and in a sudden burst of power, everyone and everything in the entire universe is destroyed.