the hellfire club was then able to claim jean as one of their members. by using the combined telepathic powers of both emma and the stepford cuckoos, they mentally tricked jean into doing what they wanted by using images of scott and professor x. but the mental contact was interrupted by scott's unusually strong psychic/telepathic connection to jean. the stepford cuckoos then tried to release the phoenix force so they could be hosts, and seemingly succeeded. emma was shocked when she learned the true purpose was for the inner circle to control the vastly limitless power and energy of the phoenix when she originally thought that they were trying to release the phoenix back into space to prevent the world from destruction. jean and cyclops then left to fight the phoenix, but not before jean angrily pinned emma to the wall and telekinetically bound emma with iron pipes after seeing emma passionately kiss cyclops (leading her to suspect that emma may have plotted to steal cyclops from her). jean was unable to subdue the phoenix herself, prompting cyclops to attack the cosmic entity, only to be struck down as jean watched in horror. before the phoenix could kill cyclops, emma, freed by wolverine, arrived and took the phoenix force into herself, seemingly dying in the process by shattering into several diamond fragments. jean has rejoined the x-men and her memories have since returned and appeared to have reconciled with cyclops.