AvX #8 *Spoilers*

[jackolover]

It sounds like this issue was a whole lot of nothing, including the completely predictable plot twist that Namor would lose his share of the Phoenix, and the new wrinkle that Professor X isn't happy with the Phoenix Five

Remember, with more power, the P4 are more exaggerated like their essential self. Emma will become even more caniving, Majik, more Limbo queen than before etc. It builds more madness into the remaining P4. That's one. The other changes are the appearance of a ghostly Xavier with a warning that he will turn off Cyclops, and this starts to lead into the Illuminati, where I feel Xavier will telepathically link them all and invade Scott that way. So you start to see a compounding of the dysfunctional qualities of the P4, and a comparative building of resistance from the Avengers and X-Men. Not only that, but the Avengers are all out of guns now. They are stuck in K'un Lun, and nobody is able to reign in the P4.

[Starfish]

This issue was pretty blah, though the fight scene was fantastic (outside of the useless power struggle with Wanda. Earth to Marvel Writers, magic is about versatility, not about anime style energy beam clashes).

One random thing... Did the P4 abandon Namor to a pissed off Black Panther/Wakanda? If so, then that's a dick move. Or justice, either way I'd be plenty pissed if I was Namor.

The P4 were still in Wakanda by the end of the issue, so we'll have to wait and see what they do with Namor.

I haven't read it, but I wouldn't be surprised if they had. He attacked Wakanda, so he should face Wakandan justice.

I assume Doctor Strange in this one was Random Attacker #17?

Pretty much, yes. I believe you can see his hands once as he casts some spell at Namor.

Can we get any explanation why the PF left Namor after Wanda zapped him? Why didn't the PF leave Namor as soon as he fell down unconscious? Why did the PF only leave Namor when the other P5 appeared?

No idea, that seemed strange to me, as well. He was lying there unconscious, smoking peacefully, until the others arrived. Then the power suddenly left him. Perhaps the single fragments require the proximity of the others before they can rejoin.

[Omega Alpha]

This issue could have happened in 3 or 4 pages at best. And Xavier was a jerk again.

[celticguy]

maybe it needed a place to go and when they showed up it had one (4)

[ariwl1]

I'm trying to recall any other instance of the Phoenix Force being beaten out of someone and am drawing a blank at the moment. Maybe the Force decided Namor was no longer worthy of it and left of its own accord?

[AcesX1X]

I'm trying to recall any other instance of the Phoenix Force being beaten out of someone and am drawing a blank at the moment. Maybe the Force decided Namor was no longer worthy of it and left of its own accord?

i've never seen it "beaten out of someone," but it has been convinced to jump out of hosts. jean grey's corpse pulled it out of emma in endsong.

[jackolover]

maybe it needed a place to go and when they showed up it had one (4)

But why did it need a place to go? Does being unconscious mean the PF leaves the host? See, I'm having difficulty understanding the PF. How badly Beaton was Namor? And, was what Wanda did to Namor the reason why the PF left Namor, not the beating?

[PwrdOff]

I'm trying to recall any other instance of the Phoenix Force being beaten out of someone and am drawing a blank at the moment. Maybe the Force decided Namor was no longer worthy of it and left of its own accord?

Jean ripped it out of Emma in Endsong, but of course that story is out of continuity now. I'm pretty sure the whole point of the P5 is that they're quite possibly the least worthy hosts you could think of. And what are they going to call themselves when they get down to three or fewer members and the alliteration doesn't work anymore?

[chariset]

I'd guess that the Phoenix wants to be hosted by a single person, and when Namor was weakened it was able to escape him and merge with the other four, bringing it closer to a single force.

[ariwl1]

i've never seen it "beaten out of someone," but it has been convinced to jump out of hosts. jean grey's corpse pulled it out of emma in endsong.

So I guess it decided it was done with Namor then.

But why did it need a place to go? Does being unconscious mean the PF leaves the host? See, I'm having difficulty understanding the PF. How badly Beaton was Namor? And, was what Wanda did to Namor the reason why the PF left Namor, not the beating?

Rereading that scene Wanda's stunt does look like it disables Namor or at least knocks him unconscious. Until it becomes more clear I'm interpreting it as the Phoenix jumping ship from an unworthy host.

[db7]

how about the avengers hire mr sinister ,,,

he is handling / owning the P5 easily

meanwhile another Thor defeat from the phoenix ...sucks to be thor

[AcesX1X]

So I guess it decided it was done with Namor then.

yes, the phoenix seems to have an agenda independent from the phoenix five. perhaps when namor went against the phoenix objectives, it abandoned him to re-merge with the other hosts.

[Zoks]

Or it could be what's obvious. The Phoenix Force wasn't supposed to go to the X-men. The hosts more or less are in control of it, but it yearns for Hope. With Namor unconscious his fraction of the force reunited with the other fractions.

[Rheged]

But why did it need a place to go? Does being unconscious mean the PF leaves the host? See, I'm having difficulty understanding the PF. How badly Beaton was Namor? And, was what Wanda did to Namor the reason why the PF left Namor, not the beating?

I think it was Wanda's doing. Though I wonder, why didn't Wanda just Lego Namor again, like she did before?

So I guess it decided it was done with Namor then.

Rereading that scene Wanda's stunt does look like it disables Namor or at least knocks him unconscious. Until it becomes more clear I'm interpreting it as the Phoenix jumping ship from an unworthy host.

Unworthy host? What do you think makes a worthy host for a creature that wiped out planets on the way to Earth?

yes, the phoenix seems to have an agenda independent from the phoenix five. perhaps when namor went against the phoenix objectives, it abandoned him to re-merge with the other hosts.

Which objectives would that be? The main objective was to get to Hope, I think - -in which case it should be abandoning the other P5 shortly.

Or it could be what's obvious. The Phoenix Force wasn't supposed to go to the X-men. The hosts more or less are in control of it, but it yearns for Hope. With Namor unconscious his fraction of the force reunited with the other fractions.

What are you saying? The P5 haven't slept since they got the Phoenix Force?

[ariwl1]

I think it was Wanda's doing. Though I wonder, why didn't Wanda just Lego Namor again, like she did before?

Unworthy host? What do you think makes a worthy host for a creature that wiped out planets on the way to Earth?

The Legoing of Namor was really just a means of teleporting him somewhere else. A delay tactic but not a solution.

As for the host thing while we aren't certain what the Phoenix specifically wants part of it ended up in Namor due to circumstance not intent. I think it was just making the best of the situation and when it became clear that Namor was getting beat it moved on to other hosts. The Phoenix rarely ever speaks for itself, but it does have a mind of its own.