Since Hope first came onto the scene she was considered the "Mutant Messiah," being that she was the first mutant to be born after M Day. But what does her existence really represent? Why is she important? Marvel recently teased the zero issue and start of their upcoming event, Avengers Vs. X-Men that might clue us into what may be in store for Hope Summers. The conversation begins with Cyclops reprimanding Hope for disobeying his orders, but very quickly jumps to Hope demanding that Cyclops "tell [her] about the Phoenix Force." This conversation sort of comes out of nowhere and ends with Hope blasting Cyclops with his own optic blast -- a move that was more than a little bit unjustified.

Here's the funny thing about the Phoenix Force, it doesn't normally ask the host permission to come in, and if the host is a little bit unstable (albeit, temperamental), it could lead to some serious problems. Even Emma Frost -- as strong willed and level-headed as she is -- was not not able to properly contain and control the Phoenix Force during Marvel's PHOENIX: ENDSONG story arc. What would happen if the Phoenix Force returned and did choose Hope as its new host?

== TEASER ==

In the words of Cyclops himself, mutantkind cannot afford to lose Hope -- in this case, both figuratively and literally. Hope is the reason that Nightcrawler sacrificed himself during Second Coming -- the X-Men have done everything in their power to protect her. But why? And was Bishop right? Bishop did, after all, claim that the "mutant messiah" would also be responsible for the deaths of millions during the Six Second War. What other force could cause that much damage in six seconds? The Phoenix Force can not only go toe to toe with Galactus, but it can incinerate the entire planet like we saw in WHAT IF: PHOENIX HAD NOT DIED? Or destroy a planet, killing five billion people just to quench it's own desire for destruction? So what if the Phoenix Force did return, what then? And what if it returned during Avengers Vs. X-Men?

At the end of PHOENIX: ENDSONG the Phoenix Force had shattered into thousands of pieces, so when the force returned in PHOENIX: WARSONG (which was also the last time the X-Men had to deal with the force), it manifested itself within the Stepford Cuckoos, the cloned daughters of Emma Frost.

The force claimed the minds and bodies of the three girls, manifesting itself within them and began to cause destruction wherever it went -- that is until Celeste, one of the Cuckoos, hardened her heart and that of her two sisters in order to trap the Phoenix Force. If the force returns and manifests in Hope Summers, could this trigger the force trapped within the Cuckoos?

What will happen to Hope? Do you think that the Phoenix Force will take over Hope? If so, when and how will the X-Men stop it?