SARA GREY-BAILEY
Real Name: Sara Grey-Bailey
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Pro-Mutant spokesman
Group Membership: Phalanx
Affiliations: Phoenix Force (impersonating Jean Grey), Professor Charles Xavier, X-Men (Angel/Warren Worthington III, Beast/Henry McCoy, Colossus/Piotr Rasputin, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James Howlett)
Enemies: Attuma, Phalanx (Steven Lang)
Known Relatives: Elaine Grey (mother, deceased), John Grey (father, deceased), Paul Bailey (husband), Gailyn Bailey (daughter, deceased), Joseph "Joey" Tommy Bailey (son, deceased), Jean Grey/Phoenix (sister, deceased), Scott Summers/Cyclops (former brother-in-law), Julia Grey (sister, deceased), Roger Grey (brother, deceased), Liam Grey (brother, deceased), Phyliss Dennefer (maternal aunt, deceased), Roy Dennefer (maternal uncle, deceased), Derry Campbell (nephew, deceased), Julian (nephew, deceased), Bekka Wallis (niece, deceased), Mary-Margaret (niece, deceased), Kindra (niece, deceased), Terry Maguire (relative), Brian Grey (paternal uncle, deceased), Fred Harriman (in-law on father's side, deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
Albany, New York
First Appearance: (Mentioned) X-Men I#22 (July, 1966);
(seen) Uncanny X-Men I#136 (August, 1980)
Powers/Abilities: None, although it's been suggested Sara was a latent mutant. The fact her sister Jean was a mutant, as well as her two children, supported that claim. Sara never developed powers (she was still baseline human enough to be absorbed by the Phalanx collective). During her time as a prisoner of Attuma, she was genetically redesigned on a cellular level, turning her into a blue-skinned water-breather.
Height: 5'6" (by approximation)
Weight: 120 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Green
Hair: Red
History:
(Bizarre Adventures#27 (fb) - BTS) - Sara was away at girl scout camp when her younger sister Jean watched her
(Jean's) best friend, Annie Richardson, get hit by a car. The shock of the accident activated Jean's telepathic powers. Untrained and unaware what was happening, Jean held Annie during her final moments, telepathically experiencing her friend's death in the process. The experience left Jean near catatonic.
(X-Men Origins: Jean Grey) - Sara was present when her parents invited professor Charles Xavier aid as a last resort to help the totally unresponsive Jean. Sara noted she wanted her sister back.
(X-Men Origins: Jean Grey) - After some extensive telepathic therapy, Xavier managed to bring Jean out of her catatonia. Sara was overjoyed to see her sister seemingly returned to normal, unaware of Jean's powers or the fact she would eventually leave home to be enrolled at Xavier's exclusive School for Gifted Youngsters.
(X-Men I#22 - BTS) - Jean Grey was planning to visit Sara in Albany when she was granted two weeks of holiday.
(Bizarre Adventures I#27 (fb) - BTS) - Sara married Paul Bailey, eventually giving birth to their two children Gailyn and Joseph "Tommy" Bailey (see comments).
(X-Men I#101 - BTS) - Unbeknownst to Sara (and everyone else who knew Jean), Jean was contacted by the nigh omnipotent Phoenix entity following a mission in space that left her near death from radiation poisoning. The Phoenix, eager to explore the human condition, took on Jean's form and absorbed her memories while placing the real Jean Grey in a restorative pod that wound up on the bottom of Jamaica Bay.
(Bizarre Adventures#27 (fb)) - On a sailing trip from Shelter Island, Sara saw her sister Jean (actually the Phoenix entity) use her telekinesis for the first time. Even though Jean only used her powers to grab their lunches, it visibly upset Sara who wondered if this meant her children might be mutants as well. Jean asked if that would be so terrible, with Sara replying it would make them different. Refusing to let the issue go, Jean then asked if her sister felt they would be freaks like her. Unable to look Jean in the face, Sara turned away to look at the sea while eating her lunch, apparently unaware this action deeply upset her sister.
(Bizarre Adventures#27 (fb) - BTS) - So caught up in their confrontation, neither Jean or Sara noticed they'd been spotted and scanned by the Atlantean warlord Attuma, the self styled Scourge of the Seven Seas, who was out to find and capture mutant females to produce super-powered offspring.
(Bizarre Adventures#27 (fb)) - Attuma fired off what appeared to be a fog bank, but was actually a cloud of nerve gas that successfully incapacitated his targets. He then unleashed a genetic virus, developed by his scientists, to turn Sara and Jean into blue skinned water breathers. He was also ready to use specially prepared psychic dampers for Jean as he was aware of the sister's psychic powers (albeit not the Phoenix's powers). When Sara woke up to find she was now blue and able to breathe underwater, she had a panic attack, unable to cope with all the fantastical changes that didn't fit in with her everyday routine. Jean used her powers to calm her sister down. Now more able to cope, Sara and Jean were escorted to Attuma's palace where they had dinner with him as he revealed his plans for them. Not too keen on the idea of being used as breeding stock, Jean revealed herself as the Phoenix as she attacked Attuma and his guard. After Phoenix defeated the Atlanteans, the sisters fled the castle and swam to shore. Although Jean had already reverted to her old form when she accessed her Phoenix-level abilities, Sara still remained in her semi-Atlantean form, unable to leave the water without suffocating. Jean then used her Phoenix abilities to return Sara to her old self, altering every single cell in her body in a move that was so risky a single mistake could kill her. Luckily, Phoenix did not slip up as she effectively rebuilt and restored Sara. The sisters then swam to land, where Paul and Scott picked them up following a telepathic message Jean shot out to Scott Summers. Jean then decided it would be in Sara's best interest if she didn't remember what she'd experienced in the hands of Attuma. She erased Sara's memories of the event, figuring it would prevent her from going insane.
(Uncanny X-Men I#136 - BTS) - Struggling to keep a semblance of sanity following a long and convoluted series of mental manipulations at the hands of Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde) that caused her to become Dark Phoenix, "Jean Grey" decided to return to her parents' house in the middle of the night; Sara also happened to be staying there (see comments).
(Uncanny X-Men I#136) - Dr. John Grey spotted Dark Phoenix's arrival and called out to his wife, Elaine, and Sara who joined him downstairs in the living room. Sara, having forgotten her previous adventure with Jean, for the first time realized her sister was a super hero. However, the already emotionally fragile Dark Phoenix involuntarily picked up the stray thoughts, fears and concerns of her relatives, which only made her more confused and angry. She sensed that Sara was terrified of her, wondering once again if her children Gailyn and Joseph would one day turn out to be mutants. Slipping fast and unable to cope, Dark Phoenix fired a blast that turned a simple houseplant into living crystal, threatening to do the same to them. Naturally, this upset her family (and, in turn, her) even more. Sara watched as John Grey demanded Dark Phoenix left his home, even denouncing her as his daughter. Moments later, the X-Men and professor Xavier arrived to deal with Dark Phoenix, who easily beat them on her parents' lawn. Dark Phoenix was eventually stopped when Charles Xavier used his mental powers to engage "Jean" in a psychic battle that ended with her briefly reverting to Phoenix. Even as the Greys rushed up to check on Jean, Phoenix, Xavier and the X-Men were teleported away by the Shi'ar.
(The Uncanny X-Men I#138) - After Phoenix (still the entity) seemingly killed itself on the Moon, Sara and her husband Paul attended her funeral.
(Bizarre Adventures#27 (fb)) - Shortly after the demise of Phoenix, the psionic blocks she'd place in Sara's mind vanished. The supposedly erased memories of their time as Attuma's prisoners suddenly rushed back to Sara as she was visiting Jean's grave at St. Stephen's chapel. Now able to recall how daring and brave her sister was in spite of the odds, Sara could finally say she'd be proud if any of her children would turn out to be mutants or anything like her little sister. She then decided to contact Professor Charles Xavier to determine their genetic status.
(X-Factor I#12 - BTS) - Because of her newly found pro mutant stance, Sara was frequently harassed by anti-mutant protesters who repeatedly threatened to strike at her. To make sure no harm came to her, Sara packed up her belongings and left home.
(X-Factor I#12) - Sara Grey appeared on national television as a pro-mutant spokesman, responding to the recent series of fire-bombings aimed at homes of relatives of alleged mutants. Jean Grey (the real Jean having since recovered and been released from her cocoon) and Scott Summers watched Sara on TV; seeing her sister stand up for her just like back when they were children caused Jean to burst into tears. Though she had kept the news of her "resurrection" from her parents and sister to keep them safe, Jean nevertheless decided she needed to contact them. When neither Sara or her parents could be reached by phone, Jean got worried. Accompanied by Scott, she went to Sara's house, telekinetically forcing open the front door, only to find the place cleaned out, with all personal belongings removed. Just then, the phone rang. Jean picked up, thinking it might be her sister. It turned out to be an anti-mutant protester who told her she'd had her warning. Moments later, Sara's house was blown apart by a firebomb. Jean managed to keep herself and Scott safe in a telekinetic bubble but was now really concerned about Sara. To calm her down, Scott offered that at least Sara had managed to get away in time.
(X-Factor I#27 - BTS) - Jean visited her parents on Christmas night, once she'd explained the miracle of her survival she promised her parents to find Sara.
(X-Factor I#35 - BTS) - Sara's children Gailyn and Joseph were captured by Nanny and Orphan Maker, the former brainwashing them into joining their Lost Boys as Shatter-Box.
(X-Factor I#35 - BTS) - While looking for Scott's son, Nathan Christopher (later Cable), at a secret facility beneath an orphanage, Jean and Scott were attacked by Nanny and her Lost Boys. Immediately sensing Shatter-Box was actually her niece and nephew, Jean angrily demanded that Nanny tell her how they came to be in her possession. Nanny responded, telling Jean they were orphans like all the others, causing Jean to fear Sara had indeed perished. Nanny and Orphan Maker managed to escape after their fight but not before Jean could unmask the female component of Shatter-Box to reveal it really was her niece Gailyn. However, with Scott's child being in more immediate danger, Jean allowed Gailyn and Joseph to leave with Nanny.
(X-Factor I#40 - BTS) - After the events that became known as Inferno, Jean and the other members of X-Factor returned to their ship to be greeted by her parents. When John and Elaine Grey asked if they'd learned learned anything about Sara's whereabouts, Scott promised that finding their grandchildren would be their top priority. Not too long after that, Nanny (along with Orphan Maker and Shatter-Box) attacked X-Factor to "rescue" all the babies X-Factor had saved during the Inferno crisis. X-Factor defeated Nanny and Orphan Maker and located Gailyn and Joey.After rescuing them, Jean asked the children what had happened to their mother Sara. Still controlled by Nanny's pixie dust, Gailyn and Joey responded by saying they didn't have or need a mother. As X-Factor tried to free the other captured mutants from Nanny's ship, Freedom Force came barging in. The fact some of the parents of the missing children had already been located through the FBI gave Jean and her parents hope Sara (and Paul) might still be alive. John and Elaine Grey then assumed custody of Gailyn and Joey.
(X-Men II#36 - BTS) - At some point Sara was captured by and absorbed into the Phalanx, a band of techno-organic beings intent on taking over Earth and destroying mutantkind.
(X-Men II#36) - Hoping to taunt and de-motivate Banshee, Emma Frost, Sabretooth and the other next generation mutants, Steven Lang chose to physically appear near the X-Men's location, engaging them in conversation about the Phalanx's origins. At one point, Lang revealed that Sara Grey was now a part of the Phalanx, briefly showing her individual essence still trying to stand up against the indomitable hive mind. In her brief moments of separate consciousness, Sara pleaded with Banshee (who was the only one to recognize her) to make sure her sister Jean was kept safe.
(Cable II#16 - BTS) - Following the destruction of the Phalanx mainframe by the X-Men, all the people they had absorbed (including, presumably, Sara Grey) died.
(The Uncanny X-Men I#468 (fb) - BTS) - After Sara's disappearance, her sister Julia and uncle Brian took custody of her children.
(The Uncanny X-Men I#467-468) - The Shi'ar, fearful of the Phoenix entity's eventual resurrection, deemed the chance it might choose another member of the Grey family for its host too great. The Shi'ar Death Commandos were dispatched to eradicate the entire Grey bloodline, which they (conveniently) were able to do when they crashed a Grey family gathering where all members of the family (including Sara's children) were present.
Comments: Created by Chris Claremont & John Byrne.
The events of Bizarre Adventures#27 took place two years before the Phoenix' death, Jean's Grey funeral was also seen in 2001's X-Men Forever I#3 but because no new images or information was seen I choose not to list it as an entry.
There was no explanation given for the fact that Jean's older sister Sara happened to be staying with her parents by herself (she was already married with children at this point) when Dark Phoenix decided to pay them a visit.
Sara's children's official names were Gailyn and Joseph, or Joey as he was often called; however, Sara called her own son Tommy in Bizarre Adventures#27. Also I'll never understand why Chris Claremont created extra siblings for Jean and Sara in the form of Julia, Roger and Liam for 2006's Uncanny X-Men I#467. In the 40 years between 1966's X-Men I#22 and 2006's Uncanny X-Men I#467 there had never been any mention of other siblings, so why even bother, especially when the entire Grey family was killed off by the Shi'ar Death Commandos.
For people who are wondering about the continuity in X-Men Origins: Jean Grey, yes this title is considered to be in-continuity. The team behind the Official Index of the Marvel Universe explained that the X-Men/Magneto battle shown in X-Men Origins: Jean Grey was not the famous first clash from X-Men I#1. It was a battle mostly seen off-panel in Journey into Mystery I#109. Jean did not appear in that issue.
According to Comic Book Resources, Chris Claremont actually had more plans for Sara Grey: the idea to bring Jean Grey back to life as the fifth member of X-Factor was met with a whole lot of controversy at the time. In fact, at one point the plan was going to be that the fifth member was Dazzler and not Jean Grey. Ultimately, Jim Shooter felt it would be a stronger concept to reunite the original five X-Men.
Chris Claremont, who had been forced by Shooter to kill Jean in the first place, thought that was a terrible idea and offered to have Sara Grey step in as Jean's replacement. He even pointed to the Bizarre Adventures story that alluded to the possibility Sara's genes had been altered, unlocking her latent mutant abilities. In fact, Sara's super powers were to unlock and trigger the powers of other latent mutants, which would have made her a fine fit for the new X-Factor that were supposed to be posing as mutant hunters (while actually secretly trying to rescue those they're paid to hunt). As an added benefit, with Sara being a single mother (no mention of Paul... again), she'd be a great romantic interest for any of the single members of the team. Even though Shooter liked the idea, he had already committed to having Jean Grey return, thereby putting Sara Grey's career as a mutant catalyst to bed. Incidentally, years later, Claremont gave Sage that power (perhaps as a secondary mutation). Read the full story at Comic Book Resources.
Profile by MarvellousLuke
CLARIFICATIONS:
Sara Grey has no known connections to
Paul Bailey was Sara Grey's husband and the father of Gailyn and Joey. Paul and Scott Summers were to meet Sara and Jean for dinner at the cafe de Aviatrix after their sailing trip. Sara and Jean, however, had their own aquatic battle with the Atlantean barbarian Attuma of the murky depths. After having survived the confrontation, Jean sent a telepathic SOS call to Scott, allowing him and Paul to pick up the Grey siblings. When
"Jean" (actually the Phoenix) died, Paul and Sara attended the funeral. At some unrevealed point after that, presumably after the birth of his children, Paul left for reasons unknown.
Note: Why Paul disappeared from Sara's life is unknown, it could have been he was not able to cope with Sara's connection to the X-Men or that he passed away, but this is of course purely speculative.
Paul's first name was revealed in 1981's Bizarre Adventures I#27. His last name was revealed 16 years later in 1997's X-Man#30 by Prime Sentinels who hunted Gailyn and Joey as they carried their fathers family name, the Prime Sentinels supposedly got this information from Charles Xavier's files, which the Prime Sentinel's leader, Bastion, had been able to obtain and decrypt.
--Bizarre Adventures I#27 (fb) - BTS, X-Men I#138
images: (without ads)
Bizarre Adventures#27, p1, pan1 (main image)
X-Men Origins: Jean Grey#1, p8, pan1&2 (as a youth)
Bizarre Adventures#27, p11, pan1 (against Attuma)
Uncanny X-Men I#136 (facing the Dark Phoenix)
X-Factor I#12, p8, pan1&2 (as pro-mutant spokesman)
X-Men II#36, p19, pan3 (part of Phalanx)
Uncanny X-Men I#138 (Paul Bailey)
Appearances:
X-Men I#22 (July, 1966) - Roy Thomas (writer), Jay Gavin (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
The Uncanny X-Men I#136 (August, 1980) - Chris Claremont, John Byrne (writers), John Byrne (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
The Uncanny X-Men I#138 (October, 1980) - Chris Claremont, John Byrne (writers), John Byrne (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
Bizarre Adventures#27 (July, 1981) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
X-Factor I#12 (January, 1987) - Louise Simonson (writer), Marc Silvestri (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Men II#36 (September, 1994) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Andy Kubert (pencils), Matt Ryan (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Men Origins: Jean Grey#1 (October, 2008) - Sean McKeever (writer), Mike Mayhew (pencils, inks), Nick Lowe, Will Panzo (editors)
Last updated: 07/18/14
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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