Editing Phoenix Force (section)

=== ''Avengers vs. X-Men'' ===
[[File:Phoenix Five (comics).jpg|thumb|Phoenix Five portrayed on the cover of ''Avengers vs. X-Men'' #5, June 2012; Left and right: [[Namor]], [[Emma Frost]], [[Cyclops (Marvel Comics)|Cyclops]] with [[Hope Summers (character)|Hope Summers]], [[Colossus (character)|Colossus]] and [[Magik]] (illustration by [[John Romita Jr.]])]]
During the ''[[Avengers vs. X-Men]]'' storyline, the event has the Phoenix Force returning to Earth, presumably to reclaim Hope Summers, which leads to a confrontation between the [[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]] and the X-Men on how to deal with its arrival. The Avengers anticipate the destruction that the Phoenix could bring while Cyclops hopes to use the Phoenix Force to restart the mutant population.<ref>''Avengers vs. X-Men'' #1</ref>

As the Phoenix Force nears Earth, the Avengers fight the X-Men on the Blue Area of the Moon with Hope caught in the middle, while [[Iron Man]] and [[Henry Pym|Giant-Man]] prepare a disruptor weapon to kill the Phoenix Force. Iron Man pilots the weapon against the Phoenix Force, but when he uses it to blast the Phoenix Force, the entity is forcefully altered and divided into five fragments that bond with Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, [[Colossus (character)|Colossus]] and [[Magik]]. They defeat the Avengers and head back to Earth with Hope.<ref name="avx5">{{cite book|title=Avengers vs. X-Men #5|year=2012|publisher=Marvel Comics|page=22}}</ref> It is theorized that [[Scarlet Witch]]'s spell of "[[Decimation (comics)|No more mutants]]" angered the Phoenix, and to calm the entity, a new host was needed along, with five acolytes, to succeed at bringing about evolution (the acolytes were actually revealed to be the first five new mutants that have appeared around the globe since the decimation of the mutant population), and that was the reason the Phoenix came to Earth.<ref name="The Uncanny X-Men vol. 2 #13"/>

When the Avengers defeat Namor in an attack on [[Wakanda]], his portion of the Phoenix Force becomes divided between the other four members of the "'''Phoenix Five'''", making it harder to defeat them.<ref name="avx8">''Avengers vs. X-Men'' #8</ref> [[Spider-Man]] then baits Colossus and Magik into taking each other out by playing off of their fears when fighting them in a volcano, forcing their portions of the Phoenix to be divided between Emma and Cyclops.<ref name="avx9">''Avengers vs. X-Men'' #9</ref> When Cyclops invades the mystical city of K'un Lun, [[Lei Kung (comics)|Lei Kung]] defends the city on the back of the immortal dragon Shou-Lao the Undying, and reveals it had defeated the Phoenix in a past incarnation. While Cyclops defeats the dragon, Hope is able to absorb its power and defeat Cyclops who then goes to seek the other remaining portion of the Phoenix Force possessed by Emma Frost.<ref name="avx10">''Avengers vs. X-Men'' #10</ref> Emma had been using the Phoenix Force to control all of Utopia, read the thoughts of everyone on the planet, take vengeance on anyone who had ever harmed a mutant, and dismantle all Sentinels.<ref>''Avengers Academy'' #32</ref> Cyclops defeats Emma and elevates to the level of Dark Phoenix, killing [[Professor X]] in the process.<ref name="avx11">''Avengers vs. X-Men'' #11</ref>

In the final issue, the X-Men and the Avengers battle the Dark Phoenix, but they are losing as the Dark Phoenix starts to burn the world. As a last resort, [[Captain America]] sends in Hope and Scarlet Witch, who together manage to take down the Dark Phoenix, while Jean Grey appears within Cyclops' mind and convinces him to let go of the Phoenix Force. The Phoenix escapes Cyclops' body and enters Hope Summers'. Together, Hope and the Scarlet Witch wish away the Phoenix Force and the damage it caused, in the process activating the X-gene that allows the creation of new mutants around the world.<ref name="Avengers vs. X-Men #12">''Avengers vs. X-Men'' #12</ref>

Even with the Phoenix gone, its effects remain in various ways, with four of the former Phoenix Five—Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus and Magik—suffering from various problems with their powers as well as Magneto, due to his prolonged time on Utopia. Cyclops and Magneto's control over their abilities regress back to the level of control that they had possessed in their first appearances, Emma Frost retains her diamond form but only has erratic control over her telepathy,<ref>''All-New X-Men'' #3</ref> and Colossus' body fluctuates between his organic and his metal parts rather than completely transforming into one or the other.<ref>''Cable & X-Force'' #2</ref> While Magik's powers initially appeared to have been increased to the point where she can channel the power of Limbo on her own,<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' vol. 3 #1</ref> a confrontation with Dormammu reveals that her new power is destroying Limbo each time she used it.<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' vol. 3 #5</ref> It is later revealed that the power disruptions experienced by Cyclops, Emma, Colossus, Magik and Magneto were actually the result of nano-sentinels unleashed on them by [[Dark Beast (Marvel Comics)|Dark Beast]].<ref>''The Uncanny X-Men'' vol. 3 #22</ref>

Simultaneously, while spending some time in deep space, Iron Man helps defend an ancient planet from space pirates. He is later confronted by robotic police officers looking to arrest him for [[deicide]]. Before he is able to escape the planet, Iron Man realizes that the planet's people, known as the Voldi, worship the Phoenix Force and his hand in its disappearance has angered them.<ref>''Iron Man'' vol. 8 #6</ref>