While Jean Grey’s MCU powers were utilized almost to perfection in her debut, there may be one issue with them that could come back to the forefront in future Avengers movies. Spider-Man: Brand New Day took a massive step forward in storytelling for the MCU, introducing Earth-616’s version of Jean Grey. While this sets up an exciting new chapter in the MCU’s future after the next two Avengers movies, it may also raise a unique visual issue.
Marvel Studios cast Sadie Sink as Jean Grey in the MCU. Playing one of the main antagonistic figures in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Jean showed many of her classic powers from the comics, including mind-jumping/possession, memory reading, and the ability to surf people’s bodies by jumping into their minds from short distances.
Additionally, after being experimented on at the Department of Damage Control facility, Jean unlocks new levels of power, sending a massive psyonic wave out across much of the Big Apple. This wave freezes everyone in its path, leaving them unable to move as Jean seeks her revenge against Damage Control.
While the specifics of her powers were not explored in this movie, the plot revealed that she and her older sister, Sarah, were abandoned by their mother after their powers manifested in their youth.
Despite the lack of specific visuals for Jean Grey’s mind-jumping abilities, her other powers sparked interesting conversations among fans.
How Jean Grey’s Powers Should Have Looked
Jean’s freezing powers manifested with a largely clear tint when she used them, which included a slight rainbow sheen when she shot the psychic blast out from the Department of Damage Control facility. However, across most forms of Marvel media, these abilities are most often depicted with a pink tint.
This has come to fruition not only through Jean’s long run in Marvel Comics but also in other motion-based media. This includes her portrayal in both X-Men: The Animated Series and the newer X-Men ’97, both of which feature her as a main character. The pink hue is also utilized in the new Marvel’s Wolverine game from Insomniac, in which Krizia Bajos plays Wolverine’s close ally.
Similarities Between Jean Grey & Sue Storm’s MCU Powers
Another issue with the color of Jean Grey’s powers is that they resemble those of another newcomer in the MCU, Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm/Invisible Woman. Kirby made her long-awaited MCU debut in 2025‘s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and she is already confirmed to appear alongside the rest of her teammates in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday.
After the accident in outer space, in which Sue and her teammates were bombarded by cosmic radiation, the four of them gained extraordinary powers. Sue’s abilities allow her not only to become invisible at will but also to project powerful force fields that she can use both defensively and offensively, as she showed throughout the team’s first solo movie.
These powers are fundamentally different from Jean Grey’s, as Sue has no telepathic or psychic abilities and cannot freeze people or alter reality. However, their power sets look visually similar to one another from what fans have seen thus far in the MCU.
This could pose an intriguing issue if the two share scenes in one or both of the next two Avengers movies. In addition to Avengers: Doomsday, Kirby is expected to play a role in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. Meanwhile, Sink has also been reported to return in Secret Wars, although there are no indications of what either of them will be up to in Phase 6’s final movie.
Secret Warsis expected to feature a massive cast of MCU and legacy stars together, meaning there is a chance Jean and Sue may share scenes if the X-Men and Fantastic Four unite against Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. This could get particularly confusing if both of them are using their powers at the same time, as it could be tough to distinguish who is showing their abilities.
Marvel could still change the look of Jean’s powers moving forward, passing it off as her going through another stage of evolution in her journey, the way she seemed to do during Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Either way, it remains to be seen how Marvel will ensure the two powerful female heroes stand apart.
