Hi, I'm Nova. Galactus' herald. I hate to spoil your homecoming... But my master's concluded that Phoenix's continued existence is a threat to his own survival that he can't accept. Now, we don't want any unpleasantness. It'll really be best for all concerned if you just hand her over... Without any fuss. 
- —Nova
Appearing in "Guess Who's Coming for Phoenix?"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Galactus (Galan)
- Nova (Frankie Raye)
- Malleable creature
- "Courtney Ross" (Opal Lun Sat-Yr9) (Impersonates Courtney Ross)
Other Characters:
- Excalibur (First appearance)
- Meggan (First appearance)
- Captain Britain (Brian Baddock) (First appearance)
- Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) (First appearance)
- Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde) (First appearance)
- Fantastic Four (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Mutants
- Human-Otherworlder Hybrids
- Mutant-Fairy Hybrids
- Flock
- Robots
- Abstract Entities
- Otherworlders
- Watchers
- Taa-ans
Locations:
- Earth-616
- Earth
- Europe
- United Kingdom
- Europe
- Moon
- Earth
- Earth-TRN1125
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Guess Who's Coming for Phoenix?"
Going outside their lighthouse, Excalibur stare up at Galactus looming over them. His herald, Nova, comes down to meet them, and asks that they comply with Galactus’s demands and turn over Phoenix, who he sees as a threat to his own survival. Within moments, Rachel strikes Nova with the power of the Phoenix, and she collides with the moon moments later. The Watcher comes to her, and she finds that he will not interfere with events. Satisfied, Nova sets off for Earth again.
On Earth, Galactus states his intentions. His device, floating over the lighthouse, will separate the Phoenix force from Rachel, though he isn’t forthcoming to Excalibur over whether Rachel will be harmed. They are given a choice, of surrendering or facing the consequences. Captain Britain answers, by destroying Galactus’s machine. In response, Galactus summons a green and yellow creature, that Brian immediately strikes. However, it absorbs the force of the impact, and begins to envelop him. Meggan immediately goes to his aid, firing energy bolts at the creature until it releases Brian. As Meggan and Brian fight, Nightcrawler sees the Watcher materialise on the headland. Alistaire comes up with a plan, and Rachel flies him to the cellar. They enter, and find an alternative version of the team staging a rock concert, before the stadium winks out of existence to leave their cellar, complete with their Train. Alistaire rushes inside, searching for an object he got from talking with a Galifreyan. For a moment, he can’t find it, until Rachel finds the memory of him putting it in his pocket.
Back on top of the lighthouse, Nightcrawler, Captain Britain and Meggan battle the various creatures Galactus summons, while he rebuilds his machine. Captain Britain is punched over the side, and Nightcrawler is just able to teleport them to safety. They land by Roma, the Celestial Guardian, but like the Watcher, she too is only an observer. As Rachel and Alistaire fly in, they meet another figure, who Rachel is familiar with. Death. Rachel, believing that Death has come to claim Excalibur, tries to threaten them but then Alistaire spots Nova on the horizon. She flies directly for Rachel, but she sidesteps Nova at the last moment, and catches her with telekinesis. She swings her round and round before launching her at Galactus, who tumbles into the sea. Alistaire activates his device, aiming to send Galactus across time to the farthest reaches of space. However, Galactus is unaffected. Meggan cries out in pain as the anomaly begins to affect the biosphere. Meggan absorbs power from the Earth, swelling to Galactus’s size, before Rachel stops her. To prevent any more destruction, Rachel agrees to go with Galactus. She bids farewell to the team, before Nova straps her to Galactus’s device. As the device activates, however, Nova points out to Galactus that the stars in the sky are going out. Roma chides Galactus, as Phoenix is a fundamental force and cannot be divided, with his attempts breaking the cosmic cycle. Death too explains the folly of his actions, asking if Galactus wishes to go with him into Death’s domain. Enraged, Galactus releases Phoenix, and she goes to rejoin the team.
Meanwhile, on a sleeper car, Kitty Pryde sleeps on a train, taking her to her new school that Courtney has enrolled her in, so she gets the necessary time in secondary school to get her into Oxbridge.
Notes
- An alternate reality Excalibur counterpart is shown where the team is made up of leonid/humanoid rock stars.
Trivia
- Alistaire mentions chatting to a man from Galifrey. This is a reference to the Doctor from the TV programme Doctor Who, which contains the character of the Brigadier, who was the inspiration for Alistaire's character.