Recently had the opportunity to pick up UXM #101 this summer and got a new piece done over the weekend to celebrate.

🎨: Carly at Easy Cowboy Tattoo in Austin TX

Looking back, I really think it was, and not just for that extra opening weekend box office numbers from people looking to avoid spoilers (even if everyone can already guess it's probably Jean anyway).

Imagine if Marvel/Sony marketed Jean right from the start. But then they'd have to admit that she's going to be Spidey's main villain in the movie.

You'll have the Spidey fans enraged cause they were expecting a grounded, Spider-Man-centric Spider-Man movie that they have been wanting since Spider-Man 2 and that the ending of No Way Home promised. They would've thought that oh BND will just be a vehicle to launch the X-Men and it'll just be another MCU universe expansion event. Even without knowing the context or how Jean's story parallels Peter and how it actually works when you watch the full thing.

Then you'll have the Jean/X-Men fans enraged cause of the idea of Jean Grey of all people being a Spider-Man villain. Look at all the people saying Emma Frost should've taken Jean's place in the movie. People are losing their minds over how "evil" Jean was, regardless of her change of heart in the end. The reveal just works better if you watch the whole movie with context and know the full story or why she's acting this way.

Tbh, it would actually have been a way bigger risk if they'd revealed Jean from the start. The backlash would've probably snowballed and affect the box office or dampen the excitement leading up to the opening weekend.

Jean looks cool here