credit: Marvel Comics
No one wants to hear that their favorite hero can be beaten by anyone else unless there’s good, sound, logical proof that such a thing can happen. In the case of Marvel and DC, there are a lot of debates that continue to rage on since fans don’t want to admit that one hero or another might be able to overcome another thanks to the powers that they were born with. In the case of Jean Grey and Wonder Woman, a lot of people would pick Wonder Woman since they know more about her, she’s far more visible, and she’s been around for longer and therefore is thought to be more powerful and more inspiring than a lot of heroes.
Compared to Jean Grey, she is a powerhouse since she was created by the gods and is able to stand up to the likes of Superman and take on enemies that are known to be world-level threats. Unfortunately, for those who don’t know that much about Jean Grey, they might need to read up and therefore realize that someone who can use their overwhelming mental attacks in a variety of ways has a serious leg up on someone who relies heavily on getting close to their opponent.
credit: DC Comics
Wonder Woman is stronger without any doubt.
If one is going to talk about Jean going toe to toe with Diana, then there’s no contest, as Wonder Woman’s insane strength and divine pedigree would help her to annihilate a de-powered Jean Grey with a flick of her finger. But this battle is pitting both characters against each other with their full power and capabilities, and while Wonder Woman is by far stronger, faster, and a far more capable warrior, Jean is the type of character that doesn’t need to be physically strong and doesn’t need to be able to engage in swordplay to defeat her opponents.
Jean’s mind is her weapon, and while she’s a capable fighter and has a certain level of endurance, her mental capabilities are great enough that all it takes is a thought, and reality tends to bend to her will. Since Diana is a part of that reality and would find herself physically beholden to the world, Jean would have an immediate advantage that Wonder Woman would be hard-pressed to take away. In other words, her physical strength wouldn’t be that big of a deal.
Jean could sense Diana coming.
Jean Grey is second only to Professor Xavier when it comes to telepaths, and despite not being one of the most overall powerful characters in the Marvel Universe, her telepathic range is good enough to allow her to pick up the thoughts and even emotions from an impressive distance.
Wonder Woman might be fast, but when all Jean has to do is think about her attack, then Diana has no chance since the moment she gets close enough to be detected, Jean can shut her down or otherwise attack in a manner that will render her inert if Jean wishes it to be so. The one thing that both women have going for them is that they both have a seriously high level of empathy that doesn’t allow them to fly off the hook that often, meaning that it’s very likely that they won’t fight to the death that often, especially since they’re both more concerned with preserving life than taking it. But in a death match, it’s fair to say that empathy isn’t going to be a huge factor.
credit: Marvel Comics
No morals? No hope for Wonder Woman.
In a death match, there’s no room for morality, and while in reality, these two women would likely get along quite well, in this particular case, without their moral safeguards in place, Jean would have access to a power that Wonder Woman can’t match, even with her divine blessings. Diana might have the power of the gods, but she is not THE gods that she draws strength from.
Jean and the Phoenix Force have been intertwined for so long that trying to talk about one or the other without mentioning their counterpart is nearly impossible. Diana could make the same claim, but there’s just too much power for Wonder Woman to handle on her own. With the gods and her Justice League allies working with her, she might stand a chance.
Wonder Woman and her allies could carry the day, but on her own, she can’t win this.
As mentioned in the above paragraph, Wonder Woman and her allies could likely send Jean Grey packing since their combined power would be enough to give her the advantage. But on her own, Wonder Woman doesn’t have what it takes to compete with Jean Grey, especially since Jean can shut her down before Diana even knows she’s there.