In modern times, Essex was last seen (underwhelmingly) running away into a dark alleyway to seemingly never be heard from again.
Even though it was set long before his final chronological appearance in “The Phalanx Covenant: Part II,” the episode made for a fitting end to the character – until now. This brought everything together and explained Essex’s obsession with our flame-haired heroine. Like any good comic book villain, Essex was given a suitably tragic origin story in Season 5’s acclaimed “Descent.” Taking us to 1888, he faced off against Charles Xavier’s ancestor and was revealed as the husband of Jean Grey’s distant relative.