Thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) is a common damage process incurred by superalloys used for turbine components. Life modeling of TMF in superalloys has traditionally looked to phenomenological approaches for coupling the environmentalfatigue interactions occurring during TMF loading. While these approaches provide good predictive results within the range of test variables studied, they are not easily extrapolated to other conditions. A life model has been developed for single crystal Nibase superalloys experiencing out-of-phase (OP) TMF which explicitly couples the interactions between the dominant damage mechanisms and the base material evolution affecting inelastic deformation. This paper concentrates on the fundamental physics of the deformation and damage processes which are the foundation for the model. This study represents a fundamental experimental/analytical/numerical approach to life prediction under complex loading and thermal conditions. It integrates detailed dislocation substructure development, microstructural evolution, oxidation, constitutive behavior, solid mechanics and numerical modeling; resulting in very accurate and robust TMF life prediction capability.