Betsy Braddock: Psylocke/Captain Britain Appreciation 2019

[RamaBird]

I know, I am late to the conversation, but...
NO to Kwannon taking the Psylocke code-name. It isn't hers to claim.

After being a fan of Betsy for 30 years, I literally only got the blink of an eye to enjoy Betsy being in her real body, with her real code-name, and Kwannon being in her real body, before Marvel decided to go straight back to muddled confusion. The characters both deserve some individuality.

This is the single thing I've seen from Hickman's plans that I can't accept. How is it helping Betsy's history of identity crisis to position her with her brother's mantle, in essentially his uniform, filling his role, while Kwannon is running around using a name that distinctly belongs to Betsy. Then, let's not give her the signature butterfly calling-card either, because someone may actually be able to figure out that she's a distinct character.

Plus the off-the-shoulder uniform was cute af. Back to frumpy armor for "the former model", and a total disregard for any sense of self she could have FINALLY been granted.

I disagree. I like what's going on with them. Psyloke is imbedded into my mind as a more ruthless version of a character. Which now applies to Kwannon more. I think it givers her more exposure to branch out kind of like when X23 became Wolverine (I was also a fan of that change, I prefer Wolverine as Logan anyway). I would also think Betsy is thirsting for a fresh start and her history as lethal and at times murderous Psylocke is not a positive one.

[Havok83]

I dont imagine the Captain Britian mantle will last forever with her so what happens when she is done with it? Does she go back to Psylocke? I see that being messy since they are doubling down on that meaning something and being identified with the Japanese look which is now Kwannon. Does Betsy get a new codename/identity?

I disagree. I like what's going on with them. Psyloke is imbedded into my mind as a more ruthless version of a character. Which now applies to Kwannon more. I think it givers her more exposure to branch out kind of like when X23 became Wolverine (I was also a fan of that change, I prefer Wolverine as Logan anyway). I would also think Betsy is thirsting for a fresh start and her history as lethal and at times murderous Psylocke is not a positive one.

X-23 was a character though before she became Wolverine. Kwannon isnt. She's a blank slate thats ill defined. She becoming Psylocke is not earned in the same way that Laura becoming Wolverine was

[Wiccan]

Apparently Cebulski in SDCC compared Betsy taking the Captain Britain mantle to Carol becoming Captain Marvel. So it seems like the plan is to have her with it for as long as they can.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

Though Betsy had an identity as Psylocke before all of this, not sure that's the same with Carol...

[Psy]

You can only ignore me for so long. My greatness will be acknowledged one day by all......

Current WIP, enjoy. Comic12.jpg

[Havok83]

Though Betsy had an identity as Psylocke before all of this, not sure that's the same with Carol...

Carol had an identity as Ms. Marvel for decades

[LoganAlpha30X33]

Not sure then if there was someone else after she became Captain Marvel running around calling herself Ms. Marvel at the same time...anyway not liking the whole Kwannon being Psylocke, she should get her own name if they're going to have her around, otherwise it just makes everything that much more convoluted...

[MikaelNovasun]

From a marketing stand point it makes the most sense for Marvel to keep the Psylocke named tied to the Jim Lee redesign/Kwannon body. Ask anyone that is a casual fan or someone only vaguely familiar with the X-Men who Psylocke is and they will reference some variation of her 90's Iconic look. The merchandise be it statues, figures, art prints, or video games going back almost 30 years, has cemented in most people's psyche the iconic 90's design. Despite what people on this board may think, to the casual fan Psylocke isn't Betsy Braddock or Kwannon, Psylocke is a swim suit clad ninja with psychic powers possibly Asian or half-Asian.

Betsy went by Psylocke in her original body from 1986-1989(not quite 3 years), before that she was briefly Captain Britain when the title relaunched in 1986. From 1989 until recently the Psylocke code name has been tied to Kwannon's body. How Asian she was depicted varied by artist, but her costume stayed close to Jim Lee's original design more often than not until the relaunched Uncanny X-Force(2013).

If anything Kwannon has more ownership of the Psylocke codename than Laura(X-23) did with Wolverine. After all Betsy was running around with Kwannon's body for most of time her with the X-Men. Considering the 616's condensed time line Betsy joined the X-Men and went by the codename in her original body for what....a few months before the Siege Perilous then inhabiting Kwannon's body for years.

Here is something I hope the Fallen Angel comic and Excalibur to a smaller extent touches on: So Kwannon died to the legacy virus but somehow enough of her soul survived in her original body for both Betsy and Kwannon to resurrect themselves during Logan's return. Was Kwannon like some type of back seat observer to Betsy, or did she have some influence on Betsy(Betsy's struggle with killing/thrill seeking/death defying)? What about her romance with Warren. When Betsy first joined the X-Men, Warren treated her harshly. It wasn't until she was body swapped that they took an interest in each other.

I am really looking forward to see where both Betsy and Kwannon go from here. The change really opens up new character growth for both of them, in Kwannon's case any growth all at.

[Havok83]

Not sure then if there was someone else after she became Captain Marvel running around calling herself Ms. Marvel at the same time...anyway not liking the whole Kwannon being Psylocke, she should get her own name if they're going to have her around, otherwise it just makes everything that much more convoluted...

There's been a Ms. Marvel in the books for the past 6 years

From a marketing stand point it makes the most sense for Marvel to keep the Psylocke named tied to the Jim Lee redesign/Kwannon body. Ask anyone that is a casual fan or someone only vaguely familiar with the X-Men who Psylocke is and they will reference some variation of her 90's Iconic look. The merchandise be it statues, figures, art prints, or video games going back almost 30 years, has cemented in most people's psyche the iconic 90's design. Despite what people on this board may think, to the casual fan Psylocke isn't Betsy Braddock or Kwannon, Psylocke is a swim suit clad ninja with psychic powers possibly Asian or half-Asian.

to me that doesnt hold up. Ignoring the recent nostalgia push, the characters in the books have not been wearing their 90s looks for quite some time. You mean to tell me, casual fans cant grab onto the likes of Gambit, Storm, Wolverine, etc...if they arent dressed like they were in the 90s? Even in the old body, Betsy hasnt worn that in ages yet I dont think she'd have confused anyone considering she had iconic elements such as her psi-weapons and often purple hair. Ever since the change last year, visually not much has changed for Betsy besides a new costume and lighter hair, which itself has been inconsistent. She being drawn to appear more Asian was very inconsistent in her old bodies and she looked ambigious at best, which has been the case now.

Kwannon has more ownership to the Psylocke codename? She was barely a character and has been dead for 25 years. She did nothing to earn it. Laura became Wolverine as an homage to her dead father and it was a pivotal part of her character arc that she's been on since she was created. The well Betsy looked like her for all these years so she has a right to elements that defined her bc she's back in the body, doesnt really hold weight.

And Kwannon isnt in her orignial body. That was killed by Vargas and the one that died of the Legacy Virus was burned. How she came back is a mystery that hoepfully FA will answer

[powerpax]

I understand the marketing/branding rationale, as well as the diversity issue. I think what they've done is kind of an elegant, brilliant solution.

That said, I do not think Kwannon has equal claim to the name Psylocke. Thus far Kwannon is not really a character, she is a bad 90s retcon that did not need to exist. But now she's here, and to give the Asian form of Psylocke some agency on its own beyond being an eternal fetish object I can be open to more. I have no objection to Kwannon taking the name. I would have a problem if Betsy could never take it back. In the distant future I would prefer Betsy retain Psylocke and Kwannon get another codename. But as of now, I have no objection to the new status quo.

[Rnap22]

There's been a Ms. Marvel in the books for the past 6 years

to me that doesnt hold up. Ignoring the recent nostalgia push, the characters in the books have not been wearing their 90s looks for quite some time. You mean to tell me, casual fans cant grab onto the likes of Gambit, Storm, Wolverine, etc...if they arent dressed like they were in the 90s? Even in the old body, Betsy hasnt worn that in ages yet I dont think she'd have confused anyone considering she had iconic elements such as her psi-weapons and often purple hair. Ever since the change last year, visually not much has changed for Betsy besides a new costume and lighter hair, which itself has been inconsistent. She being drawn to appear more Asian was very inconsistent in her old bodies and she looked ambigious at best, which has been the case now.

Kwannon has more ownership to the Psylocke codename? She was barely a character and has been dead for 25 years. She did nothing to earn it. Laura became Wolverine as an homage to her dead father and it was a pivotal part of her character arc that she's been on since she was created. The well Betsy looked like her for all these years so she has a right to elements that defined her bc she's back in the body, doesnt really hold weight.

And Kwannon isnt in her orignial body. That was killed by Vargas and the one that died of the Legacy Virus was burned. How she came back is a mystery that hoepfully FA will answer

All of this.

I hope that the transition of the name from Betsy to Kwannon gets a good explanation and not just because everyone thinks Kwannon was Betsy during Rosenberg’s run. I’m not thrilled about it. I’m happy for Betsy getting a much bigger spotlight, but I don’t think Kwannon should take the name. I would be much happier with her getting her own identity. At the end of the day all the experiences have been Betsy’s and I think new readers will get confused if they go back and read older stories that have Psylocke in them and it’s not the same person, but the same look. Even I got confused reading the initial solicitation for Fallen Angels.

[Psy]

Yaaaaassssss

20190809_163454.jpg

[Psyknight]

There's been a Ms. Marvel in the books for the past 6 years

to me that doesnt hold up. Ignoring the recent nostalgia push, the characters in the books have not been wearing their 90s looks for quite some time. You mean to tell me, casual fans cant grab onto the likes of Gambit, Storm, Wolverine, etc...if they arent dressed like they were in the 90s? Even in the old body, Betsy hasnt worn that in ages yet I dont think she'd have confused anyone considering she had iconic elements such as her psi-weapons and often purple hair. Ever since the change last year, visually not much has changed for Betsy besides a new costume and lighter hair, which itself has been inconsistent. She being drawn to appear more Asian was very inconsistent in her old bodies and she looked ambigious at best, which has been the case now.

Kwannon has more ownership to the Psylocke codename? She was barely a character and has been dead for 25 years. She did nothing to earn it. Laura became Wolverine as an homage to her dead father and it was a pivotal part of her character arc that she's been on since she was created. The well Betsy looked like her for all these years so she has a right to elements that defined her bc she's back in the body, doesnt really hold weight.

And Kwannon isnt in her orignial body. That was killed by Vargas and the one that died of the Legacy Virus was burned. How she came back is a mystery that hoepfully FA will answer

I agree with all of this.

[Digifiend]

There's been a Ms. Marvel in the books for the past 6 years

5 years, Kamala debuted in 2014 and celebrated her five year anniversary six months ago.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

Though she's an entirely different character that was not nearly as closely connected to Carol as Kwannon was to Betsy...