Betsy Braddock: Psylocke/Captain Britain Appreciation 2019

[Veitha]

Because I like this question from Twitter.

Hello my fellow Baetsy fans:

What are some things you all are hopeful to see for Captain Britain in 2020?

Some insights about how she perceives her body and her sense of self after all these years of being in another body, and why she decided to build herself a body like her original one.

Yes to the Angel encounter. It really deserves to happen. And she definitely has to have a talk with Kwannon because shrugging it off with an awkward meeting doesn't seem right to me.

Cool medieval constructs during fight

[Psycwave]

I’m pretty sure all the writers have said they’re going to talk but it’s gonna be a slow build. I’m all for both women figuring out their sense of selves and carving a path separately then coming back to talk. It’ll give time to deal with all that raw emotion and come back with more clarity about a situation that was an awkward loss for both.

And I think Betsy’s self reflection is also coming. I’m not really expecting one big full issue but it’s going to continuously be seeded throughout the entirety of the arc of Excalibur. It’s only by issue three that she’s finally coming to realize that she IS now Captain Britain. She’s been operating that this was temporary until she got Brian back and now that she sees it’s not as easy as that she has to really figure out what this mantle means to her, her connection to Britain and Krakoa. Which I’m okay with cause it wouldn’t feel as satisfying if she just blurted it all out in one or two issues and then was over it by the third.

As for Betsy in 2020, I’m just looking forward to a higher agency. She’s been given a nice little spotlight the last few years and really worked her way up to one of the generals of the team. I’d love to see that pushed out into the broader MU, especially with her as CB. An ambassador of Krakoa/Britain going around and spreading goodwill would be great.

[Psycwave]

The guest artist, Will Santos, was commissioned a Captain Britain piece. I'm liking this art.

[Havok83]

I’m pretty sure al writers have said they’re going to talk but it’s gonna be a slow build. I’m all for both women figuring out their sense of selves and carving a path separately then coming back to talk. It’ll give time to deal with all that raw emotion and come back with more clarity about a situation that was an awkward loss for both.

And I think Betsy’s self reflection is also coming. I’m not really expecting one big full issue but it’s going to continuously seeded out throughout the entirety of the arc of Excalibur. It’s only by issue three that she’s finally coming to realize that she IS now Captain Britain. She’s been operating that this was temporary until she got Brian back and now that she sees it’s not as easy as that she has to really figure out what this mantle means to her, her connection to Britain and Krakoa. Which I’m okay with cause it wouldn’t feel as satisfying if she just blurted it all out in one or two issues and then was over it by the third.

As for Betsy in 2020, I’m just looking forward to a higher agency. She’s been given a nice little spotlight the last few years and really worked her way up to one of the generals of the team. I’d love to see that pushed out into the broader MU, especially with her as CB. An ambassador of Krakoa/Britain going around and spreading goodwill would be great.

They better bc the way Kwannon just started using the name Psylocke when it was Betsy's codename was handled so clunky. As of the start of DoX, Betsy was still going by it, so it didnt make sense that Kwannon would take it as it hasnt been abandoned. She becoming the new Captain Britian happened so fast and there hasnt been much downtime. I dont think she or anyone even know if this is permanent

[The Quiet Councilor]

They better bc the way Kwannon just started using the name Psylocke when it was Betsy's codename was handled so clunky. As of the start of DoX, Betsy was still going by it, so it didnt make sense that Kwannon would take it as it hasnt been abandoned. She becoming the new Captain Britian happened so fast and there hasnt been much downtime. I dont think she or anyone even know if this is permanent

Everything about Betsy has been clunky since the body swap so nothing new there. I’m happy they’ve quickly drawn the lines but are slowly handling the narrative behind those lines.

[Psycwave]

Yeah, it was all super fast and she hasn’t had any real time to react. It’s been:
- return to og body, doesn’t know Kwannon is alive
- gets sucked into Disassembled and AoXM; Kwannon makes her way back to the X-Men
- returns from AoXM and probably sees Kwannon for the first time; goes back to England to regroup(?, I honestly don’t remember what the X-Men did at the end of Rosenberg’s run).
- Krakoa pops up. Finally realizing she’ll have to see Kwannon again. Guilt emerges.
- starts telling folks to just call her Betsy, Kwannon starts running around like “I’m Psylocke, then.” But won’t talk to her.
- Everything that’s happened in Excalibur.

Girl needs a second to breathe.

Plus, I’d like for her to go and talk to Storm and Dazzler for a moment.

[Psyknight]

http://psylocke-butterfly.blogspot.c...silva.html?m=1

This art is beautiful as well. Mike Mckone’s is my favorite.

[Celestialbodies]

Is it bitter that even now with a new relaunch several issues in across several brand new titles. I mean it's a totally new direction, mantle, and exploration of Betsy. That I carve her telepathic butterfly's return?

I only ask because I despise that mask/cowl, and wish it never to return.

[Shadowcat]

My copies of HoX/PoX arrives today, and I can’t wait so I can start reading the rest of the books. While I like the idea of mutant magic, I really hope Tini uses some of the spy related pieces of Betsy’s past. Seeing a reformed team of S.T.R.I.K.E. as part of MI-13 would give us a different flavor, and add some sci-fi to the team.

[CGAR]

So quick question: Do you guys think Jonathan Hickman writing Captain Britain Betsy Braddock would elevate her to the levels of Captain Marvel.

Although I am not liking his writing in X-Men I'm loving what he is doing in New Mutants.

And I bring this up because both in his Secret Wars and his Avengers run he had Betsy Braddock being a version of Captain Britain or part of the Illuminati. (I think)

Would you guys like to see his take?

[Psycwave]

I'm all for it. I think he's been doing decent enough with most of his characters and I actually dig what he's doing on X-Men. I listened to an interview with him where he said he would be dipping in and out of all of the books for a few issues here and there like how he is on NM, so I expect his take on her sometime in the next year.

Will that be enough to elevate her to CM levels? Doubt it. That's going to be a slow burn and it will honestly depend on how much support Betsy receives during this change. I have to say I think she's been getting a great deal of love so the goodwill is there. There has been tons of fanart, articles and spotlights on her since she became CB and I don't think it'll slow down. Captain Marvel even has her issues as a standalone character but her fanbase is mighty. There's still tons of discourse among the Betsy fandom and some people are still focusing too much on Psylocke II. I think if we keep championing our girl then she's got a good chance.

I know the writing on Excalibur hasn't been everyone's favorite but I have faith in Tini. I've read a few books of hers and she's good. Excalibur's biggest issue, imo, is that she's trying to build this HUGE new world alongside the new world that Hickman has created. She's got to introduce mutant magic, setup new status quo's for multiple characters, showcase and attract readers to Otherworld/Avalon, delve into Braddock history, CB mythology, she's bringing in some new villains and still has to show how all these mutants are fitting into Krakoa and what it means to them. She's trying to unpack a lot in a short time (cause the books are coming out at lightning speed) and that's where it gets jumbled. I feel by the end of this arc we'll be in a better spot and she'll have more time to let plots breathe.

[Psycwave]

Also, I don't know if you all saw but Marcus To was asked about possibly creating a new psychic signature for Betsy and he replied "I'll see what I can do."

https://twitter.com/marcusto/status/...115748864?s=20

We might get something new!

[Shadowcat]

Also, I don't know if you all saw but Marcus To was asked about possibly creating a new psychic signature for Betsy and he replied "I'll see what I can do."

https://twitter.com/marcusto/status/...115748864?s=20

We might get something new!

I’m missing something. When did she lose her butterfly effect?

[Psycwave]

I’m missing something. When did she lose her butterfly effect?

It's been stated by Tini, To and JDW that she won't be using it any longer and they're moving her away from it. It's why we haven't seen it at all since Excalibur started.

[Shadowcat]

It's been stated by Tini, To and JDW that she won't be using it any longer and they're moving her away from it. It's why we haven't seen it at all since Excalibur started.

Ugh. I hate that. Is Kwannon using it now?