Revanche: Kwannon/Psylocke II appreciation 2019

[Havok83]

^Couldn't have put it in a more one-sided way, sorry. You're saying in the long term it might be for the best, yet how can it be the case when 30 years of development are no longer tied to Betsy's backstory and some retconned character who was absent since 1995 is vulturing the Psylocke legacy? To me this is another One More Day-gate under the pretense of what is proper "representation" and I know I won't be buying anything from Marvel.

IA its shortsighted and it shows that Marvel doesnt have much faith in Kwannon as a character. To me its just a lazy approach and does a disservice to both character.

[CGAR]

I think maybe some people are confusing or misunderstanding that everything that happened to Betsy in the last 20-30 yrs is now not automatically tied to Kwannon in cannon.

BUT the way it is being presented to the general audience may be a bit much for some.

It took me awhile to come to terms with them giving everything we associated with Betsy to Kwannon. Even though she was her "own" character when she was introduced.

But with both Tini Howard and the writer of Fallen Angels saying that they are going to delve into these changes for both characters should be a good sign.

Thre is one thing that the Fallen Angels writer said that kind of had me concerned but we will see how he navigates this.

[MikaelNovasun]

^Couldn't have put it in a more one-sided way, sorry. You're saying in the long term it might be for the best, yet how can it be the case when 30 years of development are no longer tied to Betsy's backstory and some retconned character who was absent since 1995 is vulturing the Psylocke legacy? To me this is another One More Day-gate under the pretense of what is proper "representation" and I know I won't be buying anything from Marvel.

Sounds like you are the one lacking some objectivity and not Killerbee911. You are grossly overstating things. The last 30 years of Betsy's development, in which she was running around with Kwannon's appearance, are not being purged from Betsy's character and given to Kwannon. If anything Kwannon is reclaiming her identity(her appearance). As for the Psylocke code-name, while I am curious if they handle it in a satisfactory way within the story, it is a smart move marketing wise to tie the name to the Asian appearance and the "Jim Lee" costume. Do a search on Psylocke and almost all of the images will be variations of her 90's redesign. Then look at movies, videogames, collectibles and even her few brief appearances in the much loved 90's animated series, and one would be lead to think Psylocke is an Asian or half Asian psychic knife, katana wielding ninja.

[Psy-lock]

It's rather funny that Kwannon used to have more of an identity before this mess. At least she had a codename and powers unique to her, but now she's basically Asian Betsy.

[Killerbee911]

It's rather funny that Kwannon used to have more of an identity before this mess. At least she had a codename and powers unique to her, but now she's basically Asian Betsy.

Yeah but Asian Betsy in the universe is Kwannon.

[MikaelNovasun]

It's rather funny that Kwannon used to have more of an identity before this mess. At least she had a codename and powers unique to her, but now she's basically Asian Betsy.

How were her powers unique to her? What that she was an empath before her first "death"? Or how the legacy virus was amplifying her powers prior to her second "death'?

When she showed up to confront Betsy they had the same powers, both were martial artists and an even match with a katana. It was never touched on if Kwannon's once mentioned empathic abilities survived the body swap.

Nothing has really changed with Kwannon. Her backstory is a few pages at most, she is pretty much a blank slate. I for one look forward to learning more of her history, and hopefully how she came to oppose The Hand before Matsu'o "killed" her the first time.

[Psy-lock]

How were her powers unique to her? What that she was an empath before her first "death"? Or how the legacy virus was amplifying her powers prior to her second "death'?

When she showed up to confront Betsy they had the same powers, both were martial artists and an even match with a katana. It was never touched on if Kwannon's once mentioned empathic abilities survived the body swap.

Nothing has really changed with Kwannon. Her backstory is a few pages at most, she is pretty much a blank slate. I for one look forward to learning more of her history, and hopefully how she came to oppose The Hand before Matsu'o "killed" her the first time.

She should get her original body back and with it her original empathetic powers (and get a new codename while at it).

[xhx23x]

How were her powers unique to her? What that she was an empath before her first "death"? Or how the legacy virus was amplifying her powers prior to her second "death'?

When she showed up to confront Betsy they had the same powers, both were martial artists and an even match with a katana. It was never touched on if Kwannon's once mentioned empathic abilities survived the body swap.

Nothing has really changed with Kwannon. Her backstory is a few pages at most, she is pretty much a blank slate. I for one look forward to learning more of her history, and hopefully how she came to oppose The Hand before Matsu'o "killed" her the first time.

While I view the choices with Kwannon incredibly lazy I can't really argue with any of these points either.

I think it'll depend on how the whole thing is handle on panel, but it could really go either way.

[MikaelNovasun]

She should get her original body back and with it her original empathetic powers (and get a new codename while at it).

What are her Empathethic powers? It was a throw away line about Kwannon's empathy hinting at latent telepathic abilities that would make the mind switch/brainwashing go smoother. Is the Psy-knife part of it? Betsy didn't start using it until she was in Kwannon's body.

[Havok83]

What are her Empathethic powers? It was a throw anyway line about Kwannon's empathy hinting at latent telepathic abilities and that would make the mind switch/brainwashing go smoother. Is the Psy-knife part of it? Betsy didn't start using it until she was in Kwannon's body.

1 good start would have been to double down on that and actually explore what those empathic powers are now

[Psy-lock]

What are her Empathethic powers? It was a throw away line about Kwannon's empathy hinting at latent telepathic abilities that would make the mind switch/brainwashing go smoother. Is the Psy-knife part of it? Betsy didn't start using it until she was in Kwannon's body.

lol, how should I know? That's up to the writers. The psy-knife definitely wasn't hers, she was only a low-level empath.

[Beetle]

If it were up to me I'd give Kwannon different psi-weapons depending on her own emotions, like a mood ring

So she'd be forced to try to control her emotions, or adapt to different weapons even if they wouldn't be the most useful weapon for the current circumstances

[MikaelNovasun]

I good start would have been to double down on that and actually explore what those empathic powers are now

Maybe they have in a sense. Kwannon's telepathy since her return seems different then Betsy's. While Kwannon is able to read others' mind she seems to only be able to share thoughts via psychic knife. And she was able to see Rahne's death due to the emotional/psychic turmoil at the murder scene, and then use that to track and find Rahne's killers. They don't go into any detail on how she is resetting Logan's perceptions and undoing Emma's brain washing. Did it occur when she used the psy-knife on him, or is it proximity to her?

Hopefully the writers do a satisfactory job in filling in the blanks and developing her character. For now I am looking forward to see which direction they take Kwannon.

[Killerbee911]

Some stuff from Aipt about Kwannon and fallen angels

AiPT!: And now, without spoiling too much, what X-Character are you currently having the most fun writing?

Bryan: Psylocke/Kwannon. I’ve always identified with her severity and her discipline. I started studying martial arts during that ’90s run and there was a young woman in my class that looked JUST LIKE HER. She was an amazing martial artist, a black belt, and she helped me understand the forms and gave me sparring tips. Shout out to Yumi, wherever you are. I’m still watching my balance. I didn’t forget. Power comes from the shoulders, not the arms. Hit with the first two knuckles. Follow through and watch your breath.

AiPT!: Why should X-Fans and non-X-Fans give your new Dawn of X series a shot?

Bryan: Fallen Angels is getting a lot of personal truth out of me onto the page, a lot of thoughts I don’t often share in a story that’s ferocious. We explore levels of Psylocke and X-23 that haven’t been touched yet and anyone that feels set against the world, anyone struggling to find their identity and purpose, anyone trying to make themselves better in times that try us every day should get something out of this one.Comics, for me, have always been about the bleeding edge of storytelling. Comics are the punk rock and hip-hop of modern literature and that energy is flowing into Fallen Angels. It’s a HAMMER of a book and I’m swinging with both hands.

[Killerbee911]