Kwannon: Psylocke II / Revanche Appreciation 2021

[Killerbee911]

To be clear - I am not saying it belongs to her. I just associate it to Betsy. Because what I currently see in Kwannon I read as Betsy for over 20 years.

For sure. But to look exactly like the same person too? I think we call that twins. Or doppelgangers. Or clones.

And that's what I hope to see - something to show that Kwannon's personality is different than Betsy's that we saw for 20 years.

Yeah that is what they want you see or there is no point in using Kwannon, They could have in-universe explained it(Betsy acting that way was Kwannon influence) but they didn't but point of Kwannon being around is to give what Asian Betsy would have given us in a story. Overtime they will be made more different but the intent for Kwannon to give fans what Asian Betsy would have given us in that role. The problem is not Kwannon right now, It is Betsy isn't clearly defined and she doesn't have her niche yet after the split.

[Psigal]

A backstory is great - but it doesn't matter if it's not being used to tell the current story.

So while that's not Betsy's origin - Betsy certainly moved and acted like a ninja assassin during her time in the body, rather than a proper British woman.

I think that's where the real problem lies.

Everyone else through the Siege Perilous remained the same, character wise.

Betsy changed into an assassin. She wasn't a proper British woman in a ninja's body. She was a ninja. That became Betsy's personality - and now defies how Betsy "was."

I think the problem doesn't lie on Kwannon but on current Betsy in Excalibur. After reading Hellions, you can easily tell the difference between Kwannon's and Betsy's Psylocke. Kwannon is a much more deadly ninja while Betsy is a more friendly one.

Betsy's personality has definitely changed after the body swap because she has gained not just Kwannon's body but also her memory. The memory should still be there even Betsy is back to her original body but why her personality is so much different now in Excalibur?(when compare to herself in Asian body)

I have been reading the discussion in Betsy's thread and people said she is not herself right now. If it is true, I think the reason behind is because Betsy is trying not to act so much like 'Kwannon or Asian Betsy' on purpose after she is back to her original body. If she acts normally now, she would just act like 'Asian Betsy' which she is trying to avoid in order to distinguish between herself and Kwannon.

[Shadowcat]

I can see that. I think Tini needs to read more of Bets’ pre-body swap stories, and maybe fill her cast out with members who make more sense than her current teammates do.

With Kwannon, other than a handful of stories, she’s a blank slate. Now is the time to really differentiate her, and create experiences from her ninja/Hand assassin past. I hope her daughter turns up, and is maybe a mutant, or trained to be a young assassin herself. Forcing Kwannon to come to terms with her past.

[Psigal]

If Tini is writing Betsy to have the mental issue. She can't just become the pre-body swap british because she is different now. Her current personality should be what she was in the Asian body. But right now, she is just trying to cover it up and act like the pre-body swap person but it is affecting her performance as this is no longer herself.

[Shadowcat]

If Tini is writing Betsy to have the mental issue. She can't just become the pre-body swap british because she is different now. Her current personality should be what she was in the Asian body. But right now, she is just trying to cover it up and act like the pre-body swap person but it is affecting her performance as this is no longer herself.

Oh, I agree. I think Bets should be visibly frustrated trying to behave like she did, pre-swap. Like, show it being a strain to going back to what she once was.

[Psigal]

Oh, I agree. I think Bets should be visibly frustrated trying to behave like she did, pre-swap. Like, show it being a strain to going back to what she once was.

Yea, so this is only a guess because none of this is shown in the first 15 issues of Excalibur.

[Shadowcat]

Yea, so this is only a guess because none of this is shown in the first 15 issues of Excalibur.

Alas, I fear it never will.

[Adam-X]

I think the problem doesn't lie on Kwannon but on current Betsy in Excalibur. After reading Hellions, you can easily tell the difference between Kwannon's and Betsy's Psylocke. Kwannon is a much more deadly ninja while Betsy is a more friendly one.

I've only read one issue of Excalibur - and Betsy is definitely different than her "ninja" days - which I really like. It sort of helps by reading both - to see that difference.

[Psigal]

I've only read one issue of Excalibur - and Betsy is definitely different than her "ninja" days - which I really like. It sort of helps by reading both - to see that difference.

The point is even Betsy is still ninja Psylocke, she and Kwannon are still quite different and there is no need for her to become 'another person'.

[Havok83]

I think the problem doesn't lie on Kwannon but on current Betsy in Excalibur. After reading Hellions, you can easily tell the difference between Kwannon's and Betsy's Psylocke. Kwannon is a much more deadly ninja while Betsy is a more friendly one.
.

Im not sure IA with that. Who has Kwannon even faced in that book? It was a bunch of demonic possessed clones, Arakko mutants (whom she fled from) Right sentinels and now Murderworld robots. Her opponents have been rather safe andI dont think she's even killed anyone She hasnt really been given the opportunity to be deadly. Meanwhile Betsy was killing humans and allies. She was pretty cold when she murdered Magneto and later writers were not scared to show the ugly side of her taking lives so I wouldnt call her a friendly ninja. Kwannon is very different than Betsy as Captain Britian, but she isnt much different than Betsy as Psylocke

[Celestialbodies]

Oh, I know why they're keeping her with the same look... But they should have her go with a new look for a year or so. Similar to when Storm had the mohawk. A rebellious streak to break away from the norm.
Not saying Kwannon needs a mohawk - but I feel like she needs a new look for a year or two - and then slowly go back to the "Psylocke" look we all know.
Giving readers an easy way to tell the difference for awhile between Kwannon and what was formerly Betsy.
As you said - you'd think she'd want to rebel and show the world she's her own person - but literally creating a new "identity"/look for herself.



And I am very cool with Betsy moving forward as Captain Britain now.



Yeah - I feel like he's got Greycrow down nicely.
Kwannon just feels like an angry (Ninja) Betsy to me. Which is why I wish they gave her another persona or something.
Wildchild feels on the mark - he's always been more animalistic. (Except in X-Factor which was off the mark ... way off the mark...)
Empath... Well, it's easy to write an arsehat. So he's got that down.
Nanny and such - there's never been much to them.

Sinister however... is... too light hearted...

So he's really my main issue.

But he's also a main character.

Mr. Sinister is flamboyant and eccentric, but he's also incredibly deadly only a handful of issues ago he quite viciously and mercilessly murdered his entire squad all to conceal his secret machinations. I've personally found that in this era they've done a good job distinguishing between his funny and silly side while also ensuring that he's a deadly threat if need be.

Their personalities seem very different to me. Kwannon is a classic tortured broody assassin with tragic backstory that has "only" known killing and navigates the world in a sort of dark pragmatic way. Would anyone really describe Betsy like that, even when she was a ninja?

Agreed, Wells deserves all the credit and he has absolutely done a fantastic job defining Kwannon's personality in this era and making her distinctly different from Bets as Psylocke. Sure there are similarities but I think that's to be expected, Bets is a character with over 40 years of development and much of that time was spent in the form of Kwannon's body. That said I genuinely believe if Tini was doing a stronger job with Bets personality and narrative I do think the differences would or perhaps could add to the new overall direction for Bets.

[Jackraow21]

I really like Kwannon and have been wanting to see her on a X-Force team with Domino and Cable ever since they released the three of them as the X-Force pack in Fortnite, which my young son plays. Those three, plus Deadpool, kind of are X-Force in my mind. Or they should be anyway.

[CGAR]

They named dropped Kwannon in Fortnite with that Betsy uniform?

[Jackraow21]

No. They just called her Psylocke, but it was Kwannon body Psylocke and I doubt most folks playing the game know any difference.

[Psigal]

No. They just called her Psylocke, but it was Kwannon body Psylocke and I doubt most folks playing the game know any difference.

I think right now you can tell whether it is Kwannon's or Betsy's Psylocke by their hair color. Betsy is purple while Kwannon is black. (But still not sure about Kwannon's eyes color, I have seen brown, blue and purple. But Betsy clearly has purple eyes.)

And I think the general influence after the body swap for both Psylocke is Betsy has become 'tougher' while Kwannon has become 'softer' because they both have each other memory. So, they will probably have their own struggle after they both returned to their own bodies.