Kwannon: Psylocke II / Revanche Appreciation 2021

[danielsan52]

Kwannon is getting decent character development in Hellions. I’m hoping she decides to abandon the Psylocke title and come into her own with a new costume and new code name.

[Adam-X]

Kwannon is getting decent character development in Hellions. I’m hoping she decides to abandon the Psylocke title and come into her own with a new costume and new code name.

Thank you all! Definitely going to pick up a few issues. See how it feels.

[crimsontt]

While I do love the character, I don’t think kwannon is getting any characterization beyond the cool, polished soldier/assassin we’ve seen in many betsy depictions through the last decade. The only “new” attribute is that she had a daughter and this makes her strings attached to Sinister, but I can ser betsy easily going the same road for Warren or Brian.

[Killerbee911]

While I do love the character, I don’t think kwannon is getting any characterization beyond the cool, polished soldier/assassin we’ve seen in many betsy depictions through the last decade. The only “new” attribute is that she had a daughter and this makes her strings attached to Sinister, but I can ser betsy easily going the same road for Warren or Brian.

Why is that a bad thing? And something to consider polished soldier/assassin we’ve seen in many Betsy depictions through the last decade was the sort of the influence of Kwannon in-universe.

[Vishop]

Where is she these days? She appearing in a book on a normal basis?

If you are talking about Elektra, she is appearing in Savage Avengers and Daredevil IIRC.

[danielsan52]

I'd love to see Kwannon in a look inspired by Pizzicato Five/Maki Nomiya

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[Celestialbodies]

And this is just because:




The epitome of everything I wanted in a Psylocke on screen, telepathic ingenuity, telepathic butterfly, and the psychic knife. This was the Bets version but my god doesn't she look spectacular!

[cam18]

Doubt Kwannon will be giving up the Psylocke name its become synonymous with the Asian Ninja.....for branding and other reasons its probably here to stay and I get it all due respect to Betsy who is important and all but the Psylocke brand really took off with the Asian Body even though its predates that by a few years it is what it is.....Marvel is trying to have there cake and eat it to.

[crimsontt]

Why is that a bad thing? And something to consider polished soldier/assassin we’ve seen in many Betsy depictions through the last decade was the sort of the influence of Kwannon in-universe.

Not a bad thing. It’s the best of worlds in my opinion as I have two psylockes to read now.

As for Psylocke being influenced by kwannon. Remember this is not real life. Kwannon was born the moment revanche showed up in x-men 17. Psylocke was already the cool, elegant killer at that time and she had been so since 1991, when kwannon were not even intended to exist.

So kwannon is entirely a legacy character. A good one. I love her but I hope time does her justice so she can stand out as a more unique character. Many legacy characters accomplish this by fulfilling their journey as derivation of mainstream characters to have relevance, agendas, behaviors and roles of their own. Jane foster, x23, Rachel Grey.

My dream i to see betsy eventually reclaiming the psylocke codename, the power signatures, the quintessencial psylocke look (the armbands and the high colar, bare shoulders, but not the thong nor the katana) while kwannon gets her revanche look and feel back. Both skilled martial artists, both cool drop dead beautiful warriors, both x-women.

[Ferro]

Why is that a bad thing? And something to consider polished soldier/assassin we’ve seen in many Betsy depictions through the last decade was the sort of the influence of Kwannon in-universe.

I don't think the whole killer/callous warrior is kwannon, betsy has ALWAYS been an action woman, in her 80's x-men run she quickly becomes one of the most ruthless and iron-made warriors in the team.
Pretty sure the claremont run twitter once counted and betsy has the most kills, most fights started and won on her 80's run on uncanny x-men.

what kwannon brought was the looks/skills and a weird orientalist "exotic, cold, sexy dragon lady', but before her creation i was all a weird body horror transformation to showcasse betsy's trauma and motivations of feeling lonely, weak, powerless, incapable of getting what she wants (wich was being the hero/captain brittain)

Everytime a psylocke has a butterfly and purple/lavender hair, that's betsy's influence, it's impossible to completly seperate them, even demon days wich was written as a new alternate version psylocke looks like betsy.

[Adam-X]

So having read Hellions #1, 2, 3 and 4 now...
I have to say... Kwannon does need to make a change to her appearance.

Whether it's a hair cut, hair color, costume change - something. Because every time they called her "Kwannon" - it registered for a brief moment it wasn't Betsy.
But as soon as the action started - my brain AUTOMATICALLY geared to that being Betsy.
Because it's SO FREAKING ingrained into my head that the look Kwannon has = Betsy.

So I feel like if they ever hope to really make Kwannon stick out - something needs to change.

I feel like there was some missed opportunities of others calling her "Betsy" then quickly correcting themselves - to the point that she says, "Eff it!" and does something drastic (hair cut, hair color change, costume change, etc).

And that said - I don't care for how much humor is in Hellions. Well. Let me amend that. I don't care for how Sinister's being written.

I absolutely love Greycrow being in this and getting some serious development.

[Ferro]

So having read Hellions #1, 2, 3 and 4 now...
I have to say... Kwannon does need to make a change to her appearance.

Whether it's a hair cut, hair color, costume change - something. Because every time they called her "Kwannon" - it registered for a brief moment it wasn't Betsy.
But as soon as the action started - my brain AUTOMATICALLY geared to that being Betsy.
Because it's SO FREAKING ingrained into my head that the look Kwannon has = Betsy.

So I feel like if they ever hope to really make Kwannon stick out - something needs to change.

I feel like there was some missed opportunities of others calling her "Betsy" then quickly correcting themselves - to the point that she says, "Eff it!" and does something drastic (hair cut, hair color change, costume change, etc).

And that said - I don't care for how much humor is in Hellions. Well. Let me amend that. I don't care for how Sinister's being written.

I absolutely love Greycrow being in this and getting some serious development.

she has jet black hair wich is a solid visual element to split the two, but she's atm a legacy character and she will need a footing to get a new costume witout losing reader's conection to her

[Adam-X]

she has jet black hair wich is a solid visual element to split the two, but she's atm a legacy character and she will need a footing to get a new costume witout losing reader's conection to her

See - I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be jet black hair or just dark purple, creatively colored.

[ChronoRogue]

So having read Hellions #1, 2, 3 and 4 now...
I have to say... Kwannon does need to make a change to her appearance.

Whether it's a hair cut, hair color, costume change - something. Because every time they called her "Kwannon" - it registered for a brief moment it wasn't Betsy.
But as soon as the action started - my brain AUTOMATICALLY geared to that being Betsy.
Because it's SO FREAKING ingrained into my head that the look Kwannon has = Betsy.

So I feel like if they ever hope to really make Kwannon stick out - something needs to change.

I feel like there was some missed opportunities of others calling her "Betsy" then quickly correcting themselves - to the point that she says, "Eff it!" and does something drastic (hair cut, hair color change, costume change, etc).

And that said - I don't care for how much humor is in Hellions. Well. Let me amend that. I don't care for how Sinister's being written.

I absolutely love Greycrow being in this and getting some serious development.

While I think its a disservice to the character to just swallow up a lot of what Marvel did with Betsy in the 90s, I think Marvel very intentionally is keeping her within the 90s identity. They want Kwannon to inherit Betsy's old position as a psychic ninja. Disney/Marvel works in brands and 90s Psylocke was a very successful and recognizable one.

Does it make a lot of in-story sense? Not really TBH, without putting too much spoilers out there, it's pretty clear Kwannon has some... feelings regarding the body switch, as she should. She should be trying to distance herself as much as possible from what Betsy did with her body but she isn't. Maybe it's more complicated then that but so far it hasn't been stated.

But yea there is subtle visual cues that it's Kwannon; black hair and dark purple eyes. I think it's just going to take awhile to get used to this as Kwannon, because I honestly don't think Betsy is ever going back. She will move foward as CB or magical knight type character.

That said, they should at least get her out of that costume. They can keep the ninja motif without resorting to the bathing suit. Heck you have an entire manga franchise about ninja who wear all sorts of different outfits, Marvel artists have no excuse not to be creative.

Anyway Hellions is full of people who didn't know Betsy. The only one that spent any signifcant amount of time with her who might be confused would be Havok and Havok was around Betsy when she looked like herself... not the 90s ninja version. That's why I think there isn't any confusion there.

Sad to hear your not feeling the humor, it can be hit and miss sometimes. Though I agree Mr Sinister can be a bit jarring, I'm still getting used to the Gillen characterization.

[Adam-X]

While I think its a disservice to the character to just swallow up a lot of what Marvel did with Betsy in the 90s, I think Marvel very intentionally is keeping her within the 90s identity. They want Kwannon to inherit Betsy's old position as a psychic ninja. Disney/Marvel works in brands and 90s Psylocke was a very successful and recognizable one.
Does it make a lot of in-story sense? Not really TBH, without putting too much spoilers out there, it's pretty clear Kwannon has some... feelings regarding the body switch, as she should. She should be trying to distance herself as much as possible from what Betsy did with her body but she isn't. Maybe it's more complicated then that but so far it hasn't been stated.

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.

But yea there is subtle visual cues that it's Kwannon; black hair and dark purple eyes. I think it's just going to take awhile to get used to this as Kwannon, because I honestly don't think Betsy is ever going back. She will move foward as CB or magical knight type character.

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

Sad to hear your not feeling the humor, it can be hit and miss sometimes. Though I agree Mr Sinister can be a bit jarring, I'm still getting used to the Gillen characterization.

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.