Betsy Braddock: The Focused Totality of Appreciation 2024

[Redjack]

We'll see what her status quo is in July and that should help better inform the possibilities. But yeah as CB she has access to a lot story threads to be built off of.

My name is Geoffrey Thorne and I endorse this observation.

[Luckystar.]

My name is Geoffrey Thorne and I endorse this observation.

We endorse more Claremont, Rick Remender and Cullen Bunn’s Betsy and less Krakoa era Betsy.

[whitecrown]

We endorse more Claremont, Rick Remender and Cullen Bunn’s Betsy and less Krakoa era Betsy.

I'd like to go back to the 2018 Disassembled period. That was the last time I enjoyed Betsy when there was no Kwannon, no Captain Britain mythos, no Rachel relationship, and Betsy wasn't shunted off in a B-List book. She was on the A-List team in the flagship book alongside X-Men stalwarts like Jean, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Iceman, still went by Psylocke, still had a relationship (of sorts) with Warren, and retained her iconic imagery like her psychic knife and butterfly with her best new costume to match.

[JB]

My name is Geoffrey Thorne and I endorse this observation.

Looking forward to what you have in store for us.

I'd like to go back to the 2018 Disassembled period. That was the last time I enjoyed Betsy when there was no Kwannon, no Captain Britain mythos, no Rachel relationship, and Betsy wasn't shunted off in a B-List book. She was on the A-List team in the flagship book alongside X-Men stalwarts like Jean, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Iceman, still went by Psylocke, still had a relationship (of sorts) with Warren, and retained her iconic imagery like her psychic knife and butterfly with her best new costume to match.

Unfortunately our time machine is broken but I believe we're in for a fun ride so I say let's buckle up!

[Redjack]

We endorse more Claremont, Rick Remender and Cullen Bunn’s Betsy and less Krakoa era Betsy.

Alas, I am not those men. All I can promise or provide is the From the Ashes era Betsy.

[Hakka84]

Alas, I am not those men. All I can promise or provide is the From the Ashes era Betsy.

To posterity the arduous sentence, a poet once said.
Only once the comic - and at least an arch - is out, we will be able to say in which category (good, bad or forgettable) From the Ashes era Betsy goes.

[CGAR]

I have concerns but I will stay optimistic about this nonsense patriotic hero shenanigans.

[mattsarchamp]

Alas, I am not those men. All I can promise or provide is the From the Ashes era Betsy.

Can't wait for your version of Betsy, sir. Best of luck.

[Hakka84]

I have concerns but I will stay optimistic about this nonsense patriotic hero shenanigans.

Can I offer what is to me the biggest (to some only) good thing about Betsy becoming CB? A whole new world of AUs Betsys.
I would kill for a series that developed those. Imagine. Each issue a new Betsy, her story, how her world is - differences and similarities.
Damn, I want that.

With my fanfic project I'm trying that, but nothing beats canon, because authors are able to think outside the box while I tend to stick to 616-canon and repeat events in the AUs. (also, I'm biased with Warren/Betsy, as you all know, and it's very hard to put the ship googles asides)
Also, there are so many existing Betsys that should be included, not new creations but Betsys already canon! Did you all remember that there was a stoat/mink (IDK which) Psylocke in Mojoworld? And what about the male Betsy we see in the Reformed Corps splash page of X of Swords. How their life had been different, were they picked instead of female!Brian, or Merlyn still favoured Brian over a male Betsy? Show us more about the world of T-Rex Betsy, if there are native versions of other mutants, and if yes which dinosaur is Wolverine and which Storm. And how/if they communicate?
And I have a whole list of questions and annotations and complaints about Violet Swan (she/he? doesn't have anything to do in the Spider-Ham verse, since in there characters are anthropomorphic animals, not full animals). And what about the dragon Betsy? Does she come from a world made of dragons, or is she a magical creature?
And how all these Betys became CB? Did they became CB because of Saturnyne's spell? Does this mean that all their realities were devoid of a CB since the Incursions (or even before, from the battle in X-Men: Die by the Sword)? All of them lost their brother Brian?
(not to mention the potential for exploring new romances with improbable fellow mutants - could you image an AU in which Betsy is married to, say, Dazzler? Or an AU in which she has a friends-with-benefits with Tony Stark?)
COME ON. There's material for years here. Marvel, listen to me!

Ok. Sorry. I got carried away. I fear I'm too invested in this project now, I'm doomed. ç_ç
I'll return normal now. Focus on 616. I swear.

[MentalManipulator]

I have concerns but I will stay optimistic about this nonsense patriotic hero shenanigans.

Right? I hope it stops. I never liked patriotic heroes and it saddened me Bety became one.

[Psycwave]

Alas, I am not those men. All I can promise or provide is the From the Ashes era Betsy.

Looking forward to it! Loved all the stuff you were saying about her mindset and apex fighting styles available to a telepath in the other thread. I’m looking forward to see what she’s juggling and why Forge comes to her and Ray for help. They’ve got a long history but not much interaction so I’m intrigued to know how she acts with him.

[CGAR]

I am fine with the CB role as long as its not her defining trait. TH made her so different because she was "trying" to act like a proper hero (im paraphrasing) but it just came off like DnD.

As long as she is juggling X-Men/X-Force stuff/ Strike unit/ CB /Otherworld stuff I will be happy.

And getting sexy uniforms.

I get the whole having other Betsy's to explore but I dont want her to ever have the Blink problem where the AU version is cooler or more interesting than the 616 version.'

So I'd rather have her be the focus and have minimal contact with her Corps and maybe bring back more of the OG Corps members/

[whitecrown]

One problem with the Captain Britain identity is that he was never an A-Lister. Captain America is an A-Lister but other patriotic heroes really aren't. As Psylocke, Betsy had A-List status. Losing her mantle to become Captain Britain automatically relegated her to B-List status and it shows.

[mattsarchamp]

Too much focus on the Otherworld was the real problem and less on the Krakoa side. Then the ship with Rachel and the neglect on her powerset did not help her characterization at all. Many fans were turned off and never supported again resulting to the repeated cancellations of the books from the previous writer.

[CGAR]

I honestly don’t think otherworld was the issue.

I think it was that she was so far removed from the X side of things and not interacting with the A list X-men in meaningful ways.

Also the whole for “queen and country” BS she was spouting was NOT it.