Betsy Braddock: Psylocke Appreciation 2018

[Havok83]

Though you could say that her accent would lessen over time but maybe the writers just didn't want to get it wrong with the British words...or didn't know how to write it...

I think most writers simply did not care. Had MiM not happened, I doubt the UXM writers would be writing her like this but there's actual attention and effort being poured into her bc of the change

[MentalManipulator]

Her new weapons makes me want for them to explore more of her Otherworld origins at some point.

[Drey]

Yeah Havok, Selene is right in that her dialogue read the most British it's ever been. He had a good voice for her and utilized her powers very effectively. She'd use long distance psi-attacks along with martial arts to deal with opponents. She also used a real katana that looked as if she'd reinforce it with TK and she could channel her TK through it.

He also made her a little scary. She was struggling to beat her killing addiction, but in one incident she made the entire X-Force team and about 50+ mutant captives go to sleep while she slaughtered dozens of armed guards by herself to free one last prisoner.

[Havok83]

Yeah Havok, Selene is right in that her dialogue read the most British it's ever been. He had a good voice for her and utilized her powers very effectively. She'd use long distance psi-attacks along with martial arts to deal with opponents. She also used a real katana that looked as if she'd reinforce it with TK and she could channel her TK through it.

He also made her a little scary. She was struggling to beat her killing addiction, but in one incident she made the entire X-Force team and about 50+ mutant captives go to sleep while she slaughtered dozens of armed guards by herself to free one last prisoner.

You know I lost interest in the X-books after AvX. I only read the Bendis books that followed and she wasnt a part of any of them. 2013- up until 2015's post SW is a gap in my X-men knowledge

[Drey]

You know I lost interest in the X-books after AvX. I only read the Bendis books that followed and she wasnt a part of any of them. 2013- up until 2015's post SW is a gap in my X-men knowledge

Ah, I see. I've been there myself and still trying to fill in gaps. I'm slowly moving through the previous Uncanny X-men run with Magneto as leader with Psylocke second in command. I'm in the middle of Apocalyspe Wars. But in other titles where the 05 are involved, I'm only getting ready to start The Trial of Jean Grey and Kitty has only just left the school to defect to Scott's team.

But if you're ever interested in what happens with Betsy during this era, it's worth checking out. Her ever present annoyance of Marrow was grand.

[CGAR]

Spurriers run and his Psylocke are under appreciated. Loved his take.

And I forgot to mention but now that its brought up buy someone else.

The way she manifested her new weapons also made me want to see them delve into her otherworld side.

Just because of the Excalibur vibes I got

[Shadowcat]

What rumour? Do you have a link?

I'd prefer if she's not in the Cyclops book. He has the tendency to suck all air and attention in a book.



Cool. She's perfect in my book. Telepath, psychic weapons and ninja skills. Plus a body that is not racially offensive.

I can’t reveal my sources, but I’m friends with people who work at Marvel.

[PsionicHero]

Her new weapons makes me want for them to explore more of her Otherworld origins at some point.

I'm so down for this now. Originally I wasn't....I was scared the switch back to her British body was going to rub me the wrong way. As I was brought onto X-Men in the 90s after the swap. I'm liking what they are doing with her, especially with the artists who are currently drawing her. I'm loving the broad sword and shield combo, the long wavy lavender hair, the rounder eyes, but still as fierce as ever. I'm totally here for her keeping this weaponry and delving more into her Otherworld origins and exploring that mythos.

Betsy is a character of constant metamorphosis. She has shed the Asian body and the dragon-lady tropes. Lets see her move forward and really try something new. I'm excited!

[Raised_by_wolves]

It’s just an uninteresting story.

I found her a more compelling character in the assassins body. Now I feel she will fade away, just some Captain Britain psychic warrior with a luke warm look.

I bet it’s gone after not too long.

[MentalManipulator]

I can’t reveal my sources, but I’m friends with people who work at Marvel.

cool. but what are the rumours then?

[CRaymond]

Betsy is a character of constant metamorphosis.

I agree. But what's next?

I have nothing but side-eye for those of you that seem hot to "explore" her Otherworld connections now that she's white, or excited to see the new weapons that match her ethnicity. Psylocke's sadly been messy for 40 years, and this dramatic match in the display of her powers to that of her body strikes me as terribly ... racial. I say this as the same guy that feels Betsy choosing to wear a qipao and kimono as sending the wrong signal to what people should think of her character.

She's a mind that's been in several bodies. That mind has accumulated Asian martial arts. Training and muscle memory may be a factor, but it's a boring one. If Jewish nerd Kitty Pryde can swing a katana and claim some ninja into her character kit, a telepath who absorbed ninja skills from the Hand should certainly continue to do so. But now that she's been bleached, so has her imagination and skillset? I'm not going to jump out of my chair because it's been exactly one issue and a few previews. But I still have LOTS of side-eye.

[Havok83]

I agree. But what's next?

I have nothing but side-eye for those of you that seem hot to "explore" her Otherworld connections now that she's white, or excited to see the new weapons that match her ethnicity. Psylocke's sadly been messy for 40 years, and this dramatic match in the display of her powers to that of her body strikes me as terribly ... racial. I say this as the same guy that feels Betsy choosing to wear a qipao and kimono as sending the wrong signal to what people should think of her character.

She's a mind that's been in several bodies. That mind has accumulated Asian martial arts. Training and muscle memory may be a factor, but it's a boring one. If Jewish nerd Kitty Pryde can swing a katana and claim some ninja into her character kit, a telepath who absorbed ninja skills from the Hand should certainly continue to do so. But now that she's been bleached, so has her imagination and skillset? I'm not going to jump out of my chair because it's been exactly one issue and a few previews. But I still have LOTS of side-eye.

JDW confirmed that she is still a ninja. She experimented with a different weapon set in this first issue but her martial art skills arent gone. Besides Betsy used other TK weapons besides a katana, while in the Asian body. Why is it problematic now?

[MentalManipulator]

https://www.cbr.com/uncanny-x-men-psylocke-new-weapons/

"While several of this issue's variant covers indicate that Psylocke will still use smaller psionic daggers, Psylocke's new weapons reflect how she's changed during her time with the X-Men. While she still has her psychic butterfly, Psylocke also keeps the warrior's killer instinct that her time in Kwannon's body helped awaken. Now, Betsy is channeling dueling aspects of her time as an aristocrat, X-Man and ninja assassin into a unified whole that feels like a natural progression for the character.
Since mutants represent the next evolution of humanity in the Marvel Universe, change is a consistent in the X-Men's world. And so far, Psylocke's latest evolution is shaping up to be her best yet."

This comment brought tears to my eyes. I love how her evolution comes full circle. She regained her original identity but keeps all the warriors and fighter aspects she learned through these years. Aspects she always yearned her whole life.

[Infernal-Ginger]

https://www.cbr.com/uncanny-x-men-psylocke-new-weapons/

"While several of this issue's variant covers indicate that Psylocke will still use smaller psionic daggers, Psylocke's new weapons reflect how she's changed during her time with the X-Men. While she still has her psychic butterfly, Psylocke also keeps the warrior's killer instinct that her time in Kwannon's body helped awaken. Now, Betsy is channeling dueling aspects of her time as an aristocrat, X-Man and ninja assassin into a unified whole that feels like a natural progression for the character.
Since mutants represent the next evolution of humanity in the Marvel Universe, change is a consistent in the X-Men's world. And so far, Psylocke's latest evolution is shaping up to be her best yet."

This comment brought tears to my eyes. I love how her evolution comes full circle. She regained her original identity but keeps all the warriors and fighter aspects she learned through these years. Aspects she always yearned her whole life.

Yes!! I really hope they do an Otherworld storyline. I love that she is keeping her warrior aspects too.

[CRaymond]

Why is it problematic now?

Aside from her character almost always being problematic, with the creepy Doug thing starting in her US introduction... it's not really worth digging into right now, for all the reasons you list. It just strikes me as incredibly off-putting that there are those of us on this forum and in the studios at Marvel that seemingly want to keep, or least prefer, Asian tropes with Asian bodies, and European ones with European bodies. She could've and should've explored Otherworldly origins whilst in Kwannon's form, something that did happen in X-Force. If the writers DO in fact explore that dichotomy and coalesced persona, I'll be happily impressed.

I've never been excited about telekinetic Betsy anyway. I wished it faded over time, like the precognition and teleportation. A well, maybe in my next life I'll be a writer.