Betsy Braddock: Psylocke Appreciation 2018

[Conor]

Honestly, I don't think we really know what her natural mutation/potential is. I'm about to go into full-on nerd mode on how Betsy's powers progressed lol.

- Psychic bond shared with Brian since children.
- In Acts of Vengeance there was a scene that was a possible memory of pre-teen Betsy accidentally creating a psychic illusion when she was hassling Brian.
- In the earlier Captain Britain stories she started out with psychic flashes/dreams.
- In Alan Moore's Captain Britain stories up until Tom Lennox died, she was a precognitive and appeared to be a low level telepath. The only thing she did with her telepathy at this time was read/scan minds and could feel when each one of her friends were murdered by Slaymaster.
- After Tom was killed, she was taken in by Victoria Bentley and she learned how to use her abilities offensively and agressively, like when she took out around 8 armored goons with one psychic blast that were after Brian.
- When Kaptain Briton tried to rape her, it appears that telekinesis was involved. He was on top of her and once she saw inside his mind, she flipped out, waved her hands and he was thrown back into a wall. Objects in the room were
thrown back as well. Once she really went in on him, he was left a smoldering husk.
- As a newbie X-man, she became more powerful and versatile and began using long distance communication, astral projection, illusions, mind control, and many of the things that high level telepaths are capable of, but her
precognition seemed to go into dormancy. She also dubbed her most powerful attack the psycho-blast that affected things psychically and physically.
- After Acts of Vengeance, she learned how to create a physical manifestation for her power, the psychic knife.
- After Revanche died, she began to manifest a psychic sword and katana briefly before AoA. Once it ended, she was back to the psychic knife and then almost killed by Sabretooth.

The situation with Betsy and Jean swapping powers is muddled, but I'm just gonna say that it would seem logical that Betsy had the natural ability/potential to develop telekinesis. For example, like Xavier being a telepath (but has had telekinetic moments in the early X-men days), but yet Cassandra Nova was able to create a body for herself based off his genetic structure, using his full potential, one of which was telekinesis. There's also Jean that was able to possess Emma and use telekinesis in her body (Emma has been hinted at being a latent telekine at least twice in Generation X).

So I'm ok with her power-set of having both abilities with the weakness that she can't go all-out with both. I'd just add in limited precognition sometimes and limited psychometry.

Psycwave and Havok83, love your avatars.

Ooh I loved this little history lesson on Psylocke’s powers. I’m not overly familiar w/Betsy’s past in the 70s Captain Britain comics so thanks for giving me the dl on her abilities/feats during that period. Interesting about her managing to use some form of tk against Kaptain Briton, probably because it was such a high-stress traumatic situation for Bets that she was able to tap into some extra uncovered telekinetic potential. Would be cool if, after this new “body-swap”, she started off with telepathy but then naturally developed telekinesis, like a secondary mutation.

[Psyknight]

I don't really think anyone has had her smashing mountains or flying since CC have they? I think Bunn with the little butterfly wings (<3) and that random moment during Second Coming but that's it? What most say the want with the tk is basically what we've been getting the last few years lol. Very moderate, weapons with the occasional shield and deflection of debris.

But I'm also fine if it stays. I've always been fond of Tekelocke.

Exactly.

Honestly, I don't think we really know what her natural mutation/potential is. I'm about to go into full-on nerd mode on how Betsy's powers progressed lol.

- Psychic bond shared with Brian since children.
- In Acts of Vengeance there was a scene that was a possible memory of pre-teen Betsy accidentally creating a psychic illusion when she was hassling Brian.
- In the earlier Captain Britain stories she started out with psychic flashes/dreams.
- In Alan Moore's Captain Britain stories up until Tom Lennox died, she was a precognitive and appeared to be a low level telepath. The only thing she did with her telepathy at this time was read/scan minds and could feel when each one of her friends were murdered by Slaymaster.
- After Tom was killed, she was taken in by Victoria Bentley and she learned how to use her abilities offensively and agressively, like when she took out around 8 armored goons with one psychic blast that were after Brian.
- When Kaptain Briton tried to rape her, it appears that telekinesis was involved. He was on top of her and once she saw inside his mind, she flipped out, waved her hands and he was thrown back into a wall. Objects in the room were
thrown back as well. Once she really went in on him, he was left a smoldering husk.
- As a newbie X-man, she became more powerful and versatile and began using long distance communication, astral projection, illusions, mind control, and many of the things that high level telepaths are capable of, but her
precognition seemed to go into dormancy. She also dubbed her most powerful attack the psycho-blast that affected things psychically and physically.
- After Acts of Vengeance, she learned how to create a physical manifestation for her power, the psychic knife.
- After Revanche died, she began to manifest a psychic sword and katana briefly before AoA. Once it ended, she was back to the psychic knife and then almost killed by Sabretooth.

The situation with Betsy and Jean swapping powers is muddled, but I'm just gonna say that it would seem logical that Betsy had the natural ability/potential to develop telekinesis. For example, like Xavier being a telepath (but has had telekinetic moments in the early X-men days), but yet Cassandra Nova was able to create a body for herself based off his genetic structure, using his full potential, one of which was telekinesis. There's also Jean that was able to possess Emma and use telekinesis in her body (Emma has been hinted at being a latent telekine at least twice in Generation X).

So I'm ok with her power-set of having both abilities with the weakness that she can't go all-out with both. I'd just add in limited precognition sometimes and limited psychometry.

Psycwave and Havok83, love your avatars.

I love when you do rundowns of Psylocke’s history.

[Angrel-San]

Is so stupid to have Psylocke without her skills.

Are the writers forgetting that just like Cyclops, Psylocke IS A TRAINING AND ADRENALINE JUNKIE and all her skills are way overdue earned.

Damn, this is stupid and ridiculous!!! Hope they fix that very quickly. Martial Artist Psylocke is a MUST.

[Psyknight]

Is so stupid to have Psylocke without her skills.

Are the writers forgetting that just like Cyclops, Psylocke IS A TRAINING AND ADRENALINE JUNKIE and all her skills are way overdue earned.

Damn, this is stupid and ridiculous!!! Hope they fix that very quickly. Martial Artist Psylocke is a MUST.

To be fair, we don’t know yet if she’ll lose her martial arts skills. If she does there’s a very good chance it’s temporary. Not Psylocke is Asian for 29 years temporary, but more like an arc to two temporary.

[Drey]

Ooh I loved this little history lesson on Psylocke’s powers. I’m not overly familiar w/Betsy’s past in the 70s Captain Britain comics so thanks for giving me the dl on her abilities/feats during that period. Interesting about her managing to use some form of tk against Kaptain Briton, probably because it was such a high-stress traumatic situation for Bets that she was able to tap into some extra uncovered telekinetic potential. Would be cool if, after this new “body-swap”, she started off with telepathy but then naturally developed telekinesis, like a secondary mutation.

Glad to help!! And the high stress situation very well could have been a factor. Psychics have been known to display feats they couldn't normally do, while enraged. Rachel once lashed out with power equal to Xavier's when she was new to the present and found out that Jean was dead. Power she didn't have normally.

I love when you do rundowns of Psylocke’s history.

[CGAR]

Anyone else concerned that Charles Soule gets one more shot at Betsy after her changes. I just finished reading his Astonishing Xmen run. And gotta say that run of issues was blah. So I guess we'll see what he does in the book end of the Hunt for Wolverine series.

[Psyknight]

Anyone else concerned that Charles Soule gets one more shot at Betsy after her changed. I just finished reading his Astonishing Xmen run. And gotta say that run of issues what blah. So I guess we'll see what he does in the book end of the Hunt for Wolverine series.

Yep, definitely concerned.

[CGAR]

Also I was thinking of current artist that Id like to see draw our girl in a run. But all the ones I want are long shots:

Olivier Coipel (an arc reuniting the Aussie team)
Clay Mann (an arc reuniting the blue team)
Kim Jacinto (an arc reuniting the Xtreme Xmen team)
Pepe Larraz (an arc reuniting her with the Braddock squad)
Russell Dauterman (an otherworld arc)
Adi Granov (variant covers)
Mark Brooks (variant covers)

[oasis1313]

That was delightful.

Where was this?

[Psycwave]

I wouldn't really say concerned. Soule's Astonishing was pretty inoffensive in regards to Psylocke. Dreadfully boring and forgettable? Yeah. But if he did write her again I'd expect more of the same. She's not going to do anything spectacular but she's also not going to be throwing herself off a cliff for the hell of it. Just there using her powers and going about the day.

I'm very hype for the first solo Psylocke cover we get post Mystery. I would love if Frison got it because I love her painted style. That Storm cover for Red was great and I also enjoyed her Psylocke Death of X variant. OMG or Bianchi <3333

[Havok83]

I’ll have to recheck but I thought she flew in X-men v4

I knew she did

[Psyknight]

I wouldn't really say concerned. Soule's Astonishing was pretty inoffensive in regards to Psylocke. Dreadfully boring and forgettable? Yeah. But if he did write her again I'd expect more of the same. She's not going to do anything spectacular but she's also not going to be throwing herself off a cliff for the hell of it. Just there using her powers and going about the day.

I'm very hype for the first solo Psylocke cover we get post Mystery. I would love if Frison got it because I love her painted style. That Storm cover for Red was great and I also enjoyed her Psylocke Death of X variant. OMG or Bianchi <3333

Inoffensive, but insufferably boring. I’ll just skip it.

[Tazirai]

Is so stupid to have Psylocke without her skills.

Are the writers forgetting that just like Cyclops, Psylocke IS A TRAINING AND ADRENALINE JUNKIE and all her skills are way overdue earned.

Damn, this is stupid and ridiculous!!! Hope they fix that very quickly. Martial Artist Psylocke is a MUST.

She is not and has not been an action junkie for years. it was always stupid that she was some dumb action junkie who spent time getting knocked around because she didn't think before acting.
It's also not stupid to have her relearn her skills again.

[Tazirai]

I wouldn't really say concerned. Soule's Astonishing was pretty inoffensive in regards to Psylocke. Dreadfully boring and forgettable? Yeah. But if he did write her again I'd expect more of the same. She's not going to do anything spectacular but she's also not going to be throwing herself off a cliff for the hell of it. Just there using her powers and going about the day.

I'm very hype for the first solo Psylocke cover we get post Mystery. I would love if Frison got it because I love her painted style. That Storm cover for Red was great and I also enjoyed her Psylocke Death of X variant. OMG or Bianchi <3333

Agreed. I don't like Soule on team books. but Darth Vader is pretty damn good. So it would be nice if he did the research and wrote her as more than some dumb stabby thing and an action nut.
Psylocke is nuance and grace. Not a Brute.

She's a Butterfly, not a Bull. Lol.

[Killerbee911]

I would be highly annoyed if Psylocke Martial arts was taken away because there is no logical reason for her to lose it. An Asain body doesn't give her martial arts and even if she was to lose Kwannon memories/ abilities she has years of doing martial arts herself. Unless something traumatic happens with her memories the exact the same character fighting wise should exisit when Psylocke switch bodies the only difference the body she might end up is not the same physical shape as the old one. So her abilites is dimished it would be because she in body not the shape to do all the same things.

Also, I am one of the rare people who like Psylocke as better stronger Telekinetic than Telepath. Why? Because Psylocke will always get jobbed in TP department the X-world has Xavier, Jean, Rachel, Emma and Quire and writers love pushing their favorite to the top. The big fear is she is going to become lesser TP purple headed Jean Grey and with Jean around you don't need the purple hair version. Now if Psylocke is the premiere telekinetic they are only Jean and Hellion really high level. She would easily have that niche all to herself. I rather her as mid level telepath and Omega level TK basically she would be Darth Vader or Kylo ren. Anyways if you are Pyslocke fan prepare for her to get psychically jobbed i can see that happening a lot more now