Betsy Braddock: Psylocke Appreciation 2018

[CRaymond]

To me Nicieza and other writers have addressed that some degree over the years, not the level that some would hope but it's not like it hasn't been touched on

I'm interested in learning more. Can you share with me the issue numbers?

[LoganAlpha30X33]

I know that at the time the bodyswap came out Nicieza did have her go over the idea of who she was shortly before Scott and Jean's wedding or around that time as it dealt with Revanche succumbing to the Legacy Virus and all, then her mini more recently had her thinking about it as well, I'm bad with issue numbers, and there was an issue right before Legion showed up and killed Xavier instead of Magneto where Betsy was drinking coffee or tea with Storm and a few others who had if memory serves been sent back in time by Legion and the caption boxes do list her as being a British woman in an Asian woman's body and such...there have been other times but like I said I'm bad with issue numbers and others could be of more help on this topic than I...

[CRaymond]

Hm. Thank you.

Yeah, I don't have the greatest confidence in Nicieza. Her miniseries looks interesting, but the amount of ninjas and cheesecake on the covers put me off.

[PsionicHero]

Hm. Thank you.

Yeah, I don't have the greatest confidence in Nicieza. Her miniseries looks interesting, but the amount of ninjas and cheesecake on the covers put me off.

I actually liked the mini-series...unfortunately I thought the art could have been loads better. The faces were wonky for me, and often times I found everyone's eyes were too far apart. However it was a really nice book end to the Body Swap/Lady Mandarin fiasco.

[Tazirai]

I will stand here and defender her and I know a few other Psylocke fans will as well. She did the best with what she was given, and she has even stated she fought for more. If it wasn't for her, the costume wouldn't have been navy blue, she put in an incredible amount of work into her stunt training. While I think the version of Psylocke she was playing was much more an X-Force type of Psylocke, I still think she knew which 'version' they were going for in the film.

In all her interviews she makes it a point to say Psylocke is ruthless and doesn't mind getting her hands dirty...and while this makes Betsy sound like a villain...lets not pretend it isn't true. Psylocke is an action junkie, and often times that gets her in a spot of trouble even though she could deal with problems from a safe distance. She went through bouts of 'blood thirstiness' in X-Force.

I have no doubt in my mind that Olivia could give us a good Psylocke if given the chance to, but in order for that to happen, a good script needs to be the foundation.

Olivia's Psylocke in this Apocalypse was nothing more than Lady Deathstrike 2.0 which is sad, but true. That being said, I loved all the ways they displayed her abilities. They made her stand out among all the other telepaths and telekinetics we had already seen in the Fox universe.

I'm sure that upsets a lot of you. To you Betsy is more than just a 'psychic ninja' and you all use that term with such vitriol (Taz I'm looking at you). I don't look at her as a Psychic Ninja anymore, but I don't deny that was part of the characters messy history. There are so many Telekinetics and Telepaths, and they all get sidelined for Jean, Emma and Professor X. So I think taking the approach to focus on her psychic weaponry was a smart one to make her stand out.

Would I love to see an agent of STRIKE's Psi-Division on screen, under cover as a fashion model to infiltrate the Hellfire club? ABSOLUTELY.

I think what we got from Olivia was good considering she wasn't the one who wrote the character.

Honestly, Olivia put way more into this role than Jennifer did in Mystique.

Well stated. The only thing I'll disagree with is her being an action junkie. She hasn't been portrayed that way for a long time. She's back to being a thinker again. Which is good. Because I hate seeing her Worfed.

[Tazirai]

To me Nicieza and other writers have addressed that some degree over the years, not the level that some would hope but it's not like it hasn't been touched on, and imho she's come to the conclusion to where she may not have chosen the bodyswap in the beginning she's where she's at now and that's that, to where it's not something that she has any real interest in changing, that she's accepted her current body as her own and moved on...

You keep saying that but it's never true. What page does she say she's accepted whatever the current look is class as? She's moved on because that's what she does, she's been a victim so often, that her mental resilience let's her come to terms easier than most. That's all. If instead of just drawing her white, they actually let her go back in Canon, problem solved. She'll take her original body back if there are no strings attached.

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As far as Cultural appropriation goes. It's the worst kind of it. As a black American who has lived in several countries, and in Japan itself for near 6 years. I can say I don't think I'm Japanese except sometimes I'll say "In Japan we use/say..." But that's because I speak it, and try to correct others.

But to kill off an actual Asian woman, let a white woman inhabit the body as if the white woman WAS Diversity is the worst thing ever.

One of the funniest things I read today was on Io9. It was an article on the Black Panther toy commercial and why it was so important to POC youth and girls also. A "Well Meaning" white "Ally" came in and posted saying would the commercial have been even braver for using a white kid as the Black Panther? He/She clearly didn't understand their privilege nor how REAL POC are marginalized.

Even with her "Popularity" Psylocke for YEARS was a walking fetish stick in the costume. She filled Claremonts Asian Fetish, As she wasn't the first woman or person he race changed for whatever reasons. Lee got to draw a swimsuit model, and fanboys (primarily) at the time got their first hard on looking at a half naked "faux Japanese fetish trope."
Making her into an action junkie allowed artists to draw various ways of tossing her butt and vagina at us, and for other writers to not want to use her or kill her off.

She fulfilled all the Sexy Asian Dragonlady without being an actual Asian, which is also problematic. See Trope: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DragonLady

In games and even Munn herself. who I was okay with casting, having just found out she was a mixed heritage child. She looked white to me. /shrug. But had enough East Asian points to pull off the mixed body look.
Many games now have a distinctly white euro (sometimes tanned) look to her. We'll see what she looks like if they add her to MVC, but all other recent games, her being Asian or mixed Asian is being downplayed.

Take that for what it is. I posted pictures in the X-men Retcon thread, if you want to see them.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

Hm. Thank you.

Yeah, I don't have the greatest confidence in Nicieza. Her miniseries looks interesting, but the amount of ninjas and cheesecake on the covers put me off.

Actually CRay, Nicieza is the writer that got me to love most of the characters, Betsy included, that I love so while he made mistakes he's still my favorite, though Taz I don't see Betsy wishing and hoping for her old body back either...

[CRaymond]

Actually CRay, Nicieza is the writer that got me to love most of the characters, Betsy included, that I love so while he made mistakes he's still my favorite, though Taz I don't see Betsy wishing and hoping for her old body back either...

Everyone's tastes are different. My favorite X-author is Morrison, and I'm sure I'm a minority. I'm sure we were at different ages and had different needs from our comic book habits.

I agree that it's unlikely Psylocke will "go back" to a British body. That's why I imagine "going forward" with Betsy in a variety of bodies. I'm still thinkering with fanart of my concept of Kwannon being one of five possible Psylockes.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

I've long thought of bringing the Revanche body back, putting a new soul into it and then letting that character go off on her own as totally separate from Betsy and make her a unique character...

[Tazirai]

Everyone's tastes are different. My favorite X-author is Morrison, and I'm sure I'm a minority. I'm sure we were at different ages and had different needs from our comic book habits.

I agree that it's unlikely Psylocke will "go back" to a British body. That's why I imagine "going forward" with Betsy in a variety of bodies. I'm still thinkering with fanart of my concept of Kwannon being one of five possible Psylockes.

She kinda already has under most artists and in most current games. It's just not explicitly stated. But I write a Black Psylocke.. /shrug lol.

You're right Logan, she isn't screaming about her old body again, because Marvel won't let writers finish their books the way writers used to in the past. There were times when a writer wrote between 75-100 issues of the same comic. In todays world you'd be lucky for 12, before the next event, that Marvel said they weren't going to =be doing. Writers now get maybe 1-2 arcs tops, before they use those characters in anything else.

[CRaymond]

But I write a Black Psylocke.. /shrug lol.

You may or may not be interested to learn I chose two black women to serve in my Psylocke "cluster" headfanon. You inspired me.

One is a Wakandan Dora Milaje with enhanced intuition. When Betsy bodyjumps into her, the new Psylocke ability is Premonition.

The other is a genius in extraterrestrial computer science from Kingston, Jamaica. She's getting her PhD from Oxford University, and lives with Betsy's family at Braddock Manor (...or Lighthouse). She hacks the Mastermind Computer in the manor cellar and serves as remote tech support for Betsy on missions. Her low-level mutant ability manifests as a near constant static charge, and the ability to generate a small glow from her fingertips. When Betsy bodyjumps into her, she's able to visit with her family in England. This body's new Psylocke ability is Quantum Detonation Telekinesis. Basically, far, far more terrifying pyrokinesis.

[Tazirai]

You may or may not be interested to learn I chose two black women to serve in my Psylocke "cluster" headfanon. You inspired me.

One is a Wakandan Dora Milaje with enhanced intuition. When Betsy bodyjumps into her, the new Psylocke ability is Premonition.

The other is a genius in extraterrestrial computer science from Kingston, Jamaica. She's getting her PhD from Oxford University, and lives with Betsy's family at Braddock Manor (...or Lighthouse). She hacks the Mastermind Computer in the manor cellar and serves as remote tech support for Betsy on missions. Her low-level mutant ability manifests as a near constant static charge, and the ability to generate a small glow from her fingertips. When Betsy bodyjumps into her, she's able to visit with her family in England. This body's new Psylocke ability is Quantum Detonation Telekinesis. Basically, far, far more terrifying pyrokinesis.

Mine is a Psychic Psorceress and Investigator. Her picture is my avatar, and a couple pages back. But I'm working on a new costume for her now. Mine is 1/3 Sorceress of greyskull, 2/3 Psylocke, and a dash of Evil Lynn/Emma.

[Psyknight]

Quasi news:
https://mobile.twitter.com/Discussin...12662236114944

I love the comment below that says “If she’s not in X-Force I’ll revolt.”
Beautiful art to boot.

[Tazirai]

Quasi news:
https://mobile.twitter.com/Discussin...12662236114944

I love the comment below that says “If she’s not in X-Force I’ll revolt.”
Beautiful art to boot.

HAHAHAHA! That was some great fanboyism on that Thread, made me laugh.

EDIT: The funny thing about that thread is some people have a visual understanding of who they THINK Psylocke is, but have no clue what she actually is. Purely going by visuals lol.

[Psyknight]

I really liked Psylocke small cameo in Rogue and Gambit #1. It was great to see her fun again.

Yep and definitely more enjoyable than in Astonishing.