Psylocke

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caption=Psylocke's new costume in the "New Exiles". Art by Tom Grummett.
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Psylocke
real_name=Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock
species=Human Mutant
publisher=Marvel Comics/Marvel UK
debut=(UK) "Captain Britain vol. 1" #8 (December 1976)
(U.S.) "New Mutants" Annual #2 (1986)
creators=Chris Claremont
Herb Trimpe
alliance_color=background:#ffc0c0
alliances=Exiles S.T.R.I.K.E. Psi-division Excalibur R.C.X. X-Men the Hand Crimson Dawn Hellfire Club Captain Britain Corps
aliases=Captain Britain II, Lady Mandarin
powers=Telekinesis.
Psychic katana.
Immunity to telepathy and all forms of mental, magical, and physical alteration.|

Psylocke (Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock, sometimes incorrectly spelled as Elisabeth) is a fictional character depicted in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics, most notably those presenting the adventures of the superhero team The X-Men. The character has also appeared in various licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK-only comic book "Captain Britain" #8 (December 1976). She was originally a supporting character in the adventures of her fraternal twin brother, Captain Britain, briefly substituting for him in the role.

Within the comics, Psylocke is a mutant; originally presented as a telepath, the character is now written as possessing telekinesis. The character is also shown to have a high skill in hand-to-hand combat. In the 2006 film, , Meiling Melançon portrayed the character.

Publication History

Elizabeth Braddock first appeared in the December 1976 edition of the Marvel UK published "Captain Britain" comic. ["Captain Britain" #8 (December 1976). Marvel UK] There, writer Chris Claremont introduced her as a supporting character of her brother Brian Braddock, the eponymous Captain Britain, and establishing her as being a . In October of 1977, the character is presented as a professional mannequin (that is, model). [Larry Lieber (w). "Super Spider-Man and Captain Britain" #243 (October 1977). Marvel UK]

.]

In the American comic book "New Mutants Annual" #2, writer Chris Claremont integrates Braddock into the X-Men franchise. The story sees Braddock abducted to the Mojoverse, where she is subjected to brainwashing, fitted with bionic eyes, and referred to as "Psylocke" for the first time. [Chris Claremont (w). "New Mutants Annual" #2 (1986). Marvel Comics.] After being rescued by the New Mutants, she takes up residence at Xavier's school. After aiding the team unofficially for a while, Betsy proved herself by not only single-handedly facing Sabretooth, but also by using her telepathy to glean information about the Marauders from his mind during the events of the "Morlock Massacre". After the battle, Betsy is formally invited to join the X-Men and officially adopts the name "Psylocke" in the Claremont written "Uncanny X-Men" #213. [Chris Claremont (w). "Uncanny X-Men" #213 (January 1987). Marvel Comics.]

Initially written as a pure telepath with little fighting skills, [see "Uncanny X-Men" issues from 213 to 232, all written by Chris Claremont, with various artists.] in the Claremont written "Uncanny X-Men" #232 the character decides to adopt the wearing of body armor. [Chris Claremont (w). "Uncanny X-Men" #232 (August 1988). Marvel Comics.] This changes in the story presented in "Uncanny X-Men" #250-251, where the X-Men flee from terrorists through the Siege Perilous, an extradimensional teleportation device. [Chris Claremont (w). "Uncanny X-Men" #250-251 (1989) Marvel Comics.] In the follow-up story-arc, it is revealed that Braddock has fallen prey to the Japanese Hand terrorists, who brainwash and physically alter the character. Betsy now believes herself to be "Lady Mandarin", the Hand's supreme assassin. This physical manipulation involves the modification of Betsy's features, modifying them from the previously established depiction of Western to Oriental. After Betsy is rescued by Wolverine and overcomes her brainwashing, the character retains the combat skills granted through the Hand's modification techniques. [Chris Claremont (w). "Uncanny X-Men" #256-8 (1989) Marvel Comics.]

.]

In 1994, writer Scott Lobdell sets up a relationship between Braddock and her teammate Archangel in "Uncanny X-Men" #319. [Scott Lobdell (w). "Uncanny X-Men" #319 (December 1994). Marvel Comics.] The character is severely injured by a crazed Sabretooth in the Lobdell written "Uncanny X-Men" #328. Lobdell also temporatily took her out of the X-Men roster in this issue. [Scott Lobdell (w). "Uncanny X-Men" #328 (January 1996). Marvel Comics.] Braddock returns to the team in "X-Men" #77-78. [Joe Kelly (w). "X-Men" #77-78 (1998). Marvel Comics.] Psylocke's relationship with Archangel ends in the Claremont written "X-Men" #109, where the character embarks upon a relationship with new Indian X-Men recruit Neal Shaara. In the Claremont written "X-Treme X-Men" #2 of 2001, the character dies, her comic book death lasting until 2005's "Uncanny X-Men #455", also written by Claremont, who later stated in an interview that he had always intended to bring Psylocke back at some point. [Chris Claremont (w). "X-Treme X-Men" #2 (August 2001). Marvel Comics.] [Chris Claremont (w). "Uncanny X-Men" #455 (April 2005). Marvel Comics.] The character is currently depicted in the "Exiles", a spin off comic book series from the X-Men franchise, set in an alternate universe. Psylocke is set to return to the main marvel universe, early 2009. She will appear in upcoming story arc X-Infernus.

Powers and abilities

Original powers

Psylocke originally possessed the power of telepathy, able to perform the same feats as other telepaths of the time (Professor X, Jean Grey, Rachel Summers, Emma Frost, etc). She could read and project thoughts over long distances; [Uncanny X-Men #221] control minds; [Uncanny X-Men 238] project mental illusions; [Uncanny X-Men 217] and generate psi-bolts that could stun, [Fantastic Four Vs. the X-Men (Paperback, 1991)] injure, [Uncanny X-Men 236] or kill others. [Captain Britain Monthly #6] She could also project her astral self, and the astral bodies of other people, into the astral plane. [Uncanny X-Men #243] She could scan entire towns with her mind, [Uncanny X-Men #229] and leaf through the psyches of the inhabitants of a city to learn of their condition [Uncanny X-Men #218] or intentions. [Uncanny X-Men #216] She could also probe individuals to check up on their status. [X-Men (2nd Series) #6]

When using her powers (during her run in Uncanny X-Men), a butterfly-shaped energy aura would appear around her face. It was never truly made clear in the comic books by the writers whether this was something that could be perceived by others or if this was simply an 'effect' to show when Psylocke was using her powers to the reading audience. This 'butterfly' (sometimes depicted as having eyes in its wings) was also the form Psylocke usually took when manifesting her astral form, both on the astral plane, [Uncanny X-Men #236] and in the physical world; [Fantastic Four Vs. the X-Men (Paperback, 1991)] although she occasionally used an illusory image of her physical body. [Uncanny X-Men #243] After her transformation, Psylocke's psi-form changed to reflect her new Asian appearance. [Uncanny X-Men #273] [Wolverine (2nd Series) #147] In addition, Psylocke could also use her telepathy to project a focused beam of directed psionic energy into a 'psycho-blast'. While the blast functioned much like a typical telepathic attack, it was also able to affect physical matter; when Psylocke used her psycho-blast on Sabretooth to defend herself from his attack, the telepathic blast also shattered the Cerebro metal helmet that she was wearing at the time. [Uncanny X-Men #213] The psycho-blast could also pierce the Juggernaut's psi-proof helmet [Uncanny X-Men #218] , a feat that Professor Xavier himself could not accomplish when he first met his transformed brother. [X-Men (1st Series) #13]

Psylocke also possessed limited precognitive powers that occasionally allowed her to envision probable future events, [Uncanny X-Men #250] or to see quick flashes of the future. [X-Men (2nd series) # 5] However, these visions were random and infrequent, and she had no control over them.

While in her original body, Psylocke was given bionic eyes by Mojo and Spiral which instantly adjusted to any intensity of light, preventing her from being blinded by brightness. [Uncanny X-Men #217] The bionic eyes were also cameras, transmitting to Mojo everything that Psylocke saw. [Uncanny X-Men Annual #10]

For a time, Betsy took the role of Captain Britain from her brother, using the deceased Kaptain Briton's costume which had been modified by the Mastermind computer. This costume gave her superhuman strength and the ability to fly. [Captain Britain Monthly - series]

Body

After her physical transformation into an Asian ninja assassin she gained highly developed fighting skills in addition to her telepathy, which at this stage was not as powerful as it had originally been before her transformation, due to sharing half her power with Revanche. [X-Men (2nd series) #32] [X-Men (20 series) #34] After Revanche's death, Psylocke's telepathy was restored to its previous strength. The most common usage of her powers was the manifestation of a "psychic knife," described as the focused totality of her psychic powers, which she often used to disrupt the neurons of her foes by driving the glowing "blade" of psionic energy into their heads. [Uncanny X-Men #257] During this time she chose to fight up-close most of the time, using her new martial arts skills, although she could still utilize distanced telepathic assaults. [X-Men (2nd series) #1] At least once, she experienced a precognitive flash while in her new body. [X-Men (2nd series) # 5]

After her exposure to the Crimson Dawn, she also gained the ability to teleport herself and others using areas of shadow as gateways. [Uncanny X-Men #338] The teleportation could cover huge distances; on one occasion she transported the X-Men from America to Africa in a few seconds. [X-Men (2nd series) #77] She could also teleport through the shadows of other dimensions. [Psylocke & Archangel Crimson Dawn # 4] Psylocke has not been seen using this ability since her imprisonment of the Shadow King in the astral plane; [X-Men (2nd series) #78] during a mission against Stryfe, she mentioned to Nightcrawler that she no longer possessed this ability. [X-Men Annual (2nd series) 2000]

Current powers

To keep the Shadow King imprisoned in the Astral Plane, Psylocke sacrificed the use of her telepathy, but at some point gained Phoenix's telekinesis instead. [ [http://stason.org/TULARC/art/comics-xbooks/53-When-did-Psylocke-and-Phoenix-switch-powers-Wasn-t-Psylo.html 53 When did Psylocke and Phoenix switch powers? Wasn't Psylocke telepathically holding the Shadow King captive? ] ] At first, due to the relative newness of her telekinesis, she couldn't exercise fine control over her powers, e.g. she could blast an enemy through a brick wall, but couldn't levitate small objects, like a dime from the floor. [X-Men (2nd series) #103] As time progressed, Psylocke grew more proficient at using her powers, she could e.g. use her telekinesis to reshape a pistol into smaller metal projectiles. ["Uncanny X-Men" #473] Instead of her psychic knife, Psylocke began to manifest a telekinetic katana composed of raw psionic energy. [Uncanny X-Men #385] At its lowest intensity her katana functions much like her psychic knife once did, short-circuiting the victim's nervous system on impact. [Uncanny X-Men #473] At its highest level, the katana can slice through almost any physical matter. [X-Treme X-Men #2] Psylocke's control over the katana is such that she can slice an armored opponent and cut through the armor, but only leave her opponent stunned or unconscious. [Uncanny X-Men #456] Psylocke's telekinetic manifestations produce visible radiance in the physical world. [mentioned by Hank McCoy in X-treme X-Men #2] Thus, she can use her psychic katana as a makeshift light source in areas of darkness. The katana can also affect beings that are more powerful than Psylocke herself. [Uncanny X-Men #472] [Uncanny X-Men #474] [X-Men; The End – Book 3, #6]

She can also use her sword to shatter telepathic power-inhibitors imposed on others, despite her own lack of telepathy. [Uncanny X-Men #458] With no telepathy to guide her when performing this task, she must rely on her instincts to give the blade the sufficient strength necessary to break the inhibitors, without doing permanent damage to the subject in question. During the timeline shift known as House of M, Psylocke showed the ability to summon two telekinetic katanas at the same time. [Uncanny X-Men #464] It is unknown if she is capable of this under normal circumstances.

Aside from the blade, Psylocke can use her telekinesis to enhance her speed, strength, and fighting skills to superhuman levels. [Exiles #91] She can also levitate herself and others, [X-Treme X-Men #2] or manipulate matter in standard telekinetic fashion. [X-Men (2nd Series) #105] She can also create telekinetic shields of various sizes and strength, [Uncanny X-Men #471] and her telekinesis has been said to be strong enough to shatter mountains. [Uncanny X-Men #463] After her resurrection, Psylocke's telekinetic powers have been greatly enhanced. [Uncanny X-Men #457-458] At the time of Betsy's resurrection, Marvel Girl claimed that Psylocke's telekinesis was on a level even she couldn't match. [Uncanny X-Men #455]

After her resurrection, Psylocke was shown to be immune to all forms of psionic manipulations such as mind-reading, [Uncanny X-Men #455] mind-control or mental attacks, [Uncanny X-Men #458-#459] and attempts of telepathic communication. [Uncanny X-Men #468] This is a result of her brother Jamie's manipulation of the quantum strings that comprise her body. [Uncanny X-Men #472] She is also immune or at least highly resistant to other psionic-based powers like the Savage Land Mutate Vertigo's disorientation power, [Uncanny X-Men #458] or Nocturne's mind possessing abilities. [Uncanny X-Men #463] Due to Jamie's alterations, Psylocke is also immune to any physical and mental alteration by beings who can radically restructure reality, such as Proteus. She can, however, still be killed in more traditional manners, such as being stabbed or shot. She is also at least partially resistant to magical manipulation. [Uncanny X-Men #461] Psylocke is unable to alter or reduce her psychic immunity, or to undo any of the changes made to her by her brother.

Psylocke also appears to have recently gained the power to somehow render herself invisible, though to what extent she can control this ability is currently not known. [Exiles #92]

It is not known if Psylocke still retains her precognitive power.

Fighting skills

Psylocke has been classified as a master martial artist, though the specific fighting arts she has mastered have never been revealed. Psylocke's fighting skills and techniques have been shown to surpass those of the average Hand ninja, [Uncanny X-Men #257] or Crimson Dawn Undercloak, [Psylocke & Archangel Crimson Dawn #2] and have been said to rival those of a ninja master. [Psylocke & Archangel Crimson Dawn #3]

As a telepath, Psylocke could take advantage of her powers in a fight by reading her opponents' movements seconds before they made them, giving her the opportunity to counter-attack faster. [Uncanny X-Men #257] She could also use her telepathy to mask her presence from other people, humans and superhumans alike, e.g. from Wolverine's super-enhanced senses, [Wolverine (vol.2) #125] or from Jean Grey's telepathy. [X-Men (2nd) series #1] She could also create telepathic illusions to distract her enemies while fighting them, [Uncanny X-Men #239] and as a ninja, she used her psychic knife to incapacitate her opponents instead of killing them; [Uncanny X-Men #257] although she will kill her opponents if she finds it to be necessary. [X-Men (vol. 2) Annual 2000]

As a telekinetic, she often uses her powers to augment her strength and speed, [X-Men (2nd series) #105] making her fighting skills strong enough to match, and even outmatch other superhumanly strong opponents, like e.g. a holographic version of Sabretooth in the Danger Room. [X-Men (2nd series) #103] [Uncanny X-Men #460] During a training session with Rogue and Thunderbird, Psylocke was able to match Rogue’s attacks despite the fact that Rogue had greatly enhanced speed and strength at the time. ["X-treme X-Men" #3]

Armor

During the time when the X-Men were based in the Australian outback, Psylocke gained possession of a unique suit of armor. Made of an unknown metal, it was lightweight and form-fitting, yet extremely resistant to physical damage, giving Psylocke an added protection to her physical body. [Uncanny X-Men #232] The armor was also resistant to projectiles and energy weapons. [Wolverine (2nd Series) #5;first appearance of the armor] Wolverine had the armor custom-ordered through a weapons and technology firm named Landau, Luckman & Lake for "a colleague". Mr. Chang, an agent of Landau, Luckman & Lake, loaned the armor to Lindsay McCabe since Wolverine had sent her to him. Tyger Tiger also wore the body armor for a short time, [Wolverine (2nd) #6-7] and she was briefly trapped in the armor due to a built-in security mechanism, which Wolverine managed to free her from. After travelling through the Siege Perilous and trading bodies with Kwannon, Psylocke no longer used the body armor. When Kwannon, in Betsy's original body, returned to Xavier's mansion, she was wearing an armor that was similar to the one Betsy used to wear, but it has never been officially stated whether or not this armor was Psylocke’s original one. [X-Men (2nd Series) #20]

Relationships

Elizabeth Braddock has been involved in a series of relationships during the years. As a member of S.T.R.I.K.E.'s Psi Division, she was involved with fellow agent Tom Lennox. He was murdered while trying to defend her, during which time she was psi-linked to him. Telepathically experiencing Lennox's death left Betsy traumatized for a time. [Mighty World of Marvel #8-9]

While Elizabeth in her earliest days as an X-Man shared a mutual attraction for the teenage New Mutant known as Cypher, neither Betsy nor Doug acted on their feelings. [Uncanny X-Men Annual #10]

After returning to the X-Men in Kwannon's body, Psylocke mentally manipulated Cyclops, her team leader, into being attracted to her. [X-Men (2nd series) #20] After regaining her full personality from Kwannon, Psylocke offered a belated apology to Jean, admitting that the flirtation was due to the presence of Kwannon's lingering personality traits in her mind, but that she did in fact find Cyclops attractive. [X-Men (2nd series) #38]

Later, Elizabeth and Archangel had a relationship, but chose to end it after realizing that they were too different to stay together. [Uncanny X-Men #319] [X-Men (2nd series) #109] After Betsy's death, Archangel suffered anguish from being unable to save her, but eventually made peace with it and moved on to a relationship with Paige Guthrie. [Uncanny X-Men #440]

Psylocke and the X-Man Neal Shaara were romantically involved until her death. [X-Treme X-Men #3]

So far, neither Warren Worthington 's nor Neal Shaara's reaction to Elizabeth's resurrection have been depicted or spoken of, despite having both Elizabeth and Warren fighting the villain Ghoul together, alongside other X-Men, in "Generation M".

After joining the Exiles team, Elizabeth has begun having a flirtatious relationship with the Age of Apocalypse version of Sabertooth, hinting at a possible romantic relationship, which would be considered ironic considering her past dealings with the 616 universe's Sabertooth.

Fictional character biography

Ever since her inception in 1976, Psylocke’s characterization has been that of a mutant whose powers make her a seemingly constant object of assault and abductions by villains, which results in Psylocke being thrust into the middle of altercations with which she may not have anything to do with. When she joined the Psi-Division of S.T.R.I.K.E. [ [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/strikeps.htm Psi-Division of S.T.R.I.K.E. (marvunapp.com)] ] , for example, a British crime lord, Vixen, hires Slaymaster to destroy the psi-division and he manages to kill all but Betsy, her lover Tom Lennox and their friend Alison Double, forcing Captain Britain to defeat Slaymaster. Psylocke was later kidnapped by the other-dimensional television producer Mojo who gave her the name "Psylocke" and her the star of the "Wildways" TV program. Rescued by the X-Men, she would go on to join them in issue #213 of "Uncanny X-Men", briefly becoming team leader at one point. Later still Psylocke was found by the Hand with their leader, Matsu'o Tsurayaba, wishing to use Psylocke’s body and mind to revive his lover, Kwannon. Psylocke was merged with Kwannon and became the Hand's prime assassin. Rescued indirectly by Wolverine, she eventually returned to the X-Men.

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

Originally, Psylocke was the only X-Man not depicted in some form or another in the X-Men crossover "Age of Apocalypse". However, for "AoA"'s 10th anniversary, a new miniseries was created and Psylocke made an appearance for the first time since the original "AoA" miniseries. Psylocke in the "Age of Apocalypse" appears as a ninja, with black hair and blue eyes. She is a telepath, and an old acquaintance of Weapon X. It also appears that Psylocke has an affinity for the shadows but bears no Crimson Dawn mark over her eye, as her "616" counterpart once did. This "AoA" version of Psylocke shows the ability to manifest two psychic knives at the same time, which are able to affect physical matter, as can be seen in "X-Men: AoA" #4, where she cuts the chains binding Charles Lensherr. An official explanation for Psylocke's Asian appearance, various powers, and fighting skills in the AOA universe has not been depicted, as she was initially assumed to be part of Apocalypse's disembodied brain trust collective of telepathic minds.

Psylocke's appearance is first noted by a captured Logan, who spots her glowing eyes in the nearby shadows. Psylocke then releases Charles from his chains and helps the rest of the captured group escape. She has a brief reunion with Logan, for whom she bears an obvious grudge, and battles Dagger, defeating her quickly. Psylocke later uses her psychic blades to counteract the brainwashing of some of the X-Men, first on Jean, who is released from Mr. Sinister's influence, and then on Kirika, which allows the young mutant to remember that Logan and Mariko Yashida are her parents. At the end of the series, Psylocke leaves for the refugee colony of New Japan with Kirika, Silver Samurai, and Sunfire.

"Days of Future Past"

Psylocke has been present in two Days of Future Past-storylines, one which took place in "Wolverine: Days of Future Past" #1-3 and the other one in "Excalibur" (vol. 1) #94. In W: DoFP, Psylocke has not only the Crimson Dawn tattoo over her left eye, but also additional tattoos on the right part of her face. In the E: DoFP story, Psylocke has no tattoos at all and her eyes are completely blue, with no visible iris or pupils. One thing that connects these two storylines with each other and with the original DoFP, is the death of Warren Worthington.

In "Excalibur (vol. 1) #94", Psylocke is a member of the underground resistance against Black Air, the British Security Service that rules Britain. She is first seen walking into the computer area under Braddock Mansion. She’s part of the Excalibur team that goes on a mission to rescue Douglock from the Black Air headquarters. Inside the Black Air HQ, Psylocke fights off techno-organic Brood replicas and uses her psychic knife to open up a neural linked brain-lock. Inside the lock room, she finds herself trapped together with the rest of the team. What happens to her afterwards is unknown.

In "Wolverine: Days of Future Past #1", Psylocke is first seen as a mysterious hooded female that sneaks up undetected behind Logan and telepathically destroys his consciousness. It isn’t until the final panel that the mysterious woman is revealed to be Psylocke, the new Red Queen and one of the Lords Cardinal of the new Hellfire Club. In "issue 2", Psylocke is seen by Shinobi Shaw’s side as they watch the trapped Scarlet Witch. As Shinobi brags about world domination, Betsy reminds him that without her help he wouldn’t have been so lucky and warns him about celebrating a victory in advance. He tells her that her name is never far away from his thoughts and that they will rule the world side by side. Suddenly, Psylocke cries out in pain and informs Shinobi that Wolverine has reawakened and that Emma Frost is responsible for bringing him back.

Psylocke summons Midnight (the female ninja that accompanied her to Moscow in "issue 1") and she instructs her to kill Wolverine. Betsy asks her if she has any problems with betraying Logan considering their past together, to which Midnight responds that betrayal comes easily nowadays. Elizabeth doesn’t respond and instead smiles at Midnight, reminding her that they all have known defeat in the past.

In "issue 3", Baron Zemo makes his way back to Shinobi and Elizabeth to celebrate their victory, just as Magneto makes his way into their base. A panicking Betsy yells to Shinobi to do something, and he tells her that the computer-defenses will soon be activated. Suddenly Betsy senses betrayal from one of the workers, whom she stuns with her psychic knife. She smiles as she finds out that the worker was Jubilee in disguise. As she’s preparing to kill Jubilee, Synch and Leech use their combined powers against Psylocke to intervene. Wolverine finally knocks her down with one punch, commenting that during the years she has grown a bit “rusty” with her martial arts skills. She’s taken back to Emma Frost’s base of operation and Emma later tells Jubilee and the rest of the team, that Betsy will be transferred back to her brother in England as soon as her recuperation is completed.

Earth X

It is unknown if the Betsy Braddock version of the Earth X future timeline never switched bodies with the Asian assassin Kwannon or if the effect was undone somehow, but she was entirely Caucasian when she was brought to Otherworld to further hone her telepathic and precognitive powers under Merlyn’s and Roma’s tutelage. Her abilities boosted, Psylocke’s telepathic signature, the butterfly image, was much bigger than before and constantly “on,” bathing her head in bright, pink light. Her training completed, she rejoined her brother, King Britain, on Earth at some later point, as she, Merlyn and Doctor Strange used their powers to weaken Mephisto, allowing Brian to kill him.

House of M

In the House of M reality created by the Scarlet Witch, Betsy found herself as Princess Royal, sister to the monarch of England. In fact, Betsy was actually the rightful heir of the throne, being a few minutes older than her twin brother Brian, but she had stepped down in his favor, as she preferred traveling and adventuring with her lady-in-waiting, Rachel Grey.

MC2

Although not seen on-panel, Psylocke’s counterpart of the MC2 universe was at least mentioned. Apparently, this Psylocke acted as a godmother to Wild Thing, the daughter of Wolverine and Elektra, and she also trained her in the use of her psychic powers. Wild Thing had no real claws but psionic ones that she could use in similar ways as Psylocke her psychic katana.

Ultimate Psylocke

In the World Tour story arc of "Ultimate X-Men", Agent Betsy Braddock, along with her partner Agent Dai Thomas, was introduced as a Colonel for the British Secret Service. She is a telepath and, judging by her own assertion, the most powerful in England. The "psychoblast" power she possessed in her British form in the "616" universe was manifested as a "psychic grenade" that she "detonated" in the minds of others. Agents Betsy Braddock and Dai Thomas, were assigned to aid Xavier in his search for his son, David (known in the mainstream Marvel universe as Proteus), a powerful mutant who could physically possess the bodies of others and manipulate reality. During the investigation, however, Agent Thomas was killed and Betsy's body was possessed by David, who set about wreaking havoc and killing innocent humans while in her body. She eventually managed to resist his control, albeit briefly, and pleaded with Xavier to kill her. Xavier could not bring himself to do so, but Colossus dropped a car on her, killing both Betsy and David Xavier.

Betsy's consciousness survived, however, somehow moving into the comatose body of an Asian girl called Kwannon. Kwannon was glad to be able to move on to the afterlife, and willingly gave Betsy her body. This body switch was actually a blessing in disguise, as Betsy had breast cancer which was potentially fatal. She regarded her near-death experience as intensely fascinating. The change has also led her to bear a less formal look, as she was seen after her body-switch with a number of cosmetic piercings. She somehow retained her telepathic powers in Kwannon's body and even gained the new ability to create a blade that can cut through most materials, even a Sentinel. She was said to be aiding in the formation of S.T.R.I.K.E., the British division of S.H.I.E.L.D. Recently, though, she was revealed to have been working undercover for Charles Xavier as a spy investigating the activities of Fenris.

Betsy officially joined the X-Men as Psylocke in Ultimate X-Men #83. Her employment with S.T.R.I.K.E. had ended because the body she currently inhabits is that of a minor, making her too young to serve as a government agent. She was recruited by Bishop into his new X-Men after angrily informing Cyclops that he had turned his back on the X-Men and the good they can achieve after he refused to help a group of mutants being attacked by Sentinels solely because he thought it would make the Xavier Institute look bad. As in the mainstream Marvel Universe, Betsy is the twin sister of Brian Braddock, who is now a member of the European Defense Initiative (the European Union's equivalent of The Ultimates), code named Captain Britain. Her father, Professor Sir James Braddock, is still alive in the Ultimate universe, and oversees the EDI's super-soldier program. In Ultimate X-Men #86, Bishop referred to Psylocke as his wife, when the Fenris twins threatened to kill her. In issue 88, Psylocke confronts Bishop about his comments about their future marriage, and from what he says, it is implied that Psylocke was killed before Bishop travelled back in time.

However; in Ultimate X-Men #90, Bishop is stabbed and killed by Wolverine. Xavier returns from the future revealing himself to be alive and Psylocke begins living at the Xavier Institute as a student and X-Man.

Other media

Television

* Psylocke appears during the fourth season of the "X-Men" animated series, in the Beyond Good and Evil story arc. She was in episode 51 entitled "Promise of Apocalypse", and in Episode 53, entitled "End and Beginning". In this storyline, Psylocke appears to be a lone warrior who practices theft with a cause (a la Robin Hood). She comes into direct conflict with Archangel and, later on, Sabretooth and Mystique. She refers to her brother as fighting to help mutants, but does not name him as Captain Britain. This incarnation of Psylocke had the notable ability to use her psi-blades as projectiles, incapacitating opponents from a distance and destroying matter. She also makes two quick cameos: during Season 2 in Episode 18, "Repo Man", and Episode 24, "Mojovision".

* Psylocke appears in "Wolverine and the X-Men", episode 8. In this storyline, she is an Asian telepath and displays a butterfly-shaped energy aura when using her powers. It's hinted that Quicksilver previously had rescued her from an anti-mutant prison and now wants her to return the favor. Pietro wants Psylocke to block Nitro's powers. The X-Men arrive to stop them and later Psylocke is defeated by Emma Frost. Although Psylocke works with the Brotherhood, earlier in the episode she helps a woman who was about to be ticketed by an officer, forcing the latter to eat the ticket. ["Wolverine and the X-Men", Episode 8]

Film

* In the film "", her name appears on a list of names Mystique scrolls through on Stryker's computer while looking for Magneto's file, and in the X2 novelization, Psylocke made a cameo as one of the mutants affected by Dark Cerebro. In it, she is in Vatican City during a fashion show and is seen waking up from her coma —induced by Dark Cerebro— when the machine begins affecting humans. She uses her telepathy to sense what is going on.
* Psylocke appears in the feature film "", played by actress Meiling Melançon. In the film, she fights against the X-Men as a member of the Brotherhood. During an interview with "Wizard" magazine, Melançon said that in "X3", Psylocke has the power to turn into shadows and create psi-blades. However, in the film, she doesn't appear to create psi-blades (and the rumor that said the DVD would have a deleted scene in which Psylocke used her psi-blades was proven wrong), but she appears out of nowhere. There were, however, no shadows visible when she did so. In the film, Psylocke is killed alongside Arclight and Quill by the Dark Phoenix's disintegration wave. The film's novelization makes no mention of what happens to Psylocke, Quill, and Arclight after their unsuccessful attempt to kill Angel's father. According to scriptwriter Zak Penn, the character played by Melançon was not named as Psylocke in the original script. In a Q&A on thexverse.com, he claimed that: "There was some switching of character names later in production, and I'm not exactly sure how Psylocke got thrown into the mix." On the DVD Commentary of the film it was stated by Brett Ratner that the character played by Meiling Melançon is Psylocke.

Video games

* Psylocke has appeared in many video games, beginning with the 1990s PC game "" in her original Caucasian body.
* Psylocke is one of the main playable characters, and the sole female in "" for the Sega Genesis console. Her psychic knife is her special attack, and also carries a katana. As a nod to her ninja training, she can cling to walls.
* Psylocke later appeared in Capcom fighting game "" and a notable appearance in "Marvel Super Heroes" in that she was the only female character, not counting Anita (partner of Donovan from the Darkstalkers series, a secret character available only in the Japanese Sega Saturn version.
* Psylocke has a cameo appearance in Cammy's ending in "X-Men vs. Street Fighter" and resurfaced as a playable character in "".
* Psylocke was the sole female playable character in "" for the Super NES.
* Psylocke is an unlockable character in Activision's "".
* Psylocke was a playable character in "", appearing as two different selectable characters, "Betsy" (telepathic) and "Psylocke" (telekinetic).
* Psylocke makes an appearance as the final playable character in the game "X-Men Legends" voiced by Masasa Moyo. In the game she is rescued by the team in New York City after Sentinal's attack her. She later meets new team member Alison Crestmere (Magma) in the day room and joins the team to help the X-Men save Professor X from Shadow King on the Astral Plane. She was one of three playable characters who did not appear in the sequel, along with Magma and Jubilee.
* Psylocke was a NPC in the "Wolverine" game for the original Nintendo.
* Psylocke makes an appearance in "" as a mini-boss. After being among the many superheroes who tried to stop Doctor Doom in the Doom's Day cutscene, he transformed Psylocke and other heroes into evil versions of themselves after he stole Odin's power and began corrupting the Earth.
* Psylocke was a playable character in the Sega Game Gear title, "X-Men".
* Psylocke is a special partner in the game.
* Psylocke is a playable character in the game.

Books

Psylocke appears a main member of the X-Men in the "X-Men Dimensions" series. Her relationship with Angel is confirmed in X-Men Dimensions 2, and it has been confirmed that she will be killed by a sentinel in X-Men Dimensions 3 (along with Jean Grey, who will be resurrected as the Dark Phoenix in X-Men Dimensions 5). It remains a possibility that she will be resurrected in a later installment, being as how many X-Men, including Psylocke, have died and been resurrected in the comics.

Internet

* Psylocke won IGN's Battle of the Comic-Book Babes '06 contest. In the final round, she managed to get almost two thirds of the votes (64-36). She was pitted against the female computer icon Lara Croft.

Notes

References

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* [http://www.comics-db.com/comics/search.cgi?query=&Characters=Psylocke Psylocke] at the Big Comic Book DataBase
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* [http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/b/betsy.htm Betsy Braddock] at the International Catalogue of Superheroes

External links

* [http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/spotlight/showquestion.asp?faq=10&fldAuto=53 Spotlight on Psylocke at UncannyXmen.Net]
* [http://xmenfansite.com/index.php/Latest-Articles/Betsy-Braddock-It-s-Complicated.html Betsy Braddock: It's Complicated! X-Men Fan Site Article]