Psylocke (the nice thread)

[Jellobay]

I feel sorry that I had a hand in getting this thread closed after a poster tried hard to make it a topic to discuss.

So lets try it again for that posters sake. He had good intentions and it was not his fauld the bad post got deleted.

Who do you like better, Old or new Psylocke.

I like the old one. :)

Please keep your answers nice and too help the cause I will refrain for commenting in here futher. :)

So which one do you like?

[DracoMalfoy]

New Psylocke is a piece of crap. Psylocke is psychic ninja. NOT a telepathically-immune, katana-wielding, flying, destroying mountains ninja! :mad:

The best Psylocke was Crimson Dawn, shadowporting Psylocke.

[Sentinel K]

Any Psylocke is good psylocke.

Except Crimson Dawn Psylocke. That was mucho wanky.

[DDM]

I have always liked Psylocke. When she was transformed into an Asian woman by the demonic Hand, it made her all the more intriguing a character because Mojo & Spiral had a hand in recreating her into the ultimate woman warrior she always yearned to be. Psylocke's psychic knife is just an extension of her telepathic psycho-blaster powers. Yet when Kwannon, Revanche, the other Psylocke was introduced to explain Betsy's new body, it contaminated the character beyond recognition. Fabien Nicieza seem to confuse himself & the readers the more he tried to explain Kwannon & Betsy. It became ridiculous.

Therefore, when Betsy died, she should have come back in her original Anglo-Saxon body to cut away all the unnecessary baggage Fabien Nicieza's Kwannon, Revanche & Scott Lobdell's Crimson Dawn made with the character. Hopefully, at some point, Chris Claremont will put Betsy back in her original body...

I also want Betsy's telepathy restored.

[Flameworthy]

I love and will always prefer the Brit body Psylocke with TP and Precog.

[Beast]

I gotta go with the current Psylocke. Telepaths are a dime a dozen, but high-order telekinetics with that cool psi-blade, very sweet. And thank god for no Crimson Dawn powers. Yick.

[riotgear]

I love and will always prefer the Brit body Psylocke with TP and Precog.

I agree. Especially in the Landau, Luckman, & Lake armor she got from Wolverine. It suited her much better than Tyger Tiger.

[fishtaco]

Both, I guess. I think her race change in Uncanny X-Men 256 was cool. I don't want her to go back to her British body, and I think her new telekinesis powers are fine. I'm glad the Crimson Dawn bs is gone, because honestly, Lobdell didn't know the character. The Revanche mess didn't help much either. I'd like to see a new costume that would be a mix of Lee's costume in the early 90's with her body armour. I'd rather see the butterfly effect go away for good. I also like how her mind is offline and that she is immune to spells, psychic attacks, etc. I look forward to seeing her in Exiles, since that's one of the only books I will be reading this coming July.

[Sentinel K]

I like X-Baby Psylocke. She's HAWT.

JOKING!!!

[Mikl C]

brit body, pinkass armour please.

[riotgear]

I'd rather see the butterfly effect go away for good.

Really? I love individual power signatures, and that's always been one of my favorites. I love the Phoenix over the eye, as well, for Jean and Rachel. I think it's actually fitting that they have the same signature, similar to Cable's eye glowing when he uses his abilities.

[zonzorp]

Original British Psylocke.
The "race change" was a truly horrible idea.

[atoningunifex]

For me it isn't a case of old vs. new. For me it is a case of potential.

I liked the originial Psylocke a lot. But I also liked that when she changed it was into something she sort of wanted to become. Sure, the idea of the aloof Asian martial arts master is a stereotype, but it's a stereotype that would have had a subconcious appeal to Betsy Braddock. Claremont's characterization of Betsy as someone with a harder edge whose ultimate goal was to be an emotionless warrior resonated with the body switch. And whos' to say that Betsy didn't have more influence on her transformation that was apparent?

I don't think that subsequent changes (the whole Kwannon thing and the Crimson Dawn thing) built on that characterization, but the 90s weren't exactly my favorite decade for mainstream comic writing.

I like the idea of Betsy as the aloof warrior with perhaps a bit too much power. I like that there's an unpsoken hint of racism in it. I like that it makes the character less likable in some ways. I like that there's a continuum to the character where you can see how she evolved.

I think Betsy Braddock has the potential to be a remarkably complex character and, in the hands of a good writer (and wouldn't I just die to see Gilbert Hernandez write Psylocke) she could be a fascinating and amoral character.

I liekd the "old". I like the "new". And I'd hate to see them move the character backwards to appease a sense of nostalgia.

[Beast]

I like X-Baby Psylocke. She's HAWT.

JOKING!!!
Hey, X-Baby Psylocke was the shiznit. :D

[fishtaco]

Really? I love individual power signatures, and that's always been one of my favorites. I love the Phoenix over the eye, as well, for Jean and Rachel. I think it's actually fitting that they have the same signature, similar to Cable's eye glowing when he uses his abilities.I liked it too, but it was an aspect of her telepathic power. :)

[Chiasm]

I like the old british Psylocke who wore armor. When she switched over to the new Playmate version she became boring and has served no purpose since but to give fanboys with no life something to mentally masturbate over.

[Flameworthy]

I liked it too, but it was an aspect of her telepathic power. :)

Which is all the more reason why she needs to it back A.S.A.P., along with her British body.;)

[Nobbel]

I liked her most just after Crimson Dawn. She looked great with that tattoo and I loved those shadowpower, they barely used them, a shame!

Second: Outback harmer

[Novaya Havoc]

Liked her best as a strong telepath in weak body (hence, the armor).

Again: I think the idea of a telekinetic sword is the dumbest idea since a silver, cosmic surfboard. But at least the surfboard didn't occur post-2000.

[Chiasm]

Someone should start a thread about lame, dumb character ideas:

It would definitely include:

1. Surfboards in space
2. Telekinetic swords - just a lame use of the power that can be used so much more effectively other ways
3. Roller skating disco queens ;) (Hi Novoya)

[fishtaco]

Which is all the more reason why she needs to it back A.S.A.P., along with her British body.;)But it's been done before...

[Madrox84]

I'd have to go with the old telepathic/outback era Betsy... But that's not to say i don't like the current version, i just don't like it as much...

[AceOfSpades]

I like Betsy in any form .. well except maybe the whole crimson dawn thing, but lets not go there... She's always a pretty well written character. I actually prefer the Asian psylock though, I think she really embodies Betsy's warrior spirit. Plus, how can you not like someone who can totally beat down most of the guys on the team?

[Badger Boy]

I like the old british Psylocke who wore armor. When she switched over to the new Playmate version she became boring and has served no purpose since but to give fanboys with no life something to mentally masturbate over.

Mentally? ;)

[xakko]

i preferred the British Betsy, but i can deal with the new (tho', i also wasn't thrilled by Crimson Dawn Psylocke)

British Betsy was a study in dichotomy, and her getting her heart's desire like that to be the ultimate warrior in form and function just seemed too... easy? all the others who went through the Siege Perilous (and got their heart's desire) had it torn away. Why should Betsy be any different than Piotr?

[Volk1]

Doesn't Betsy love her Asian body? If its ok for her, then it's ok for me :)

[Factor Three]

Factor Three will crush any Psylocke; British or Asian; ninja or armoured; telekinetic or telepathic.

[BYC]

She's been pretty much a waste ever since getting the Asian hotness body. Sure it was cool for like...a year, and then all the bad stories started coming...and coming...and coming...and the the Crimson Dawn...I welcomed her death since she was such a bad character at that point.

I don't mind her coming back, but I rather she be just the Asian hotness with her psychic knight and such. Not this new Telekinsis thing. Although it probably means Shadow King is coming back soon. Christ they better not screw him up when he returns...

[Faded]

Asian Revanche, Kwannon and British Psylocke, Betsy.

Agreed that the race change was a bad idea.

I liked the Crimson Dawn tattoo but not the Crimson Dawn. I just thought it was pretty but a bad add on otherwise.

I like the TK katana / psychic knife as neato signature visuals.

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE :)

[Flameworthy]

Asian Revanche, Kwannon and British Psylocke, Betsy.


I like the way you think!

[FieryBalrog]

I would have to go with uncomplicated Psylocke.

The ammount of lame gimmicks that have been added to her character over the years is just ridiculous.

Any character that has glowing katanas, ninja skills, vague shadow-powers, eye marks, body swaps and thong uniforms is just one big gimmick.

Much better before, now she's an action figure.

[Brian M.]

The one on the other end of Vargas's sword. I like the Asian Betsy.

[Beast]

Much better before, now she's an action figure.
At least this way she's actually going to get an action figure. :)

http://www.generalsjoes.com/toyfair_06_gallery/toybiz/legends/images/71181_jpg.jpg

[Joe Rice]

I prefer the version before she was layered with so many racial stereotypical featureas.

[Mariah]

I prefer the version before she was layered with so many racial stereotypical featureas.
dude, are you still on this? LIG it man, LIG it.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Psylocke should have been brought back to life in her real body. We know that's what Claremont planned when he ressurected her, but editorial vetoed it.

I prefer the British bodied, Emma Peel looking, psychic with precognative powers. I do think that her ninja transformation, and Psychic Knives were a pretty nifty addition, but it shouldn't have been a permanent and irriversible character change.

Idealy she'd have come back in her proper body, with her fighting skills still intact. Heck she could even keep her penchant for wearing leather. :rolleyes:

But the fact of the matter is she was never intended to be a Telekinetic, and she's far less interesting with that. She's a telepath first and foremost, and that's how she should always be.

[The Fury]

I like Psylocke....she so pretty.

Also, English body, TP and pink armoured Psylocke for me thanks.

What I don;t get is this, while Psylocke was a model before, she was alwasy very modest she didn;t wear very revealing clothes or things like that. She then had that body change and somewhere she decided that she was no longer modest and was going to wear a g-string all the time.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

I like Psylocke....she so pretty.

Also, English body, TP and pink armoured Psylocke for me thanks.

What I don;t get is this, while Psylocke was a model before, she was alwasy very modest she didn;t wear very revealing clothes or things like that. She then had that body change and somewhere she decided that she was no longer modest and was going to wear a g-string all the time.

I'm sure that writers will explain that away by changes to her personality caused by the Seige Perillous, and by manipulation by the Mandarin.

But we all know there's only really one reason why that change occured... :rolleyes:

[DDM]

What I don;t get is this, while Psylocke was a model before, she was alwasy very modest she didn;t wear very revealing clothes or things like that. She then had that body change and somewhere she decided that she was no longer modest and was going to wear a g-string all the time.

After Psylocke was transformed by the Hand, she adopted a similar costume design of Elektra who was also corrupted by the Hand when they resurrected her from death. Psylocke just is a telepathic ninja rather than an ordinary ninja in Elektra. Matsuo mentions this to justify Betsy's corruption in Uncanny X-Men #256.

[Uncle Nobs]

For me it isn't a case of old vs. new. For me it is a case of potential.

I liked the originial Psylocke a lot. But I also liked that when she changed it was into something she sort of wanted to become. Sure, the idea of the aloof Asian martial arts master is a stereotype, but it's a stereotype that would have had a subconcious appeal to Betsy Braddock. Claremont's characterization of Betsy as someone with a harder edge whose ultimate goal was to be an emotionless warrior resonated with the body switch. And whos' to say that Betsy didn't have more influence on her transformation that was apparent?

I don't think that subsequent changes (the whole Kwannon thing and the Crimson Dawn thing) built on that characterization, but the 90s weren't exactly my favorite decade for mainstream comic writing.

I like the idea of Betsy as the aloof warrior with perhaps a bit too much power. I like that there's an unpsoken hint of racism in it. I like that it makes the character less likable in some ways. I like that there's a continuum to the character where you can see how she evolved.

I think Betsy Braddock has the potential to be a remarkably complex character and, in the hands of a good writer (and wouldn't I just die to see Gilbert Hernandez write Psylocke) she could be a fascinating and amoral character.

I liekd the "old". I like the "new". And I'd hate to see them move the character backwards to appease a sense of nostalgia.
VERY well said! (And Happy Birthday!)
I prefer the version before she was layered with so many racial stereotypical featureas.
I think you have a point (which I address in my reply below), but I think you're missing some key characterization.
I think that Psylocke is not a stereotype because her character has a specific reason for being the way she is.

I also think that Psylocke very clearly appears to be a stereotype.

And I think both points are equally valid.



Psylocke revels in being a badass, ninja, dragon-lady stereotype because demure, little, British Betsy wanted to be something else. She wanted to be a warrior. She hated being seen as prim & proper. She didn't instantly become a ninja dragon-lady just because she turned Asian. She was reborn as an Asian woman, then kidnapped by the Hand (who of course turned her into a ninja dragon-lady, because that's what evil ninja clans do). Then, with the Kwannon retcon (Ugh!), the Hand intentionally swapped her body for that of a trained ninja dragon-lady.

In any case, Betsy plays the role because she defines herself in narrow terms. She has always wanted to make herself into a warrior, trying to lose the vulnerable parts of herself, trying to erase a large part of who she is. She couldn't stand being seen as the British stereotype, but as soon as she got a fresh start, she defined herself with a stereotype more to her liking. Outwardly, her behavior didn't change much when her race changed. In the body of delicate, British Betsy, her reserved manner came off as demure. In the athletic, sinuous, imposing, Asian body, that same reserved manner came off as intimidating. So now she can hide behind a face that isn't even her own, enjoying intimidating people, even her teammates. She gets into relationships and seems to take them less seriously than the men. She's a self-described adrenaline junkie whose teammates barely trust her. She toyed with Scott just for her own satisfaction.

So I think there's plenty of reason for her to seem like a stereotype, since she has trouble being a real, honest, vulnerable person. A talented writer would use that in her characterization, but only Claremont has even tried (to my recollection).



BUT:

I also think it's problematic that she should seem to be such a stereotypical ninja dragon-lady at first glance. We can't expect new readers (or just passers-by) to be intimately familiar with her characterization in the '80s. Of course she's going to look like a stereotype to newer folks--or more accurately, a cliche. How does that make the X-Men look to the public? What message does that send about comics? What message does that send about Asians?

The problem to me is that her character never progressed past the phase where she simply reveled in her new body. She has never tried to reconcile her journey to becoming a warrior-woman with the vulnerable parts of herself she tried to leave behind. I think if she did, we would see more of her British heritage--or possibly an entirely new side of her--in her visual design. She wouldn't look like a cliche. She'd look like an individual who embraced her multi-faceted nature.
And yes, I'm exactly the kind of tool that quotes himself, thanks for asking.

[Uncle Nobs]

Double-post. Lousy modem.

[Titan76]

Psylocke should have been brought back to life in her real body. We know that's what Claremont planned when he ressurected her, but editorial vetoed it.

I prefer the British bodied, Emma Peel looking, psychic with precognative powers. I do think that her ninja transformation, and Psychic Knives were a pretty nifty addition, but it shouldn't have been a permanent and irriversible character change.

Idealy she'd have come back in her proper body, with her fighting skills still intact. Heck she could even keep her penchant for wearing leather. :rolleyes:

But the fact of the matter is she was never intended to be a Telekinetic, and she's far less interesting with that. She's a telepath first and foremost, and that's how she should always be.
Agree 100%. When Psylocke came back she should have been in her British body with telepathy(HER TRUE, REAL, AND ONLY MUTANT POWER). She still could of kept her ninja skills she got when she got her asian body. I also wouldn't have mind if she kept her teleporting powers she got. This would have made her a much bigger use and she wouldn't have been just another telepath.

[Joe Rice]

Excellent points, Nob. I still think that the "reasons she's not a stereotype" are all diegetical, whereas the reasons she is one are exogetical, and that kind of makes a difference, you are spot on the money that more nuanced writing would have rendered the whole problem null and void.

[Uncle Nobs]

Excellent points, Nob. I still think that the "reasons she's not a stereotype" are all diegetical, whereas the reasons she is one are exogetical, and that kind of makes a difference, you are spot on the money that more nuanced writing would have rendered the whole problem null and void.
Joe always teaches me new wordthings. :D

I'd go with "more consistently nuanced writing" rather than "more nuanced writing". I think Claremont did a remarkable job in his original run. I think everything anyone needs to know about Betsy's inner workings can be found in Uncanny Annual #11. (The same can be said for many other characters, too. It's really an amazing issue.) In that story, her greatest wish is revealed: to foresake her humanity for the chance to become a cold, unfeeling warrior. Then later, in the Hand story arc, he granted her wish pretty effectively.

The problem is that nobody picked up the reins where Claremont left off. He left her in a very inhuman state, an unbalanced state that a person could not maintain. Hiding in her ninja persona, she'd shut herself off from everyone around her. She had created a delusional identity that needed to be reconciled with a harsh look in the mirror. You simply can't shut off your own humanity, your own vulnerabilities.

Unfortunately, subsequent writers didn't see this and simply accepted her new identity. Occasionally, they pushed her further toward becoming the cold, unfeeling warrior, becoming ever deadlier. But they never let her face the question of why she was so desperate to lose herself in the first place. Even supposed character pieces that involved chats with her brother were usually focused on "This is who I am now. Accept me." with no further introspection or consideration for her brother's concerns.

I think a balance can easily be struck that incorporates her entire history and creates a distinctive visual design for her that doesn't smack of British or Asian stereotypes. It would just take a little character development for her to reach that point.

[Alio]

Any Psylocke is good psylocke.

Except Crimson Dawn Psylocke. That was mucho wanky.


Your damn right!!!

Although I have no idea what mucho wanky means.....

[fireball87o]

I like Betsy in any form .. well except maybe the whole crimson dawn thing, but lets not go there... Plus, how can you not like someone who can totally beat down most of the guys on the team?

any Psylocke is good!

I thought she was going to come back in her Brit body though...

[The Fury]

After Psylocke was transformed by the Hand, she adopted a similar costume design of Elektra who was also corrupted by the Hand when they resurrected her from death. Psylocke just is a telepathic ninja rather than an ordinary ninja in Elektra. Matsuo mentions this to justify Betsy's corruption in Uncanny X-Men #256.
Yes, she is/was a telepathic ninja. But that does not mean that she suddenly wants to wear g-strings all the time. It's out of character from her personality, ignoring the fact she was in a that body, to carry on wearing the g-string clothing.

Remember while she was corrupted she got her own mind back again and somehow lost all of her modesty at the same time, this is a huge character change for the price of wearing a skimpy outfit.

[steve2275]

i like billy tan drawn psylocke

[DDM]

Yes, she is/was a telepathic ninja. But that does not mean that she suddenly wants to wear g-strings all the time. It's out of character from her personality, ignoring the fact she was in a that body, to carry on wearing the g-string clothing.

Remember while she was corrupted she got her own mind back again and somehow lost all of her modesty at the same time, this is a huge character change for the price of wearing a skimpy outfit.

I believe Chris Claremont was going somewhere with Betsy's new form. She intimidated her allies & fellow teammates, yet Betsy had no problems because she reveled in being the ultimate woman warrior. In a sense, Betsy lost a portion of her humanity to gain her heart's desire. She believed herself to be pracitically invincable using her combination of telepathy & ninja abitlities. Betsy became too perfect a warrior. Therefore, this is her fatal flaw.

It's too bad Claremont was not able to develop Betsy further than he did...

[Novaya Havoc]

It's too bad Claremont was not able to develop Betsy further than he did...

If the telekinetic katana is any indication, then count me out. He hasn't done anything great with her since he regained her as a character, IMO. And now she's going to Exiles. Woo.

[The Fury]

I believe Chris Claremont was going somewhere with Betsy's new form. She intimidated her allies & fellow teammates, yet Betsy had no problems because she reveled in being the ultimate woman warrior. In a sense, Betsy lost a portion of her humanity to gain her heart's desire. She believed herself to be pracitically invincable using her combination of telepathy & ninja abitlities. Betsy became too perfect a warrior. Therefore, this is her fatal flaw.

It's too bad Claremont was not able to develop Betsy further than he did...
Perfect warrior she maybe, to me tha does not explain her dramatic personality change. If it were to happen over time then fair enough but from one moment dressing in numerous clothes and covering up and the next clothes that make men think of nothing but sex while you are arround them is a sudden change.

[DDM]

Perfect warrior she maybe, to me tha does not explain her dramatic personality change. If it were to happen over time then fair enough but from one moment dressing in numerous clothes and covering up and the next clothes that make men think of nothing but sex while you are arround them is a sudden change.

Betsy's personality did not change. However, her attitude did. She could look at someone & they would be scared of her. This is mentioned numerous times after Betsy was transformed. The only person she did not scare is Wolverine because he was losing his mind already.

[goldenarms]

I think the whole modest argument is a little overblown. Betts covered costume was mainly for protection hence the full body armor. I could see why she stuck with it at the time she wore it because she had nearly been mauled, killed by Sabretooth. So I think anyones natural reaction to that might be to go to the extreme ala the full armor. Not to mention the fact that the X-mens foes at the time were pretty deadly and wanted them dead in the worst ways. Besides armor on a person trained as a ninja makes absolutely no sense at all. Although armor is protective it is restrictive of full body movement, cumbersome, (if its metal, then it would make noise) and flies in the face of the purpose of the ninja training. Which is the sneak up on your opponent and take them out. The Hand costume allowed her to do that. The Sexy or fanboyish aspects of it weren't played up until after Lee had left the Book.

[Cowlander]

I think the whole modest argument is a little overblown. Betts covered costume was mainly for protection hence the full body armor. I could see why she stuck with it at the time she wore it because she had nearly been mauled, killed by Sabretooth. So I think anyones natural reaction to that might be to go to the extreme ala the full armor. Not to mention the fact that the X-mens foes at the time were pretty deadly and wanted them dead in the worst ways. Besides armor on a person trained as a ninja makes absolutely no sense at all. Although armor is protective it is restrictive of full body movement, cumbersome, (if its metal, then it would make noise) and flies in the face of the purpose of the ninja training. Which is the sneak up on your opponent and take them out. The Hand costume allowed her to do that. The Sexy or fanboyish aspects of it weren't played up until after Lee had left the Book.

I completely agree.

BUt really her "full" armor costume didnt really cover that much. It was shoulder pads and a breastplate/bodice. The rest was standard superhero tighty tights. She was never that modest to begin with.

Her Asian gear like mentioned was just a purple version of Electra's outfit so to complain about it on her seems off to me. And I think the ninja Betts in general is better. But it was the british version during my favorite era(outback). And the british one was withthe first X-babies so shes always cool with me.

But I'm glad marvel isnt backpedaling and going back to the british one.

[Uncle Nobs]

Perfect warrior she maybe, to me tha does not explain her dramatic personality change. If it were to happen over time then fair enough but from one moment dressing in numerous clothes and covering up and the next clothes that make men think of nothing but sex while you are arround them is a sudden change.
I disagree. Check out the entire Outback Era.

Posing nude for Colossus. Bathing in the underground lake in front of her teammates. Too much lounging in lingerie to be accidental. Purposely intimidating her teammates through sexuality, telepathy, or just being cryptic--and enjoying every second of it. She enjoyed flaunting her sexuality because she was frustrated over being misunderstood as a prim-n-proper British lady. Not a sudden personality change at all. She wants to be a warrior; she enjoys dominating people any way she can. From the moment she joined the team, she gradually and consistently pushed her exhibitionism and sexual manipulation further to the fore of her everyday behavior until it became her dominant personality trait.

If fans failed to recognize that behavior until she turned Asian, then they simply fell for the same misconception about Betsy that all the fictional characters fell for.

[spoon_jenkins]

I like Psylocke better before Nicieza Kwannon/Revanche retcon. So basically I like both Claremont's British Psylocke and Claremont's Asian Psylocke.

I also agree with those who state that there was quite a bit of continuity in Betsy's personality from before and after her transformation. Another example is her bloodthirstiness. She favored Havok in #219 to preserve some secrets (CC at his most ridiculous) and she favored killing the Reavers in #229. So that's another aspect that didn't just pop up with the race change.

[DDM]

Betsy's bloodthirsty behavior is also shown in Uncanny X-Men #235-238 against the Genoshan Magistrates. After she read their minds, she discovered the concentration camp horrors the mutates go through; as a result, she fried the magistrates' brains with no mercy. During Inferno in Uncanny X-Men #240-242, Betsy's warrior spirit was corrupted by the Goblin Queen's enchantment which brought out Psylocke's further merciless nature against the Marauders. The X-Men proceeded to kill almost all of the Marauders except for Malice.

[fireball87o]

I disagree. Check out the entire Outback Era.

Posing nude for Colossus. Bathing in the underground lake in front of her teammates. Too much lounging in lingerie to be accidental. Purposely intimidating her teammates through sexuality, telepathy, or just being cryptic--and enjoying every second of it. She enjoyed flaunting her sexuality because she was frustrated over being misunderstood as a prim-n-proper British lady. Not a sudden personality change at all. She wants to be a warrior; she enjoys dominating people any way she can. From the moment she joined the team, she gradually and consistently pushed her exhibitionism and sexual manipulation further to the fore of her everyday behavior until it became her dominant personality trait.

If fans failed to recognize that behavior until she turned Asian, then they simply fell for the same misconception about Betsy that all the fictional characters fell for.

good points!

Betsy's warrior spirit was corrupted by the Goblin Queen's enchantment which brought out Psylocke's further merciless nature against the Marauders. The X-Men proceeded to kill almost all of the Marauders except for Malice.

yeah and then they came back...again and again

[tangentman]

Betsy was one of the more cold-blooded X-Men in the Claremont/Silvestri years, and prided herself on being as ruthless as Wolverine. Not only did she outrageously suggest killing Havok to protect the team, but she also ventured into that territory when Jessan Hoan learned about the X-Men being alive in Australia. Betsy resented the X-Men's perception of her as a "genteel" woman and wanted to show them that she was actually a "tigress". A second passage through the Siege Perilous brought her closer to being the woman she always wanted to be, just as Rogue, Havok, Dazzler, and Colossus received twisted takes on their greatest hearts' desires.

BTW, may I say how much I loved the notion of a nude Peter Rasputin wandering NYC after his emergence from the Siege Perilous? Heh-heh! :p

[DDM]

Betsy was one of the more cold-blooded X-Men in the Claremont/Silvestri years, and prided herself on being as ruthless as Wolverine. Not only did she outrageously suggest killing Havok to protect the team, but she also ventured into that territory when Jessan Hoan learned about the X-Men being alive in Australia. Betsy resented the X-Men's perception of her as a "genteel" woman and wanted to show them that she was actually a "tigress". A second passage through the Siege Perilous brought her closer to being the woman she always wanted to be, just as Rogue, Havok, Dazzler, and Colossus received twisted takes on their greatest hearts' desires.

BTW, may I say how much I loved the notion of a nude Peter Rasputin wandering NYC after his emergence from the Siege Perilous? Heh-heh! :p

Psylocke, Rogue, Dazzler, Colossus & Havok only passed through the Siege Perilous only once shown in the flashback sequence in Uncanny X-Men #251. Roma transported the X-Men to Australia inbetween Uncanny X-Men #227 & Uncanny X-Men #229 with her own vast powers. Roma also gave the X-Men invisiblity to all machines. The Siege Perilous is not even shown until the end of Uncanny X-Men #229 when Roma asks them the honor of guarding the Siege Perilous & to use it as they will. For some reason past X-editors made the mistake of citing the X-Men used the Siege Perilous to go to Australia...

[frogjitsu]

I can't really say, because ever since I have been reading the X-men, Psylocke has been Asian. I have one or two back issues where she is a Brit, but that is not enough to decide wich version i prefer. On the other hand, I like ninja chicks any ways, so I might have chosen asian psylocke over brit anyways. When she was reborn though, I thought she would be in her British body, with her shadow powers, telepathy and ninja skills. It just seemed like the obvious choice.