View Full Version : Question on the Source of Jamie, Brian & Betsy
Leogam
06-26-2008, 12:37 AM
"Sir James Braddock the ideal candidate from "Otherworld" was chosen by Merlin to embark upon the sacred mission that would shape the future: the quest to sire a champion for England known now as Captain Britain. A genetically compatible mate -- Brian's mother, Elizabeth was selected from our Earth.
Dr. and Mrs. Braddock's first child, Jaime seemingly did not inherit genes from his father that would give him superhuman powers . However thier next children, the twins Brian & Betsy did inherit such genes. Brian's superhuman powers remained latent until his twenties/ until he was given an amulet and star-sceptre, which eventually turned into a costume consisting of mystical "micro-circuitry" (which he had always believed had given him his power, until it was damaged and he later learned the power layed within himself which is attuned to absorbing mystical energy). Where as Betsy's powers developed early and she got her start working for S.T.R.I.K.E & then X-Men." (this is all cited from the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe)
Question:
1) did Sir James Braddock come to our earth to sire a mutant child to become Britain's champion, or was he planning to sire a child who was genetically born attuned to mystical energy (like Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter), and another thing why wasn't Jaime considered we all know today that he does have power which is mutant in nature, why was he ignored to become Captain Britain.
2) Is it possible for one twin to develop mutant powers while the other is just human
Flâneur
06-26-2008, 02:15 AM
While Sword is the best to answer this, I will mention that Betsy was never meant to be a mutant. Her powers are sourced completely from her Otherworld heritage (I believe there is more of a psychic aspect in Otherworld than on Earth). Jamie also wasn't chosen as Captain Britain because he didn't meet the standard but I'm not sure as to whether that's behavioural or genetic.
Askani's Flame
06-26-2008, 07:41 AM
Question:
1) did Sir James Braddock come to our earth to sire a mutant child to become Britain's champion, or was he planning to sire a child who was genetically born attuned to mystical energy (like Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter), and another thing why wasn't Jaime considered we all know today that he does have power which is mutant in nature, why was he ignored to become Captain Britain.
Ask Merlyn :tongue:. Like Flaneur said, Sword could answer this best.
2) Is it possible for one twin to develop mutant powers while the other is just human[/QUOTE]
Why not? It happens all the time with twins that are fraternal (not the powers bit). They look different, have different genes expressed, etc. The fact that Betsy and Brian had a link beyond her telepathy I thought was always attributed to their Otherworld source of power.
Yeah CC retconed Betsy to be a mutant.
CC likes to constantly change Psylocke, funny seeing as that's supposedly his favorite character. How about some consistancy for once from the guy?
Leogam
06-26-2008, 01:35 PM
can we get some writer on to fix that and retcon her back from being a mutant, or are you all happy & content with one twin being a mutant & the other magically powered
psycwave
06-26-2008, 01:38 PM
can we get some writer on to fix that and retcon her back from being a mutant, or are you all happy & content with one twin being a mutant & the other magically powered
its fine with me..jamie is a mutant too, after all, the x-gene just skipped brian is all. There have been other instances when one sibling was a mutant and the other was not.
Flâneur
06-26-2008, 01:55 PM
can we get some writer on to fix that and retcon her back from being a mutant, or are you all happy & content with one twin being a mutant & the other magically powered
I'd prefer Betsy to not be a mutant. If only because it sounds cooler to have extradimensional origins and it'd make more sense with some things - the way she can focus her telepathy into physical blasts, the telepathy dagger and it mixes with the Crimson Dawn aspect better.
its fine with me..jamie is a mutant too, after all, the x-gene just skipped brian is all. There have been other instances when one sibling was a mutant and the other was not.
Actually, we don't know that Jamie is a mutant. When the US government compiled the 198 Files, they listed him as one, but that was likely an assumption on their part, given that they count Psylocke as one. The same officials refused to believe that Bishop, Marvel Girl, etc were from alternate futures, and left Namor off the list because they didn't realise he was a mutant. Within the context of the 198 Files being an in-universe document, there's plenty of errors on the part of the compilers; within the context of it being a real world book written by real world writers, those in-universe errors are deliberate, leaving wiggle room for later writers.
And that's the thing. People assume Jamie is a mutant, because Betsy registers as one. But Betsy was only identified as a mutant just before she joined the X-Men, at a time we later learned Roma was manipulating events to tie Captain Britain to the X-Men so that Excalibur would eventually form. What better way to tie Brian Braddock to the X-Men than to make his sister join them? Betsy's apparent death in Dallas was a major catalyst for Brian to join the X-Men's survivors as Excalibur, and who was behind that apparent death? Roma. And since we know Roma could render the X-Men who were in Dallas invisible to detection by mutant scanners and other devices, it's no stretch to believe she could make a non-mutant register as a mutant to scanning devices if she wanted to do so.
So is Betsy a mutant? Maybe, maybe not. It's not as certain as many would think.
Leogam
06-26-2008, 02:06 PM
I think it would be more interesting if she wasn't, its always the easy way out to say a character is a mutant not much creativity
Yeah CC retconed Betsy to be a mutant.
CC likes to constantly change Psylocke, funny seeing as that's supposedly his favorite character. How about some consistancy for once from the guy?
Jamie & Betsy Braddock, in their original incarnations, possessed no superhuman powers at all. Alan Moore turned Betsy into a telepath, & Chris Claremont went along with it. However, just because it was never mentioned in Captain Britain, does not make Betsy a mutant per se given Captain Britain's association with James Jaspers & Meggan who are both mutants. The retcon starts with Alan Moore.
Betsy's psycho-blaster powers--developed by Jamie Delano--made her a different telepath altogether from the normal telepaths from Otherworld.
Jamie & Betsy Braddock, in their original incarnations, possessed no superhuman powers at all. Alan Moore turned Betsy into a telepath, & Chris Claremont went along with it. The retcon starts with Alan Moore.
Strictly speaking Betsy showed signs of having some sort of psychic ability way before the Moore era. He just developed the idea.
Jamie & Betsy Braddock, in their original incarnations, possessed no superhuman powers at all. Alan Moore turned Betsy into a telepath, & Chris Claremont went along with it. However, just because it was never mentioned in Captain Britain, does not make Betsy a mutant per se given Captain Britain's association with James Jaspers & Meggan who are both mutants. The retcon starts with Alan Moore.
Betsy's psycho-blaster powers--developed by Jamie Delano--made her a different telepath altogether from the normal telepaths from Otherworld.
No Alan Moore did not make her a telepath. Her made her a precog. Claremont made her a mutant telepath.
Strictly speaking Betsy showed signs of having some sort of psychic ability way before the Moore era. He just developed the idea.
Cite your sources & give SPECIFIC examples. I have all of Betsy's appearances to date including the UK Captain Britain stories.
No Alan Moore did not make her a telepath. Her made her a precog. Claremont made her a mutant telepath.
Wrong. Alan Moore made Betsy a telepath with some slight, erratic precognative powers linked to her telepathy; Alan Moore & Alan Davis revamped Betsy with purple hair & a fashion model who secretly worked for STRIKE. In Betsy's original appearances, she possessed no powers & had blonde hair like Brian since they are twins.
psycwave
06-26-2008, 05:19 PM
This doesn't actually clear the mutant question or not but i think everyone should see somthing important that pertains to Psylocke...no wonder she was thought of as asex kitten for so long...*sigh*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITGy5LXyct8
Cite your sources & give SPECIFIC examples. I have all of Betsy's appearances to date including the UK Captain Britain stories.
So have I.
Captain Britain #34. As Brian's body is dying in the real world, and his soul is fighting for his life in an astral plane that Merlin has summoned it to, Betsy has a nightmare about her brother bleeding and near to death. She wakes crying out Brian's name, and Jamie comes into her room and tries to reassure her it was only a nightmare. But the readers know that it wasn't; Betsy was genuinely sensing her brother's peril.
Marvel Super-Heroes Magazine #389, the issue after Alan Moore took over writing Captain Britain. There's no Captain Britain strip here, as the character was in the process of transferring over to new magazine The Daredevils, but Alan Moore wrote an article, "A Short History of Britain," which gave readers a potted history of Captain Britain thus far, including mentioning the above incident as an example of a subplot of Betsy developing powers that got dropped and forgotten with a changeover in writers. And then, at the end of the article, he hints at stuff to come in the new Captain Britain strip, noting that "maybe we'll even find out what happened to those mysterious powers Betsy was developing" (or words to that effect - the issue in question is under three layers of other comic boxes, so I'm not going to dig it out for the exact wording). And this makes it explicit - Moore didn't come up with the idea, he simply developed it.
So have I.
Captain Britain #34. As Brian's body is dying in the real world, and his soul is fighting for his life in an astral plane that Merlin has summoned it to, Betsy has a nightmare about her brother bleeding and near to death. She wakes crying out Brian's name, and Jamie comes into her room and tries to reassure her it was only a nightmare. But the readers know that it wasn't; Betsy was genuinely sensing her brother's peril.
This is more or less a play on the special inherent link twins possess; it has nothing to do with Betsy's telepathy.
Marvel Super-Heroes Magazine #389, the issue after Alan Moore took over writing Captain Britain. There's no Captain Britain strip here, as the character was in the process of transferring over to new magazine The Daredevils, but Alan Moore wrote an article, "A Short History of Britain," which gave readers a potted history of Captain Britain thus far, including mentioning the above incident as an example of a subplot of Betsy developing powers that got dropped and forgotten with a changeover in writers. And then, at the end of the article, he hints at stuff to come in the new Captain Britain strip, noting that "maybe we'll even find out what happened to those mysterious powers Betsy was developing" (or words to that effect - the issue in question is under three layers of other comic boxes, so I'm not going to dig it out for the exact wording). And this makes it explicit - Moore didn't come up with the idea, he simply developed it.
Alan Moore took over after David Thorpe in the middle of The Crooked World storyline; under Alan Moore, he specifically writes Betsy with a new look, the Punk/New Wave phenomenon giving Betsy a distinctive appearance of purple hair. Brian is expecting the Betsy he remembers of being a blonde. Therefore, Brian is caught off-guard when he sees his sister with purple hair. In this same story, Alan Moore establishes Betsy has been a successful internationally known fashion model who now works for STRIKE as a telepath. All of Betsy's development comes from Alan Moore, Jamie Delano, & Alan Davis long before Chris Claremont moves her into the X-Men.
This is more or less a play on the special inherent link twins possess; it has nothing to do with Betsy's telepathy.
Since it is the incident Alan Moore referred back to in his article on Captain Britain's history as the first sign of Betsy's psychic abilities, it has everything to do with her telepathy.
Alan Moore took over after David Thorpe in the middle of The Crooked World storyline; under Alan Moore, he specifically writes Betsy with a new look, the Punk/New Wave phenomenon giving Betsy a distinctive appearance of purple hair. Brian is expecting the Betsy he remembers of being a blonde. Therefore, Brian is caught off-guard when he sees his sister with purple hair.
Nobody is disputing any of the above, it wasn't even part of the conversation. Not sure why you felt the need to bring it up.
In this same story, Alan Moore establishes Betsy has been a successful internationally known fashion model who now works for STRIKE as a telepath. All of Betsy's development comes from Alan Moore, Jamie Delano, & Alan Davis long before Chris Claremont moves her into the X-Men.
I'd agree that the vast majority of Betsy's development comes from Moore, Delano and Davis prior to Claremont taking her to the X-Men. But not all. Moore didn't make her a fashion model, we'd already seen that much earlier. And, by his own statement in the article he wrote, published prior to Betsy's reappearance in his stories, he developed the psychic side of things, but he didn't originate it.
The Sword Is Drawn
08-14-2008, 05:07 AM
Now this thread went up while I was on holiday in the States. Somebody emailed me about it on my Blog, at the time, and I meant to look over it - but when I finally got back I was jet-lagged, and out of it, and a few other things kicked off...
I remembered about it last night, while posting to Jarrod's late 'The Braddocks are all a bunch of filthy perverts' thread... :biggrin:
I'm very much with Loki on this one. I hear what you're say DDM - originally neither Betsy or Jamie were either mutants or powered. But by the same line of argument Brian was also originally meant to be nothing more than a random guy given powers through magic. No connections to Otherworld, no extended mythos, no 'one-captain-of-many'. But I'm sure I don't need to remind you of how comics characters evolve through time, mate. Sorry if that comes across as patronising. I genuinely mean no offence. :biggrin:
I'm pretty sure that I have the issue Loki is talking about, stacked away somewhere, but you know what it's like; I was reading those issues as a pretty young kid - I only cared about the story, and never really read any of the interviews at the time.
I have since, of course, read all of those early Captain Britain issues (through fading back issues) and do quite distinctly remember the sequence where Betsy sees Brian in her dreams. Dreams which, as the reader knows, are what's actually happening.
Now, yes, of course you could read that as the connection that some people claim comes naturally between twins. It's not an uncommon concept for a twin to get a really odd feeling of foreboding when their twin sibling is in danger - it's scientifically unprovable, but a fairly well known phenomenon which many twins swear by. But that IS more a sense of foreboding, rather than actually experiencing things in such exact detail. you call that a case of poetic license, maybe, but you could also (Especially in light of powers developed in later stories) see this as the first hint of something more.
Certainly if Moore has stated that this is something which he was intentionally exploring, or that this was an abandoned story point from a previous writer (Was that story after Gary Friedrich's run?) that was abandoned, then while it is a later retcon of sorts it I think that it's a valid explanation.
Zombie Uatu
08-14-2008, 06:43 AM
I think it would be more interesting if she wasn't, its always the easy way out to say a character is a mutant not much creativity
This is such utter bull. It offends me more because it's the same argument used by Joe Q to defend his evisceration of the X-Men universe. There is not one mutant character I can think of who doesn't have an interesting background story related to their development as a character, hero or villain, aside from simply 'they are a mutant', from the original six to the present day. Even characters like Beak or Angel have origin stories.
When Stan created the X-Men, he did not, as we are so often misled into believing, create characters without origins. Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Professor X, Archangel, Beast and Iceman all have origin stories. What he did was move the origin away from how the character acquired their powers into how the character became the person they are at the time of the comic, thus actually making the origins deeper and more interesting because they weren't centered around the contrivance of how they got their powers.
Finally, I cite Wolverine, who has perhaps one of the best origin stories in comics - a story so compelling we have an entire title (regardless of your views on it's quality) dedicated to revisiting that story and filling in the blanks.
Saying a character is a mutant is not an easy way out. It gets you off the hook of having to explain where their powers came from, but it's only lazy editorial decisions that allow it to let the writer off the hook of what their origin is.
Seikun21
08-14-2008, 06:51 AM
This is such utter bull. It offends me more because it's the same argument used by Joe Q to defend his evisceration of the X-Men universe. There is not one mutant character I can think of who doesn't have an interesting background story related to their development as a character, hero or villain, aside from simply 'they are a mutant', from the original six to the present day. Even characters like Beak or Angel have origin stories.
When Stan created the X-Men, he did not, as we are so often misled into believing, create characters without origins. Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Professor X, Archangel, Beast and Iceman all have origin stories. What he did was move the origin away from how the character acquired their powers into how the character became the person they are at the time of the comic, thus actually making the origins deeper and more interesting because they weren't centered around the contrivance of how they got their powers.
Finally, I cite Wolverine, who has perhaps one of the best origin stories in comics - a story so compelling we have an entire title (regardless of your views on it's quality) dedicated to revisiting that story and filling in the blanks.
Saying a character is a mutant is not an easy way out. It gets you off the hook of having to explain where their powers came from, but it's only lazy editorial decisions that allow it to let the writer off the hook of what their origin is.
Thank you very much for saying this. The "mutancy is unoriginal" line has always annoyed me. Most of my favorite characters are mutants, and while some of the origins can get repetitive I tend to like their personalities, powers and how they interact with other characters more than a complicated and often convoluted origin of how they got their powers.
The Sword Is Drawn
08-14-2008, 06:59 AM
I agree with a lot of what you're saying Zombie Uatu. It is often a very misused excuse.
However, in this particular case, I'd say that the mutant retcon is of detriment to the character of Psylocke. It papers over her original origin to an extent. To refer to the words of The Mastermind both Brian and Betsy are 'Only half-human'. They're both part of breeding experiment, to create a subject capable of been given the powers and duties of a God someday - watching over the Multiverse. It's an established plot which the X-Books have done their darndest to try and pretend isn't there, through some fairly constant and derivative re-invention.
Betsy is now a million miles away from where and what she is supposed to be. Her body, voice and powerset changed beyond recognition, and a bugger for writers to approach due to the number of contradiction created in her own continuity.
If a character has an established origin, and one which correlates with other characters, bluffing your way around it is a pretty dumb idea.
Swashbuckler
08-14-2008, 07:05 AM
I agree with a lot of what you're saying Zombie Uatu. It is often a very misused excuse.
However, in this particular case, I'd say that the mutant retcon is of detriment to the character of Psylocke. It papers over her original origin to an extent. To refer to the words of The Mastermind both Brian and Betsy are 'Only half-human'. They're both part of breeding experiment, to create a subject capable of been given the powers and duties of a God someday - watching over the Multiverse. It's an established plot which the X-Books have done their darndest to try and pretend isn't there, through some fairly constant and derivative re-invention.
Betsy is now a million miles away from where and what she is supposed to be. Her body, voice and powerset changed beyond recognition, and a bugger for writers to approach due to the number of contradiction created in her own continuity.
If a character has an established origin, and one which correlates with other characters, bluffing your way around it is a pretty dumb idea.
Just because she was only half fuman doesn't mean she can't be a mutant. She could be hald mutant, half god-like creature. No one deals with Psylocke's past because she's been tied up with CC for the last billion years. But I am glad with her mutant status and think it would be stupid for them to go back now and re-establish her in the Captain Britain Mythos which are all but dead aside from the "magic" element in MI:13.
The Sword Is Drawn
08-14-2008, 07:20 AM
Just because she was only half fuman doesn't mean she can't be a mutant. She could be hald mutant, half god-like creature. No one deals with Psylocke's past because she's been tied up with CC for the last billion years. But I am glad with her mutant status and think it would be stupid for them to go back now and re-establish her in the Captain Britain Mythos which are all but dead aside from the "magic" element in MI:13.
I think that's quite debatable. It is, after all, in the process of being reinvented.
But it still doesn't get past the fact that she was only written in as a mutant to get her on the X-Men - and all part of sequence of events pre-planned by Roma.
Yes she could be a mutant. But not a truly human mutant. It would be kinda like a character who was a mutant Skrull or Demon or Celestial. Psylocke has powers because her father WASN'T human - he was a part of a completely different race of creatures. She was also, almost certainly, genetically engineered. It's always been inferred, and would also explain why her powers did not properly manifest until some way into adulthood - as opposed to during the teen years as with the majority of mutants.
It annoys me that with such an elaborate and interesting past origin that she been stamped with the tag of 'mutant' and Marvel have shown such incredible reluctance to allow any further exploration.
Zombie Uatu
08-14-2008, 07:43 AM
Looking at the evidence, if she were half mutant, half God, she'd be insanely powerful (see the Beyonder).
Whether it adds anything to her to have her not be a mutant is debatable. On one hand, the X-men have had active team members and allies who have not been mutants and been an interesting part of the team (Carol Danvers, Longshot are just two examples). On the other, the fact of the matter is that there is now an entire generation of X-Men fans who know Betsy not from her pre-X appearances, but solely as a mutant X-Man with a connection to Captain Britain. Even more, there are those who know her only as an Asian Ninja Assassin and are thoroughly confused.
I don't think Betsy is broken as a character, but she's been allowed through sloppy editing to become so horribly convoluted she is in dire need of a reboot. Marvel had an oppurtunity to do this when she 'died', but instead they shipped her off to the Exiles and left her a mess. Just send her through ther Siege Perilous and make her British again or something.
Swashbuckler
08-14-2008, 07:43 AM
I think that's quite debatable. It is, after all, in the process of being reinvented.
But it still doesn't get past the fact that she was only written in as a mutant to get her on the X-Men - and all part of sequence of events pre-planned by Roma.
Yes she could be a mutant. But not a truly human mutant. It would be kinda like a character who was a mutant Skrull or Demon or Celestial. Psylocke has powers because her father WASN'T human - he was a part of a completely different race of creatures. She was also, almost certainly, genetically engineered. It's always been inferred, and would also explain why her powers did not properly manifest until some way into adulthood - as opposed to during the teen years as with the majority of mutants.
It annoys me that with such an elaborate and interesting past origin that she been stamped with the tag of 'mutant' and Marvel have shown such incredible reluctance to allow any further exploration.
That's cause they know no one cares about the old Captain Britain mythos except you Sword. That's why we love you though.
HeckBoy
08-14-2008, 07:52 AM
can we get some writer on to fix that and retcon her back from being a mutant, or are you all happy & content with one twin being a mutant & the other magically poweredIn an everyday context, I don't really mind what they classify her as, but I think it would be cool if they made her a non X-gene mutant.
Yeah CC retconed Betsy to be a mutant.
CC likes to constantly change Psylocke, funny seeing as that's supposedly his favorite character. How about some consistancy for once from the guy?
Originally, Betsy & Jamie Braddock possessed no superhuman powers. Alan Moore & Alan Davis revamped Betsy into a telepath for the new Captain Britain series previously established by David Thorpe; however, Moore never said the source for Betsy's psi-powers. When Chris Claremont folded Betsy into the mutant books, he just mentioned her telepathy is due to her mutant genes. Therefore, Chris Claremont did not retcon Betsy at all. The source for all of Betsy powers goes to Alan Moore.
Jamie's reality warping powers did not come to light until Excalibur #15 when he was being tortured by Doc Croc for his crimes against nature (see Captain Britain #10 second series). Jamie is mad who thinks he is living in a dream.
Captain Britain's powers, originally, came from his costume, but this was later changed that the power is innate, but the costume helps regulate his power; Brian is still dependent on his costume--in Excalibur #6-12--when Shadowcat destroys it with the Soulsword & his & Meggan's powers stop working correctly. In Excalibur #12-14, Meggan & Brian learn their life-forces are bound to the British Isles & if they are away for long periods, their powers will stop working correctly. Brian's costume helps regulate his powers outside the British Isles.
The Sword Is Drawn
08-14-2008, 08:36 AM
Looking at the evidence, if she were half mutant, half God, she'd be insanely powerful (see the Beyonder).
Not half God. Sir James Braddock was not a God. He was a resident of Otherworld, a race of people as malleable as you can imagine. The residents of Otherworld really do show the full-width and breadth of British folklore. But the only person who truly has the powers of a God at any time is the Guardian - Merlyn, later Roma, later still Brian.
Betsy inherited her powers just as likely from some kind of inherited mystic powers or through genetic engineering as from a mutant gene.
And as Roma manipulated events to get Betsy on the X-men, just as she manipulated events to form Excalibur, any confirmation of Betsy being a mutant can be questioned.
Whether it adds anything to her to have her not be a mutant is debatable. On one hand, the X-men have had active team members and allies who have not been mutants and been an interesting part of the team (Carol Danvers, Longshot are just two examples). On the other, the fact of the matter is that there is now an entire generation of X-Men fans who know Betsy not from her pre-X appearances, but solely as a mutant X-Man with a connection to Captain Britain. Even more, there are those who know her only as an Asian Ninja Assassin and are thoroughly confused.
Which I think is all the more reason for a character reboot. It's over complicated. If you want a telekinetic ninja - then create one. It's not who Psylocke should be.
I don't think Betsy is broken as a character, but she's been allowed through sloppy editing to become so horribly convoluted she is in dire need of a reboot. Marvel had an opportunity to do this when she 'died', but instead they shipped her off to the Exiles and left her a mess. Just send her through ther Siege Perilous and make her British again or something.
Claremont wanted to do that. First in X-Treme and then later returning to Uncanny. In both cases he was refused by the editors. There are some people who might say 'So what's changed? Why would they think differently now?' Well Captain Britain & MI:13 appears to be one of Marvel's golden children right now. It's selling well, and getting acclaim from all the place. If it's high profile enough to claim Blade on its roster I don't think that bringing Psylocke back to the book where she came from would be unreasonable. Moreso it would be quite logical - and realistically there is almost no way that Psylocke will ever get any sizable or significant exposure or development on the X-Books right now.
Why not actually make her worth reading again for THIS generation of readers?
That's cause they know no one cares about the old Captain Britain mythos except you Sword. That's why we love you though.
Lol. To an extent I'd say you're right. But I'd also reiterate that now that it's being reinvented in the pages of CB&MI:13 a fair few more people are getting on board. Part of the problem with it all is that newcomers have always found it way too complicated, but now it's being simplified and introduced to new readers a lot more people are showing an interest.
Originally, Betsy & Jamie Braddock possessed no superhuman powers. Alan Moore & Alan Davis revamped Betsy into a telepath for the new Captain Britain series previously established by David Thorpe; however, Moore never said the source for Betsy's psi-powers. When Chris Claremont folded Betsy into the mutant books, he just mentioned her telepathy is due to her mutant genes. Therefore, Chris Claremont did not retcon Betsy at all. The source for all of Betsy powers goes to Alan Moore.
I understand what you're saying DDM, but I would also point out that when it comes to Marvel UK characters mutants have always been a rareity. Unless it was ever stated it's safe to assume they were not. Meggan remains the only Marvel UK period mutant I can think of. Psylocke's powers were never pinned down in origin, but as with explanation of Brian's powers it was very much inferred that they had come from their father not having been human.
Claremont's decision to make Betsy a mutant is definitely more of expansion than a retcon - but at that point he would have done pretty much anything to gain access to those characters! :biggrin:
Jamie's reality warping powers did not come to light until Excalibur #15 when he was being tortured by Doc Croc for his crimes against nature (see Captain Britain #10 second series). Jamie is mad who thinks he is living in a dream.
Indeed. Although, as you know well y'self, he is never referred to as a mutant in panel. Only the 198 files have ever drawn that conclusion - and they are to be taken with a pinch of salt, as Loki pointed out.
Captain Britain's powers, originally, came from his costume, but this was later changed that the power is innate, but the costume helps regulate his power;
Indeed. But then the way in which he transformed into Captain Britain was also different. He rubbed the magic amulet and transformed into his magical costume... A lot has changed since then.:biggrin:
Brian is still dependent on his costume--in Excalibur #6-12--when Shadowcat destroys it with the Soulsword & his & Meggan's powers stop working correctly. In Excalibur #12-14, Meggan & Brian learn their life-forces are bound to the British Isles & if they are away for long periods, their powers will stop working correctly. Brian's costume helps regulate his powers outside the British Isles.
It is, however, debatable how much of this still applies though. All of these events came before it was revealed that Roma had placed a buffer on Brian's powers, limiting his power considerably in an attempt to get him to be a team player. At full power Brian is far more capable. As Guardian, in possession of both the Sword and Amulet, it certainly wouldn't have been much of an issue either.
Since his recent reincarnation/revival? It's hard to say. But from Merlyn's words in CB&MI:13 #3 it would suggest that Merlyn has filtered the power of many many Captains into Brian. It may be questionable as to whether new costume even is an amplifier anymore, or something purely decorative - I guess we'll have to wait and see.
MartinRedmond
08-14-2008, 08:39 AM
Yeah CC retconed Betsy to be a mutant.
CC likes to constantly change Psylocke, funny seeing as that's supposedly his favorite character. How about some consistancy for once from the guy?
But frankly, no one in the US had access to the original Psylocke appearances which were all Britain only by Marvel UK. So it only made her simpler.
The Sword Is Drawn
08-14-2008, 09:00 AM
But frankly, no one in the US had access to the original Psylocke appearances which were all Britain only by Marvel UK. So it only made her simpler.
Maybe. Although what's wrong with "I gained telepathic powers from my father. He wasn't human"?
It complicates matters more because she's part of a mythos which has grown considerably over the last twenty years and her half being part of it/half not is a little confusing from that POV. The fact that she was constantly being reinvented in the 90s in order to distance her from her roots has also convoluted the character in a totally unnecessary and pretty messy fashion.
AcesX1X
08-14-2008, 10:15 AM
Let's not discuss 'originality' in the same argument that gave a certain someone the idea to do a story on "ZOMG the devil made me do it! NERTS."
it really just makes the whole thing akin to hooking a dead fish. No sport in the win!
The Sword Is Drawn
08-14-2008, 10:24 AM
Let's not discuss 'originality' in the same argument that gave a certain someone the idea to do a story on "ZOMG the devil made me do it! NERTS."
it really just makes the whole thing akin to hooking a dead fish. No sport in the win!
Am I alone in not having a clue what AcesXIX is talking about, here?:confused:
Zombie Uatu
08-14-2008, 11:11 AM
Am I alone in not having a clue what AcesXIX is talking about, here?:confused:
It might - might - be a reply to my first post in the thread. I think. Although I still don't quite understand the reference - maybe he's talking about OMD. In which case, yes, OMD and Decimation were both horrible story ideas, but what that has to do with originality is utterly beyond me.
AcesX1X
08-14-2008, 11:13 AM
Zombie got it.
http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showpost.php?p=7376467&postcount=20
The Sword Is Drawn
08-14-2008, 11:14 AM
Ah ha! I knew it was here somewhere.
The following is an exert from the reprinting of Captain Britain vol2 No 7 (reprinted in trade, and in colour for the first time) by Jamie Delano and Alan Davis. Here The Mastermind (The sentient computer created by Sir James Braddock to reside, train and serve in Braddock Manor - it later killed him...) which killed Brian and Betsy's father) tells Brian and Betsy directly how they came by their powers - directly from their father's Otherworld Genes.
No X-Gene is mentioned. No mutancy was intended.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/8241/cbv2no07ll4.jpg
jarrod
08-14-2008, 11:17 AM
Yeah, the mutant retcon really rests at Claremont's feet alone. IIRC it was even said that telepathy was common among Otherworlders, and even the preferred form of communication.
It still seems like it'd be extremely simple to reverse though.
Zombie Uatu
08-14-2008, 11:24 AM
Ah ha! I knew it was here somewhere.
The following is an exert from the reprinting of Captain Britain vol2 No 7 (reprinted in trade, and in colour for the first time) by Jamie Delano and Alan Davis. Here The Mastermind (The sentient computer created by Sir James Braddock to reside, train and serve in Braddock Manor - it later killed him...) which killed Brian and Betsy's father) tells Brian and Betsy directly how they came by their powers - directly from their father's Otherworld Genes.
No X-Gene is mentioned. No mutancy was intended.
On the other hand (and I'm just playing devil's advocate here) neither does Mastermind explicitly state Betsy is not a mutant. It's possible that she could be a mutant in a similar way that Namor is - she's half human, half otherworlder, but she also has an x-gene which allows her to... um, wield her telepathy as a pychic knife, maybe?
The Sword Is Drawn
08-14-2008, 11:31 AM
On the other hand (and I'm just playing devil's advocate here) neither does Mastermind explicitly state Betsy is not a mutant. It's possible that she could be a mutant in a similar way that Namor is - she's half human, half otherworlder, but she also has an x-gene which allows her to... um, wield her telepathy as a pychic knife, maybe?
Were it not for the whole telepathy being a regular tool for communication thing (Like Jarrod mentioned) I'd be tempted to agree. I'm wracking my brain for where that was printed. Maybe Loki or DDM could help me with that one... :biggrin:
Maybe Namor is a comparable example, to a degree. But I am absolutely 100% certain that Betsy was intended not to be a mutant, and that Claremont did retcon that in purely to get her to be an X-Man. Which seems a little odd in a period where you had non-mutants like Longshot and Warlock around (Yes I KNOW he was kind of a mutant of his race, but he's certainly not possessed of an X-Gene now, is he?).
jarrod
08-14-2008, 11:47 AM
Were it not for the whole telepathy being a regular tool for communication thing (Like Jarrod mentioned) I'd be tempted to agree. I'm wracking my brain for where that was printed. Maybe Loki or DDM could help me with that one... :biggrin:
It was said in Excalibur 24 iirc... Rachel says it actually, she's having trouble keeping all the psychic traffic out when they arrived in Otherworld.
I think it was stated somewhere before that too though...
The Sword Is Drawn
08-14-2008, 12:07 PM
It certainly does get a mention there:
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/8784/excalibur24bc5.jpg
Although I'm sure there are earlier references.
Rick Summers
08-14-2008, 12:43 PM
The Betsy we know today lives inside of the original Kwannon's body no? Or am I confused?
But frankly, no one in the US had access to the original Psylocke appearances which were all Britain only by Marvel UK. So it only made her simpler.
The first Captain Britain TPB from 1988 reprints all the Jamie Delano & Alan Davis stories from Captain Britain #1-15 (1985 series); therefore, Americans did have access to the book in some form. Betsy & Meggan play key roles in the same stories. The TPB is OOP now, but in the 1980's it was a different story. This TPB got the reprint treatment to promote the Chris Claremont & Alan Davis Excalibur at the time. The forward in the TPB is written by Claremont.
http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/fullsize/14678898400.1.GIF
The Betsy we know today lives inside of the original Kwannon's body no? Or am I confused?
No. The Betsy we know is in an Asian form. Kwannon is a stupid deus ex machina to explain Psylocke's transformation.
Were it not for the whole telepathy being a regular tool for communication thing (Like Jarrod mentioned) I'd be tempted to agree. I'm wracking my brain for where that was printed. Maybe Loki or DDM could help me with that one... :biggrin:
Maybe Namor is a comparable example, to a degree. But I am absolutely 100% certain that Betsy was intended not to be a mutant, and that Claremont did retcon that in purely to get her to be an X-Man. Which seems a little odd in a period where you had non-mutants like Longshot and Warlock around (Yes I KNOW he was kind of a mutant of his race, but he's certainly not possessed of an X-Gene now, is he?).
It certainly does get a mention there:
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/8784/excalibur24bc5.jpg
Although I'm sure there are earlier references.
Although telepathy may be a normal means of communication, these telepaths are not unique in what Psylocke possesses: Psylocke is a psycho blaster, able to manifest her psionic energy to dent steel. Later, Psylocke's psycho-blaster powers are manifested as her telepathic psychic knife; as a telekinetic, her psycho-blaster powers manifest as a telekinetic blade.
.LuckyStar.
08-14-2008, 01:30 PM
Claremont wanted to do that. First in X-Treme and then later returning to Uncanny. In both cases he was refused by the editors. There are some people who might say 'So what's changed? Why would they think differently now?' Well Captain Britain & MI:13 appears to be one of Marvel's golden children right now. It's selling well, and getting acclaim from all the place. If it's high profile enough to claim Blade on its roster I don't think that bringing Psylocke back to the book where she came from would be unreasonable. Moreso it would be quite logical - and realistically there is almost no way that Psylocke will ever get any sizable or significant exposure or development on the X-Books right now.
Why not actually make her worth reading again for THIS generation of readers?
Has Claremont ever mentioned the plot of how he would bring back British Betsy? I've always wondered about this. :tongue:
Has Claremont ever mentioned the plot of how he would bring back British Betsy? I've always wondered about this. :tongue:
When Psylocke returned in Uncanny X-Men #455, she was meant to be in her original British body, but the editors would not allow it. He also had meant Elias Bogan's pet telepath to be Betsy, but the editors would not allow it.
jarrod
08-14-2008, 01:53 PM
The Betsy we know today lives inside of the original Kwannon's body no? Or am I confused?
I believe Betsy is now in her 3rd body, one created ground up by her brother Jamie. Both her original and her Kwannon bodies are R.I.P..
Although telepathy may be a normal means of communication, these telepaths are not unique in what Psylocke possesses: Psylocke is a psycho blaster, able to manifest her psionic energy to dent steel. Later, Psylocke's psycho-blaster powers are manifested as her telepathic psychic knife; as a telekinetic, her psycho-blaster powers manifest as a telekinetic blade.
It's also the "psycho blaster" aspect that separates Betsy from mutant telepaths actually. In fact, there's no record of any similar mutation, despite the wide variety of telepaths that mutation has brought. In fact the one instance of "psycho blasting" may have just been Betsy's future telekinesis emerging.
I like the idea that Betsy's wide array of psychic abilities over the years (telepathy, telekinesis, precognition, psychometry, etc) might be tied more directly to her Otherworld genetics and heritage. It's often overlooked, but both she and Brian were bred to inherit Merlyn's seat and power, I'd imagine that maybe it was meant for them to rule together... with Brian's abilities manifesting as increased physicality and Betsy's as pyschic controls, they make a neatly complimentary pair, literally mind and body. Jamie was the obvious failed test run, his own abilities being to vast and terrible to manage, so the responsibility was essentially split in round two with the twins.
It's also the "psycho blaster" aspect that separates Betsy from mutant telepaths actually. In fact, there's no record of any similar mutation, despite the wide variety of telepaths that mutation has brought. In fact the one instance of "psycho blasting" may have just been Betsy's future telekinesis emerging.
The Shadow King's telepathy is also powerful enough to manifest in reality as shown in X-Men: True Friends #1-3 (i.e. Excalibur Special Edition #3) & various issues of Uncanny X-Men.
I like the idea that Betsy's wide array of psychic abilities over the years (telepathy, telekinesis, precognition, psychometry, etc) might be tied more directly to her Otherworld genetics and heritage. It's often overlooked, but both she and Brian were bred to inherit Merlyn's seat and power, I'd imagine that maybe it was meant for them to rule together... with Brian's abilities manifesting as increased physicality and Betsy's as pyschic controls, they make a neatly complimentary pair, literally mind and body. Jamie was the obvious failed test run, his own abilities being to vast and terrible to manage, so the responsibility was essentially split in round two with the twins.
However, Psylocke was never chosen to be Captain Britain. The irony is deep given Brian did not want to mantle, yet he had no choice.
jarrod
08-14-2008, 02:05 PM
The Shadow King's telepathy is also powerful enough to manifest in reality as shown in X-Men: True Friends #1-3 (i.e. Excalibur Special Edition #3) & various issues of Uncanny X-Men.
I think the Shadow King's trickier, as he's an ancient and disembodied entity. His mutant status might be questionable too honestly, his past is too unknown as is his original form.
Xaiver as Onslaught probably qualifies too... though I've always suspected Xiaver might be a closet telekinetic. :biggrin:
However, Psylocke was never chosen to be Captain Britain. The irony is deep given Brian did not want to mantle, yet he had no choice.
Sure, but that doesn't mean a shared throne of Otherworld isn't the ultimate end goal. Brian didn't exactly impress on his own when he tried.
Ah ha! I knew it was here somewhere.
The following is an exert from the reprinting of Captain Britain vol2 No 7 (reprinted in trade, and in colour for the first time) by Jamie Delano and Alan Davis. Here The Mastermind (The sentient computer created by Sir James Braddock to reside, train and serve in Braddock Manor - it later killed him...) which killed Brian and Betsy's father) tells Brian and Betsy directly how they came by their powers - directly from their father's Otherworld Genes.
No X-Gene is mentioned. No mutancy was intended.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/8241/cbv2no07ll4.jpg
Although the mutant gene is not mentioned, it does not mean Betsy is not a mutant. After all, Brian, by rights, should also have telepathy with your logic, but he does not. Neither does Jamie.
Betsy being a mutant is not an albatross; the albatross is how Betsy had been miswritten since Chris Claremont stopped writing her in 1991-2000 with the Crimson Dawn & the Kwannon mess from other writers.
When Chris Claremont moved Betsy over into Uncanny X-Men he developed her quite well & had a point to her character. I think he's still trying to go this route with her now.
The Sword Is Drawn
08-15-2008, 03:15 AM
The Betsy we know today lives inside of the original Kwannon's body no? Or am I confused?
You're not necessarily confused, but you have missed a bit. Psylocke was murdered by Vargas in X-Treme X-Men, whilst in Kwannon's body. Her own original body had died several years earlier when Kwannon died from the Legacy virus. Claremont had intended to bring her back from the dead in that series. It was vetoed because it coincided with Joe Q's starting as Marvel Editor in Chief, and the now infamous "Dead is Dead" rule being brought in, stopping dead characters being revived for a few years.
She was revived a couple of years ago, but this current for (Though it resembles Kwannon) was actually a new body bound together by her brother Jamie (The mental one with reality warping powers) who literally tugged at the strings of reality to build it for her, and then deposited her mind inside it.
The first Captain Britain TPB from 1988 reprints all the Jamie Delano & Alan Davis stories from Captain Britain #1-15 (1985 series); therefore, Americans did have access to the book in some form. Betsy & Meggan play key roles in the same stories. The TPB is OOP now, but in the 1980's it was a different story. This TPB got the reprint treatment to promote the Chris Claremont & Alan Davis Excalibur at the time. The forward in the TPB is written by Claremont.
It's a very good Foreword, too. It's very insightful into how CC feels about the characters from that book, and how impressed he was by how the title had grown since creating a very different character back in '76. It's a very detailed and interesting piece. It's a shame we didn't get anywhere near as much detail for the foreword to Captain Britain: Birth of a Legend.
Although telepathy may be a normal means of communication, these telepaths are not unique in what Psylocke possesses: Psylocke is a psycho blaster, able to manifest her psionic energy to dent steel. Later, Psylocke's psycho-blaster powers are manifested as her telepathic psychic knife; as a telekinetic, her psycho-blaster powers manifest as a telekinetic blade.
These later, more creative, uses of her power came after much training and trying out though. She's come a long way since the butterfly motif (Although I really miss that). In her earlier appearances she did not have such a physical manifesting of her abilities. These came much later.
When Psylocke returned in Uncanny X-Men #455, she was meant to be in her original British body, but the editors would not allow it. He also had meant Elias Bogan's pet telepath to be Betsy, but the editors would not allow it.
Which, depending on how you look at it, would have made far more sense. When you read X-Treme X-Men after Betsy's death you can't help but see every almost Sage appearance as her being a stand in...
Sure, but that doesn't mean a shared throne of Otherworld isn't the ultimate end goal. Brian didn't exactly impress on his own when he tried.
Although, tbh, he wasn't given much of a chance. We barely saw any of his tenure as guardian, bar the one story in Avengers where he created the new Captain Britain. We have to assume he created new Captains across the multiverse, but it was not something we saw happen.
I actually like the idea of a joint running of Otherworld. Maybe, someday.
The Sword Is Drawn
08-15-2008, 03:52 AM
Hmmm. Board gremlins striking this morning, it seems.
Rick Summers
08-15-2008, 09:25 AM
Was Betsy briefly a "Captain Britain"?
Do you know which issue reveals that Jaimie remade her body?
Saturius
08-15-2008, 09:35 AM
Was Betsy briefly a "Captain Britain"?
Do you know which issue reveals that Jaimie remade her body?
Yup, it was during the Captain Britain run by Jaime Delano. Her tenure was short lived though, as Slaymaster beat the crap outta her and slashed out her eyes. UXM 472 is the issue where Jaimie makes the reveal about Betsy's resurrection.
MartinRedmond
08-15-2008, 10:26 AM
Yeah, but she's just not good enough cause she's a woman.
metalgorgomon
08-15-2008, 10:34 AM
Yeah, but she's just not good enough cause she's a woman.
Really?? I thought lots of (alternate) Cap Brits were also women..
I thought it was due to Betsy became an instant Cap Brit - by wearing a costumised Cap Brit costume. She didn't went through the Merlyn-Roma judgement (Choosing whether sword of might or amulet of right)
jarrod
08-15-2008, 10:39 AM
Was Betsy briefly a "Captain Britain"?
Do you know which issue reveals that Jaimie remade her body?
Betsy was CB breifly, but it wasn't due to Merlyn, Roma or the Corps. She just used Kaptain Briton's adjusted suit and worked with RCX (MI-6) iirc.
The Jamie revelation came during the First Foursaken arc in Uncanny iirc. Can't remember the exact issue number, and the details were jumbled since it was while Claremont was on medical leave (with Bedard haphazardly filling in) but Jamie remade her a new body from scratch that was "tightly wound" which is what makes Betsy resistant to psychical and psychic manipulation and interference. It was also tied to Rachel (through Jean possibly), as the power source I think.
Rick Summers
08-15-2008, 10:50 AM
UXM 472 is the issue where Jaimie makes the reveal about Betsy's resurrection.
Thanks...and here it is:
http://www.thephoenixforce.com/UncannyX-Men20-472.jpg
jarrod
08-15-2008, 10:57 AM
Betsy and Kurt make such a cute couple. <3 <3
creaky
08-15-2008, 05:17 PM
I loved Bachalo's version of Jamie. The hat was a really nice touch.
The Black Guardian
08-15-2008, 07:20 PM
Betsy and Kurt make such a cute couple. <3 <3
I won't disagree, but everybody makes a cute couple with Kurt.:biggrin:
Leogam
08-15-2008, 08:24 PM
Just have a few questions that need to be answered maybe DDM can provide them huh?? you seem to be good at that
1) When Jamie was born his father knew he didnt have what it took to become Captain Britain, was that descision based on him being born human (and then retconned to mutant), or his future personality & character.
2) I thought that thier father wanted a super powered child, and originally when jamie was born he was born human with no potential for super powers (which was retconned in him being a mutant years later for some reason). So thier parents cocieved again & got the twins who both had potential (to attune to magic) for super powers and later developed them in adulthood.
3)I had assumed that the people in otherworld were genetically humans living in a dimension not known to our (616) reality where all folklore & magic creatures resided in.
4) I kinda think of the Braddock family similiar to the Harry Potter Mythos.
James was a pure-blood & Elizabeth was a muggle. Together they first had Jamie originally born as a muggle (but later retconned to be a half-blood), then they had the twins who were born as latent half-bloods
5) If jamie created a new body for betsy from scratch why was it in asian form, he could have put her in a replica of her british body again..?
Leogam
08-16-2008, 01:22 PM
bumping up
1) When Jamie was born his father knew he didnt have what it took to become Captain Britain, was that descision based on him being born human (and then retconned to mutant), or his future personality & character.
Although Jamie Braddock has great power to manipulate the strings of reality, it is never clear he is a mutant. He simply has this power after Doc Croc pushed his mind over the edge.
2) I thought that thier father wanted a super powered child, and originally when jamie was born he was born human with no potential for super powers (which was retconned in him being a mutant years later for some reason). So thier parents cocieved again & got the twins who both had potential (to attune to magic) for super powers and later developed them in adulthood.
Originally, Brian Braddock possessed no superhuman powers; it is all derived from his costume. Later, it is revealed the source of Brian's power is somewhat innate, but still the costume regulates the power.
On the other hand, although Betsy Braddock possesses telepathy, she is not chosen to be Earth's champion as Captain Britain. As shown in Captain Britain #13 (1985 series), Betsy is nearly killed when her eyes are gouged out from Slaymaster. Therefore, Brian reclaims his role as Captain Britain.
3)I had assumed that the people in otherworld were genetically humans living in a dimension not known to our (616) reality where all folklore & magic creatures resided in.
The people of Otherworld come from different Earths, but Otherworld is where they maintain the order of all reality--the multiverse--itself. For instance, Opal Luna Saturnye comes from Earth-9, but she the responsibility to maintain the order of reality which contains Earth-616, the mainstream Marvel Universe Earth. Previously, Roma was Saturnyne's boss before she "died."
Roma, Merlyn (& Necrom) are literally gods; they are the natives of Otherworld. They possesses great power which defies comprehension.
4) I kinda think of the Braddock family similiar to the Harry Potter Mythos. James was a pure-blood & Elizabeth was a muggle. Together they first had Jamie originally born as a muggle (but later retconned to be a half-blood), then they had the twins who were born as latent half-bloods.
Okay...
5) If jamie created a new body for betsy from scratch why was it in asian form, he could have put her in a replica of her british body again..?
Editorial politics. Chris intended for Betsy to be restored to her original body & her original power, telepathy, but the editors vetoed the idea over the marketing.
The Sword Is Drawn
08-17-2008, 02:07 PM
Yeah, but she's just not good enough cause she's a woman.
You try telling that to Captain UK.
I loved Bachalo's version of Jamie. The hat was a really nice touch.
I'd agree. The way in which he showed Jamie's 'reality-strings' was incredibly well done, also. That's not an easy thing to show.
1) When Jamie was born his father knew he didnt have what it took to become Captain Britain, was that descision based on him being born human (and then retconned to mutant), or his future personality & character.
That's questionable. I mean Mastermind's description certainly suggests that Jamie had not acquired whatever traits Otherworlders have on a genetic level. But of course later on he developed powers after being tortured and tampered with.
I think though, that his unsuitability came down more to his strength of character - or lack thereof. Jamie had certainly already begun his Playboy lifestyle and dirty dealing while Sir James was still alive. It is quite possible that Sir James Braddock was very disappointed with Jamie Jr.
2) I thought that thier father wanted a super powered child, and originally when jamie was born he was born human with no potential for super powers (which was retconned in him being a mutant years later for some reason). So thier parents cocieved again & got the twins who both had potential (to attune to magic) for super powers and later developed them in adulthood.
Who said they were conceived? :rolleyes:
Sir James' remit was to bring Merlyn a suitable heir. Somebody capable of wielding both Sword and Amulet without being driven mad by the power. It always struck me (And I know I'm not alone in the pinion) that this was a very scientific process. I still wouldn't be surprised if they didn't find a cavern somewhere in the grounds of Braddiock Manor filled with reject Brians, Betsys and Jamies. Or worse - another Braddock sibling... :biggrin:
3)I had assumed that the people in otherworld were genetically humans living in a dimension not known to our (616) reality where all folklore & magic creatures resided in.
The true residents of Otherworld are more than that. Merlyn and Roma are Gods in every sense of the world, but even though other inhabitants (Such as Oberon, The Lady or the Green Knight) are not on this kind of level, they are much more like concepts, myths and legends, given form. Anthropomorphic Personifications. Certainly not human.
Although, as we have seen, many many humans from across the multiverse have settled there. Such as Saturnine for example, or anybody else involved with the Dimensional Development Court.
4) I kinda think of the Braddock family similiar to the Harry Potter Mythos.
James was a pure-blood & Elizabeth was a muggle. Together they first had Jamie originally born as a muggle (but later retconned to be a half-blood), then they had the twins who were born as latent half-bloods
Not a bad a analogy, to be honest. Of course, what we want is for somebody to put down something concrete in panel. I don't think Marvel want that, though. Because they like Psylocke being a pure X-Man.
5) If jamie created a new body for betsy from scratch why was it in asian form, he could have put her in a replica of her british body again..?
He could have. Although in her Asian form she is far better suited physically to fight.
Of course, the real reason was that the editors refused Claremont's plans to bring her back in her English body. That's what he wanted. But the marketing men disagreed. Too much Psylocke being used in her the Asian body for merchandising.
Although Jamie Braddock has great power to manipulate the strings of reality, it is never clear he is a mutant. He simply has this power after Doc Croc pushed his mind over the edge.
Exactly. It's never been said in panel that he is a mutant. For all we know Doctor Crocodile's torture and hallucinogens kicked those Otherworld genes into doing either something new, or what that had always been capable of - but needed a push.
The people of Otherworld come from different Earths, but Otherworld is where they maintain the order of all reality--the multiverse--itself. For instance, Opal Luna Saturnye comes from Earth-9, but she the responsibility to maintain the order of reality which contains Earth-616, the mainstream Marvel Universe Earth. Previously, Roma was Saturnyne's boss before she "died."
Roma, Merlyn (& Necrom) are literally gods; they are the natives of Otherworld. They possesses great power which defies comprehension.
You must also remember that there are other natives of Otherworld/Avalon who are NOT gods. But still very powerful entities all the same.
We also do not know from which world Sir James originated. For all we know he too could have been a true Otherworld native. It's far from impossible - but again, it'd be nice if somebody pinned it down.
vBulletin® v3.6.4, Copyright ©2000-2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.