CBR: Welcome to the three hundredth and ninety-seventh in a series of examinations of comic book legends and whether they are true or false. This week, was Psylocke’s death in X-Treme X-Men originally meant to be x-tremely temporary?
COMIC LEGEND: Chris Claremont killed off Psylocke in X-Treme X-Men with the intent to return her to life very soon after
STATUS: True
Awhile back, I did a feature on how Psylocke was originally going to be killed off during the Psi War storyline. While she survived that tale, it was only a couple of years later that she was killed off in the second issue of Chris Claremont and Salvador Larocca’s X-Treme X-Men…
Claremont, though, merely planned for her death to be temporary, with the idea being that when she returned, she would be stripped of all of the Crimson Dawn stuff that had been added to her story (including her facial tattoo) plus perhaps even returning her to her original body (and not the Asian body she ended up in).Larocca even worked up a design for her return…However, this was during a period where Marvel had decided that no characters would return from the dead, so Claremont’s plans were squelched.
Three or so years later, though, Joss Whedon brought Colossus back from the dead (a character that both Claremont AND Grant Morrison wanted to use in their X-Men runs but couldn’t because he had just been killed off before New X-Men and X-Treme X-Men began)… So in 2005, Claremont was able to follow through and return Psylocke from the dead.
Then why didn't he follow up his own plans on turning her back to caucasian?
ReplyDeleteBeause Marvel wouldn't let him, Thiago.
ReplyDeleteRumor has it that editorial rejected the idea, since she's more marketable as the Asian ninja.
ReplyDeleteWell, regression is the worst thing that can happen to a character. Especially in a team book. Her change during the AoV arc is pretty much what made her character unique and stand out. Besides in the Larocca sketch she looks very Asian.
ReplyDeleteThe much more interesting question is:
Did CC not have his story idea approved by the editors?
Was it just writer hybris?
Or was he basically stabbed in the back?
I have a feeling even if Claremont was allowed to have brought her back British that somewhere down the line by now she would have been reverted back to her Asian body. IMO
ReplyDeleteI like that cool design. I guess that was supposed to be her look as Bogan's slave before it was switched to be Rachel instead.
I had already read this story some years ago. I believe this blog itself had published this information before, but still, it's always a nice thing to remember.
ReplyDeleteLarroca's design for evil Psylocke was indeed very cool. Claremont's idea was kinda stupid, but it could have worked if she had returned in Xtreme's last arc instead of Rachel (it would be kinda symbolic, her dying in the first arc and returning in the last arc).
And it would be a nice excuse to return her to her original body. But as CmX and Chris said, her Asian body is seen as the "marketable" one, so I doubt Marvel would actually let him return Psylocke to her original body.
One day I think they will. She's Eurasian for the record. But one day I think some writer will address the body change and her relationship with her brothers. I can see them two doing an adventure together involving Spiral, Mojo, and her brothers. Will be interesting for sure.
ReplyDeleteI think her marketability as an Asian woman will be a thin of the past, now that she's out of that thong. The Asian mystique is gone, and she's much more a character to be taken seriously.