Hunt For Wolverine: Dead Ends #1 Spoilers & Art

Spoilers: When Iron Man and Daredevil visit the Xavier Institute to meet Kitty Pryde and discuss all their findings regarding Logan's disappearance; Tony Stark immediately notices Psylocke in her original body. Kitty explains what has happened to her in Madripoor and informs that Jean Grey is working with her. Betsy doesn't appreciate the others talking or thinking about her, and Kitty apologizes.

Interior Art from Uncanny X-Men #1 by Mahmud Asrar; Psylocke Displays Psi-knife

Psylocke's New Costume Original Design by Mahmud Asrar

Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor #4: Full Breakdown and Reference Guide

	Blond Ambition: Although Psylocke was inhabiting the body of Kwannon for the past years, her soul reflected the image of her original self. Betsy Braddock debuted in Captain Britain v1 #8 (1976) as a natural blonde Caucasian girl.
	Purple Rain: Upon noticing her blonde hair, Psylocke immediately changed it back to purple (or lavender, if you must). Betsy debuted her purple hair in Daredevils v1 #3 (1983), much to her brother’s dismay. Thank you, Alan Moore.
	Dressed for Success: Got nothing to wear? How about that little pink dress you wore when you proved yourself worthy of the X-Men by kicking Sabretooth’s ass? Betsy brings back her vintage dress from Uncanny X-Men v1 #213 (1986).
	My Reflection: Did Psylocke reflecting on her self-image over the years ring a bell? That’s what she did when she was brought back to life by her brother Jamie in Uncanny X-Men v1 #456 (2005) and came to the same conclusion: Betsy is Betsy.
	Greatest Hits: Schoolgirl uniform (Uncanny X-Men v1 #256), Mojoworld slave (New Mutants Annual v1 #2), Vintage pink (Uncanny X-Men v1 #213), Outback armor (Uncanny X-Men v1 #232) and Captain Britain (Captain Britain v2 #12).
	Greatest Hits vol. 2: Lady Mandarin (Uncanny X-Men v1 #257), All-New, All-Different Marvel (Uncanny X-Men v4 #1), Crimson Dawn (Uncanny X-Men v1 #333), Marvel NOW (Uncanny X-Force v2 #1) and Classic Ninja (Uncanny X-Men v1 #256).
	Kissed to Death: Curious about when Wolverine locked lips with Sapphire Styx and got a piece of his soul trapped forever in her mindscape? Try Marvel Comics Presents v1 #4 (1988). Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t as pleasant as it was for her.
	Break it Down: Psylocke exploded Sapphire Styx’s body from within and shattered all her pieces to the four winds. Maybe she took inspiration from the best: Mojo, back when he did the same thing to her in New Mutants Annual v1 #2 (1986).
	‘80s Trends: Betsy debuted a new uniform which seems to be based on the original design of her Captain Britain suit, except with the color scheme of her Outback armor, lavender and pink instead of old Britain’s red, blue and white.
	Mind Witch: Psylocke tricking Snake-whip into attacking an illusion instead of her felt familiar, right? That was one of Betsy’s favorite tricks back in the day. Here’s Betsy doing the same with poor Rogue in Uncanny X-Men v1 #239 (1988).
	Let Me In: When Betsy was admitted to the Xavier School, she wasn’t sure if she belonged with the senior X-Men or the youngsters in training. Fortunately for her, she did show them the tiger within in Uncanny X-Men v1 #213 (1986).
	Killing Me Softly: It doesn’t look like Psylocke regrets killing Magneto back in Uncanny X-Men v4 #19 (2017). This is the first time they have met each other since then and judging by her thoughts, she’s ready to kill him again.
	Full Circle: Psylocke and Jubilee share a moment after a major change for Betsy. Unlike the first time in Uncanny X-Men v1 #258 (1990) when she was a bit distrustful, Jubilee now showed support to her friend and made sure she was ok.
	Ghosts: Dr. Synne mind-controlled her – Captain Britain v1 #8. S.T.R.I.K.E. infiltrated by Vixen targeted her and her friends – Daredevils v1 #3.  Mojo kidnapped, enslaved and gave her bionic eyes – New Mutants Annual v1 #2. The Hand violated her body and soul – Uncanny X-Men v1 #256.
	At Last I am Myself: Those were the exact same words said by Betsy when she was free of Spiral’s control in New Mutants Annual v1 #2 (1986). She shares the same sentiment now that she was able to choose who she wants to be.
	Je Veux ta Revanche: Kwannon a.k.a. Revanche is back from the dead after 24 years. This is the first time she was seen in her original body other than flashbacks like this one straight from the pages of X-Men v2 #31 (1994).

Chris Claremont Explains the Original Plan for Psylocke's Transformation

Newsarama: Psylocke just got her original body back in this week's Hunt for Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor #4 after decades spent in the body of an Japanese assassin named Kwannon – but was it always the plan for Betsy Braddock to become an Asian woman for almost 30 years? According to Psylocke’s co-creator (and the guy who made her Asian) Chris Claremont – it wasn’t.

Speaking to Women Write About Comics, Claremont explained that the switch was only meant to last a single arc – but because of the way then Jim Lee drew her, he stuck with the change, planning to undo it a few years later.

"That was almost, in a way, [Jim Lee’s] audition art to take over the series. So it was a self-contained, three-part story, that would lead up to his, you know to his taking over Uncanny and then spinning off into X-Men," Claremont explained. “But … the rationale for it was… We were going to have, as the villain of the piece, the Mandarin. And the Mandarin, being very … China-centric, at a time when China was negotiating with Britain for the hand-back of Hong Kong."

“So the idea of him using an Occidental - pardon me, a pompous phrase - lackey, kind of made no sense. On the other hand, throwing in Mojo, to kind of muck things up, was fun... The whole point of the first issue was to get her to the stage where she comes back as Lady Mandarin," Claremont continued. "And then at the end, when she finally breaks free, in the original concept in my head, the breaking free would be literal. The whole illusion or false face of ‘Asian Betsy’ would shatter, peel off, and she would be back the way she was."

“So - the idea was to put everything back the way we found it, originally. But then, looking at what Jim had created - visually - she looked so cool. 'Heck it, we can fix it later.' I mean, Jim, Jim will be around for three years, and then we’ll get a new artist and we’ll fix it. In the meantime - let’s go with it! And see what happens. See where it leads. Sometimes you have a plan, sometimes you have an inspiration."

As for why Psylocke never wound up changing back during his run, the answer simply comes down to Claremont abruptly leaving the book before he could tell the story.

“The one thing I didn’t consider anywhere in this equation was ‘What if I’m the one to go, and not Jim’,” Claremont quipped.

Claremont left the X-Men titles in 1993 following disagreements with then-editor Bob Harras.

Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor #4 Art

Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor #4 Spoilers

Spoilers: After Psylocke’s soul is drained by Sapphire Styx, she finds herself in Saphhire’s mindscape and reflects on her life. Betsy takes her time to investigate and finds out Sapphire has been feeding on others for centuries. When she finds a piece of Logan’s soul trapped there for years, she urges him to fight together and uses her telepathy to help him do so, hence his Patch persona appearing before Styx earlier. All the other souls beg Betsy to avenge them and it’s what she does by breaking Sapphire’s body from within. Betsy taps into all the soul power unleashed by Sapphire to rebuild her original body, molecule by molecule, and makes her way back to the physical world, appearing before her X-Men friends. She’s back to where she belongs. Kitty and the others are taken aback by her original appearance, but there’s no time to celebrate yet. Magneto is still too weak to stop the rocket, so Kitty phases Rogue and Storm out of the vessel. Meanwhile Betsy overwhelms and defeats Bloodlust. Jubilee takes on Knockout. When Viper strikes back, Psylocke then proceeds to implant a suggestion in her brain, blurring her vision. Kitty rescues Rogue and Storm, but Magneto is unable to prevent the rocket launching as he is still too weak. Psylocke then confuses Snake-whip by making her target an illusion instead of her. Rogue touches Knockout and absorbs her powers, defeating her and getting some revenge. Domino points a gun at Snake-ship, who surrenders. Storm makes her entrance and stops the torrential rain hitting Madripoor; Betsy is amazed at her, just like when she joined the X-Men. Magneto threatens to murder Mindblast, and Psylocke is ready to stop him, if necessary killing him again, but he backs down before anything can happen. Afterwards, the X-Men interrogates Magneto, and Psylocke knows he has nothing to do with Wolverine's body. Erik promises to clean up Viper’s mess in Madripoor and track her down, as she has escaped. When it comes to finding Wolverine, Kitty says their only lead was “Soteira”, the organization name. which was revealed by Snake-whip in return for a lighter sentence. Meanwhile Betsy is by herself, admiring the view of Madripoor’s cityline. Jubilee meets her to make sure she’s okay and asks if this is the original her and if she remembers everything they’ve gone through. Betsy says she does. Psylocke explains that when Sapphire exploded, she used the soul power she left behind to create a physical body for herself. It feels a bit strange, but comforting. For so many years her body has been manipulated by others (Dr. Synne, S.T.R.I.K.E., Mojo, The Hand), but no more. Now she’s herself. Meanwhile, back at the Femme Fatales’ fortress, Soteira’s employees are cleaning up the mess, but they are surprised by… the Asian body alive! The woman speaking Japanese just wants to ask a few questions! Kwannon?

X-Solicits for November 2018

	Uncanny X-Men #1-3 Ed Brisson, Kelly Thompson & Matthew Rosenberg (W) Issue #1 - Mahmud Asrar & More (A) Issue #2 - R.B. Silva (A) Issue #3 - Yildiray Cinar (A) Covers by: Leinil Francis Yu Issue #1 - Variant Cover by: Jen Bartel Issue #1 - Variant Cover by: Jim Cheung Issue #1 - Variant Cover by: Cliff Chiang Issue #1 - Party Action Figure Variant Cover by: John Tyler Christopher Issue #1 - Premiere Variant Cover by: Leinil Francis Yu Issue #1 - Hidden Gem Variant Cover by: Dave Cockrum Issue #1 - Hidden Gem Variant Cover by: Joe Quesada Issue #1 - Black and White Hidden Gem Variant Cover by: Joe Quesada Issue #1 - Variant Cover by: Marko Djurdjevic Issue #1 - Variant Cover by: Rob Liefeld Issue #1 - Wraparound Gatefold Variant Cover by: David Marquez Issue #1 - Variant Cover by: Carlos Pacheco Issue #1 - Variant Cover by: Skottie Young Issue #1 - Blank Variant Cover Also Available Issue #2 - Variant Cover by: TBA Issue #2 - Action Figure Variant Cover by: John Tyler Christopher Issue #3 - Variant Cover by: TBA Issue #3 - Action Figure Variant Cover by: John Tyler Christopher The Children of the Atom Are Back! • New ongoing series kicking off with a 10-part weekly epic, the flagship X-Men series that started it all is back and better than ever! Starting with a mysterious and tragic disappearance, the X-Men are drawn into what might be…their final adventure?! X-Fan favorite writers Ed Brisson (Extermination), Matthew Rosenberg (Phoenix Resurrection) and Kelly Thompson (MR. & MRS. X) and all-star artists Mahmud Asrar (X-Men Red), R.B. Silva (X-Men Blue), Yildiray Cinar (Weapon X) and Pere Pérez (Rogue and Gambit) join forces to bring you…X-Men Disassembled?!
	Astonishing X-Men #17 Matthew Rosenberg (W) • Greg Land (A/C) Uncanny X-Men Variant Cover by: Alex Ross • It’s X-Men vs. Reavers vs. Sentinels! • But in this battle royale, who will come out on top? • And will Havok finally prove himself to be the X-Man he claims to be?
	X-Men Red #10 Tom Taylor (W) • Paolo Villanelli (A) Cover by: Jenny Frison • In the aftermath of a showdown between Jean Grey and Cassandra Nova, the rules have changed — and the battle is nowhere near over! It’s all hands on deck as the building wave of hatred against mutants crashes down on the X-Men!
	Extermination #5 (of 5) Ed Brisson (W) • Pepe Larraz (A) Cover by: Mark Brooks Teaser Variant Cover by: Pepe Larraz Classified Variant Cover by: Olivier Coipel Virgin Classified Variant Cover by: Olivier Coipel Connecting Variant Cover by: Mike Hawthorne (5 of 5) • It all ends here!!! • The original five X-Men have taken the fight back to Ahab…but at what cost? • Who lives? Who dies? The X-Men will never be the same again.
	Return of Wolverine #3 (of 5) Charles Soule (W) • Declan Shalvey (A) Cover by: Steve Mcniven Variant Cover by: Patrick Zircher Variant Cover by: Declan Shalvey • Wolverine vs. the X-Men?!

Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor #4 Preview

Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor #4

Writer: Jim Zub

Art by: Thony Silas & Leonard Kirk

Cover by: Giuseppe Camuncoli

Variant Cover by: Chris Bachalo

Spoiler Variant Cover by: Terry Dodson

The Story:

One of the X-Men is changed forever! Past and present clash in final battle on an island of secrets and sin! What darkness lies within Sapphire Styx? Can a ghost from the past save Psylocke from oblivion?

In Stores: August 22, 2018

Ed Brisson Guarantees "Absolute Chaos" Ahead in 'Uncanny X-Men'

Marvel.com: Writer Ed Brisson is not new to the X-world, having worked on both Extermination and Old Man Logan. This time around, Brisson is joining forces with Matthew Rosenberg and Kelly Thompson to tell a massive new story for Marvel's merry mutants.

Marvel.com asked Brisson about working with Rosenberg and Thompson and what kind of work went on behind the scenes. Planning began last spring when the three writers "spent two days locked in a room together figuring out the story." He says, "It was pretty intense, but we came up with some great stuff.  It was tough, but in the end, it really helped map out the story that we wanted to tell."

One advantage to working as a trio was the already close relationship they all shared. "I think we can sometimes forgo having to worry about being nice (not that we're mean) and can be honest with one another when we don't like a direction one of us is headed," Brisson explains. "That said, it's been an overwhelmingly positive experience. I would have thought with three writers, there'd be a lot more head clashing, but nothing could be further from the case."

The art for Uncanny X-Men will be provided by Mahmud Asrar, R.B. Silva, Yildiray Cinar, and Pere Perez. Brisson says he's been a fan of their work: "Mahmud's run on X-Men Red has been pretty spectacular and I've really dug R.B. Silva's work on X-Men Blue. Yildiray Cinar is an artist that I've long admired and am happy to finally get a chance to work. Pere Perez's work on Rogue and Gambit has been stellar as well."

That said, Brisson also knows he's putting these artists up to a great challenge. "I love all these artist and so I feel incredibly guilty for what we're putting them through. There are some pages we've written that I look at and think, 'Wow, this is going to be amazing, but... oh man, this is gonna be hell to draw!' So, Mahmud, R.B., Yildiray, Pere, if you're reading this. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Brisson also highlights that despite working with the X-Men as a team before on Extermination, Uncanny X-Men features more characters. "It's been incredibly interesting to juggle that. I have charts next to my computer tracking which character is where and what they're doing at all times."

But don't think that means he'll be going easy on anyone. "Anyone who's read any of my work knows that I love to put characters through the wringer, and Uncanny X-Men will not be an exception. We're pushing some of these characters in ways that they've never been pushed before. Characters who maybe haven't had the spotlight in the past are going to have to step up and prove that they deserve to be on this team. We've given some of the younger X-Men, including my personal favorite, Glob, a chance to really shine, which I'm thrilled about."

The writer closes with a few ominous words: "Because this is an X-Men book, there's going to be lots of internal drama, which I think is going to cause this team to go off in some very interesting directions." That includes the issues down the road, which Brisson says will feature "Choas. Absolute chaos." He continues, "This book will keep you guessing at every turn. There are going to be some pretty big players you haven't seen in a while doing some downright crazy stuff."

"I think that there's at least two 'holy crap' moments in every issue. Readers are in for a hell of a ride."

Read Uncanny X-Men #1 on November 14! 

Kelly Thompson Reveals the Emotional Stakes in 'Uncanny X-Men'

Marvel.com: As part of the writing team for Uncanny X-Men, Kelly Thompson brings her own brand of X-perience after writing for both teams (West Coast Avengers) and individual characters (Jessica Jones), not to mention a brand new X-couple (Mr. Mrs. X). Now, she's joining Matthew Rosenberg and Ed Brisson on this new spectacular series that is hearing up to be one of the most dangerous situations faced by the mutant population.

Marvel.com asked Thompson about writing with Rosenberg and Brisson, and how they prepared to tackle this massive new series. The short answer? Lots of pre-release planning! Thompson said that she and her fellow writers -- also known as the X-Office -- met back in April and started working on their story. "[Y]ou have to have a lot in the can very early -- nearly everything has to be done before the book even starts releasing or you'll be doomed. We're finishing the script for issue #6 as we speak and we've got a ton of stunning art in the can." 

The art, which is being done by Mahmud Asrar (X-Men Red), R.B. Silva (X-Men Blue), Yildiray Cinar (Weapon X), and Pere Perez (Rogue and Gambit), is "beautiful stuff," according to Thompson who previously worked with Perez on Rogue and Gambit. She also shared that she's "a huge fan of Mahmud Asrar and have been wanting to work with him since I got into comics, so this is a dream come true." Thompson added: "That was the professional answer. The fun answer is I look forward to Laura (X-23) fighting dinosaurs."

After working on several books featuring X-Men characters plus individual heroes like Jessica Jones and Kate Bishop, Thompson says that Uncanny X-Men is "totally new territory" for several reasons. One reason is the weekly format and the sheer size of the event. The other is the collaborative writing. "I've done a co-write for Marvel before, but this is much more [about] three equal collaborators trying to come together to tell a great story. And collaborating like that comes with a price -- there's a lot of compromise, which can be tough, but you also get the benefit of a lot of different ideas and experiences. Fortunately for me, Matt and Ed are not only terrific writers but two of my best friends in the industry, so it's been mostly a joy."

Part of that joy is working with characters that they all love as a team. However, that "joy" might involve sending those beloved characters on a turbulent journey. Thompson said: "I wish I could say writers don't love putting characters we love through rough stuff... but I think that would be a bold-faced lie. [T]here's nothing I like more than making people laugh and fall in love and then really making them feel something and be moved - which sometimes means tragedy - and then making them laugh again. I think we've got a great emotional narrative at the heart of this event. One that I hope fans will respond to."

Thompson also said that we can expect both classic X-Men characters as well as a few fresher faces. "[A] few of the younger crew have really big juicy roles in this story too. And I love that."

Uncanny X-Men #1 will go on sale Wednesday, November 14. Stay tuned to Marvel.com for the latest news!

'Uncanny X-Men' Writer Matthew Rosenberg Promises a "Big and Scary" Series

Marvel.com: Uncanny X-Men is making its big return this fall, and its creative team is promising a super dramatic series! The ongoing series, which kicks off on Wednesday, November 14, will reunite every mutant on the planet after a "tragic" event. But will all those mutants in one place prove dangerous?

Marvel.com spoke to Uncanny X-Men writer Matthew Rosenberg to get an inside look at how he's telling the story, which he's writing alongside Kelly Thompson and Ed Brisson. Rosenberg says the trio "have actually been working on the book for months." He added that they're "good friends who were all doing X books before this, so we'd talk all the time anyway." As a group, the three writers pitched their ideas to Marvel and continued communicating on a daily basis. "Pretty sure neither of them will ever want to talk to me ever again when this is over."

Bringing the X-Men to life are what Rosenberg calls "a true murderers row of talent" -- the artists who are making the stories "explode onto the page in ways we couldn't have imagined." Mahmud Asrar (X-Men Red), R.B. Silva (X-Men Blue), Yildiray Cinar (Weapon X), and Pere Perez (Rogue and Gambit) are all on board for Uncanny X-Men with Leinil Frances Yu and Edgar Delgado providing artwork for the covers.

Rosenberg also writes Astonishing X-Men and Phoenix Resurrection, which respectively had a "narrow scope" and a focus on one character -- Jean Grey. Uncanny X-Men "is the opposite of all that," he said. "We are making Uncanny as huge as we can. We're approaching it [as if] this might very well be the last X-Men story ever, so let's make it matter. We're doing all hands on deck, fate of the world stuff. It's big and scary."

To that point, Rosenberg and the team will be putting the mutants through the ringer, starting with the 10-part story “Disassembled.” He said: "I think the best X-Men stories need two things that often seem in opposition, but are entirely crucial. First they need real danger. The X-Men go through more pain, hardships, and suffering than any other superheroes. That's their lot in life. And they always come out the other side, but that should be tested every time. And the second thing a great X-Men story needs is creators who love the X-Men. It's easy to hurt and kill characters. It's easy to blow things up with no thought. When it matters, when the audience cares, is when there is real pain and heartbreak behind it. When the storytellers were as upset doing it as you are reading it, that's when an X-Men story works. And I'd put Kelly, Ed, and my love of X-Men against almost anyone in the world."

And what can Rosenberg tell us about what we can look forward to in Uncanny X-Men beyond the first three issues? "You might see someone you weren't expecting."

Uncanny X-Men #1 will go on sale Wednesday, November 14. Stay tuned to Marvel.com for the latest news!

'Uncanny X-Men' Teaser by David Marquez