X-Men: Outback #3 Teaser

Find out what really happened between Psylocke and Colossus in the Australian Outback in tomorrow’s X-Men: Outback #3—and what the issue reveals about the complicated bond that had been quietly developing between Betsy Braddock and Piotr Rasputin.

X-Men '97 Director Reveals Why Betsy Braddock Remained Psylocke

A fascinating new behind-the-scenes revelation sheds light on the decision to portray Psylocke as Betsy Braddock in X-Men '97. During an interview with the Solving for X-Men podcast, director Emmett Yonemura revealed that the subject was debated among the show's staff.

Ultimately, Betsy's portrayal received strong support from Yonemura and assistant director David Maximo, both Asian members of the production team, who stood up for the character and recognized the narrative importance of remaining faithful to Psylocke's history during the period in which the series is set.

Solving for X-Men Podcast: Speaking of a little show called X-Men '97, I wanted to know: when you were directing Psylocke, did you know who you were directing? Did you know if it was Betsy or if it was Kwannon? Did they tell you that, or...? 'Cause there's the whole controversy.

Emmett Yonemura: Yeah, you know, there is. And at one point, the showrunner was almost making me feel a little bit token-like: "Well, how do you feel about this 'cause you're half Japanese?" And I'm like, "Oh God, I'm not that close to this character. I'm not that close to this character." But I was like, "Yeah, it does feel a little weird to have, I guess, a bit of cultural appropriation." It was also the way it was phrased to me, just, "It's offensive, right?" And I was like, "Yes, it's offensive. I'm [laughter] totally offended."

But then I asked [David] Maximo, one of Chase [Conley]'s assistant directors for his episodes, and he's a huge Psylocke fan. And as soon as he heard that there was even a debate going on, he was like, "How dare you? This is totally a part of her character. It doesn't—no one's looking at it from some sort of racist standpoint. It's just—it's what happened to these two women, and this is what's going on. And it's she's trapped in her—that it's not meant to be appropriation."

And so he was so firm about it that I was like, "No, no, no, no. This is the guy you ask. And if he says it's fine because he's the huge fan and Asian and he just—he gets it." I was like, "No, no, no. We can do it this way."

So yes, English woman trapped inside a Japanese woman's body, but it does actually matter for content and story and where you're going to take characters. So, yeah, it was a debate, but I'm glad that we just kind of stuck to the character, at least for where she is at this time period, because it just—it makes sense.

And also, who doesn't want more drama? Look, if we can add her bag of issues to the pile, let's do it. [laughter]

Solving for X-Men Podcast: I agree. I like that decision.

Emmett Yonemura: Yeah, me too. I felt comfortable once we had a fan—you know, [David] Maximo is just so close to these characters. But when he was just like, "No, no, no, no, no. To change it would be actually offensive," I was like, "Okay, cool. I like that. I dig that."

X-Men ’97 Week, Part Seven: Psylocke Battles Wolverine

10 • ANIMATED SERIES

X-Men ’97: Season 2, Episode 9 — “Survival of the Fittest”

Cable presented Valerie Cooper and X-Factor with his argument that Apocalypse remained alive inside Gambit and would eventually seize complete control of his body. Convinced that killing Remy was the only way to destroy Apocalypse, X-Force and X-Factor launched a government-backed assault on X-Corp headquarters. Psylocke joined Cable and Archangel on the front lines as the two factions battled the X-Men, who remained determined to save Gambit.

During the attack, Psylocke and Archangel specifically targeted Wolverine and succeeded in pinning him down. Their apparent victory was immediately undermined when a second Wolverine emerged from the shadows and attacked them. The opponent they had restrained was revealed to be Morph, who transformed into Doctor Octopus and continued disrupting the battlefield while the real Wolverine turned his attention toward Psylocke and Archangel.

Psylocke confronted Wolverine with both her martial arts training and psychic abilities. She attempted to incapacitate him with her psychic knife, but the attack had no effect because his mind had already endured an extraordinary accumulation of trauma. Wolverine then seized one of Psylocke’s swords and used her own weapon against her, brutally overpowering her after her psychic assault failed to penetrate his defenses.

Despite the setback, Psylocke continued fighting alongside Cable’s forces as the conflict spread throughout X-Corp. The battle reached its turning point when Cable reached the restrained Gambit and shot him in the head at close range, intending to eliminate both him and Apocalypse. Instead, the attack completed Apocalypse’s return, allowing him to take full control of Gambit’s body, overpower the assembled mutants, and enslave nearly everyone present.

Rogue returned empowered by the Celestial Eson the Searcher after agreeing to sacrifice her life in exchange for the strength necessary to save Remy. She broke Apocalypse’s control, extracted his essence from Gambit, and imprisoned it within a gemstone that she entrusted to Cable. Gambit was restored, while Nightcrawler secretly assumed Rogue’s place in the Celestial bargain and sacrificed himself so that his sister could survive.

X-Men ’97 Week, Part Six: Psylocke Hunts Down Gambit

09 • ANIMATED SERIES

X-Men ’97: Season 2, Episode 8 — “The Dead Man’s Hand”

After Rogue experienced a disturbing vision of an undead Gambit, X-Force arrived at X-Corp carrying Apocalypse’s withered remains and the scorched Queen of Hearts card discovered beside them. Jubilee presented the card to Rogue as evidence that Gambit had been resurrected as Apocalypse’s Horseman Death. The discovery immediately divided the assembled mutants, with Cable advocating decisive action while Rogue and the X-Men insisted that Remy could still be saved.

Psylocke stepped forward as X-Force’s measured voice and clearly explained their proposed plan. She asked Professor Xavier to use the newly upgraded Cerebra to locate Gambit so that the teams could confront him and free him from Apocalypse’s corruption. Psylocke suggested that Rogue’s absorption powers might be capable of purifying Gambit, just as she had once freed Archangel from Apocalypse’s influence. Despite her explanation, Rogue remained suspicious that X-Force’s true objective was execution rather than rescue.

Xavier activated Cerebra and located Gambit in New Orleans, but the psychic connection produced a violent backlash that tore the helmet from his head and released an ominous cloud of purple energy. The reaction suggested that something far darker than a simple resurrection was controlling Gambit. Psylocke subsequently accompanied X-Force and the X-Men to Louisiana, where the combined teams prepared to confront the transformed Horseman.

During the confrontation, Gambit resisted Rogue’s powers, rendered her unconscious, and brought Nightcrawler under his influence. Amid the resulting chaos, one of the team’s aircraft was disabled and began falling from the sky. Psylocke joined Cable and Jean Grey in combining their telekinetic powers, safely guiding the damaged jet to the ground and preventing the mutants aboard from being killed in the crash.

Rogue eventually reached Gambit’s buried consciousness and temporarily freed him from Apocalypse’s control, only for the teams to discover that Apocalypse remained alive within him. Cable then revealed that X-Force’s true mission had always been to kill Gambit and thereby destroy Apocalypse. Horrified by the deception and unwilling to support his methods any longer, Jubilee and Sunspot abandoned X-Force and sided with the X-Men.

Psylocke remained loyal to Cable’s uncompromising mission, leaving her, Cable, and Archangel as the final three members of X-Force. While the diminished team regrouped inside a warehouse, Valerie Cooper arrived with X-Factor and proposed that their rival groups form an alliance against Apocalypse.

X-Men ’97 Week, Part Five: Psylocke Takes on the Avengers

07 • COMIC BOOK

X-Men ’97: Strike Files Infinity Comic (Vol. 1) #6

Following the rescue of the imprisoned young mutants, the X-Force jet became severely overcrowded. Sunspot teased Archangel and Psylocke, suggesting that beneath their hardened exteriors they must feel proud of having saved the children. The team delivered the young mutants safely to the Xavier School, but remained aboard to avoid exposing their location or mission. Their caution proved justified, as Black Widow secretly observed the drop-off and attached a tracking device to the underside of their jet.

Running low on fuel, X-Force landed at one of Cable’s supply caches hidden in a snowy mountain region. Psylocke and her teammates were immediately confronted by the Avengers, who had tracked them there to arrest them for disrupting X-Factor’s government-sanctioned operations. Captain America attempted to persuade Cable to surrender peacefully, but Cable opened fire, triggering a full-scale battle between X-Force and the Avengers.

During the fight, Psylocke faced Hawkeye and attacked with silent, relentless precision. Wielding her katana, she rapidly overwhelmed the Avenger with her superior martial arts skills and prevented him from mounting an effective defense. Hawkeye desperately called for assistance, complaining that although Psylocke had barely said a word, she was thoroughly beating him. Hercules offered to help only after dealing with Sunspot, leaving Hawkeye struggling to withstand Psylocke’s assault alone.

The battle ended when Cable threatened to destroy the fuel cache and trigger an avalanche upon the town below, forcing Captain America to order the Avengers to stand down. As Psylocke and the others returned to the jet, Captain America warned Jubilee that X-Force’s extreme methods would eventually lead them too far. Jubilee admitted that this was precisely why she remained with the team: someone needed to keep its dark mission under control. With the Avengers unable to intervene, Psylocke and X-Force escaped and continued their hunt for Apocalypse.

08 • ANIMATED SERIES

X-Men ’97: Season 2, Episode 7 — “Strange Land, Savage Heart”

While the X-Men confronted the Acolytes in the Savage Land, Psylocke joined Cable and X-Force in tracking Apocalypse to a hidden lair beneath the Parthenon in Athens. Expecting a confrontation, the team instead discovered Apocalypse’s skeletal remains surrounded by fragments of his technology, suggesting that the immortal tyrant was dead or had somehow abandoned his body. Jubilee then found one of Gambit’s distinctive playing cards nearby, confirming that Apocalypse had resurrected him as the Horseman Death. The discovery shifted X-Force’s mission toward the possibility that Gambit now carried Apocalypse’s legacy and represented the greater threat.

X-Men: Outback #3 Preview

X-Men: Outback #3
Writer: Steve Orlando
Art by: Stephen Segovia & Roi Mercado
Cover by: Russell Dauterman

The Story:
Lying low in the Australian Outback, the X-Men have seemed to find peace — that is until the ancient necromancer YAGA DYARA arrives from the Quantum Realm seeking to end Colossus’ Rasputin bloodline for good.
How can Piotr and his comrades succeed against this sorcerer’s cosmic threat?
Will Yaga’s undead magic stamp out the Rasputin line for good?

In Stores: August 26, 2026

X-Men ’97 Week, Part Four: Psylocke and X-Force Become Outlaws

06 • ANIMATED SERIES

X-Men ’97: Season 2, Episode 2 — “A Force to Be Reckoned With”

Young mutants seeking refuge at the abandoned X-Mansion instead found themselves hunted and detained by X-Factor, a government-sanctioned mutant team operating under the direction of Dr. Valerie Cooper. Although X-Factor claimed to be relocating them for their own protection, the young mutants were imprisoned under heavy security, raising questions about whether the government’s true objective was their safety or containment.

Meanwhile, X-Force’s search for War led the team to Brazil, where they cornered the Horseman amid the chaos of the streets. Following a fierce struggle, Psylocke used her psychic abilities to render War unconscious before probing his mind for information about Apocalypse’s plans. She glimpsed a mysterious delivery of something vital, but an impenetrable wall of diamonds suddenly blocked her path, preventing her from exploring his memories any further.

With Psylocke unable to extract additional information and War remaining a dangerous servant of Apocalypse, Cable ordered Archangel to end his life as an act of mercy. Archangel carried out the execution without hesitation, but Jubilee was deeply shaken by the cold finality of killing an unarmed mutant. She openly challenged Cable’s ruthless methods, exposing the growing divide between the young recruit and the hardened members of X-Force.

The diamond barrier Psylocke encountered pointed the team toward Emma Frost, whose psychic powers and diamond form matched the defense protecting War’s memories. When confronted, Emma admitted her involvement and directed X-Force to a hidden facility that appeared to be preparing advanced technology for a new generation of Horsemen. The lead was a trap: Emma had made a deal with X-Factor in exchange for amnesty and deliberately lured X-Force into an ambush.

A brutal confrontation erupted between the two mutant teams. Most of X-Force managed to break free and withdraw, but Jubilee was overwhelmed and taken prisoner aboard a government helicarrier alongside the other captured young mutants. During her interrogation by Havok and Polaris, Jubilee appealed to the ideals Polaris had once upheld as a member of the X-Men and awakened the doubts she still harbored about X-Factor’s actions.

Polaris secretly disabled the helicarrier’s security systems and her own power-suppressing collar, giving Jubilee an opportunity to escape. Jubilee fought through the guards, released the imprisoned mutants, and summoned X-Force for extraction. The team arrived and carried the liberated youths to safety, but the rescue led Cooper to brand X-Force as fugitives, forcing Psylocke and her teammates deeper underground as they continued their mission against Apocalypse.

X-Men ’97 Week, Part Three: Psylocke Uncovers Apocalypse’s Secret

05 • COMIC BOOK

X-Men ’97: Season Two (Vol. 1) #3

X-Force’s next mission took them to a clandestine auction of rare artifacts in Madripoor, where Pestilence unleashed her plagues in a desperate attempt to seize an opal recovered from one of Apocalypse’s tombs and regain his favor. When X-Force stormed the auction, Psylocke joined her teammates in battle and observed that the Horsemen had begun turning against one another. Pestilence confirmed her suspicions by declaring that neither X-Force nor Famine would stand in her way. Archangel ultimately defeated Pestilence, allowing the team to escape with the opal.

Aboard their jet high above the Pacific, tensions remained high as the hunt for Apocalypse continued. Psylocke stepped forward holding the glowing red gemstone and identified it as the Opal of Ozymandias. She recounted how Ozymandias, once a pharaoh’s son consumed by his pursuit of power, had been overthrown by En Sabah Nur—Apocalypse—and cursed with prophetic vision and eternal servitude as the chronicler of the tyrant’s deeds throughout history.

When Cable impatiently demanded to know whether the artifact retained enough power to locate Apocalypse, Psylocke remained unfazed. Purple butterfly energy bloomed around her face as she activated her psychometric abilities and reached into the memories preserved within the stone. The accumulated anger, pain, and relentless will to survive nearly overwhelmed her. More unexpectedly, she discovered the X-Men themselves woven into Apocalypse’s ancient past, revealing that their histories were far more deeply entangled than she had realized.

With Cable’s assistance, Psylocke pushed deeper into the opal’s memories. They witnessed the newly named Apocalypse vowing vengeance against the remnants of Rama-Tut’s empire while embracing Candra and testing her suitability as his queen. The visions then shifted to Ozymandias discovering Rama-Tut’s hidden technology, only to be ambushed by Apocalypse and transformed into an immortal seer condemned to record his conqueror’s deeds for eternity.

The visions continued as Apocalypse brought a massive boulder down upon the crusader Bennet du Paris to teach him that “survival is not enough.” Psylocke and Cable then witnessed Ozymandias advise Apocalypse to father an heir rather than continue searching for a new vessel. When the face of Famine suddenly emerged within the memories, the psychic connection surged beyond Psylocke’s control and violently hurled both her and Cable backward across the jet.

Archangel rushed to steady the shaken Psylocke as she voiced her fear that Apocalypse’s heir might already have been born and hidden from the world. Cable recovered and immediately relayed the revelation to the rest of X-Force. Their mission had suddenly become far more dangerous: they were no longer simply hunting Apocalypse, but preparing for the possible existence of his secret child.

PUBLICATION NOTE • ONGOING

The Story Continues

X-Men ’97: Season Two is still ongoing. Issues #4 and #5 are scheduled for release on September 2 and October 14, 2026, respectively. The story of X-Force and Psylocke then continues in Episode 2 of the animated series.

X-Men ’97 Week, Part Two: Psylocke Trains the New X-Force

04 • COMIC BOOK

X-Men ’97: Season Two (Vol. 1) #2

After Jubilee and Sunspot were successfully recruited into X-Force, Psylocke relentlessly drilled the young mutants in hand-to-hand combat at the team’s clandestine base. She pushed the young mutants far harder than their standard training sessions, emphasizing that their enemies strike to kill and there is no room for hesitation in X-Force.

Cable and Archangel interrupted the sparring session to distribute new tactical uniforms to the recruits. Cable immediately initiated a mission briefing, explaining that former Horseman War was actively establishing safe houses to orchestrate Apocalypse’s return. To stop this, X-Force needed to hunt down Apocalypse’s remaining Horsemen—War, Famine, and Pestilence—by utilizing the psionic tracking abilities of the mutant Caliban.

The team descended into the dark Morlock tunnels beneath New York City to search for their tracker. An encounter with an elderly Morlock named Annalee quickly proved to be a trap. X-Force was suddenly ambushed by a militant group of mutants known as the Acolytes.

A fierce battle erupted in the underground corridors as the Acolytes attacked through a thick cloud of smoke, courtesy of Amelia Voght. Psylocke engaged in close-quarters combat, utilizing her psychic blade to strike down Barnacle, while Cable exchanged heavy fire with Frenzy. During the standoff, the Acolytes revealed they were in the tunnels to recruit the surviving Morlocks into a new movement led by Exodus.

While the two factions argued, Jubilee located a terrified Caliban hiding in the shadows. After a gentle plea, Caliban agreed to point them in the right direction to stop Apocalypse. Unwilling to wait, Psylocke sneaked up behind Caliban and violently amplified his tracking powers with her telepathy, forcefully extracting the target locations from his mind against his will.

Jubilee was furious at the violation, shouting that Caliban had already been willing to help them. Psylocke remained entirely unrepentant, coldly stating that Apocalypse plans in eons and X-Force did not have seconds to spare. With the necessary coordinates acquired, Cable commanded the team to lock and load, leaving the Acolytes behind as they set off to eliminate the targets on their strike list.

X-Men ’97 Week, Part One: Psylocke Joins X-Force

01 • COMIC BOOK

X-Men ’97: Strike Files Infinity Comic (Vol. 1) #2

Believing that Apocalypse will eventually return, Cable recruits Psylocke and Archangel—both former victims of the villain—to form his new team: X-Force.

Reflecting on his past, Cable recalls the painful death of Askani, the woman who raised him. In her final moments, she prophesied that he would become the “cable” binding the past, present, and future. She explained that he was destined to carry this heavy burden and face Apocalypse because he is strong enough to endure the pain, and because the villain fears Cable’s deep understanding of human connections.

Snapping back to the present, a hardened Cable reveals his true intentions. He warns Psylocke and Archangel that X-Force’s foundational mission is not just to stop Apocalypse, but to absolutely and completely destroy him, giving them a final ultimatum: fall in line with the cause or get out of his way.

02 • COMIC BOOK

X-Men ’97: Season Two (Vol. 1) #1

Psylocke and X-Force investigated Clan Akkaba, a cult that worshipped Apocalypse, hoping to uncover details about his planned return. Because the captured cultists preferred death over revealing any information about their “High Lord,” the team decided to use a captive clansman as bait. Their objective was to lure out the Alliance of Evil, a group they believed were Apocalypse’s low-rent lackeys.

The trap worked flawlessly, drawing the Alliance of Evil into an abandoned bar where X-Force immediately engaged them in battle. During the violent clash, Cable and Archangel launched a direct attack against Tower, while Psylocke maneuvered to strike Timeshadow from behind.

After neutralizing the initial threats, the team cornered Stinger, the final remaining member of the Alliance. Psylocke stood by and remained completely silent while Cable interrogated their captive. During the interrogation, Stinger mistakenly assumed the team was the X-Men, prompting Cable to coldly correct her, remarking that they were nothing like the X-Men.

03 • ANIMATED SERIES

X-Men ’97: Season 2, Episode 1 — “Days of Past Future”

During a strategic briefing, Cable reflected on the impending reign of Apocalypse, declaring that their small group was all that was left to stop the villain.

Standing confidently with her arms crossed, Psylocke delivered a critical intelligence update. She informed Cable that she had successfully managed to pick up a trail of the last of his horsemen. Maintaining her composure, Psylocke further warned the team that their intel indicated this remaining enemy would be a bit of a handful.

After the blue-skinned Archangel asked what their next move should be, Cable stepped forward and handed a confidential dossier directly to Psylocke. She took the folder and opened it, carefully examining the contents alongside Archangel. As Psylocke studied the document—which revealed photographs of young mutants like Jubilee and Sunspot—Cable walked past her toward the ship’s cockpit, announcing that their immediate mission was recruitment.