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.
“For so long, my life has been out of control. Chaos and serendipity, wrapped in insanity. I have suffered, I have lost. Not just my life, but my very soul, my self. But no more. Now I know who I am.” – Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Braddock, daughter of Otherworld, mutant, telepath, telekinetic, defender of the realm and, above all, X-Man.
24 comments:
It was a lucky mistake and turn of events that made her more interesting, IMO.
-AO
And then along came Nicieza and his body swap thing and apparently /not having read/ the original Acts of Vengeance Storyline and everything got weird.
Claremont's pompous logic always ends up biting him in the ass lol As a writer you SHOULD plan ahead.
This is what happens when you have a writer that cares, and does the needed research to properly write a character. Welcome home Psylocke.
if you lose fans because you're not a fake Asian anymore, they never really liked you, just your looks.
I'm soooooo agree with you Tazirai!
Anonymous: About Claremont and his logic, whatever plans he had would've been tossed out by the new writer the moment he left the book. Also "In case I leave/am fired/etc" seems to me like a rather depressing thing to tack onto any storylines I'm outlining, so I doubt he did the same thing.
"And then along came Nicieza and his body swap thing and apparently /not having read/ the original Acts of Vengeance Storyline and everything got weird"
Exactly; to me, the body swap was always what bothered me about her change of appearance. It was really unnecessary and only messed up her story.
It's nice to see Claremont complimenting Jim Lee (if I remember correctly, they didn't part ways in good terms back then). And while he epically failed to consider him leaving the book before Jim, it's hard to blame him when we consider he stayed in the book for nearly TWO DECADES... I guess he thought he would stay writing UXM until he retired for good.
Amen, Tazirai! Amen.
I aclaim Claremont for create my favorite, and I always loved the way he wrote her.
And the ninja badass can keep alive, in Kwannon's hand.
My Betsy is alive!!! |ol
I just hope that they don't forget that Psylocke knows how to fight. As awful as the Sisterhood arc was, Fraction at least got that right. If Psylocke is molecularly building bodies, I'd assume she'd build one with the muscle memory of all her training.
Rahsaan. If they brought back her and make her forget or can't do what she's been PHYSICALLY been doing all those years, Then this character got screwed.
Also, a lot of people forget, but Jim Lee's first drawings of Psylocke were in her original form: http://www.therealgentlemenofleisure.com/2014/11/x-amining-uncanny-x-men-248.html
Theres a reason she kept that look for so long, because it was an exceleent design. Yes we will still love her character but that doesnt mean we have to be pleased shes lost a unique aspect and her iconic look. Comics IS a visual medium after all. I cant speak for anyone else but the Psylocke i love will always be Jim Lee's Hand Ninja. No need to antagtonise people just because you are happy with the change when some are not.
@Rahsaan
Woah, I've never seen her original body drawn by Lee before.
Makes me wonder if the body swap/merge whatever you want to call it never happened or was only temporary like planned, would she have been redesigned in a sexy costume by Lee?
@Alex,
Lee drew her original body in issue Uncanny 248 when he first arrived on the scene as a gueat artist and again in 256 when he returned for her transformation. Both times he drew her sexy. In 256, he drew her with her natural blonde hair: http://psylocke-butterfly.blogspot.com/2015/12/tbt-uncanny-x-men-256.html?m=1
Also, now with Kwannon running around, Marvel Licensing has a win as they can make money off the re-branded action figure as Kwannon and the new Betsy action figures.
@Anonymous,
Even though your comment is directly below mine, is it safe to assume that you’re replying to someone else? Nothing I’ve said is antagonistic. I actually agree that Jim draws Asian Psylocke beautifully. Or did. I just became very uncomfortable with the change when it lasted for years and then the Kwannon retcon exacerbated its problematic tones.
All that beimg said as an adult, I can appreciate Lee’s art for nostalgia, but I actually realize now that he isn’t as great as my childhood self though due to the fact that he can only draw like two different men and two different women and just differentiates coloring, clothes and hair. Honestly, when he draws Jean, Ororo or Rogue squintinc, they look just like Psylocke and Jubilee do half the time when he draws her with unrealistic eyes with actually whites, irises and pupils, which actually is especially problematic as he is Asian and I would think would take greater care in depicting non-white characters. Making matters worse, Scott Williams often colored Jubes’ eyes blue when Lee wasn’t being lazy and gave her real eyes.
I always find it funny when people compliment Jim Lee's "iconic/classic" Psylocke design. This guy just took Elektra's design and changed it from red to blue. A cheap and uninspired rip off if you ask me.
@Aliex, true. It is llliterally the same costume as Elektra’s. I think her best costumes were the Silvestri-drawn armor, the Anka unifom and the Land uniform.
I will agree with AO in that she needs something sleeker than this and more utilitarian. The more I look at it, the less I like it. Though, I do disagree that she is hard to male visually compelling. It’s just that the artists are being lazy. And that being said, I think they can make something sleeker than this utilizing the same color scheme. Maybe the darker colors should be the base with the lighter colors being accents? I don’t thibk she should lose the pink. They should just highlight it a different way.
@AO, I have to change my stance and agree with you. The off-the-shoulder thing does look a little silly for battle.
Actually, someone else said it here and I agree. Age of X Psylocke has a pretty sick uniforme! They could have done something akin to that. Complete with knives!!
No Knives, that was dumb to me lol.
But I loved the outfit.
If I never see that stupid Jim Lee costume again...
I have always said to most of the fans that are now.celebrating her being in a caucasian body to like her as a whole not just her body , its funny.how those are the same fans that now throw shade accusing pro asian body fans of the sins they commited back when Betsy was in an Asian body they always complained about that and always cried for her to return to her caucasian body, and that is.being a fan only when it accomodates you , so please take a look to yourself before accusing pro asian body fans of not being true fans because if that statement was true .. Then what were you back when she was in an asian body and you complained about that or her batting suit , etc .. Just respect everyones opinions plase and love Betsy in either body shes in.
I see the similarities, but I dont think it's exactly the same scenario. In one instance she is trapped inside another person's body that she was forced in not by choice and trapped in it for years, the other scenario is that she regains control/freed and has her own body back (and on her own terms at that). I was a fan the whole time, but I believe the character has earned her due by this point. I get some fans like her look or whatnot in the Asian body, but storyline wise she's been trapped and the fact that people have taunted her with her original body for years, its imo very clear she still was longing to be in her original form (she just had enough integrity not to take the offers based on the strings attached). Once it became a body swap and not an alteration/ merge, I was against it. Imho it's kinda offensive(for so many reasons) and cruel to the character. I do hope everyone is happy with the result once the dust settles. So far I've seen a lot of assumptions without anyone having seen or read what's in store for her.
While I loved nearly all of the Age of X costumes, I still didn't like Psylocke's because of that yellow shawl thingie, and the knives seeming like a downgrade. I'm not sure why, but those two things kept making me think about butter or margarine, lol.
While the throwback to the Captain Britain thing is cute, let's just be kind to her and give her a really strong costume ASAP, this one gets worse by the minute.
-AO
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