Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Excalibur #17 Spoilers

Spoilers: [Alternate Timeline] Our Betsy Braddock is stranded in another timeline where she is Queen of the United Kingdom and in a relationship with [Alternate] Angel. Fortunately, the actual Queen Elizabeth III, who was displaced from her home dimension, has prepared for such eventuality and left a letter with instructions for Betsy. The Queen recommends that Betsy leaves for her home reality immediately and do not interfere with the timeline, meaning she can’t be seen by anyone. Angel explains the politics of this world to Betsy while she tells him they were in a relationship in Earth-616, but not when she looked like she does. It seems Betsy never swapped bodies in this dimension. Betsy is overwhelmed about how much the people of England, which is a safe haven for mutantkind, love their queen; however, she decides to head the Braddock Lighthouse as it is the only conduit to Otherworld available to return home. Even though Betsy assures him she has the skills of someone who has spent years in the covert world, Angel insists she takes a bodyguard to watch her back. The bodyguard turns out to be [Alternate] Kwannon, who also happens to be Angel’s ex-wife.

[Earth-616] Meanwhile, Pete Wisdom heads to Krakoa and meet Excalibur. Gambit, Rogue, Rictor and Jubilee decide to move to the Lighthouse as it seems the most likely place Betsy should return to. Wisdom explains that Coven Akkaba is using Betsy’s disappearance to turn the people of Britain and its intelligence agency against the idea of a mutant Captain Britain. Wisdom thinks that Marianna Stern is heading to the Lighthouse as well. Excalibur decides to escort Wisdom there.

[Alternate Timeline] The Braddock Lighthouse is a highly-defended intelligence facility known as King James III Memorial Intelligence Center, named after the previous king, Betsy’s father. Kwannon takes Betsy there by helicopter and Betsy explains that every reality’s Lighthouse is connected to Otherworld. Betsy awkwardly stares at Kwannon, which upsets the latter as she wants to know nothing of Betsy’s reality as per the Queen’s instructions. Betsy wants to ask her just a few questions.

[Earth-616] Excalibur reaches the Lighthouse just in time to stop Marianna Stern and her Coven from demolishing it. Marianna alleges there are no more Braddocks in this realm to claim it. Soon enough, a battle ensues between Excalibur and Coven Akkaba. Marianna gets ahold of Rictor while Wisdom, Gambit and Jubilee combine their powers and try to attack her. She laughs it off as they cannot beat true sorcery with unrefined magics.

[Alternate Timeline] While Kwannon and Betsy work together and infiltrate the facility, Kwannon obliges to answer three questions only. Betsy asks about Krakoa. Kwannon replies it exists, but no one ever goes there. Betsy then asks about Brian. Kwannon says he’s the head of the British space program. Lastly, Betsy asks if Kwannon has always lived in her body. She thinks it’s a waste of question. After incapacitating a few guards together, the duo finally reaches the glowing conduit connected to Otherworld. Betsy decides to tell Kwannon what happened to both of them in Earth-616. Kwannon is upset and doesn’t want to listen and forces Betsy towards the glowing conduit. Before vanishing, Betsy tells her she’s sorry.

[Earth-616] While Excalibur is cornered by Coven Akkaba’s minions, the Lighthouse is overwhelmed with energy. At that very moment, our Betsy returns to Earth-616 and emerges from the seas walking to the shore. Rogue tells Marianna to beat it as Captain Britain is back and they’re taking her home.

28 comments:

Simon said...

I don’t think that’s Betsy 616 at the end

Unknown said...

She's sorry? What about matsuo, spiral...

FSaker said...

The description of the story is very interesting (well, except for the unnecessary part with Kwannon - I thought the whole point of undoing the body swap was to forget this mess ever happened, not to bring it back to discussion every single time).

But does it explain what happened to the queen in the alternate dimension? Could she be the person Excalibur sees in the end, instead of our Betsy?

Nate X said...

I think the Queen and Betsy swapped minds. They imply that once Betsy returns to Earth-616 the Queen will reappear at the facility.

This issue confirms that Betsy still has her fighting skills! She even gets the upper hand against Kwannon! Also confirms that Angel loves Betsy for who she is, and not her body! Love it.

FSaker said...

Oh, so it's like in Zero Time Dilemma... except the mind swap didn't cause the death of one of them.

Thanks for the explanation!

Tobias Chatti said...

My favorite part from the comic is the love Warren has for Betsy. Even if Kwanon is shoehorned in Betsy's life in the most bad ways Betsy and Warren have true love and know that if you truly love someone you let him free. The second favorite part is clan Akkaba cares for Morgan and store power to become great foes.

Tobias Chatti said...

Betsy doesn't have to apologize because she was a victim of Matsuo, Kwannon and Mandarin. They made Betsy do bad things with mind control and are responsible for the death of her body that got the virus.

FSaker said...

True. If anything, Kwannon should THANK her, since she could have remained comatose until death had it not been for the body swap. Plus, it helped her to change her life, leaving her life as an assassin behind.

But even ignoring that, neither Kwannon nor Betsy had any agency in the body swap, so neither of them should be blamed for that. Howard should know better by now, unless she's willing to have Kwannon eventually telling Betsy that she shouldn't feel guilty for the body swap and that she doesn't blame her for that. Portraying Betsy as someone who stole someone else's body is factually wrong, and as a writer who supposedly loves the character, Howard should know better.

Nate X said...

She didn't portray Betsy as someone who stole Kwannon's body. Betsy herself says in this issue that she was FORCED to live in Kwannon's body for a time. You should read it before judging it.

I'm pretty sure Tini is fixing the mess created by Bryan Edward Hill when he framed Betsy as the bad guy and will make Betsy and Kwannon understand each other by the arc's end.

randybear said...

Kwannon manifests the butterfly in this issue too. Revolt lol jk really liked this issue

Tobias Chatti said...

Betsy had the power in her before the body swap. The writers could have used a psychic weapon or the Sword of Might to replace the Siege Perilous that was useless. The butterfly and the psychic powers of Betsy returned to her after Revanche died and Kwannon having any is staged.

Kevin said...

Finally confirmation that Betsy has her fighting/covert ops skills! Loved it.

Renegade X said...

WOW, I'm really loving this issue! I gotta pick this up this weekend when I'm off!

Eduardo said...
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Eduardo said...

Gosh, such a relief Betsy could finally have her point of view expressed by stating she was forced to live in Kwannon's body! The body swap was indeed imposed, the memories of Matsuo and Spiral are also on their minds to confirm that, so let's get very away (hopefully) with the mess of blaming on Elizabeth, as they were both victims.
Having Warren was such a lovely touch!!

randybear said...

Warren was so sweet I miss them together :(

Kiki M. Ishola said...

That right there!

Kiki M. Ishola said...

Coulda been alot cooler if Betsy roundhoused Ninjalick.

Kiki M. Ishola said...

She won't get away with it I can smell defeat.

Sad Puppets! said...

Loved this issue. A landmark Betsy moment that unites threads years in the making. And weirdly I kind of love seeing Betsy and Kwannon side by side. They are forever linked, and they make a good pair.

Psi-Girl said...
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Finn said...

Just to clarify: Both Kwannon and Betsy were victims. Both women are cool characters. The Kwannon hate is so unnecesary. I blame bad writing.

Rahsaan said...

I agree completely.

Psi-Girl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tazirai said...

I'm really getting tired of Betsy having to apologize for something she had no control of. I wish they'd stop making her and Kwannon antagonistic with each other.
Kwannons personality needs some adjusting. Like for real.

Tazirai said...

Just to be clear No matter how much retconning they try to do. Betsy wasn't the covert Ops field agent you guys think she was, or they try to make her out to be.
If that was the case, then the swap was pointless from the beginning.

Jaime Braz said...

I read a lot of points to which I agree. The body swap war is done to death and became petulant and repetitive. Kwannon is the person who wants to draw blood from Betsy. A Betsy who was body swapped without her consent and knowledge. After the racial change debacle Marvel should have verily separated the two women and make Kwannon a real character and not a Psyclone of Betsy that wants to avenge a delusion of her mind.

Jaime Braz said...

Betsy's race change was pointless. It was an aesthetic tweak more than an empowering measure. Claremont could have made Betsy a bruiser type without defiling her body.