Geoffrey Thorne’s Final X-Force Notes — What Could Have Been for Betsy Braddock and More

Geoffrey Thorne, writer of the most recent X-Force run, shared his final thoughts and detailed annotations on what he had planned for the book before its cancellation. Among the most intriguing revelations was what he intended for Betsy Braddock in future arcs.

For Betsy fans, this was especially bittersweet — Thorne outlined an entire storyline centering on her, which unfortunately we may never get to see. Below is his full commentary regarding Betsy’s planned arc:

“The following arc would have been Betsy-centric, dealing with denizens of Otherworld doing some unpleasant things on 616 Earth, garnering Betsy’s attention forcing her to step in. We would have learned why she’s reluctant to access her Captain Britain abilities and not return to Otherworld.

Obviously, the other members of X-Force would have been pulled into this mess (except Forge at first who is being a dick about it) and would have culminated with at least one massive change to Betsy’s status quo. As with the notions about Piotr, my thoughts about what can and probably should be done with Betsy have been expressed to the Powers That Be. presumably they’re noodling it. If they reject it, I’ll sketch out the bones here for those that are interested in such things. There would have been magic (Sage’s bane), and there would have been at least two universe-shifting revelations.”

It’s clear Thorne had big plans for Betsy, involving Otherworld, magic, and significant changes to her status quo. Whether Marvel decides to pick up his pitch or let him reveal it in full remains to be seen.

🔎 Other Highlights from Thorne’s Notes:

• He developed deep empathy for Colossus and planned to give him a vacation from the endless mutant conflicts, with a new take on his character.
• The full X-Force story was planned as a 15-issue arc divided into 3 parts, but it was truncated due to cancellation and crossover demands.
• Planned spotlights included Sage’s backstory and mental health struggles, Rachel’s liberation from the Phoenix legacy, and more nuanced dynamics between Sage and Forge.
• A key reveal would have shown why Rachel and Betsy were holed up in the Braddock estate (Rachel mind-wiping a whole town) and that Tank’s true identity was Colossus.
• The Solution — the antagonist group — was conceived as a terrifying, decentralized ideology rather than a traditional villainous organization, echoing real-world terror networks.
• Deadpool was slated to make at least one more chaotic appearance, targeting Forge.

Thorne closed his notes by expressing gratitude to the fans who supported the book and leaving open the possibility that his pitches might still be used someday.

Whatever comes next, it’s clear that he put a lot of thought into giving each character depth, especially Betsy. Fingers crossed that his ideas for her eventually see the light of day.