Thursday, January 1, 2026

Recap 2025 • Betsy Braddock/Captain Britain

Recap 2025 • If 2024 was a year of recovery and renewed confidence for Betsy Braddock, 2025 began with a rare sense of momentum and creative clarity. The year opened at full speed with the continuation of X-Force, written by Geoffrey Thorne and illustrated by Marcus To. In particular, X-Force #7 stood out as a genuine love letter to the character: Betsy was firmly in control of her narrative and her powers, while also celebrating her visual legacy by revisiting iconic looks such as the classic pink jumpsuit and the Outback-era armor. As the series progressed, a growing consensus formed among fans that Thorne was delivering Betsy’s strongest characterization in years—confident, articulate, and emotionally grounded.

Unfortunately, that momentum was short-lived. What was originally planned as a 15-issue run was abruptly cut to ten, with X-Force cancelled and wrapped up prematurely. From that point on, Betsy Braddock all but vanished from the X-Men line, reduced to occasional, inconsequential cameos and largely ignored by the broader narrative. She played no meaningful role in the early-year crossover X-Manhunt and in the Hellfire Vigil, and was entirely absent from the year-ending event Age of Revelation. In the end, 2025 proved to be a lean and frustrating year for Betsy, with only four full-fledged appearances and little sense of editorial commitment to her place in the X-Men universe.

As we look back on 2025, let’s revisit Betsy’s most memorable moments, explore the evolution of her character, and celebrate her continuing legacy in the X-Men universe. Happy New Year to all her fans—here’s to an exciting future ahead!

REMINDER: Email the X-Office at officex@marvel.com and the Avengers Office at mheroes@marvel.com and ask for Betsy Braddock's return to comic books.

REMINDER: Send your questions to Tom Brevoort at AIPT!'s X-Monday and ask about Betsy's whereabouts in the present-day stories. CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS.

JANUARY


X-Force #7
 “The Devil in Heaven”
Betsy confronts La Diabla within a psychic battlefield, steps up as the key defender of Rachel during a dangerous power surge, reclaims iconic aspects of her past, and decisively resolves the team’s first major crisis of the year.

 

FEBRUARY

Psylocke #4
“A Deadly Display”
[Hallucination] Betsy appears as a hallucinatory projection created by the Taxonomist, embodying Kwannon’s insecurities about identity and legacy, and weaponizing their shared Psylocke history as psychological torment.

 

X-Force #8
“The Devil's Lesson”
Betsy faces La Diabla’s escalating assault head-on, protects the team from her alchemy, counters psychological provocation with resolve, and unleashes overwhelming psychic force to turn the tide of battle alongside X-Force.

 

MARCH

Psylocke #5
“Hostile Hospitality”
[Hallucination] Betsy haunts the narrative through disturbing hallucinations tied to the Taxonomist’s fixation, as his plan to forcibly reunite her with Kwannon exposes how their shared past continues to manifest as psychological trauma.

 

X-Force #9
“X-Manhunt, Chapter Six: The Shapley Value”
Betsy identifies La Diabla as the true threat, engages her directly despite being outmatched, supports Forge with a powerful psionic boost, and ultimately falls alongside X-Force as La Diabla turns the battle decisively in her favor.

 

X-Manhunt Omega #1
“X-Manhunt Finale: Dreams End”
[Flashback] Betsy appears in a flashback to X-Force #6, shown actively sealing global reality fractures alongside the team, including a major operation in the Mariana Trench.

 

APRIL

X-Force #10
“The X-equation”
Betsy confronts La Diabla directly in the final showdown, rejects her manipulation outright, asserts complete mastery over her psychic power, and decisively defeats her—bringing the X-Force era to a definitive close by leaving the team.

 

X-Force #10
“Beginning Now”
[Flashback]
 During Cable’s reflection on the many incarnations of X-Force he has shaped over time, Betsy appears among the team’s past lineups, reaffirming her place in the unit’s evolving legacy.

 

JULY

 

X-Men: Hellfire Vigil #1
“Hellfire Vigil”
Betsy Braddock attends the Hellfire Vigil alongside Rachel Summers, standing in quiet solidarity as mutantkind mourns the fall of Krakoa and reflects on what was lost.

 

Avengers Academy: Marvel's Voices Infinity Comic #53
“Dropping the Gloves”
[Flashback] Marcus Wetherell recalls how his mother, reporter Manoli Wetherell, was present during the Outback X-Men’s battle against the Adversary in Dallas, indirectly spotlighting Betsy’s role in that historic confrontation.


4 comments:

lucasg_i said...

what a sad year to be a Betsy fan, we starved... At least the writing quality improved dramatically

Unknown said...

Damn 6 months of no Betsy

randybear said...

Well, people sat around and were SO happy when Betsy was announced to be CB way back when. Saying this is the BEST thing to happen to her, omg growth! etc Sure, if you think logically sense like "oh this is rewarding for her character" but outside of the story aspect, the character has failed miserably and only fallen into obscurity. There is no way people will suddenly wake up and LOVE Captain Britain, the title/mantle is washed and Betsy needs to lose it ASAP the longer she stays CB and pigeon held as just an LGBT representative, the less writers are going to want to touch a character that is so specifically boxed. That and she is barely even an X-Man at this point.

X-Man said...

Agreed @Randybear, but considering the new upcoming Psylocke series is shockingly about Betsy and not Kwannon gives me hope they are either setting up for them to share the Psylocke name or Betsy takes it back.

Or maybe even a brand new name for Betsy.

CB along with TH writing definitely didn't do Betsy any favors.

CB just isn't very popular and doesn't fit Betsy's personality.

I am very thankful Thorne revived her as much as he did.