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.

Luciano Vecchio Redesigns Betsy Braddock's Captain Britain

Luciano Vecchio: Currently reading post–Age of Apocalypse ’90s Excalibur and felt like trying the black Captain Britain costume on today’s Betsy Braddock. Super sleek, with some ’90s Psylocke vibes while staying true to the Captain Britain legacy.

Reminder: X-Men Monday returns in 2026 with Senior X-Men Editor Tom Brevoort answering fan questions about the conclusion of X-Men: Age of Revelation and the launch of the new Shadows of Tomorrow era. Fans can already submit questions using the form linked in X-Men Monday #324 on AIPT. CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS.

Betsy Braddock by Sozomaika

X-Men Monday #316 – Rebecca Podos Talks ‘What If… Kitty Pryde Stole the Phoenix Force?’

AIPT!: On October 14, 2025, Marvel and Penguin Random House will release What If… Kitty Pryde Stole the Phoenix Force?. This mutant-focused story brings together Kitty Pryde, Jean Grey, Emma Frost, Betsy Braddock, and more — plus America Chavez and Doctor Doom. AIPT! spoke with author Rebecca Podos about how these characters collide across this 336-page epic.

AIPT: Surely, the greatest X-Men story X-Fans have never read! Now, for those who are learning about What If… Kitty Pryde Stole the Phoenix Force? for the first time, what’s the elevator pitch?

Rebecca: We meet Kitty Pryde in a future without Jean Grey, and thus, without the X-Men, who died decades ago when their space shuttle was torn apart by a solar flare. Now they’re nothing more than a cautionary tale told to Kitty by the White Queen, her mentor and boss, to drive home the lesson: mutants cannot count on the goodwill of humanity. They have to be stronger, smarter, and above all else, stick to the shadows to survive.

So when Betsy Braddock, a near-stranger and minor employee of RCX, shows up claiming that something is wrong with the world and that the psychic trail leads right to her, Kitty wants to brush her off. But Kitty has been seeing flashes of a different world, a different life, since her powers first manifested. To discover the truth, they’ll have to follow Betsy’s trail back to the past, to the glory days of the X-Men, and to the future Phoenix herself. But they’re not the only ones searching for Jean Grey.

AIPT: The Phoenix Saga, Kitty Pryde, Betsy Braddock, America Chavez, Doctor Doom, the Watcher, the Multiverse — you’ve managed to pack a lot into 336 pages. I’m curious, how does this unique twist on a classic X-Men story come together? 

Rebecca: It was a lot, juggling classic versions of beloved characters, canon versions throughout history, and AU versions that never existed. But I think they’re all tied together by the fact that they’re searching for something they care deeply about. Kitty, for the hero she might have been in a better world she’s not even sure she believes in; America, for what it means to be human and to be in the world, rather than to exist as an observer from afar; Betsy, for the pieces of herself she’s lost along the way, with the hope that it’s possible to feel whole again. Even Doom is searching for something he feels he needs desperately. The places where their needs intersect, and where they oppose one another, are the heart of the book.

AIPT: What can readers expect from the Kitty, Betsy, America — and, maybe Jean? — dynamic? I feel like this isn’t a combination we’ve seen explored in the comics.

Rebecca: It was really fun to put them all in one place, as adults and strangers, and figure out which parts of their innate Kitty-ness and Betsy-ness and so on came through despite having grown up apart, and under very different circumstances than they should have. Betsy, Kitty, and Jean are also missing an extremely important hinge point between them all. But I think some things are true about these characters in every world, as America says in the book, so I hope they still feel familiar to readers and fans.

New WHAT IF…? Novel Features Betsy Braddock, Kitty Pryde as Phoenix vs. Dr. Doom

Nerdist: Katherine “Kitty” Pryde has used many codenames in her decades as an X-Man. She’s been Ariel, Sprite, Shadowcat, but always a stalwart member of the X-Men, ever since 1980. The phasing mutant joined the team right after Jean Grey died while under the control of the Dark Phoenix. But what if Kitty herself stole the power of the Phoenix Force? That’s the premise of a new prose novel, Marvel: What If….Kitty Pryde Stole the Phoenix Force (An X-Men and America Chavez Story) by Rebecca Podos. Arriving on October 14, this novel is the next installment in Random House Worlds’ What If… series.

In this new novel, joining Kitty is ‘Captain Britain’ Betsy Braddock, who you may know as the original Psylocke. Also joining are Jean Grey, Logan/Wolverine, Scott Summers/Cyclops, Ororo Munroe/Storm, and other iconic X-Men. The dimension-hopping Young Avenger America Chavez and Doctor Doom, who have made appearances in the three previous What If…? novels, now step into the spotlight in the new book. In the following excerpt, Kitty details a conversation between herself and Betsy, on their way home from a 1975 disco. And yes, this conversation confirms Kitty as bisexual. This is something the comics themselves made canon recently, after much fan speculation.

You can read a full excerpt from Marvel: What If….Kitty Pryde Stole the Phoenix Force (An X-Men and America Chavez Story) below:

After a night out at a 1975 disco, Kitty Pryde and Betsy Braddock take a break from bodyguarding Jean Grey and wonder if anything they do in the past will fix their future.

ONLY ON THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN RIDE BACK TO WESTCHESTER, and after Jean and Ororo have fallen asleep on each other’s shoulders, does Kitty dare to speak aloud.

“To recap,” she starts, little more than a whisper. “Neither of us has a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, or a hot person of any gender waiting to dance with us in the future. We probably don’t have jobs. Dunno about RCX, but Emma Frost isn’t super forgiving when her henchmen go on sabbatical without permission. Okay, sure, you’ve got a brother, and maybe you do Sunday-night happy hours and reminisce about your childhood puppy—”

“We do not,” Betsy whispers back. “I love my brother, of course. But he’s quite preoccupied by being a father and husband and champion of Britain, and all that. Between his obligations and my work with the agency, there isn’t much time left for family din­ners.”

“Well, I haven’t been back to Deerfield for a whole bunch of Hanukkahs now, and I doubt my parents hold their breaths until I return their twice-yearly phone calls where they mostly complain about the other one, ten years after their divorce.” Kitty fiddles with the fringe on her borrowed purse. “Betsy . . . Whatever we’re here to do with Jean, you really think we can fix our lives? Fix the whole world?”

Betsy considers this for a long moment. “I think that we can’t predict the impact one life would have upon the world, but it might be greater even than we imagine. Maybe a future with Jean in it is a future where the X-Men still exist and Charles Xavier’s dreams have borne fruit.”

“Mutants sharing the world with Homo sapiens, living to­gether in peace. Yeah. Maybe.” She tries to imagine it . . . or rather, to remember the wish she used to whisper into the dark as a teen­ager but has long since left behind. A world without instructive pamphlets like Know the Signs: How to Spot the Mutant Menace in Your School, City, or Household. Without news segments dedi­cated to reporting each day’s successful capture or killings of mu­tants, tallied by a wild-eyed anchorman with a marker on a massive whiteboard. Without a thirteen-year-old Kitty Pryde, waking from nightmares of Sentinels storming across the lawn at Miss Hester’s to smash a massive metal fist through her dorm room window and drag her from her bed, too frozen with fear to phase away. Maybe in that world, she would’ve told her parents the truth of who she was. Maybe she’d have more people in her life to tell the truth to. Favorite teachers, or partners, or best friends.

“Kitty, I’ve been wondering. Have you had any of your episodes—your slips, I mean—since we’ve come back in time? You haven’t mentioned any.”

“No,” she realizes as she says it. She turns to stare out the win­dow but of course can’t see anything beyond her own stark reflec­tion in the rain-pattered glass. It’s strange. She used to be afraid of the slips and what they said about her—that she was even more of a freak than mutant-haters would have guessed. Only it wasn’t just that. She was scared of how she felt afterward. How sometimes, she wished she could have stayed in the world that she’d figured was a by-product of slowly losing her mind. Sometimes she felt she would’ve given anything, everything, if she could forever be the version of herself that she was in that other, better world. “Don’t you think that means something?” Kitty asks.

Without looking, she can’t tell what Betsy thinks of her confes­sion. And for a long moment, Betsy doesn’t answer.

Finally she begins, “I do. Kitty, if we—”

Jean bolts upright across from them, startling Ororo awake as she and Betsy jump in their seats. “The professor,” Jean says, voice still blurry with sleep. “He says there’s company back at the man­sion. Not a mutant. She’s looking for me. She says she’s a friend.”

Kitty feels Betsy’s body tense beside her, along with her own. Could this be the threat they’ve been braced for? Do you think we should tell her now? Just go ahead and step on the damn butterfly? She can’t keep her leg from bouncing against her seat with nerves. This could be it: the whole reason for their being here.

And their only reason for staying.

Betsy shakes her head subtly. We can’t stop these two from re­turning to the mansion. And maybe these are the best circum­stances we could hope for. An early warning and the mansion on alert. We’ll just have to be ready for what comes.

The four of them catch a yellow taxi at the train station, and even though Jean maintains regular contact with Xavier to keep a telepathic eye on things, Kitty’s still relieved to find the mansion peaceful upon arrival. Only the light in Xavier’s office window so late at night suggests that anything is out of the ordinary. There’s no storm of activity within the mansion when they enter, no sound of running feet from above as the four of them climb the grand staircase, no shouts from the office as they approach. The profes­sor seems perfectly unharmed in his chair at the desk. Behind him, Scott leans against a bookshelf in giant, red-lensed aviators, a T-shirt, sweatpants, and plaid slippers. Not exactly poised for battle.

“Welcome back, you four,” Xavier says pleasantly. “Our guest has said she’s here to speak with you specifically, Jean, and we thought it best to wait until you all arrived.”

The guest turns out to be a young woman about her same age with dark, dust-covered curls, wearing black jeans torn violently at both knees and a rain-dampened denim jacket with red-and-white-striped shoulders and starred patches down both sleeves. She must be powerful to tackle a powerful telepath like Jean Grey.

But as the woman turns her large brown eyes on Jean, she looks nothing but relieved.

“America Chavez,” she introduces herself. “I’ve been looking for—” Then her gaze skips over to the pair of them and snags, the slightest surprise registering before she tilts her head and tightens her jaw. “Didn’t expect to find you two here.”

Marvel: What If….Kitty Pryde Stole the Phoenix Force (An X-Men and America Chavez Story) by Rebecca Podos arrives on October 14.

Push for Betsy Braddock in the X-Men Relaunch! 💜

Marvel’s next era of the X-Men, Shadows of Tomorrow, launches in January. Creative teams and lineups are being decided right now. If fans want Betsy Braddock in the relaunch, this is the moment to speak up.

Senior editor Tom Brevoort recently said:

“Not a day goes by that I don’t get a couple of emails and see a couple of things on social media where people are laying out that they want more Betsy Braddock. The only issue is that everyone wants her in a different way. We’re not ready right this second, but we’re getting to it.”

That’s not a reason to sideline her. If fan disagreements were a problem, most characters would’ve never seen the light of day. Whether as Psylocke or Captain Britain, what we want is a well-written Betsy Braddock. Let them know she deserves a stable, ongoing role in a core X-Men book

📬 EMAIL THE X-OFFICE NOW

Let them know you want Betsy Braddock in the Shadows of Tomorrow era:

➡️ officex@marvel.com

💜 Include fanart, ideas, or just a short, clear message.

🔁 REPOST THIS

Now’s the time. Be loud. Be visible. Betsy deserves better. 💜

Art of the Day – Psylocke & Jean Grey by Jay Anacleto

Original artwork by Jay Anacleto – Digitally colored.

Reminder: Please email officex@marvel.com and mheroes@marvel.com and kindly ask for more appearances of Betsy Braddock in the comics! 💜

Art of the Day – Psylocke by Mark Brooks

Original sketch by Mark Brooks – Digitally colored.

Reminder: Please email officex@marvel.com and mheroes@marvel.com and kindly ask for more appearances of Betsy Braddock in the comics! 💜

Art of the Day – Psylocke by Uko Smith

Original sketch by Uko Smith – Digitally colored.

Reminder: Please email officex@marvel.com and mheroes@marvel.com and kindly ask for more appearances of Betsy Braddock in the comics! 💜

Art of the Day – Captain Britain by Carmen Carnero

Original sketch by Carmen Carnero – Digitally colored.

Reminder: Please email officex@marvel.com and kindly ask for more appearances of Betsy Braddock in the comics! 💜

Art of the Day – Psylocke by Yildiray Cinar

Original sketch by Yildiray Cinar – Digitally colored.

Reminder: Please email officex@marvel.com and kindly ask for more appearances of Betsy Braddock in the comics! 💜

Art of the Day – Psylocke by Marcio Takara

Original sketch by Marcio Takara – Digitally colored.

Reminder: Please email officex@marvel.com and kindly ask for more appearances of Betsy Braddock in the comics! 💜

Art of the Day – Psylocke by Adam Hughes

Original sketch by Adam Hughes – Digitally colored.

Reminder: Please email officex@marvel.com and kindly ask for more appearances of Betsy Braddock in the comics! 💜

Art of the Day – Captain Britain by Jim Cheung

Original sketch by Jim Cheung – Digitally colored.

Reminder: Please email officex@marvel.com and kindly ask for more appearances of Betsy Braddock in the comics! 💜

Art of the Day – Psylocke by Marcus To

Original sketch by Marcus To – Digitally colored.

Reminder: Please email officex@marvel.com and kindly ask for more appearances of Betsy Braddock in the comics! 💜

Art of the Day – Psylocke by Joshua Cassara

Original sketch by Joshua Cassara – Digitally colored.

Reminder: Please email officex@marvel.com and kindly ask for more appearances of Betsy Braddock in the comics! 💜

Art of the Day – Captain Britain by Lucas Werneck

Original sketch by Lucas Werneck – Digitally colored.

Reminder: Please email officex@marvel.com and kindly ask for more appearances of Betsy Braddock in the comics! 💜

Betsy Braddock/Psylocke/Captain Britain by John Dimayuga -- Reminder: Rally for Betsy!

In these quiet times with little news to share, here's a treat: a commissioned piece by artist John Dimayuga showcasing Betsy Braddock in several of her iconic incarnations — S.T.R.I.K.E. Agent, Military Captain Britain, Captain Britain Corpsman, Otherworld Champion, X-Force, X-Men, and Hellfire Gala. Special thanks to our friend CGar for commissioning this amazing artwork!

In the meantime, if you felt inspired by this artwork, don’t forget about our ongoing rally campaign for Betsy Braddock! We encourage fans to email Marvel kindly requesting more appearances and better utilization of Betsy in future titles. Please remember to always be polite and respectful in your messages — do not criticize creators, editors, or other characters. The goal is to uplift Betsy, not to tear others down.

And don’t just contact the X-Office (officex@marvel.com) — we encourage you to reach out to all Marvel editorial offices! Betsy could shine in many corners of the Marvel Universe. Here are the emails you can use:

• X-Office: officex@marvel.com
• Spidey Office: spideyoffice@marvel.com
• Avengers/Heroes Office: mheroes@marvel.com
• Ultimate Office: ultimateoffice@marvel.com
• Hulk/All Ages: mondomarvel@marvel.com

You can also include the banner below, which outlines how Betsy Braddock could shine in their books. Let’s keep pushing — respectfully — for the hero we love! 💜🦋

Brevoort Teases Betsy Braddock’s Return at SDCC; Thorne's Pitch Officially Dead

Earlier today at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel officially unveiled Age of Revelation — the next major X-Men era set ten years in the future, where Doug Ramsey has inherited Apocalypse’s legacy and reshaped the world under a dark vision of mutant supremacy.

While 16 new titles were announced for this bold new timeline, Betsy Braddock was notably absent from all covers, teasers, and solicitations released so far. For fans of Betsy, it was a disappointing silence — until one key moment.

LZ, co-host of the podcast Another Relaunch, asked Tom Brevoort directly about Betsy Braddock during the panel, and shared the following on social media:

I asked about Polaris and they said she’s coming in Sinister Six!! Brevoort then says he wants to tell a story for Magneto and Polaris together because it hasn’t been done enough!! 🙌🏾. I asked about Betsy too and they said they had a talk about her next move on the way here! https://t.co/h9XJVwOfNy

— LZ (@UncannyLZ) July 24, 2025

LZ further clatified: "He said he gets asked A LOT about Betsy and that they were talking about a pitch on their way to the convention that they’ll probably end up doing for her. He wouldn’t say what it was."

It’s not a confirmation — but it’s the most hopeful sign yet that Betsy is on Marvel’s radar, and that something new might be in the works.

In the meantime, in less encouraging news, X-Force writer Geoffrey Thorne confirmed on the CBR Forums that his own pitch for a Betsy book has been rejected. He wrote:

"The Betsy pitch is officially dead. I was going to wait on telling you guys but I thought that would be kind of cruel. I found out yesterday. Sorry folks. And, no, I have no idea what, if any plans Marvel has for her. At some point in the next few months I'll put up a MY TAKE post on the Patreon. Go have a look at my IRON FIST take to see how it might look. Sorry, guys."

We’ll be watching very closely. Keep emailing the X-Office at officex@marvel.com 🦋

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.