X-Men: Outback #5 Spoilers

Spoilers: Master Molto introduces Cliffhanger as the star of Murder Television, broadcasting her attacks on Earth alongside the Execution Producers. Her abilities allow her to recall every detail of the previous twenty-four hours, access older memories through mental archives, and glimpse events seconds before they happen. Meanwhile, Dazzler performs under a false identity at an Australian bar, accompanied by Longshot and Rogue. Frustrated by life in hiding, Alison loses her temper when patrons accuse her of being an inferior imitation of Dazzler. Outside, her argument with Longshot is interrupted by Psylocke, who telepathically alerts them to an attack from Mojoworld. Gateway arrives to transport them to Tristan da Cunha, where the other X-Men are already defending the isolated community against Cliffhanger’s squad.

Dazzler absorbs the surrounding sound and asks Psylocke to warn everyone before she unleashes a powerful burst of light. Betsy broadcasts a telepathic warning to the team and the residents, telling them to shield their eyes and take cover. Longshot then recognizes Cliffhanger, a former lover and fellow rebel he believed had died in a burning transport. She calls herself his former wife, although he explains that they only planned to marry if they survived their rebellion. Cliffhanger accuses him of abandoning her, while Longshot insists that others had to drag him from the flames and knock him unconscious to stop his rescue attempt. She claims that Mojo saved her and Molto gave her a new career, but Longshot suspects that her memories have been altered. Rejecting his pleas, she shoots him.

With Longshot wounded, Dazzler attacks Cliffhanger while Rogue tends to him. Psylocke points out that the X-Men cannot be filmed, and Storm confirms that their presence disrupts the enemy’s technology. Cliffhanger nevertheless remains a threat to their secret and proves difficult to defeat, using her recall and anticipation to counter their attacks. She wounds Rogue with a mojonium dart and taunts Dazzler about her career, her insecurities, and her feelings for Longshot. While Colossus and Wolverine protect the residents, Psylocke probes the Execution Producers and discovers that they possess little independent thought. Their minds are keyed to Cliffhanger, functioning almost as extensions of her own. Storm concludes that the connection must be severed, while Longshot warns Rogue that every moment of combat gives Cliffhanger more information to use against them.

Rogue finally intervenes by grabbing Cliffhanger and absorbing her powers, enduring a painful feedback mechanism designed to make the contact lethal. Through the connection, she discovers that Cliffhanger does not have amnesia: an implanted converter box is altering her morals. Despite the device’s resistance, Rogue tears it free, restoring Cliffhanger’s personality and causing the Execution Producers to collapse. Reunited with Longshot, Cliffhanger admits that she remembers everyone she has hurt and struggles with what she has become. Longshot reassures her that Molto forced her actions, but both acknowledge that they are no longer the people they once were. Searching her mental archives, she recalls information about Molto’s travel schedule and decides to confront him.

Cliffhanger thanks Rogue for risking her life and declines Longshot’s offer to accompany her, explaining that she must discover who she is on her own. She promises to protect the X-Men’s secret, blows a farewell kiss that leaves Longshot, Rogue, and Dazzler wondering whom she intended it for, and teleports away to pursue Molto. Back at their Outback home, the team relaxes together while Madelyne and Havok joke about Longshot’s complicated romantic history. Dazzler thanks Rogue for saving her, although neither is ready to abandon their rivalry. Watching them, Longshot reflects that the team has done more than endure its hidden existence: they have traveled across the world, saved lives, and acted on their own terms. To him, the X-Men have been living all along.

X-Men '97: Season Two #5 Spoilers

Spoilers: As Clan Akkaba and the Acolytes battle, Jubilee and Sunspot approach Rusty and Skids, who admit that they joined Exodus because they had nowhere else to go after X-Factor rounded up the mutants at the vigil. Jubilee condemns the Acolytes for recruiting frightened children and blasts one of their enforcers when he confronts her. Psylocke and Archangel join the fight, with Betsy disabling another attacker with her psychic knife. Cable then stuns Rusty and Skids, refusing Jubilee’s request to take them along. He argues that they could be spies and offer little tactical advantage, reminding her that X-Force’s mission does not include rescuing every mutant they encounter. Despite her anger, Jubilee refuses to abandon the team.

Meanwhile, Ozymandias encourages Famine to stop Exodus from claiming Apocalypse’s rejuvenation chamber. Determined to preserve her promised future with Apocalypse, she attacks, but Exodus counters her touch with his own control over matter. As X-Force withdraws, Jubilee makes another attempt to help Rusty and Skids, only for the Acolytes to insist that they belong with Exodus. At the team’s aircraft, Ozymandias confronts Cable and reclaims his opal. Cable orders Archangel to attack, but Ozymandias uses the stone to overwhelm Warren with visions of his torments and temptations, causing him to lash out at his teammates. Psylocke reaches him telepathically, reminding him of his vow never to let Apocalypse control him again and urging him to take her hand instead. Betsy brings Warren back to himself, although Ozymandias escapes.

Cable then activates explosives that X-Force has planted on the rejuvenation chamber. Ozymandias, who privately dismisses Famine as a distraction incapable of defeating Exodus, is trying to have the chamber moved when his followers discover the unfamiliar wiring. The resulting explosion destroys it, ruining both factions’ plans. Exodus incinerates Famine when she confronts him over the loss, then departs with his Acolytes, declaring their attack a victory against Clan Akkaba. Ozymandias survives beneath the rubble and insists that Apocalypse will need him again. With the opal restored to his forehead, he vows to continue serving his master’s plans, however many centuries they might take.

Aboard X-Force’s aircraft, Cable confirms that the stolen prophecies have provided the information they need to locate War. While Sunspot unsuccessfully tries to comfort Warren, Jubilee approaches Psylocke with the question she has been afraid to ask: has Betsy seen the missing X-Men through the opal, and will they be all right? Betsy explains that the stone reveals both the past and possible futures, but sharing those visions could alter their outcome through the butterfly effect. Although she can offer no guarantees, she reassures Jubilee that the X-Men are fighters who will not easily surrender their love for one another or their hopes for the future. The two share a warmer moment, teasing each other about their intimidating ninja and mall-rat reputations.

Cable announces that they have approximately twenty-four hours to prepare an ambush before heading to Rio, where their search for War will continue. Back in the battered town, X-Factor arrives after receiving reports of the clash between Clan Akkaba, the Acolytes, and X-Force.

The story continues in X-Men ’97: Season 2, Episode 2, "A Force to Be Reckoned With".

Captain Britain 50th Anniversary Special #1 Spoilers

Story: Braddock Business

Spoilers: Early in his career as Captain Britain, Brian Braddock travels aboard Jamie’s new plane with his twin sister Betsy, Sebastian Shaw, and Tessa, heading to Braddock Manor for Christmas dinner. Neither Betsy nor Jamie knows about Brian’s secret identity. During the flight, Brian questions Jamie about rumors involving money, his racing victories, and his suspension, but Jamie dismisses the accusations and boasts that he never loses. Their journey is interrupted by Dr. Synne, who attacks the aircraft from horseback, determined to punish the Braddocks for crossing him and those he serves. As the plane burns around them, Brian uses the Amulet of Right to transform into Captain Britain and catches Betsy as she falls, inadvertently revealing his identity to her.

When Betsy takes hold of Brian’s Star Sceptre, energy flows through the weapon and his amulet, engulfing both twins. Betsy cries out as the power surges through her, while Brian reassures her that the pain will pass. Before his eyes, she transforms into another Captain Britain, complete with a red, white, and blue costume and matching hair. Betsy is delighted by her new powers, but Brian reminds her that lives are at stake. He asks her to save the plane while he confronts Synne, leaving the questions about her transformation for later.

Still astonished that she can fly, Betsy quickly focuses on the rescue. She reaches the cockpit and tells Jamie to strap himself in and make sure the passengers do the same. Inside, Tessa privately notes that her true employer, Charles Xavier, will be interested to learn that both Braddock twins possess powers. Betsy positions herself beneath the damaged plane, steadies her breathing, and prepares to bring it down safely despite her uncertainty about her new abilities. Meanwhile, Brian struggles to concentrate on Synne, wondering whether Betsy’s transformation means that their shared role was always intended. After narrowly avoiding Synne’s attacks, he knocks him from his horse. Having brought the plane to the ground, Betsy joins them and demands a chance to confront the man who nearly killed their family and friends.

Brian warns Betsy to stay back because her powers are new and she has never fought anyone like Synne. She agrees, but Synne strikes her from behind with an energy blast. Believing that his sister has been killed, Brian furiously attacks him, knocking him down and standing over him with his sceptre. Synne responds by triggering an explosion, escaping while promising that they will settle their conflict another time.

Later, Brian regains consciousness outside Braddock Manor to find Betsy alive and back in her ordinary clothes. He cannot clearly remember what happened, and Tessa tells the Essex police that Captain Britain saved them from Synne’s attack. Brian notices both women looking at him strangely but does not understand why. Watching from a distance, Synne is equally troubled by Betsy’s transformation. He wonders whether it happened because the Braddocks are twins and decides against another attack until he understands the consequences. For now, he concedes the victory to Captain Britain, while vowing that their next encounter will end differently.

When Does This Story Take Place?

The editor’s note places Braddock Business between panels of Captain Britain (Vol. 1) #9 (1976), although fitting it into that issue requires some interpretation. In Captain Britain (Vol. 1) #8, Betsy picks Brian up in London to fly him back to Braddock Manor after Jamie has been involved in a minor car accident. During the flight, Dr. Synne makes Betsy hallucinate monsters, causing her to lose control of the plane and crash-land. Issue #9 continues with Brian rescuing Betsy and briefly fighting Synne, who retreats when Jamie arrives to help his siblings.

Our best theory is that the special takes place immediately after that initial confrontation. Jamie could have brought Brian and Betsy aboard his own plane, with Shaw and Tessa already traveling with him, intending to complete the journey to Braddock Manor. Synne would then attack this second aircraft, setting the special’s events in motion. This would make the special’s flight a separate incident from the crash depicted in the original story. However, that connecting sequence is not shown in either comic; it is a possible way to reconcile the editor’s note with the differences between the two accounts.

The special’s ending explicitly leaves Brian with an unclear recollection of what happened and strongly implies that Tessa, later known as Sage, wiped the Braddock siblings’ memories of the incident. This would explain why Betsy never recalled her early transformation into Captain Britain or discovering Brian’s identity. Under this interpretation, the narrative would then return to issue #9’s nighttime scenes at Braddock Manor, after the Christmas dinner mentioned in the special, when Synne makes Betsy see her brothers as monsters. The two pages below therefore mark our proposed insertion point, rather than a placement definitively established by the stories themselves.

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Story: Chain of Command

Spoilers: At the Darkmoor stone circle, where interdimensional ley lines intersect, Brian Braddock finds himself confronted by Major Archibald Payne, a senior commander of the Multiversal Corps serving Saturnyne. Brian dismisses him, but Payne responds by immobilizing him with his sceptre. The weapon is a node of the Omniversal Computer, capable of accessing and projecting memories. Determined to fill the gaps in Brian’s heavily redacted records, Payne begins interrogating him about his career as Captain Britain.

Visions of Brian’s past surround them, beginning with Merlyn and Roma offering him the choice between the sword and the amulet, followed by his early battles. Payne demands to know why Merlyn personally selected him and who authorized his change of uniform. Brian answers sarcastically, explaining that Merlyn and Roma manipulated him without sharing their plans. When the visions reach the Jaspers’ Warp, Payne does not recognize the catastrophe. Brian suggests asking Saturnyne, who witnessed it, but Payne refuses to bypass the chain of command. Brian accuses him of being more concerned with his wounded pride than the missing reports, pointing out that Merlyn and Saturnyne themselves ignored that hierarchy whenever it suited them.

Angered by Brian’s defiance, Payne pushes further into his memories and detects his fear of the Fury. He initially dismisses the cybiote as merely an ugly machine, only to realize that the projected creature is aware of them. The Fury seizes his sceptre, strikes him aside, and absorbs the weapon into its body. Brian explains that it evolves by consuming technology, energy, and matter—and Payne has just given it access to a node of the multiversal computer.

Freed from his restraints, Captain Britain intervenes before the Fury can kill Payne. He grapples with the creature, deflecting its weapon arm and enduring its attacks as it reshapes its body around him. Brian tears an opening in its torso and retrieves the absorbed sceptre. He then smashes the weapon against a standing stone, destroying it and causing the Fury construct to dissipate.

After checking that Payne is unharmed, Brian returns the broken sceptre and explains that destroying it was necessary. He observes that they were fortunate to face only a pale imitation of the real Fury. Payne thanks him but immediately announces that the incident will go into his report. Unimpressed, Brian leaves the major behind and flies away, declaring that he will find his own way home.

When Does This Story Take Place?

Chain of Command fits more comfortably into Brian’s established history, as it revisits his past without substantially rewriting it. His memories establish that the events of Jaspers’ Warp have already occurred. A likely placement is sometime after that storyline and before the formation of Excalibur, during his subsequent adventures as Captain Britain. The story does not identify a precise issue or date, however, so this remains a broad chronological placement rather than a confirmed gap between specific adventures.

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Story: Another Day, An Otherworld

Spoilers: In Avalon, beneath Glastonbury Tor, Betsy Braddock participates in the Beltane ceremony marking the end of winter and the beginning of summer. Wearing the classic Captain Britain Corps uniform, she plays the Green Knight of Summer against the Red King of Winter, who adopts Brian’s appearance in his older costume. Their duel is ceremonial: Betsy is meant to win, allowing the seasonal cycle to continue. Mad Jim Jaspers, Albion, and King Jamie watch under a truce, while Roma and Saturnyne serve as neutral marshals. During the transition, the gates of Annwn beneath the Tor stand open, briefly exposing the underworld’s secrets before the completed ritual seals them again. Betsy enjoys taking part in these traditions, finding reassurance in Otherworld’s enduring cycles.

The performance suddenly turns dangerous when Betsy’s opponent strikes her with genuine force. Jamie protests from the crowd, and Betsy realizes that the Red King is trying to kill her. Roma and Saturnyne acknowledge the violation, but Betsy must defend herself as the attacks continue. She counters with a powerful blow, knocking her opponent down and ordering him to accept defeat so the rite can conclude. Instead, he abandons Brian’s appearance and reveals his monstrous form as the Red Lord, refusing to surrender winter’s place to summer.

Betsy discards her ceremonial outfit, resumes her own Captain Britain armor, and meets the Red Lord with her psychic sword and shield. As she battles him, she questions why he would disrupt the ancient cycle and realizes that the spectacle provides a perfect distraction for someone to enter Annwn and steal its secrets. Suspecting that someone has deliberately engineered the attack, she unleashes a massive burst of psychic energy that brings the Red Lord down. She immediately orders the marshals to secure the meadow, declares that the Captain Britain Corps will close the realm’s borders and secure the Siege Perilous, and directs Albion to have his Pendragons search Annwn’s approaches and seal its gates.

Betsy explains her suspicions to Roma and asks where Saturnyne has gone. Finding that she has disappeared, Betsy identifies her as the person behind the attempted theft. Albion soon reports that Annwn’s gates are locked and nothing has been taken, although the Pendragons have apprehended several intruders attempting to enter. With the danger contained, Betsy intends to pursue Saturnyne and hold her accountable, but Roma stops her.

Roma explains that Saturnyne’s deceit is itself part of Otherworld’s familiar order: its ancient cycles preserve stability, while mischievous powers continually seek to exploit or disrupt them. Betsy refuses to accept Saturnyne’s nature as an excuse and argues that traditions so rigid and predictable may have become a weakness. She suggests changing the cycles to make them less vulnerable. Roma replies that such crises are precisely why the Captain Britain Corps exists—to take extraordinary action whenever those cycles are broken and restore Otherworld’s balance. Betsy walks away with her psychic sword in hand, having protected the traditions she loves while questioning whether they should remain unchanged.

When Does This Story Take Place?

Another Day, An Otherworld appears to revisit Betsy’s earlier Krakoan adventures rather than depict her present-day circumstances. Saturnyne is still the Majestrix of the Starlight Citadel, and Jamie remains King of Avalon, placing the setting most naturally before the war against Merlyn and the events of Knights of X. Rachel’s absence is consistent with that reading, although it does not establish a date on its own. Our proposed window is after the conclusion of the opening arc in Excalibur (Vol. 4) #6 and before the war begins in Excalibur (Vol. 4) #24, with Betsy already established as Captain Britain.

Her instruction to secure the Siege Perilous introduces another detail to consider. If she is referring to the intact object, this adventure would also need to precede its pulverization by Mister M in Mercator. That offers a possible way to reconcile the reference with later events, but the special does not explicitly establish the order. For now, an earlier Krakoan setting is the most plausible reading, while the exact placement within that period remains open to interpretation.

Main Takeaways from Captain Britain 50th Anniversary Special #1 – Advance Spoilers

Captain Britain 50th Anniversary Special #1 celebrates Brian and Betsy Braddock with three original stories. Beyond revisiting familiar costumes and adversaries, the special adds a surprising chapter to Betsy’s history and explores what being Captain Britain means for both siblings. Our full spoilers arrive tomorrow, but here are a few things to watch for.

1) Betsy became a superhero much earlier than anyone thought—even Betsy herself.

The special reveals that Betsy’s first experience as Captain Britain happened considerably earlier than previously established. This is more than a new adventure squeezed into her past: it changes when she first wore the mantle and experienced its powers. As for why she never mentioned it afterward, the story leaves a question worth discussing.

2) This is not Betsy’s farewell to Captain Britain—yet.

Anyone expecting Betsy to relinquish the mantle here will instead find a celebration of her connection to it. The third story, in particular, appears to take place during Betsy’s early Krakoan adventures, with Saturnyne still ruling from the Starlight Citadel and Jamie still King of Avalon. It revisits her past rather than establishing a new status quo, leaving her position as Captain Britain unchanged as we head toward Maximum X-Men #1.

Check back tomorrow for our full breakdown of all three stories, including Betsy’s newly revealed early adventure and her return to Otherworld’s ritual battlefield.

X-Men: Outback #4 Spoilers

Spoilers: At sunrise in Cooterman’s Creek, Bushranger arrives seeking the X-Men’s help, recognizing them through her ability to see mutant auras. She protects the Never Never, a hidden community of mutants who cannot safely blend into human society. The Lava Men have abducted her people, and their ruler, King Basallo, plans to extract their mutant genes to strengthen his own kind. Bushranger was killed during the attack, but her powers allow her to survive as long as someone still believes in her. Havok immediately supports the rescue, while Psylocke tells Storm that Bushranger shows no signs of deception. Madelyne Pryor insists on joining the mission, frustrated at always remaining behind because she has no powers. With Havok’s support, Storm agrees, and Madelyne equips herself with Reaver weapons while Wolverine stays to guard the base.

Bushranger leads the team through the deserted Never Never and into the tunnels beneath it, explaining that the community’s protective mirage could not conceal them from an underground attack. Along the way, Madelyne confides in Havok about her recurring nightmares of fire and her suspicions about Bushranger’s interest in him. They soon confront Basallo, who claims that sacrificing the mutants fulfills his duty to his people and the Mother Core. When he refuses to release the prisoners, the X-Men attack, with Madelyne fighting alongside them. Basallo unleashes a cloud of ash that blinds the team while allowing his soldiers to move freely. Psylocke counters by locating the Lava Men telepathically, linking their minds with her own, and sharing that awareness with Dazzler and Longshot. Surrounded by Betsy’s psychic butterflies, her teammates can target their enemies without seeing them. Storm then disperses the ash with her winds.

Bushranger confronts Basallo directly, enduring his burning touch as she fights him. When the king launches another attack, Havok pushes her to safety and takes the blast himself. Madelyne rushes to Alex’s side, while Bushranger continues battling Basallo, eventually taking his staff and turning it against him. The king boasts that his people cannot be killed, but Storm demonstrates that the molten metal within their bodies conducts electricity. She threatens to unleash far greater voltage unless he frees the mutants and leaves the Never Never alone, while Bushranger promises to pursue the Lava Men relentlessly if they refuse. Although his guards remain willing to fight, Basallo finally chooses to spare them further suffering and orders the prisoners released.

After the rescue, Madelyne confronts Bushranger for failing to check on Havok, but Bushranger explains that his aura already told her he was safe. She introduces Mirror, whose powers conceal their community, before affectionately reuniting with her longtime partner, Buckland. Madelyne realizes that she has misread Bushranger’s interest in Alex: Bushranger perceives beauty through mutant auras and finds Buckland beautiful regardless of his unusual appearance. Bushranger thanks Madelyne for helping without special powers, suggesting that more people like her might make hiding unnecessary. She also promises that her community will protect the secret of the X-Men’s survival, grateful that the team put the captives’ safety before its own secrecy. When she says they did not have to risk themselves, Storm firmly disagrees.

Meanwhile, in the Mojoverse, Master Molto presents Mojo with footage of a new kill squad, the Execution Producers, murdering civilians to musical accompaniment. His Murder Video Channel is ready, but Mojo decides that the killers alone are not enough: the program needs a recognizable star. Confident that he knows the perfect lead, Mojo prepares to contact someone from Longshot’s little black book.

X-Men '97: Season Two #4 Spoilers

Spoilers: X-Force followed the pull of the Opal of Ozymandias to an ordinary-looking American town secretly controlled by Clan Akkaba. Psylocke sensed that nearly every mind nearby had been fitted with psi-blockers, yet she also detected an ancient presence drawing the opal toward it. Although she did not believe they had found War, the signal suggested that they were finally closing in on the Horseman’s trail.

While Jubilee and Sunspot posed as stranded travelers, an elderly resident welcomed them inside before he and his wife revealed themselves as armed cultists. After subduing the pair, Jubilee warned Cable that the entire town appeared to serve Apocalypse. Cable, Psylocke, and Archangel encountered similar resistance inside the local elementary school, where they defeated more followers and stole their freshly laundered robes to infiltrate the Clan’s gathering.

At the ceremony, Ozymandias rejected a worshipper’s request to use Apocalypse’s rejuvenation chamber, insisting that it belonged only to his master and the woman chosen to stand beside him. He then presented Famine—Autumn Rolfson—wearing a bridal dress. Ozymandias recalled how her uncontrollable mutant power once caused food to wither in her hands until Apocalypse transformed her, while Famine boasted that she could now destroy far more than what was on her plate.

Convinced that Famine could bear Apocalypse’s heir, Ozymandias called her a far better candidate than Pestilence. He then warned her about Candra, who had joined Apocalypse after Rama-Tut’s defeat and became the only woman he regarded as his near-equal. Candra secretly persuaded him to share a fragment of his power, then attacked him in a moment of weakness and fled, using the stolen energy to become an immortal External—a betrayal Apocalypse never forgave.

Before the ritual could continue, Exodus arrived with his Acolytes and denounced Apocalypse as a fallen prophet, arguing that Magneto’s vision offered mutantkind a nobler path. Exodus then revealed that he had penetrated Ozymandias’s psi-blockers and that locating one of Apocalypse’s rejuvenation chambers had been his true objective all along. He intended to use the chamber to resurrect Magneto. As the rival factions confronted one another, Cable searched Ozymandias’s quarters and recovered enough prophecies to anticipate War’s next moves.

Ozymandias refused to surrender the chamber, and fighting erupted after Famine struck one of the Acolytes. Exodus ordered his followers to defend one another, while Ozymandias branded them apostates and commanded Clan Akkaba to purge them. After recognizing Rusty and Skids among the Acolytes, Jubilee warned X-Force that although they had entered the town searching for a man named War, an entirely different kind of war had found them instead.

X-Men: Outback #3 Spoilers

Spoilers: In the Mojoverse, Master Molto attempts to convince Mojo to approve his proposed new program, Murder Television, promising an even more brutal form of entertainment for his audience. Meanwhile, an older threat begins moving against the X-Men in Australia. Long ago, in the microscopic realm of Sub-Atomica, the Lich Duke Yaga Dyara conquered the wandering mystic Grishka, a secret member of the Rasputin bloodline. With his dying breath, Grishka cursed the Duke, promising that one day he would fall to a Rasputin. In the present, Betsy Braddock finds Piotr Rasputin painting alone in the Australian wilderness and recognizes that he is struggling with the weight of his family name, Illyana’s fate, Mikhail, and the recent rebirth that has left him questioning his place in the world. Betsy understands that burden intimately and urges him not to let his family history define him. Their conversation is interrupted when she is struck by an overwhelming empathic surge of fear and hatred. Yaga Dyara arrives with the undead Rotwave, declaring that he has come for Rasputin blood, and Piotr immediately puts himself between the monsters and Betsy.

As Piotr is overwhelmed and dragged away, Psylocke desperately sends a psychic call to the other X-Men. Yaga Dyara reveals that he knows exactly who Piotr is: a cousin of Grishka and part of the bloodline destined to destroy him. He intends to eliminate every remaining Rasputin, including Illyana. Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, Havok, Dazzler and Longshot answer Betsy’s call and attack the Rotwave, but Betsy remains focused on Piotr, calling his name again and again until she can barely detect his consciousness beneath the darkness surrounding him. Unable to reach him physically, she enters his mind. There she finds Piotr retreating into fatalism, wondering whether the Rasputin bloodline itself is cursed and whether everything should simply end with him. Betsy refuses to let him surrender. She tells him that even if every Rasputin before him were gone, he would still have a family—the people outside fighting for him, including her. She reminds him that Illyana would never have allowed him to give up and finally asks whether he is really going to make his friends fight for him alone. Her words reach him, and Piotr’s anger and will return with explosive force.

Colossus tears himself free and confronts Yaga Dyara while the rest of the X-Men battle the spreading Rotwave. Betsy continues operating on several fronts at once. While maintaining her psychic connection to Piotr, she penetrates what remains of the Rotwave creatures’ minds and gives them a new command: devour your own. The undead are forced to turn on one another, dramatically weakening the Duke’s army. Yaga Dyara nevertheless proves powerful enough to rot and wither even Colossus’s armored body, boasting that he will destroy the Rasputin line and tear Illyana apart after Piotr. At the moment when Piotr seems closest to death, the spirit of Grishka appears. Grishka reveals that Yaga Dyara lied about having exterminated the entire family: Grishka alone fell to him, while the Rasputin line survived. He provides Piotr with the words of a spell, explaining that the dead can empower it but only the living can banish the Duke. Piotr recites the incantation, and the combined power of the living Rasputin and his dead ancestor opens a microscopic gateway that drags Yaga Dyara, his warriors and the Rotwave back to their own realm and seals the passage behind them.

Grishka remains just long enough to heal Piotr’s ravaged flesh, telling his cousin that healing his heart will have to be Piotr’s own work, before disappearing like a shooting star. Betsy stays close to Piotr afterward, and their earlier conversation becomes much more personal. Back where he had been painting, Piotr considers whether the damage caused by the attack might become part of the artwork rather than something to erase. Betsy applies the same idea to his family: one miraculous relative cannot wash the Rasputins’ history clean, but Piotr can change what the name means through the man he chooses to be. When Piotr observes that she seems to believe in him, Betsy admits that she saw something beautiful when she was inside his mind. He then turns the question back on her and asks what she found there—whether he is a friend, a lover, or something caught between the two—and who exactly she was trying to save when she threw herself into his pain. Betsy cannot give the relationship a simple name but admits that she could not allow his suffering to continue and that he has become someone she cannot imagine being without. Neither is ready to risk pushing things further, so they agree not to let that uncertainty change what they already mean to one another. Betsy makes him promise that the next time he paints, he will put people into his world; when Piotr suggests perhaps beginning with her, she happily accepts the deal.

Hours later, Madelyne Pryor sits with Havok and admits that she feels useless beside the X-Men because she spent the crisis watching from the monitors while Colossus nearly died. Havok tells her that not everyone contributes in the same way and that simply remaining with the team and helping however she can still matters. He admits that he looks to her for strength, but Madelyne is frightened by how much others may depend on her while she continues to struggle with nightmares and the lingering terror surrounding her own past. Havok understands the feeling more than he initially lets on: beneath his reassurance, he confesses that sometimes he feels as though he is only barely holding himself together.

X-Men ’97 Week, Part Seven: Psylocke Battles Wolverine

10 • ANIMATED SERIES

X-Men ’97: Season 2, Episode 9 — “Survival of the Fittest”

Cable presented Valerie Cooper and X-Factor with his argument that Apocalypse remained alive inside Gambit and would eventually seize complete control of his body. Convinced that killing Remy was the only way to destroy Apocalypse, X-Force and X-Factor launched a government-backed assault on X-Corp headquarters. Psylocke joined Cable and Archangel on the front lines as the two factions battled the X-Men, who remained determined to save Gambit.

During the attack, Psylocke and Archangel specifically targeted Wolverine and succeeded in pinning him down. Their apparent victory was immediately undermined when a second Wolverine emerged from the shadows and attacked them. The opponent they had restrained was revealed to be Morph, who transformed into Doctor Octopus and continued disrupting the battlefield while the real Wolverine turned his attention toward Psylocke and Archangel.

Psylocke confronted Wolverine with both her martial arts training and psychic abilities. She attempted to incapacitate him with her psychic knife, but the attack had no effect because his mind had already endured an extraordinary accumulation of trauma. Wolverine then seized one of Psylocke’s swords and used her own weapon against her, brutally overpowering her after her psychic assault failed to penetrate his defenses.

Despite the setback, Psylocke continued fighting alongside Cable’s forces as the conflict spread throughout X-Corp. The battle reached its turning point when Cable reached the restrained Gambit and shot him in the head at close range, intending to eliminate both him and Apocalypse. Instead, the attack completed Apocalypse’s return, allowing him to take full control of Gambit’s body, overpower the assembled mutants, and enslave nearly everyone present.

Rogue returned empowered by the Celestial Eson the Searcher after agreeing to sacrifice her life in exchange for the strength necessary to save Remy. She broke Apocalypse’s control, extracted his essence from Gambit, and imprisoned it within a gemstone that she entrusted to Cable. Gambit was restored, while Nightcrawler secretly assumed Rogue’s place in the Celestial bargain and sacrificed himself so that his sister could survive.

X-Men ’97 Week, Part Six: Psylocke Hunts Down Gambit

09 • ANIMATED SERIES

X-Men ’97: Season 2, Episode 8 — “The Dead Man’s Hand”

After Rogue experienced a disturbing vision of an undead Gambit, X-Force arrived at X-Corp carrying Apocalypse’s withered remains and the scorched Queen of Hearts card discovered beside them. Jubilee presented the card to Rogue as evidence that Gambit had been resurrected as Apocalypse’s Horseman Death. The discovery immediately divided the assembled mutants, with Cable advocating decisive action while Rogue and the X-Men insisted that Remy could still be saved.

Psylocke stepped forward as X-Force’s measured voice and clearly explained their proposed plan. She asked Professor Xavier to use the newly upgraded Cerebra to locate Gambit so that the teams could confront him and free him from Apocalypse’s corruption. Psylocke suggested that Rogue’s absorption powers might be capable of purifying Gambit, just as she had once freed Archangel from Apocalypse’s influence. Despite her explanation, Rogue remained suspicious that X-Force’s true objective was execution rather than rescue.

Xavier activated Cerebra and located Gambit in New Orleans, but the psychic connection produced a violent backlash that tore the helmet from his head and released an ominous cloud of purple energy. The reaction suggested that something far darker than a simple resurrection was controlling Gambit. Psylocke subsequently accompanied X-Force and the X-Men to Louisiana, where the combined teams prepared to confront the transformed Horseman.

During the confrontation, Gambit resisted Rogue’s powers, rendered her unconscious, and brought Nightcrawler under his influence. Amid the resulting chaos, one of the team’s aircraft was disabled and began falling from the sky. Psylocke joined Cable and Jean Grey in combining their telekinetic powers, safely guiding the damaged jet to the ground and preventing the mutants aboard from being killed in the crash.

Rogue eventually reached Gambit’s buried consciousness and temporarily freed him from Apocalypse’s control, only for the teams to discover that Apocalypse remained alive within him. Cable then revealed that X-Force’s true mission had always been to kill Gambit and thereby destroy Apocalypse. Horrified by the deception and unwilling to support his methods any longer, Jubilee and Sunspot abandoned X-Force and sided with the X-Men.

Psylocke remained loyal to Cable’s uncompromising mission, leaving her, Cable, and Archangel as the final three members of X-Force. While the diminished team regrouped inside a warehouse, Valerie Cooper arrived with X-Factor and proposed that their rival groups form an alliance against Apocalypse.

X-Men ’97 Week, Part Five: Psylocke Takes on the Avengers

07 • COMIC BOOK

X-Men ’97: Strike Files Infinity Comic (Vol. 1) #6

Following the rescue of the imprisoned young mutants, the X-Force jet became severely overcrowded. Sunspot teased Archangel and Psylocke, suggesting that beneath their hardened exteriors they must feel proud of having saved the children. The team delivered the young mutants safely to the Xavier School, but remained aboard to avoid exposing their location or mission. Their caution proved justified, as Black Widow secretly observed the drop-off and attached a tracking device to the underside of their jet.

Running low on fuel, X-Force landed at one of Cable’s supply caches hidden in a snowy mountain region. Psylocke and her teammates were immediately confronted by the Avengers, who had tracked them there to arrest them for disrupting X-Factor’s government-sanctioned operations. Captain America attempted to persuade Cable to surrender peacefully, but Cable opened fire, triggering a full-scale battle between X-Force and the Avengers.

During the fight, Psylocke faced Hawkeye and attacked with silent, relentless precision. Wielding her katana, she rapidly overwhelmed the Avenger with her superior martial arts skills and prevented him from mounting an effective defense. Hawkeye desperately called for assistance, complaining that although Psylocke had barely said a word, she was thoroughly beating him. Hercules offered to help only after dealing with Sunspot, leaving Hawkeye struggling to withstand Psylocke’s assault alone.

The battle ended when Cable threatened to destroy the fuel cache and trigger an avalanche upon the town below, forcing Captain America to order the Avengers to stand down. As Psylocke and the others returned to the jet, Captain America warned Jubilee that X-Force’s extreme methods would eventually lead them too far. Jubilee admitted that this was precisely why she remained with the team: someone needed to keep its dark mission under control. With the Avengers unable to intervene, Psylocke and X-Force escaped and continued their hunt for Apocalypse.

08 • ANIMATED SERIES

X-Men ’97: Season 2, Episode 7 — “Strange Land, Savage Heart”

While the X-Men confronted the Acolytes in the Savage Land, Psylocke joined Cable and X-Force in tracking Apocalypse to a hidden lair beneath the Parthenon in Athens. Expecting a confrontation, the team instead discovered Apocalypse’s skeletal remains surrounded by fragments of his technology, suggesting that the immortal tyrant was dead or had somehow abandoned his body. Jubilee then found one of Gambit’s distinctive playing cards nearby, confirming that Apocalypse had resurrected him as the Horseman Death. The discovery shifted X-Force’s mission toward the possibility that Gambit now carried Apocalypse’s legacy and represented the greater threat.

X-Men ’97 Week, Part Four: Psylocke and X-Force Become Outlaws

06 • ANIMATED SERIES

X-Men ’97: Season 2, Episode 2 — “A Force to Be Reckoned With”

Young mutants seeking refuge at the abandoned X-Mansion instead found themselves hunted and detained by X-Factor, a government-sanctioned mutant team operating under the direction of Dr. Valerie Cooper. Although X-Factor claimed to be relocating them for their own protection, the young mutants were imprisoned under heavy security, raising questions about whether the government’s true objective was their safety or containment.

Meanwhile, X-Force’s search for War led the team to Brazil, where they cornered the Horseman amid the chaos of the streets. Following a fierce struggle, Psylocke used her psychic abilities to render War unconscious before probing his mind for information about Apocalypse’s plans. She glimpsed a mysterious delivery of something vital, but an impenetrable wall of diamonds suddenly blocked her path, preventing her from exploring his memories any further.

With Psylocke unable to extract additional information and War remaining a dangerous servant of Apocalypse, Cable ordered Archangel to end his life as an act of mercy. Archangel carried out the execution without hesitation, but Jubilee was deeply shaken by the cold finality of killing an unarmed mutant. She openly challenged Cable’s ruthless methods, exposing the growing divide between the young recruit and the hardened members of X-Force.

The diamond barrier Psylocke encountered pointed the team toward Emma Frost, whose psychic powers and diamond form matched the defense protecting War’s memories. When confronted, Emma admitted her involvement and directed X-Force to a hidden facility that appeared to be preparing advanced technology for a new generation of Horsemen. The lead was a trap: Emma had made a deal with X-Factor in exchange for amnesty and deliberately lured X-Force into an ambush.

A brutal confrontation erupted between the two mutant teams. Most of X-Force managed to break free and withdraw, but Jubilee was overwhelmed and taken prisoner aboard a government helicarrier alongside the other captured young mutants. During her interrogation by Havok and Polaris, Jubilee appealed to the ideals Polaris had once upheld as a member of the X-Men and awakened the doubts she still harbored about X-Factor’s actions.

Polaris secretly disabled the helicarrier’s security systems and her own power-suppressing collar, giving Jubilee an opportunity to escape. Jubilee fought through the guards, released the imprisoned mutants, and summoned X-Force for extraction. The team arrived and carried the liberated youths to safety, but the rescue led Cooper to brand X-Force as fugitives, forcing Psylocke and her teammates deeper underground as they continued their mission against Apocalypse.

X-Men ’97 Week, Part Three: Psylocke Uncovers Apocalypse’s Secret

05 • COMIC BOOK

X-Men ’97: Season Two (Vol. 1) #3

X-Force’s next mission took them to a clandestine auction of rare artifacts in Madripoor, where Pestilence unleashed her plagues in a desperate attempt to seize an opal recovered from one of Apocalypse’s tombs and regain his favor. When X-Force stormed the auction, Psylocke joined her teammates in battle and observed that the Horsemen had begun turning against one another. Pestilence confirmed her suspicions by declaring that neither X-Force nor Famine would stand in her way. Archangel ultimately defeated Pestilence, allowing the team to escape with the opal.

Aboard their jet high above the Pacific, tensions remained high as the hunt for Apocalypse continued. Psylocke stepped forward holding the glowing red gemstone and identified it as the Opal of Ozymandias. She recounted how Ozymandias, once a pharaoh’s son consumed by his pursuit of power, had been overthrown by En Sabah Nur—Apocalypse—and cursed with prophetic vision and eternal servitude as the chronicler of the tyrant’s deeds throughout history.

When Cable impatiently demanded to know whether the artifact retained enough power to locate Apocalypse, Psylocke remained unfazed. Purple butterfly energy bloomed around her face as she activated her psychometric abilities and reached into the memories preserved within the stone. The accumulated anger, pain, and relentless will to survive nearly overwhelmed her. More unexpectedly, she discovered the X-Men themselves woven into Apocalypse’s ancient past, revealing that their histories were far more deeply entangled than she had realized.

With Cable’s assistance, Psylocke pushed deeper into the opal’s memories. They witnessed the newly named Apocalypse vowing vengeance against the remnants of Rama-Tut’s empire while embracing Candra and testing her suitability as his queen. The visions then shifted to Ozymandias discovering Rama-Tut’s hidden technology, only to be ambushed by Apocalypse and transformed into an immortal seer condemned to record his conqueror’s deeds for eternity.

The visions continued as Apocalypse brought a massive boulder down upon the crusader Bennet du Paris to teach him that “survival is not enough.” Psylocke and Cable then witnessed Ozymandias advise Apocalypse to father an heir rather than continue searching for a new vessel. When the face of Famine suddenly emerged within the memories, the psychic connection surged beyond Psylocke’s control and violently hurled both her and Cable backward across the jet.

Archangel rushed to steady the shaken Psylocke as she voiced her fear that Apocalypse’s heir might already have been born and hidden from the world. Cable recovered and immediately relayed the revelation to the rest of X-Force. Their mission had suddenly become far more dangerous: they were no longer simply hunting Apocalypse, but preparing for the possible existence of his secret child.

PUBLICATION NOTE • ONGOING

The Story Continues

X-Men ’97: Season Two is still ongoing. Issues #4 and #5 are scheduled for release on September 2 and October 14, 2026, respectively. The story of X-Force and Psylocke then continues in Episode 2 of the animated series.

X-Men ’97 Week, Part Two: Psylocke Trains the New X-Force

04 • COMIC BOOK

X-Men ’97: Season Two (Vol. 1) #2

After Jubilee and Sunspot were successfully recruited into X-Force, Psylocke relentlessly drilled the young mutants in hand-to-hand combat at the team’s clandestine base. She pushed the young mutants far harder than their standard training sessions, emphasizing that their enemies strike to kill and there is no room for hesitation in X-Force.

Cable and Archangel interrupted the sparring session to distribute new tactical uniforms to the recruits. Cable immediately initiated a mission briefing, explaining that former Horseman War was actively establishing safe houses to orchestrate Apocalypse’s return. To stop this, X-Force needed to hunt down Apocalypse’s remaining Horsemen—War, Famine, and Pestilence—by utilizing the psionic tracking abilities of the mutant Caliban.

The team descended into the dark Morlock tunnels beneath New York City to search for their tracker. An encounter with an elderly Morlock named Annalee quickly proved to be a trap. X-Force was suddenly ambushed by a militant group of mutants known as the Acolytes.

A fierce battle erupted in the underground corridors as the Acolytes attacked through a thick cloud of smoke, courtesy of Amelia Voght. Psylocke engaged in close-quarters combat, utilizing her psychic blade to strike down Barnacle, while Cable exchanged heavy fire with Frenzy. During the standoff, the Acolytes revealed they were in the tunnels to recruit the surviving Morlocks into a new movement led by Exodus.

While the two factions argued, Jubilee located a terrified Caliban hiding in the shadows. After a gentle plea, Caliban agreed to point them in the right direction to stop Apocalypse. Unwilling to wait, Psylocke sneaked up behind Caliban and violently amplified his tracking powers with her telepathy, forcefully extracting the target locations from his mind against his will.

Jubilee was furious at the violation, shouting that Caliban had already been willing to help them. Psylocke remained entirely unrepentant, coldly stating that Apocalypse plans in eons and X-Force did not have seconds to spare. With the necessary coordinates acquired, Cable commanded the team to lock and load, leaving the Acolytes behind as they set off to eliminate the targets on their strike list.

X-Men ’97 Week, Part One: Psylocke Joins X-Force

01 • COMIC BOOK

X-Men ’97: Strike Files Infinity Comic (Vol. 1) #2

Believing that Apocalypse will eventually return, Cable recruits Psylocke and Archangel—both former victims of the villain—to form his new team: X-Force.

Reflecting on his past, Cable recalls the painful death of Askani, the woman who raised him. In her final moments, she prophesied that he would become the “cable” binding the past, present, and future. She explained that he was destined to carry this heavy burden and face Apocalypse because he is strong enough to endure the pain, and because the villain fears Cable’s deep understanding of human connections.

Snapping back to the present, a hardened Cable reveals his true intentions. He warns Psylocke and Archangel that X-Force’s foundational mission is not just to stop Apocalypse, but to absolutely and completely destroy him, giving them a final ultimatum: fall in line with the cause or get out of his way.

02 • COMIC BOOK

X-Men ’97: Season Two (Vol. 1) #1

Psylocke and X-Force investigated Clan Akkaba, a cult that worshipped Apocalypse, hoping to uncover details about his planned return. Because the captured cultists preferred death over revealing any information about their “High Lord,” the team decided to use a captive clansman as bait. Their objective was to lure out the Alliance of Evil, a group they believed were Apocalypse’s low-rent lackeys.

The trap worked flawlessly, drawing the Alliance of Evil into an abandoned bar where X-Force immediately engaged them in battle. During the violent clash, Cable and Archangel launched a direct attack against Tower, while Psylocke maneuvered to strike Timeshadow from behind.

After neutralizing the initial threats, the team cornered Stinger, the final remaining member of the Alliance. Psylocke stood by and remained completely silent while Cable interrogated their captive. During the interrogation, Stinger mistakenly assumed the team was the X-Men, prompting Cable to coldly correct her, remarking that they were nothing like the X-Men.

03 • ANIMATED SERIES

X-Men ’97: Season 2, Episode 1 — “Days of Past Future”

During a strategic briefing, Cable reflected on the impending reign of Apocalypse, declaring that their small group was all that was left to stop the villain.

Standing confidently with her arms crossed, Psylocke delivered a critical intelligence update. She informed Cable that she had successfully managed to pick up a trail of the last of his horsemen. Maintaining her composure, Psylocke further warned the team that their intel indicated this remaining enemy would be a bit of a handful.

After the blue-skinned Archangel asked what their next move should be, Cable stepped forward and handed a confidential dossier directly to Psylocke. She took the folder and opened it, carefully examining the contents alongside Archangel. As Psylocke studied the document—which revealed photographs of young mutants like Jubilee and Sunspot—Cable walked past her toward the ship’s cockpit, announcing that their immediate mission was recruitment.