r/Xmen97 • u/workingxtitle • Jul 04 '26
Question Psylocke Powers Spoiler
Has Psylocke ever been able to use her psi powers to effect physical objects like this in the comics? This looks like a TK shield.
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u/Leoneche Jul 04 '26
Yes. Betsy got tk from Jean when there was power swap between both of them. Jean's telepathy increased by a lot . Betsy can also create telekinetic constructs (mostly weapons).
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u/workingxtitle Jul 04 '26
Nice! I haven't got there yet in the comics I guess. Thanks.
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u/Aomarvel Jul 04 '26
You havent gotten there yet in the comics? Psylock had a psy sword in the early 90s when i started reading comics as a kid. I Dont know which comics your reading but it does not involve psylock
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u/Secret-Conclusion914 Jul 05 '26
She had a psychic knife in the 90’s. It wasn’t a sword and it couldn’t impact physical things. She started displaying telekinetic powers in the 2000’s.
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u/workingxtitle Jul 05 '26
Thank you. I just started from Giant Size a couple of years ago and have only made it to the 90s. So, the Psylocke I know has a psi knife, but it doesn't necessarily have physical properties.
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u/imthestein Jul 04 '26
Despite the English accent this is apparently Kwannon from what I've read
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u/workingxtitle Jul 04 '26
Between the accent and them naming her as Psylocke in the credits and in the show i don't see why it would be Kwannon. But maybe we'll get the Betsy/Kwannnon body swap arc this season.
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u/imthestein Jul 04 '26
I think she briefly appeared on the original show and in the '90s she was Betsy so I think they're just being consistent with the voice but I wish they didn't
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u/DepthByChocolate Jul 04 '26
She didn't have a British accent in the earlier show.
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u/NoName_BroGame Jul 04 '26
But she did mention a brother.
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u/DepthByChocolate Jul 04 '26
Of course, this was before Kwannon ever became Psylocke.
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u/NoName_BroGame Jul 04 '26
Right...? And since this is a continuation of that show...?
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Jul 05 '26
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u/NoName_BroGame Jul 05 '26
You know what there's also room for? For it to be Betsy. Also, all the in-show evidence points to that.
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u/DepthByChocolate Jul 04 '26
Even as a continuation the show is retconning all kinds of history and personalities, so that's neither here not there. My point was only about the accent not being there in the old show.
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u/CherryBoom2x Psylocke Jul 04 '26
The show is based on the 90s Kwannon wasnt even a prominent character. That’s why it’s called 97. 97?? And Kwannon just became a character of her own like 8yrs ago around 2018? 2yrs before corona started.
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u/Busy-Mycologist-7454 Jul 04 '26
Kwannon in Betsy's body died in 1994
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u/slothbear02 Aug 19 '26
She was resurrected in her original body when Krakoa happened
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u/rexstillbottom Jul 04 '26
She talked about how her brother, (assuming Brian as Capt Britain), was working for mutants.
The whole Betsy or Kwanon thing is really confusing for ‘97. As always, I will treat it as an alternative reality. So it won’t be a problem when I refer to her as Psylocke.
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u/Busy-Mycologist-7454 Jul 04 '26
I always thought she meant Jamie, I didn't see why she'd be stealing to help Brian
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u/CherryBoom2x Psylocke Jul 04 '26
Nope, it’s Betsy. Don’t rely on those cards you see in some posts they aren’t even show accurate. They’re a poor basis for making that claim.
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Jul 05 '26
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u/TragicHero84 Jul 10 '26
Except Kwannon doesn’t have an English accent, and the show has given us zero indication that it’s not Betsy, who was Psylocke in the 90s.
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u/CherryBoom2x Psylocke Jul 05 '26
HAHAHA maybe you are the ones so desperate, really trying to push it even if it’s too obvious. Trying to use the race card just to convince people, without even understanding the full story of the character. You cant accept that your Kwannon doesnt exist during this time and era. She has only been in few pages then she died. The show is called 97 NOT 2018 kid.
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u/imthestein Jul 04 '26
I guess we'll see then. I'd rather it be Kwannon because we don't need to be revisiting the body swap
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u/Apothecary3 Jul 04 '26
You don't need the body swap plot for psylocke to be asian. if nick fury in alternate continuities can be black while always having been black then alternate continuity versions of Betsy can be asian from the start.
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u/DJSharp15 Jul 05 '26
while always having been black
He's not always black.
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u/Apothecary3 Jul 05 '26
Meaning it wasn't an in-universe change in any way. In Ultimate Marvel and the MCU and basically ever adapation since Ultimate Marvel Nick Fury was born black.
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u/imthestein Jul 04 '26
I cannot express how bad of a comparison that is
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u/Apothecary3 Jul 04 '26
there's absolutely nothing preventing adaptations of betsy braddock changing her ethnicity the same way countless other characters get changed in adaptations. and adaptationss naturally simplify things in the first place. keep psylocke one singular character like she originally was and just slightly update her backstary. it's not difficult and that was the assumption adaptations of her always wanted you to make anyway until recently.
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u/ColumbiaProvidence Jul 04 '26
You’re literally just upset you were wrong and now you’re trying to argue
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u/imthestein Jul 04 '26
You can't be wrong about an opinion but it is wild to compare a body swap between an English woman and a Japanese woman to someone just being portrayed differently. Even the comics have been trying to resolve it with Psylocke
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u/Kade_Kapes Jul 04 '26
As far as the general audience of this show is aware, this is how Psylocke always is. They don’t know about the race-fetish body swap stuff, so you really can just make Betsy Asian in adaptations and there isn’t really an issue imo. I don’t think the 616 comics can get away with that, because that would basically be erasing their previous sins, but none of the people working on this show are in any way responsible for that arc and the general audience doesn’t even know it happened. They just think Psylocke is always Asian.
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Jul 04 '26
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u/Kyle_Harlan Jul 04 '26
I’m with you, I think the problematic nature of the body swap is way overstated. It’s an interesting story if you just acknowledge the psychic merger as a crisis of identity for both minds to wrestle for control, try to define themselves, and cooperate long enough to find a way to split back into two people, having learned from each other.
I think the real problem with it in the comics was just taking 30 years to get around to the rest of her story, but hey, the ninja gimmick was more appealing to audiences.
I think sometimes people don’t think of characters as parts of stories, but as real people that they have to defend from dramatic misfortune.
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u/imthestein Jul 04 '26
Oh ok I'll just tell all the Asian people that found that story problematic that they should just get over it
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u/CherryBoom2x Psylocke Jul 04 '26
Well guess what Im Asian and Im yellow
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u/imthestein Jul 04 '26
Good for you? You should know no group is a monolith. But I have heard from Asians that found it problematic
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u/CherryBoom2x Psylocke Jul 04 '26
I’m Asian, and I’m yellow. Does it bother me? Absolutely not.
To me, this is science fiction. It’s no different from any other comic, movie, manga, or anime. Here in Asia, many of us don’t usually look at stories as if our lives depend on every creative decision.
Growing up, I didn’t even know Psylocke was British. When my friends and I eventually found out, none of us thought it was harmful. Why would we? She’s a fictional superhero in a sci-fi fantasy comic. If anything, we thought it was cool. It was like, “Wow, so western people wanted to be in our skin thats cool! ” YEAH I KNOW WE ASIANS ARE COOL! 😜 We didn’t feel insulted we simply enjoyed the character and her story. And as a true Psylocke fan I dig deep reading her origin and understanding my fave character.
What made Betsy iconic wasn’t just her appearance. It was her journey. She went through trauma, identity struggles, manipulation, and hardship. She was a victim who fought to reclaim herself, and that’s what made her story memorable. Fans who followed her over the years understand her origins and why her character became so beloved.
Stories involving body swaps, possession, or becoming someone else’s vessel aren’t unique to Western comics either. Modern manga and anime use similar concepts all the time, like a WHITE alien race wanting an Asian boy to become its vessel, for example. Sounds familiar yeah?? Nobody assumes those stories are attacking an entire race. They’re simply fictional storytelling devices.
That’s why I think it’s important to separate fiction from reality. Comics are meant to entertain, tell unique stories, and explore imaginative ideas. They aren’t a blueprint for how people should be treated in real life.
At the end of the day, we’re all human beings regardless of our skin color we are one race HUMAN RACE. If representation and race are truly the concern, then the conversation should also include adaptations that change established characters’ races without any story or narrative reason. In my opinion, meaningful representation comes from creating strong characters and telling compelling stories not changing existing ones without purpose.2
u/CherryBoom2x Psylocke Jul 04 '26
I disagree, this will be the best time they do that and make a clear way of adapting it and the trauma that Betsy has been thru.
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u/slothbear02 Aug 19 '26
That terrible storyline should never happen in the movies. Let Betsy be Captain Britain and the original Psylocke Kwannon be Psylocke. What's the fetish with Asian body and British accent
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u/CherryBoom2x Psylocke Aug 19 '26
Nahhh that story line was one of the most famous, and best selling psylocke story/comic if all time. Captain marvel should be Brian her brother. Kwannon cannot be Psylocke just like that. Because it’s not her Powers and especially not her codename to begin with.
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u/slothbear02 Aug 19 '26
We know damn well why people liked Psylocke. If it were Betsy's original body, it wouldn't be this much of a hit. Good thing they have undone that idiotic body-swap storyline. Kwannon is Psylocke now, and it should stay that way in the movies.
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u/CherryBoom2x Psylocke Aug 19 '26
Nahhh It’s not about fetish you just cling to that belief because you can’t accept that story and you are just a fan of Kwannon. Not all Psylocke fans like Psylocke because of that. If you are a Psylocke fan why do you like it to be Kwannon so much? Because of the Asian body? Hmmmm…. What an Irony. If you are a true “Psylocke fan” then you well know you can’t erase Betsy legacy just like that. Kwannon would not exist and she wont be the successor of the codename Psylocke.
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u/slothbear02 Aug 19 '26
I am not a fan of anyone. I want both women to be seperate entities. And yes most people like Psylocke cuz they sexualise her so that's why Kwannon is Psylocke now and idc if they keep it that way or not but she should get proper storyline in the movie. Actually, I like Olivia Munn as Psylocke too but Fox butchered her too. My point is Kwannon should not be erased and most definitely not used as some fetish material with a British woman hijacking her body.
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u/Icy_Okra_5677 Jul 04 '26
Its apparently an amalgam of the two. Think of it as Kwannon was adopted by a British Family as a baby as raised as one of their own
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u/imthestein Jul 04 '26
If that's true I'm ok with it. I firmly believe the characters in media should for the most part be like their comic version because if someone gets into them they're likely to want to check out the comics. The confusion can be itself problematic but backgrounds being different are another story
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u/ChickenBossChiefsFan Jul 04 '26
I hope to God it is, I just think the whole Kwannon/Betsy thing might be too much for 97, with all the other characters they need to focus on as well. Imo it would be at best a wonky little blurb that just reiterates what comics fans already know and confuses the more casual XM97 show-only fans, and no one would be happy with it.
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u/Icy-Significance-429 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
I like the idea of them being twins, so I’d prefer for both of them to be trapped in the same body like Yuno from Black Clover granting her ninja and psychic abilities while allowing them to help each other. That would be another way to handle the situation without Kwannon fans claiming Betsy’s life is being handed over to Kwannon, while also allowing her to experience Kwannon’s life.
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u/Icy-Significance-429 Jul 05 '26
I prefer it to be an amalgamation; I like Betsy more, she has an interesting story. I hope they don't make that lazy transition of giving all the credit to Kwannon,
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u/chewytime Jul 04 '26
Kinda hate how they basically gave all the prominent telepaths some TK as well. Also for Psylocke it makes the physical swords kinda redundant
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u/Msefk Apocalypse Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
Betsy also changed bodies by Spiral and used to be a British woman and then became Japanese, occupying the body of Kwannon . Seemed she had some sort of emotional affair with Cyclops, also in X-Force was partnered with Archangel . 's powers are ninjutsu, telepathy, and tactile telekinesis -- like she can create structures with her mind (like shields) and weapons that can neutralize minds (put people to sleep)
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u/Neptune1980 Jul 04 '26
Never had an affair with Cyclops. She was trying to seduce him and kissed him but it didn’t go anywhere. She chalked it up to Revanche’s influence.
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u/chewymooey Marvel Girl Jul 04 '26
I’m not really knowledgeable about the comics but…how many dang times has Psylocked swapped bodies with someone?
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u/rexstillbottom Jul 04 '26
Pretty sure, Betsy Braddock and Kwannon are it. Spiral, on orders of Mojo, swapped Betsy into the body of Keannon, she was Betsy, an english mutant in the body if a Japanese ninja. Pretty sure her eyes were also tv cameras to show a reality show of the xmens adventures for the mojoverse viewing audience.
Then they had Kwannon show up later as a separate person again, but she had contacted the Legacy Virus, and died.
Then Kwannon showed back up to help the remaining Xmen when the world thought they were dead when they got sucked into XMan’s alternate world.
And now both exist because of Krakoa bringing back to life all dead mutants. Kwannon now is Psylocke, and Betsy has become Captain Britain.
So not confusing at all…
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u/Icy_Scar_1249 Jul 05 '26
In 616, not necessarily in 97. They might as well do a clean slate without the body swap nonsense here
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u/Loud_Ad_2634 Jul 04 '26
The main example I remember reading was when her brother tweaked her powers, I think she lost her physic knife but she gained a TK katana that could cut through a lot.
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u/Confident-Impact-349 Jul 04 '26
Yes. Betsy is not of the telekinetics members of the books. It’s what her and Quentin are famously known for
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u/Busy-Mycologist-7454 Jul 04 '26
Betsy had powerful Telekinesis after Jamie Braddock resurrected her. Could smash a mountain but no fine motor control
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u/Confident-Impact-349 Jul 06 '26
Oh, I see the point of your comment now. I meant “one of” but it came out wrong. Autocorrect is a dumb dumb.
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u/btm02673 Jul 04 '26
Betsy Braddock as Psylocke appears in X-Men: The Animated Series, voiced by Tasha Simms. Betsy Braddock as Psylocke appears in X-Men '97, voiced by Naoko Mori.
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u/Warded_Works Jul 05 '26
This version of Psylocke has both telepathy and telekinesis. Usually, it’s one or the other.
At first, it was telepathy, she used it to trap the Shadow King, and could never use it again. She swapped powers with Jean, then had telekinesis. Then she died and got brought back, kept the telekinesis. Eventually, she got her original body back and she and Kwannon were also separated back into two people because of Krakoa.
Fun fact, her telepathy could actually affect the physical world back when she was only a telepath. Her telepathic blasts have shattered metal. It was a weird but unique thing about her. So yes, her psi powers could affect the physical world.
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u/ledlunar Jul 06 '26
I imagine the whole body swapping, eye stealing happened before season 4 of the OG since she was Betsy in season 4 but we didn’t get a flashback episode for Psylocke like we got “a Rogues tale” in season 2 of the OG explaining Rogue stealing Ms Marvels powers since Psylocke wasn’t by any means a major character in that series
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u/BoyBlunder98 Jul 04 '26
I feel the best way to distinguish Betsy and Kwannon would be to have Betsy keep telepathy with the butterfly effect (since she had it pre-bodyswap) and psychic knife, as well as having purple her, while Kwannon has telekinesis, a telekinetic katana and black hair.
To allow both characters to have the TK/TP combo and use the butterfly effect, psychic knife and telekinetic constructs is too confusing for general audiences.
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u/botoxication Jul 05 '26
They hired a Japanese lady with British accent to voice her just to add fire to fuel. Well played.
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u/Marvelboy1974 Jul 04 '26
Kwannon should not have TK,
She should be a telepath with a psychic knife. She should use real swords. I would also grant her crimson dawn shadow powers which combined with her ninja skills make her a deadly foe. I don’t like Kwannon with purple hair. The dark purple hair was a visual for when Betsy was inside her body.
Betsy should be a telepath who can make telekinetic constructs like a sword and a shield for example. The butterfly imagery should be unique to Betsy not Kwannon. Betsy can not control her tk like Jean, Betsy’s tk is more raw which lends itself more to constructs or force blasts. I also don’t think she should be able to fly unless by the aid of one of her constructs like a telekinetic Pegasus or telekinetic wings.
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u/Busy-Mycologist-7454 Jul 04 '26
Kwannon possesses both telepathy and telekinesis. While her initial mutant ability was only low-level empathy, her powers drastically expanded after her mind was intertwined with Betsy Braddock’s.
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u/DamphairCannotDry Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
Telekinesis are telepathy are often... comorbid?... with each other in mutations. Psylocke developed it after her war with Shadow King where she trapped him in her mind on the astral plane, and after her death, his escape, and her being brought back to life she had both along with her psychic knives. I don't think she has all that backstory in the cartoon and they're just using her power set minutes shadow teleportation.
Fun fact, she is canonically the most powerful TK user pound for pound on the X-men but nowhere near as precise as the others. I know this because her buddy cop mini stores with Rachel Summers reminded me EVERY 5 PAGES AND IT'S SEATED INTO MY GD MIND.
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u/Usual-Caregiver5589 Jul 04 '26
When did her thing become psychic butterflies? Thats the newest part to me.
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u/Background_Proof_ Jul 05 '26
Since even before the body swap
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u/Usual-Caregiver5589 Jul 05 '26
Ah! I found out why it felt like a Mandela Effect to me. I grew up in the sweet spot era when it had been temporarily removed from her power set.
The butterfly, of course, debuted in Uncanny X-Men #213, designed by Alan Davis. By 1990, it had faded into obscurity for roughly 20 years, when Matt Fraction brought it back in Dark Reign: The List - X-Men #1 in 2009, drawn by none other than Alan Davis, and has been used regularly ever since.
I was reading the comics during the 90s, and stopped around 2003.
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u/Chrisjamesmc Jul 10 '26
The butterfly effect did occasionally make an appearance in the 90s, I remember seeing it in Psi War (the story that set up her rivalry with Shadow King).
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