Psylocke

Psylocke is the name of two connected characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Both characters are portrayed as mutants, a subspecies of humans born with an "X-gene" that grants superhuman abilities. In the primary continuity of the Marvel Universe, the first character to use the Psylocke moniker is Betsy Braddock (created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe), a British telepath who is initially depicted as a supporting character in stories focused on her twin brother Brian. Betsy adopts the codename "Psylocke" upon joining the X-Men, and later takes on the appearance of a Japanese woman and the abilities of a ninja in a story written by Claremont and illustrated by Jim Lee. This redesign was retroactively established years later to be the result of a body swap with the ninja assassin Kwannon (created by Fabian Nicieza and Andy Kubert). Following 29 years of publication history, both women were returned to their respective bodies, and Betsy assumed the mantle of Captain Britain from her brother while Kwannon became the second Psylocke. The Ultimate Universe features two original versions of Psylocke: Sai and Kanon Sainouchi (both created by Peach Momoko). In addition to their presence in numerous X-related team titles over the decades, both iterations of Psylocke have been featured in various limited series and one-shots. In 1997, Betsy Braddock, as Psylocke, appeared in the 4-issue team-up series Psylocke and Archangel: Crimson Dawn. Additionally, she starred in the one-shot X-Men: Sword of the Braddocks #1 in 2009 and the solo 4-issue series X-Men: Psylocke in 2010. During the Krakoan Age, Kwannon as Psylocke appeared in various team books such as the Hellions (2020) and Marauders (2022) and then starred in the one-shot X-Men: Blood Hunt – Psylocke #1 in 2024. As part of the X-Men: From the Ashes relaunch, Kwannon as Psylocke is set to star in a new solo ongoing series starting in November 2024.