# 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 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 claimed 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.

## Publication history
### Betsy Braddock

Created by writer Chris Claremont, Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock first appeared in Captain Britain #8 (Dec. 1976), with Captain Britain #10 (Dec. 1976) as her first cover appearance, published by the Marvel Comics' British imprint Marvel UK. In New Mutants Annual #2 (1986), Claremont integrated Betsy Braddock into the X-Men franchise. After being rescued by the New Mutants and taking up residence at their mutant-training academy, Braddock is formally invited to join the X-Men and officially adopts the codename Psylocke, becoming an enduring fixture of the team over the next three decades.
In a 1989 story, an amnesiac Betsy is kidnapped by The Hand, who brainwash her and physically alter her to take on an East Asian appearance. Under the name Lady Mandarin, she briefly becomes the Hand’s supreme assassin. While her memories return, she retains her new appearance and skills, including the ability to manifest the focused totality of her telepathic power in the form of a “psychic knife.” A 1993 story by Fabian Nicieza would retroactively establish that Braddock’s changed appearance was the product of a body swap between Braddock and the assassin Kwannon.
In the Claremont-written X-Treme X-Men #2 (2001), the character dies, her comic book death lasting until 2005's Uncanny X-Men #455. During the Hunt for Wolverine storyline, the psychic vampire Sapphire Styx absorbs the entirety of Braddock’s soul, leaving her body dead. After destroying Sapphire Styx from the inside with assistance from a fragment of Wolverine’s soul, Braddock reconstitutes her original body with the villain’s remaining soul power.
During the Dawn of X, Braddock subsequently took up her brother Brian’s former title of Captain Britain, forming a new iteration of Excalibur with Apocalypse, Gambit, Rogue, Jubilee, and Rictor, to protect the Kingdom of Avalon.

### Kwannon

In Kwannon’s first appearance, using the codename Revanche, she traveled to the United States to confront Braddock, believing herself to be the real Betsy Braddock due to amnesia caused by the body swap. She discovered that she was formerly The Hand’s prime assassin before incurring brain damage and falling comatose as a result of a battle with her lover Matsu’o Tsurayaba, a high-ranking member of the Hand. In hopes that, due to Kwannon’s low-level psychic abilities, the powers of the high-level telepath Betsy Braddock would be able to save her life, Tsurayaba sought the help of the sorceress Spiral, who instead transferred the women’s minds into each other’s bodies rather than simply recovering Kwannon.
After accepting that she is not the original Betsy Braddock, Kwannon becomes a member of the X-Men, shortly thereafter contracting the Legacy Virus. As the disease progressed, Kwannon’s psychic abilities increased, allowing her to clarify her own distorted memory. Choosing to die on her own terms, Kwannon confronts Tsurayaba, who complies with her request to kill her rather than waiting to succumb to the disease.
Following the Hunt for Wolverine, when Braddock was restored to her original body, Kwannon was reborn in her original body as well. Claiming the codename Psylocke for herself, Kwannon became a citizen of the mutant nation of Krakoa. After the apparent murder of her long-lost daughter by a threatening artificial intelligence called Apoth, Psylocke assembled a new team of Fallen Angels with X-23 and Cable. After finding out that Apoth was using children to disseminate a technological drug called Overclock, Mister Sinister modified Overclock to allow Psylocke to interact with Apoth in a cyberspace, killing Apoth, whose remains she delivered to Mister Sinister in exchange for his assistance in keeping this extrajudicial mission a secret from the Krakoan Quiet Council.
Following the Apoth incident, Psylocke was assigned to monitor Mister Sinister’s new team of Hellions, composed of mutants considered too violent or troubled to assimilate into Krakoan society. The character was later featured as a team member in the Marauders (vol. 2) as the team was refocused on their mission of mutant rescue. Following the fall of Krakoa, Kwannon will headline in the upcoming ongoing series Psylocke (vol. 2) written by Alyssa Wong with art by Vincenzo Carratù. This solo series will be spun out of events in Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman's X-Men (vol. 7) where Psylocke is a team member.

## Race swap controversy

Psylocke was initially the code name of Elizabeth Braddock, a British woman. However, in a Marvel storyline of 1989, Acts of Vengeance, she was "physically transformed into an Asian woman by a villain seeking to brainwash her and turn her into an elite assassin for a group of ninja warriors." This has been criticized as racially insensitive or stereotypical by multiple fans and critics. For example, Anna Lam calls her new form a "fetishized Asian sex object in the style of the classic Dragon Lady of the 1930s." Chris Claremont, the writer of the story, has said that this transformation was originally simply a disguise but became semi-permanent because most fans embraced it. The artist for the story is Jim Lee, a Korean American.
The subsequent storyline of 1993, written by Nicieza, mitigates the issue because subsequently the East Asian Psylocke and the white Psylocke are two distinct women (Kwannon and Betsy Braddock, respectively).

## Collections

| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
| X-Men: Psylocke | Psylocke #1-4, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #256-258 | 2010 | 978-0785144397 |

## Other versions
### Butterfly

An original incarnation of Psylocke named O-Chiyo Braddock appears in 5 Ronin. This version is the English-Japanese orphan daughter of a local Japanese woman who died when she was a baby and an English expat trader who committed suicide when she was a child after his business failed. After being forced into the yoshiwara to survive, O-Chiyo grows up to become the top-ranked prostitute, codenamed "Butterfly", in a high-end brothel. She later crosses paths with a Ronin called the Wolverine, who becomes her regular customer.

### Ultimate Universe

Two original incarnations of Psylocke from Earth-6160, Sai and her descendant Kanon Sainouchi, appear in series set in the Ultimate Universe.

#### Sai

Sai appears in Demon Days: X-Men. She is an adventurous Japanese samurai accompanied by a wolf named Logan who comes from a variation of ancient Japan where humans used to coexist with yōkai until the avarice within humans caused a conflict between both species.

#### Kanon Sainouchi

Sainouchi appears in Ultimate X-Men. She is a senior at Idori High School, an expert fencer, and younger sister of a police officer named Tatsuya.

## In other media

Psylocke, primarily based on Betsy Braddock's characterization while her mind was in Kwannon's body, has been adapted in various forms of media, including films, television series, and video games. Olivia Munn portrayed the character in the 2016 film X-Men: Apocalypse.
The Sai incarnation of Psylocke from Demon Days: X-Men appears as a playable character in the video game Marvel Rivals.