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The Uncanny X-Men:
Why don't you go back.
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PsylockeName: Elizabeth 'Betsy' Braddock or Kwannon First Appearence: New Mutants Annual #2 Betsy Braddock was born a twin. Her brother, Brian Braddock, was the smart bookworm while she was the daring warrior trapped in the body of an English lady. Throughout her childhood she yearned for action and excitement. More than anything she wished to be a hero fighting the good fight. When Brian was given the powers of Captain Britian to become a hero, it was the cruelest of ironies. This greatest of hurts was a defining factor in her life. She would be a warrior no matter the cost. Eventually she became a fashion model, renowned throughout the world. Dying her blond hair purple she tried hard as she could to escape her confining facade of gentle beauty. Finnaly the chance came when she was entrusted with the duty of being Captian Britian in Brian's stead. As Captain Britian she failed miserably. Slay Master bested her in combat and during the fight she lost her eyes. Utterly blind she was taken to the Mojoverse and given bionic eyes by Mojo. The eyes' secret purpose was to record the X-Men for Mojo's television audience. The New Mutants came to rescue her and she met Douglas Ramsey aka Cypher. The young man developed a crush on Betsy almost immediatley, and she too felt something, if not in love, for him in return. Since the New Mutants were staying at the X-Mansion with the X-Men under the leadership of Magneto, she decided to live there and try to use her telepathic powers to become a hero. Try as she might she could not convince the X-Men that she was anything more than a delicate doll. It was during her tenure at the X-Mansion that the Marauders chose to attack the Morlocks. Without Xavier, the X-Men depended on Psylocke for mental contact but they would not allow her to be involved in the direct conflict. While the X-Men were away in the Alley, looking for survivors, the Marauder Sabretooth chose to attack the mansion. Knowing that the Morlock survivers could not defend themselves against Sabretooth, she chose to lead him away from them even at the cost of her life. Though he was stronger and faster, Psylocke would not relent, instead she matched him blow for blow in a chase through the mansion. Defiant even as he prepared to rip out her throat, she was saved by Storm and Wolverine. As the senior X-Men decided to take Sabretooth hostage, Psylocke intervened. She deduced that if they were to learn Sabretooth's secrets they must do so while he was occupided in battle. So as Wolverine and Sabretooth tore at eachother, Psylocke ventured into the killer's mind. She found the needed information but unfortunately Sabretooth escaped. From this time forward, Psylocke was considered a X-Man to be reckoned with. She stayed with the team through it's seeming metamorphosis and along with the other X-Men, she died in Dallas only to be resurrected by Roma. Settling in their new Australian base, she became fast friends with Storm. The Siege Perilous had been given to the X-Men for safe keeping, and after the deaths of several X-Men, including Storm, Psylocke took the mantle of leadership. Wearing the Siege Perilous around her neck, she experienced a dream like premonition while the remaining X-Men were in the Savage Land. In her dream she foresaw the deaths of the X-Men should they return to the Outback town. Before she could warn her companions, Gateway teleported the X-Men back to Australia. So using her telepathic powers, Psylocke manipulated the few X-Men left, into traveling through the Seige Perilous instead of remaining to fight the Reavers who had re-taken their town. The asian woman known as Kwannon was an assasin of the highest order. Her deadly services were pledged to the criminal lord Nyoirin while her heart was pledged to the Hand's master assasin Matsuo Tsurayaba. When Nyoirin dared to cross the Hand, Matsuo was sent to murder him knowing full well that Kwannon would defend Nyoirin with her life. The two lovers fought, neither gaining any clear advantage as the battle raged across the estate grounds. Eventually the two reached the cliff's edge. It was here that the muddy slopes collapsed and sent Kwannon tumbling to her doom. Nyoirin confronted Matsuo and learned that the older man had loved Kwannon. Due to this love he permitted Matsuo to take the body. The Hand's resources were vast and Matsuo deemed himself capable of restoring her life through scientific and mystical means. The process was a sucess but though she lived, she was merely a living shell that held a desceased mind. Though he had lost her soul, he decided that her body would suffice, so he contacted Spiral. Betsy Braddock emerged from the Siege Perilous a battered woman. Persumably the Hand found her and as a telepath, viewed this as an oppurtunity to heal the mind of Kwannon. Though she was capable of performing the process, Spiral chose to play her own game. Instead of restoring Kwannon's mind to Kwannon's body, she restored Kwannon's mind to Betsy's body, and Betsy's mind to Kwannon's body. She chose to do this out of some twisted anger from Mojo's manipulation of her (Rita Richocette) own relationship with Longshot. The two women became siemese twins of a sort. Each had Kwannon's fighting ability, and Betsy's telepathy along with the same scent. While Kwannon in Betsy's body was discarded, Betsy in Kwannon's body was molded into the new master assasin for the Hand. Her memories were stripped one by one until she had no memory of her former life and all that was left was Lady Mandarin. Earlier the Hand had formed an alliance with the Mandarin in order to achieve world domination through the use of super powered agents like Psylocke. Around the time that the brain washing was completed, Wolverine and Jubilee made their way to Madripoor after escaping from the Reavers. The Hand, under Psylocke's command, attacked Wolverine and Jubilee. After defeating Wolverine, the Hand sought to perform the same brain washing process on him. Psylocke used her telepathic powers to do this but when her mind became linked with Wolverine's, she broke free of the Hand's Control. Eventually the three heroes confronted the Mandarin and defeated him. Though Jubilee had doubts about trusting Psylocke, Wolverine had faith that it was really her. In her new body Psylocke had achieved everything she had ever wanted. Now her body matched the fierceness of her mind. The new Psylocke revelled in using her newfound martial arts skills, while her she rarely used her telepathic powers, except her new 'psychic knife' which was the totality of her mental powers. After the three were reunited with the other X-Men, Psylocke was placed on the X-Men's Blue team. Almost immediately she began a flirtation with Cyclops. This relationship bordered on an affair and put Scott and Jean's relationship on the rocks. When confronted, Psylocke attacked Jean Grey in the Danger Room. When out of nowhere appeared the old Psylocke (in cloak/armour). Psylocke believed it was merely a Danger Room simulation programed by Jean, but in actuality it was really the old Psylocke come to confront the new. Revanche, as she called herself, revealed herself to be the one true Psylocke to the amazed X-Men and deemed the current Psylocke a traitor. Though Psylocke defended herself, the X-Men had doubts, especially after she had attacked Jean. So in order to prove that she was the real Psylocke, Revanche took the X-Men to Nyoirin's Estate. Here the X-Men, Beast, Gambit, Psylocke and Revanche, found Nyoirin's journal. They read the journal and seeminly learned that when Psylocke had emerged from the Seige Perilous, Kwannon had found her and their minds had been bonded in Betsy's chaotic state. Though this was untrue, the X-Men believed it for the time being. Though they had doubts about both's real identities, they allowed the two to remain at the mansion. On a mission it was revealed that Revanche had contracted the Legacy Virus. As Legacy heightened her telepathic powers towards the point that they would kill her, her memory came back. Revanche learned that she was not Betsy Braddock but was really Kwannon. Chosing to leave without saying her farewells, Revanche left a finnal gift for her 'sister'. Upon waking, Psylocke found the bionic eyes that Mojo had implanted in her old body. She only revealed this fact to her newfound friend Warren Worthington aka Angel. The blinded Revanche made her way to Matsuo's estate and confronted her former lover. After their confrontation, Revanche asked Matsuo to take her life before the Legacy Virus, and he did. Upon her death the whole world felt her passing, especially Psylocke. Seeking to ammend her former interference, Spiral appeared to Psylocke and from her twisted clues, Psylocke used the bionic eyes to learn what had really happened in Madripoor after she emerged from the Seige Perilous. Psylocke decided to venture to Nyoirin's estate to hopefully learn the fate of Revanche. When she arrived however, she found Nyoirin murdered by Matsuo. At this meeting, Matsuo attempted to kill himself by Psylocke forbid it, insisting that he honor Kwannon's memory by living. With the mystery over, it was also revealed that Psylocke's flirtation with Scott had been an after effect of the Kwannon personality. Psylocke's life returned to normal, and she began to fall in love with Angel. The two became lovers after hardly any time. When Sabretooth came to the mansion and Boomer inadvertantly allowed him to escape, it was Psylocke who confronted him. Though she fought well, he gained the advantage and eviscrated her. With their teammate dying, the X-Men tried everything they could but nothing worked. It was finnaly Wolverine, along with Angel, who went in seek of the Crimson Dawn to save her life. The Dawn was a magical substance with mystical healing properties. The Crimson Dawn did suceed in saving her life but she now had a red tatoo on her face and began using new powers such as shadow melding. Also her personality seemed to have changed dramatically. No longer was she friendly but rather she became increasingly distant and uncaring. As time progressed it became clear that she owed a debt to the Dawn for saving her life. Undercloaks attacked with increasing frequency and soon she was attacked by Kuraguri, an evil master of the Crimson Dawn. Although Angel eventually suceeded in saving her from becoming an evil shadow queen, it was at the cost of part of his life. The two have remained X-Men but no longer live in the mansion and choose instead to remain in Warren's SoHo flat. Psylocke's peronality still remains distant and her powers continue to grow in power...
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